It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the
world, he loved them to the end. The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had
come from God and was returning to God; so, he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’
feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”
“No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”
Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
“Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!” Jesus answered, “Those who have
had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not everyone was clean. When he had finished washing
their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that
I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a
messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
It is often said that man’s passions are seen never so much as when the man is upon the threshold of death; that it is there, at death’s door, that we see the man’s
ruling passion, that which consumes his heart and mind.
What do we see here from our Savior who is now only hours from his death? What is in the forefront? With so much before him so many things no doubt running through
his holy, sanctified mind, what is He thinking? What will He do? His heart is turned to those he loves.
John tells us that Jesus knew that his hour had come, the time for his departure from this world. What his life was building too, the purpose of His being in the world,
the time which was planned in eternity past and which sees the unfolding of all history building toward it…it is now here and Jesus knows it is here. And His heart is turned toward those He loves.
Maundy Thursday marks the beginning of the sacred Triduum, or three days. Jesus has given instructions to his followers on how to prepare the holy meal which would
be His last. Jesus is now alone with his disciples in the upper room. The Passover has begun or rather, is being fulfilled!
You may remember how it is that John uses the words life and light over and over. In chapters 1-12 the word life occurs 50 times and darkness, 32 times. But now in
the upper room where Jesus is with his disciples in an intimate, personal setting, the word life only occurs 6 times and light and darkness, none at all. By
contrast the word love is found only 6 times in the first 12 chapters of John and 31 times in chapters 13-17.The point of all of this is the love of Jesus for his own, it is His love for them that will sustain them, keep them and be their hope.
John sees the Son of God rising from the meal and coming down to the feet of his disciples, putting a towel around his waist and washes them. John will never be the
same again…he will become known as “the apostle of love.” Read carefully, what do you think this sounds like: Jesus leaves his place…and prepares himself to come down so that he might give himself to those he loves, he comes down to serve them, he comes
down to wash them so that they might be clean?
The words of Jesus’ descent to the feet of the disciples is similar to the words of his incarnation. He leaves his position, he lays aside his garment, he prepares
himself and comes down to the feet of the disciples to love them. This is incarnational. The doctrine that eternity should be born, that He who rules the stars and every event on the earth, should nurse at the bosom of the virgin…that the branch should bear
the root, that God should serve and give Himself for man’s sake.
Jesus then says that this is the pattern for all who would follow Him. This is the pattern for us. This is not about doing random acts of kindness, this is about the
kingdom and what it means to belong to it. This is about your calling, to be emptied, to be nothing that the glory of the unseen would fill your soul and radiate from your life to the world.
Jesus didn’t say, blessed are you if you understand this, blessed are you if you can teach this, blessed are you if you fit this neatly into your systematic theology.
He said, “Bless you if you do these things. “Do you know what I have done…you call me teacher and Lord and you say well, for so I am, if I then your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”
Perhaps you have thought as have I of all that we could do as a church if we had unlimited resources, if money were no option, wow, what a difference we could make! We
could make our sanctuary more beautiful and more acoustically helpful! We could support our ministries with substantial amounts that would really make a difference.
However, think of all that we could do if we were truly humble and given
over to loving others as Jesus has loved us. Think…if we were void of self as Jesus was…if our focus was really on serving and not being served, if we had the same mind that was in Christ Jesus…what we could do for the kingdom!
Jesus tells his disciples, “If I do not wash you, you have no part of me.” It
is all so simple really. Have you been washed by Jesus? Are you cleansed by Him? Have you come to Him with all your sins, your dirty self, and been made clean?
When Jesus said this, Peter is mortified at the thought of having no part of Jesus and responds in his characteristic way: impulsive, excitable, zealous, ardent, with
much feeling but not necessarily much understanding. “Well,
then not just my feet but wash all of me!
Jesus then says, “He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean…you are clean, but not all of you.” Once
joined to Christ and cleansed in his blood we are absolved and free from all guilt and counted without blame before God; Jesus has cleansed us. But,
for all of this, we still live in this world. We still need, every day, as we walk through the dust and filth of this world to confess our daily failures. We must seek grace and marvel again and again at the mercy of Jesus who came down from heaven to make
us clean. Our ‘feet’ need to be washed daily.
This is why we confess our sins together in worship. This is why repentance must be part of our daily liturgy of prayer. We are acknowledging that our feet are dirty
and we are coming to the one who came to us that He is faithful to cleanse us, to wash our feet. He that is washed, needs only to wash his feet and to wash them in the same fountain wherein he found cleansing at the beginning.
Prayer: Gracious Father, You call us to be your voices in this world and
we stay silent. You call us to be your hands in this world and we keep them hidden. You call us to be your feet in this world and
we go our own way.
When we meet those who are doubting and
say nothing, forgive us.
When we meet those who need your touch and
do nothing, forgive us.
When we are called to take up your cross and
carry nothing, forgive us.
Breathe life into these bones, bring
freedom to these lives that we might declare with
heart and soul and voice that you are our Lord and
our God. In Jesus name, Amen
Hymn: There is a Fountain Filled with Blood
