John 13:1-17
And before the celebration of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to return from this world to the father. Having loved his own, the ones who are in the world into the end he loved them and having become dinner, the devil now had thrown into the heart of Judas Simon Iscariot that he should hand over him because he knew the father had given him all things into his hands and that from God he came and to God he is going He got up from dinner and took off his robes and he took a towel and tied it around his waist next pouring water into the basin and began to wash the feet of the disciples and to wipe them with the towel which was tied around his waist coming therefore to Simon Peter, he said to him, “Lord, you my feet are washing?” Answering Jesus also said to him, “What I am doing you do not understand at the present time, but you will come to understand with this.” Peter is saying to him, “No never can you wash my feet in this lifetime!” Answering Jesus said to him, “Unless I wash you, you are having no part of me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet alone, but the hands and the head.” Jesus said to him, “The one who has washed does not have need except for the feet to wash, but is wholly clean, and you are clean, but not all of you.” For he had known the one who would hand him over, on account of this one he said that not all of you are clean. Then when he washed their feet and took up his robes and reclining again he said to them, “Do you know what I had done to you? You are calling me Teacher and Lord and you are saying correctly, for I am. Therefore if I, Teacher and Lord, washed your feet, also you ought to wash one another’s feet For I gave an example to you so that as I did to you, you should do. Truly, Truly I say to you, a slave is not greater then his lord neither is the one sent greater than the one who sent him. If you had known these things, blessed are you if you do them.”
A picture is worth a thousand words. On my desk are pictures of me and my girls. They speak of love, companionship, friendship, fun, and many other things. I can look at them and remember the story that goes with them. And here in our sanctuary we have pictures. These beautiful stain glass windows each have a picture, a story to tell. There is the star, and the birth, the questioning in the temple as a child, the triumphal entry. Jesus knocking on the door to seek entry be that the door to your heart, or some other door. We can see these pictures and remember the stories that go with them, and probably memories of others telling us the stories, and how that effected our live. Pictures are every where and we look at them and think we know the story. We think we understand things by seeing them, just as the disciples did.
We also carry mental images with us. I have images of the Charis, Carina and Krista I carry with me, in my heart and mind. We all have them, the picture of a boyfriend or girlfriend, spouse or children. It is a comfort for us to be able to see them when we are away from them.
We also have the mental images from our texts today. Exodus gives us the image of blood over the door way, a way of saying, God pass us over. We are a part of you. We have the image from Corinthians where Paul gives to us what he received. When you heard those words spoken did you see the bread being lifted, and the cup being lifted and given to you, by Christ himself. Images are very powerful and in our fast paced world we are bombarded by images, both pictures in billboards and advertisements, and the mental images that come from smells, and sounds, and other triggers.
We see the image you have to have the best of everything to have made it, to be some body. Many of us are watching the NCAA Basketball Tournament. Soon the winner will be crowned and all of the other teams will be forgotten, because they are not the best, they are the losers, and not what is to be strived for. We live in a society where you need to be an overachiever, some one who climbs the ladder of success quickly and gets that nice corner office with the nice view. We see status as something to be obtained and maintained at all times and all cost, we can not let ourselves demean ourselves to let our status fall once we have achieved it.
This is not the image we get from Jesus in our Gospel text for this evening. We see the master and teacher, humbling himself and taking on a role that he should not be doing. Foot washing was an act of hospitality performed in the ancient Near East when a guest entered a house. In the home of wealthy Jews, a slave would loosen the sandal straps of those who entered and wash their feet. Today, Maundy Thursday the day before Jesus’ crucifixion is observed, we read about foot washing in John 13. John does not record Jesus’ last supper. At the place where the supper occurs in the other Gospels, John offers this story with its commandment to love others as Christ has loved us, a humility and love demonstrated through foot washing. The Latin word for “commandment” is mandatum, which became “maundy” in latter-day English. Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment, to love one another as I have loved you. He took the world view they had and turned it upside down. He as their master and teacher, their lord, took upon himself the role of servant, and washed their feet. This is also counter cultural for us. Rick Warren in the purpose driven life says “We serve God by serving others. The world defines greatness in terms of power, possessions, prestige, and position. If you can demand service from others, you’ve arrived. In our self-serving culture with its me-first mentality, acting like a servant is not a popular concept.” But it is not only acting like a servant, but we have to look at the other side of the equation in foot washing. Not only did Jesus have to bend his knee and take the water and move to wash the feet, but the disciples had to be willing to be served. Foot washing is an unfamiliar intimacy. Being served by God through others is an unfamiliar intimacy. We have to open up selves up to show our vulnerabilities, show that part of us we only let those closest to us see. Who wants to let the pastor or anyone else touch these barges of human flesh? It’s an unfamiliar intimacy. And that is precisely the point. When Jesus washed his disciples’ feet, Peter refused this gift. Peter, like us, didn’t want to be served in this way. Nor did he want to change places with Jesus. Peter wanted Jesus to be the focus of his uninvolved adoration. He didn’t want Jesus to enter his world as a humble servant. For Jesus, however, this entry is at the heart of fellowship: “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me” (John 13:8). No foot washing, no communion. We can not be part of him if we can not let him serve us. We have to be open and let our vulnerabilities show and not have the attitude that I can do it on my own, a real man does not ask for help. We can not let the image of ourselves be degraded to let someone serve us. We need to embrace the unfamiliar intimacy. It is not about power or prestige or possession, or position. It does not matter if you are a winner or a loser, we are all children of God, and we are given a Maundy, a commandment that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.
Love one another, who is this? Does Jesus just mean we are to love the ones in our group, those present that night, those in this congregation? Or does me mean everyone? Let us look at who was present during the foot washing. The disciples were present, and this is pretty vague, does this mean just the 12, or others as well. The only thing we know for certain is Peter was there, and Judas. Judas does not leave until verse 30. Jesus served the one that was going to hand him over to be crucified… Does this mean we are also to serve those who may do us wrong? In Luke Jesus says “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them. And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners do the same. And if you lend to those from whom you hope to receive, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, to receive as much again. But love your enemies, and do good, and lend, expecting nothing in return;” We are to love everyone, the least, the little, the lost, the ones that no one else will love. It’s easy to see how the church is to act in the world when you contemplate washing feet. It’s risky. It’s messy. You feel inept and silly. You have to roll up your sleeves and go to work. You have to kneel to perform the act. You get wet and so does the floor. You touch people in ways you would not touch them outside of washing their feet. This humble gesture of foot washing points us to the path of service, compassion and love. All of this silliness and risky ness are at the bottom of Christian action in the world. For precisely this reason, the image of Jesus washing our feet, serving us in the unfamiliar intimacy may be just what we need to jar us out of complacency and conformity into the risky ness of serving Christ. Foot washing is more than a gesture. It is a model for living the Christian way. One which we can only do through the strength and guidance we get from the table, as we come and receive our lord through the bread and the wine, let us improve our serve, and see him in everyone we meet, and let them know we are Christians through our love. Embrace the unfamiliar intimacy.
Amen.
aSacredRebel 