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MAUNDY
THURSDAY
YEAR
A EXODUS
12:1-14 1 CORINTHIANS
11:23-26 JOHN 13:1-17,
31b-35 MARCH 20,
2008 John 13:6-8
He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to
wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but
later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my
feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with
me.” “You do not know
now what I am doing but later you will understand.” Jesus was with his
disciples who must have been very confused about what was happening. They
were confused, sad and afraid at the same time. So much had happened in
three years. The common people were beginning to believe in the Son of
Man. They were accepting him as the Messiah from God. People outside of
the Jewish faith were claiming Jesus as their Messiah and others were
coming to faith because of the miracles Jesus did in their lives. They
were listening to his teachings. Yet the authorities were seeking a way to
kill Jesus. Why? Why would they want to kill the Son of Man? He taught the
people about loving God and loving neighbor. Jesus told them about
receiving living water and about the bread of life. Now, Jesus was washing
feet. The teacher, master Rabbi and Lord was washing the feet of the
students. He was washing the feet those that were not the master or the
Rabbi or the Lord. They did not understand but one day they would.
Sometimes you
and I do not understand the things of faith. We struggle to believe
something that seems so foreign. We want to see the things of God but
sometimes they seem so far away that we can’t quite get there. We travel
through the season of Lent observing the disciplines of the season. Maybe
we wonder if it is worth it. Although we did not get to do so this year,
we place ashes on our forehead at the beginning of the season. We may not
appreciate the significance of this act but we do it anyway knowing that
one day we will understand the significance. We might even wonder what
people are saying about us. “Those people have dirt on their heads.” We
enjoyed the procession of palms last Sunday and we celebrated with all
those that went with Jesus into Simon Peter is
an example of someone having a difficult time submitting to the will and
the ways of God. Since he was called to be a disciple he often
misunderstood the teachings of the Lord. He is a man that has been in
control all of his life yet he has no control over anything. As a
fisherman he had control over when he went out to the sea and he had some
control over the people working for him. Simon Peter could control the
wages he paid and the hours people worked but he had no control over the
weather conditions. He could not stop a storm from brewing on the
Do you know
anyone like Simon Peter? Most of us have people in our lives that like
having all of the answers and like being an expert about everything. We
know people that have a hard time being humble. We all now people that
have experience in just about everything you are trying to do. If you are
trying to work on your car this person knows how to fix it. If you are
looking for a way to lose weight this person has the answers. If you are
looking for ways to make more money on the internet this guy knows how.
This guy has not actually worked on a car before and he has not actually
lost any weight and this person has not actually tried making money using
the internet they just know how you should do it.
Today we come to
Holy Thursday. This is the traditional day that we study Jesus washing his
disciples’ feet. We also celebrate Jesus instituting the Lord’s Supper as
he enjoyed this final day with his disciples. This is a day for us to
submit to the power and the authority of our Lord. We must lose ourselves
every day so that our Lord finds us faithful but on this day we come to
the fullness of our helplessness. Jesus removed his outer garment and
draped himself in a towel. The Messiah did that which was the duty of the
servants. He washed their feet. Jesus humbled himself in the presence of
his disciples and he made himself their servant. This act of love required
the disciples to also be humble. If they were to receive what the Lord is
offering they must be humble. Most of the disciples were able to humble
themselves. They allowed the Lord to wash their feet, yet Simon Peter
could not do it. Part of Peter’s reluctance was surely out of respect for
Jesus. Jesus was the Rabbi. He was the Lord. The Lord does not stoop to
wash anyone’s feet. The other part of Peter’s issue is one of being
humble. Peter could not control what Jesus was about to do. Perhaps he was
embarrassed. He was not going to let submit to anyone, not even to Jesus.
John 13:12-17
After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to
the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call
me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I,
your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one
another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as
I have done to you. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than
their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If
you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
If you and I are
to be children of God and inheritors of salvation we must humble ourselves
before the Lord. Jesus gave the example for us. He washed their feet and
said they must wash one another’s feet. We must allow the Lord to touch us
with healing power. We must allow the Lord to guide our ways even if the
way seems impractical. We do not force our own ways but we allow the
Lord’s ways to be the rule for our lives and the life of our congregation.
It may not be the most convenient or the most comfortable for us but if it
is God’s way it is always the right way. A couple of
years ago I had an intern that had a really hard time with people’s feet.
She really wanted nothing to do with touching someone else’s feet. She did
not wear sandals and did not like to see others wearing sandals. Maundy
Thursday was coming and it was my tradition in that congregation to wash
the feet of my confirmation students. I washed their feet showing them
that their teacher and pastor was not above them. I wanted them to know
that being a child of God sometimes means doing things that are not
pleasant. For this Holy Thursday service, I assigned the foot washing
duties to the intern. Jodi’s first reaction was one of disbelief and then
horror. “You mean I have to put my hands on their feet? I am not a foot
person.” I told her that she did not need to touch their feet if she could
find a way to wash them and dry them without touching them. Jodi just
looked at me and I grinned at her. Some people
thought I was being mean by making her do something she had trouble with.
Others thought I assigned the duty to Jodi because I did not want to wash
the feet of my students. My primary reason for assigning this to Jodi was
to help her learn to be humble. Jodi was already a humble person but she
also needed to know that being a pastor in the church sometimes means
doing things you would rather not do. It means leading by example and it
means humbling yourself becoming a servant of the others.
Jesus knew who
he was. He knew that he had come from the Father and would return to the
Father. Jesus had no identity problem and he did not worry about what
others were going to say about him if he stooped to wash the feet of his
disciples. Likewise, you and I must not be concerned about what others
will say if you let on that you are a child of God and that you are guided
by the word of the Lord. We have come to understand what it means for
Jesus to wash feet. You and I are called to serve others as the Lord
served us. We do any task that presents itself to us. It may not be
washing feet. It may be feeding a homeless person or caring for the poor.
Jesus gave you the example as he washed the feet of his disciples. Walk in
his ways and in his truth and you will receive his life.
AMEN |