Maundy Thursday 2011

JOHN 13: 1-17, 31b-35

Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “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.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

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 has sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

“I’m sorry to eat and run, but I just don’t have much time.”

Is there a ruder statement that can be made? In our culture eating and running insults the host, as if to say “Your food is pretty good, but I don’t care that much for your company!”

Our culture is viewed by other cultures as one where people do this all the time. If you eat in an American restaurant, it is expected that when you finish, the waiter will come and ask if you are ready for the check. In Latin culture, no decent waitperson would ever do that. It is up to the patron to let the waiter know when it is time for the check.

But eating and running has its place. And one of those places is Passover. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his friends; to celebrate and remember the ultimate “eat and run” meal. The reason Scripture tells us that the Children of Abraham ate unleavened bread is because they did not have the time to wait for it to rise.

They had to eat and pack up their doggie bags in a hurry. They had to eat and run to a new life that God was securing for them. Run to a new life out of slavery and into freedom!

It was not long before they regretted running away from their servitude. “Has Moses brought us into the desert to die,” they complained. “At least we had food and water in Egypt. Our feet should have stayed in Egypt!”

What they learned in the desert is that it is easier to run away from something than it is to run to something. Running away from slavery was the easy part; running towards a new life of challenges was much more difficult. Running away from the yoke of tyranny was quite easy; following God along a rough road was not so easy.

Unlike the other reports of the Last Supper, John’s Gospel places it on the day before Passover, the night in which the unleavened bread was quickly made by the slaves in Egypt. And now on that night, Jesus gathered with his friends, the night of preparation, the night the lambs were prepared for the feast that began the next day. As the disciples gather with Jesus to celebrate the fast food of Passover, Jesus does something quite unexpected from a Messiah. During the supper, Jesus gets up, takes off his outer robe, wraps a towel around his waist and begins to wash the disciples’ feet. “You will never wash my feet,” exclaims a shocked Peter.

Jesus answers him, “Peter, this is my way, the way that I am calling you.”

Jesus stays after dinner and sets an example in V14: “So if I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For this is an example…”

An example of what? Good hygiene? A Passover Pedicure? No, this is an example of a new commandment. This commandment, says Jesus, is “…that you love one another.”

“Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.”

This washing is an example of our Lord’s willingness to be humble and assume the role of a servant for those that he loved.

The washing of feet is a symbol, a sign of the extreme lengths our God will go to be of service to humanity. The truly remarkable thing about this is that Jesus knew that one pair of feet would run off to betray him, another pair would be planted on the ground as he was denied, others propped up in sleep as Jesus was facing the gravest hour.

The Passover was an event that called the people to God, to prepare to eat and run behind God, away from slavery and into a new life. The Last Supper is the event that calls the people of God to eat and run to a new life of servitude, a life of service even to those who will betray and lie and commit acts of violence. It is a meal that calls us to eat and run from the safety of our rooms to the insecurity of the road to Calvary.

The disciples missed the point. They ate and then they ran, alright. They ran to hiding places and places of safety.

The places they were called to were scary and painful. They hated to eat and run, but it was better (they thought) to run away, then to face the future that God was calling them to.

Like the eating and running of the Children of Abraham at Passover, the road they were called to run down was not going to be easy; it was a road on which terrible things happened to good people, where the powers of the world fought back with the weapons of war and greed and violence.

But there is more to the story.

Those feet that had been washed were being asked to follow the feet that would be pierced, the feet that would lead them through the worst of times, and the times of their failures, even to the point of being pierced and nailed to a tree.

Tonight we eat and take leave of this place, not to hide from the world, run away from our problems, or sprint to safety. We eat and run in order to grasp the world, to wash the sore and aching feet of those who walk to find water in Africa, who run to flee from war in the Middle East.

We eat and run to give rest and comfort to those whose feet stumble on the rubble of cities in Japan, Haiti and Chile.

We eat and run to face our own fears, to battle our own prejudices.

We eat and run to give safety to the feet that trek across the desert looking for a better life, to warm the feet of the families who will not have shoes for their children this next winter, to prod our leaders to walk the path of justice and equality for all.

We eat and run to follow the path that God has led us down thus far and will lead us safely onward.

The Prophet Isaiah says “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation; that say to Zion, Your God Reigns!” (Is. 52:7)

My goodness, look at the time, Church!

It is time for us to eat and run.




