Who Washes Your Feet? John 13:1-17, 31b-35 - Maundy Thursday

¹Now 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. ²The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper ³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵Then 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. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” ⁸Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” ⁹Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” ¹⁰Jesus 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.” ¹¹For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
  ¹²After 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? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

  ^31b“Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. ³²If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. ³³Little 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.’ ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Elephant Foot Wash (1X7A4590b) by Denish C on flickr. CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

Which would be more difficult for you: washing someone else’s feet; or, someone else washing your feet?

Several years ago, I asked this question to a small group of boy scouts whom I was helping prepare for their God and Church Award. To their horror, we did an actual foot-washing. They all said it was hardest washing someone else’s feet—as they trade insults about one another’s foot hygiene.

Two weeks ago, I asked this question to a group of women at the Concordia Nursing Home, during a bible study about this same text. They all said it was hardest having someone else wash their feet. One woman added, “because I can’t wash them myself anymore.”

Her words hit me like a ton of bricks—because she understood Jesus’ actions in a way I never did.

Self-sufficiency is one of the easiest things to take for granted. If you can literally wash your own feet, praise God. But there’s some dirt that you cannot wash away…

You are captive to sin and cannot free yourself. You cannot liberate yourself from the death and destruction your sin unleashes upon yourself, you neighbor, and the world. You cannot make yourself right with God. In these, you are as helpless as an infant—or a nursing home patient.

Who, then, is the one who can, and who does, wash your feet—along with your sins? This Jesus, whom you crucified in your rejection of God and God’s purposes. This Jesus, who personally suffers the evil you commit against your neighbor. Some of your sin, you know; much of your sin you don’t know, because it’s deeply embedded within your habits, lifestyles, and pursuits.

And yet, Jesus gives back to you the blood you shed and the body you destroyed as gifts that free you from sin. By eating and drinking them, you will live forever.

As you ponder anew this deep and awesome love, I invite you to consider the people whom God has sent to wash your feet—who have done for you what you could not do for yourself. When you were an infant, people bathed you, spoon-fed you, and changed your diapers: parents, grandparents, siblings, babysitters… Perhaps a random act of kindness from a stranger saved the day for you. Perhaps an emergency responder or good Samaritan rescued you from certain death. What about the men and women whose love and support shaped you into the person you are today, like teachers, coaches, neighbors? Or people whose gentleness, compassion, and God-given talents have carried you through your worst times?

Many of these persons may be Christian; some may not. Some may have been paid well for their work; others may have been paid meagerly or not at all. Either way, God raised them up to shine the light of Christ on you and give you a glimpse of the love revealed on the cross. And now, that love is inside of you, just waiting to be shared with the world.

Christ’s love invites you out of old habits and lifestyles that visit death and destruction upon the earth, the neighbor and yourself. The single-use plastic challenge is one small example of this. Spend your days pursuing love—not progress.

At the same time, there are people whose feet you can wash—because they can’t wash them by themselves. There are neighbors who need not only your thoughts and prayers; but also, your companionship and good works. There are neighbors whose bodies and souls are breaking beneath the weight of poverty and pain. Already, you are out there, washing their feet. Not necessarily in the literal sense, but your donating time to our church’s outreach ministries. You are sending cards and sending meals; you are bearing the burdens and accompanying others in their trials.

If you’re feeling guilty for not doing enough, know this: discipleship is not a guilt trip. It’s an invitation to joy. Jesus invites and sends you to do what you can and give what you can—and not what you can’t.

Do not neglect what is also fundamental to living in this promise: forgive sins and ask forgiveness. Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Do this, and you are already living free of the evil they commit against you.

Here in these moments, we hear the love of Jesus. In a few moments, we will practice his love—washing another’s feet as you are able to do so. Then tomorrow, and the next day, out in the world, the Spirit will transform these promises into action. Love makes Easter happen: resurrection and rebirth.

You know these things. This is your mandate. So be blessed as you do them.