		JOHN 13: 1-17, 31b-35 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered him, “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.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” 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 has sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.” “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” “I’m sorry to eat and run, but I just don’t have much time.” Is there a ruder statement that can be made? In our culture eating and running insults the host, as if to say “Your food is pretty good, but I don’t care that much for your company!” Our culture is viewed by other cultures as one where people do this all the time. If you eat in an American restaurant, it is expected that when you finish, the waiter will come and ask if you are ready for the check. In Latin culture, no decent waitperson would ever do that. It is up to the patron to let the waiter know when it is time for the check. But eating and running has its place. And one of those places is Passover. The Gospels tell us that Jesus was in Jerusalem to celebrate Passover with his friends; to celebrate and remember the ultimate “eat and run” meal. The reason Scripture tells us that the Children of Abraham ate unleavened bread is because they did not have the time to wait for it to rise. They had to eat and pack up their doggie bags in a hurry. They had to eat and run to a new life that God was securing for them. Run to a new life out of slavery and into freedom! It was not long before they regretted running away from their servitude. “Has Moses brought us into the desert to die,” they complained. “At least we had food and water in Egypt. Our feet should have stayed in Egypt!” What they learned in the desert is that it is easier to run away from something than it is to run to something. Running away from slavery was the easy part; running towards a new life of challenges was much more difficult. Running away from the yoke of tyranny was quite easy; following God along a rough road was not so easy. Unlike the other reports of the Last Supper, John’s Gospel places it on the day before Passover, the night in which the unleavened bread was quickly made by the slaves in Egypt. And now on that night, Jesus gathered with his friends, the night of preparation, the night the lambs were prepared for the feast that began the next day. As the disciples gather with Jesus to celebrate the fast food of Passover, Jesus does something quite unexpected from a Messiah. During the supper, Jesus gets up, takes off his outer robe, wraps a towel around his waist and begins to wash the disciples’ feet. “You will never wash my feet,” exclaims a shocked Peter. Jesus answers him, “Peter, this is my way, the way that I am calling you.” Jesus stays after dinner and sets an example in V14: “So if I your Lord and teacher have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For this is an example…” An example of what? Good hygiene? A Passover Pedicure? No, this is an example of a new commandment. This commandment, says Jesus, is “…that you love one another.” “Just as I have loved you, you should love one another.” This washing is an example of our Lord’s willingness to be humble and assume the role of a servant for those that he loved. The washing of feet is a symbol, a sign of the extreme lengths our God will go to be of service to humanity. The truly remarkable thing about this is that Jesus knew that one pair of feet would run off to betray him, another pair would be planted on the ground as he was denied, others propped up in sleep as Jesus was facing the gravest hour. The Passover was an event that called the people to God, to prepare to eat and run behind God, away from slavery and into a new life. The Last Supper is the event that calls the people of God to eat and run to a new life of servitude, a life of service even to those who will betray and lie and commit acts of violence. It is a meal that calls us to eat and run from the safety of our rooms to the insecurity of the road to Calvary. The disciples missed the point. They ate and then they ran, alright. They ran to hiding places and places of safety. The places they were called to were scary and painful. They hated to eat and run, but it was better (they thought) to run away, then to face the future that God was calling them to. Like the eating and running of the Children of Abraham at Passover, the road they were called to run down was not going to be easy; it was a road on which terrible things happened to good people, where the powers of the world fought back with the weapons of war and greed and violence. But there is more to the story. Those feet that had been washed were being asked to follow the feet that would be pierced, the feet that would lead them through the worst of times, and the times of their failures, even to the point of being pierced and nailed to a tree. Tonight we eat and take leave of this place, not to hide from the world, run away from our problems, or sprint to safety. We eat and run in order to grasp the world, to wash the sore and aching feet of those who walk to find water in Africa, who run to flee from war in the Middle East. We eat and run to give rest and comfort to those whose feet stumble on the rubble of cities in Japan, Haiti and Chile. We eat and run to face our own fears, to battle our own prejudices. We eat and run to give safety to the feet that trek across the desert looking for a better life, to warm the feet of the families who will not have shoes for their children this next winter, to prod our leaders to walk the path of justice and equality for all. We eat and run to follow the path that God has led us down thus far and will lead us safely onward. The Prophet Isaiah says “How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of those who bring good news, who proclaim peace, who bring good tidings, who proclaim salvation; that say to Zion, Your God Reigns!” (Is. 52:7) My goodness, look at the time, Church! It is time for us to eat and run.