Readings for the Day:
Sermon:
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Original Manuscript:
Shortly, we will have an invitation, to all who wish to do so, to wash each other's feet. Of all the rituals we do in the church, this is the one we can relate the most to the original institution of it. We don't do it because it is an enjoyable experience. It's an uncomfortably intimate moment. Feet tend to be pretty gross, and who of us would dare to actually ask one another to wash our feet?
In Jesus' day, feet were much more disgusting. They didn't have our amazing shoe technology or our amazing indoor plumbing and shower technology. Foot washing was a much more widespread practice because it was necessary, but it was still an awkward practice, as it is today. To be a good host, all you had to do was put out a bowl of fresh water for your guests in order to be hospitable. You wouldn't be expected to do the actual washing.
Knowing this, it's a little easier to understand Peter's confusion and frustration. Not only is Jesus going way beyond what is called for, but Jesus is performing a servant's task Himself. This isn't the job of the Lord; if anything it's the role of His servants, the Disciples.
By doing this, Jesus is giving the Disciples, and us, an example of what we are called to do. He's giving them an example of servanthood for them to follow, as we hear Him explain.
Further, Jesus is showing them is a sign of what His death really means. Jesus wasn't afraid to come down into this world, and to be present in the dirt and the grit of it all, including disgusting feet. He wasn't afraid to give up His life for us either. He didn't shy away from any of it. That was the depth us His love for us.
This is why Jesus gives the command he does to His disciples, and here remember that "commandment" is the very meaning of the name "maundy". Jesus tells the Disciples to love one another just as Jesus has loved them.
The love Jesus has for us was to be willing to die so that we don't have to. He was willing to go to the depths that we are not always ready to go to show that love for us. He was willing to go as far as possible to show He cared.
The washing of feet is just a glimpse of that love. It is a sign of self-sacrifice to be willing to touch the most germ-riddled part of the body to make it clean. It's a sign of love to go to this depth to show you care.
For those who so choose, when we wash each other's feet in just a moment, remember that Jesus did it as a sign of His love and the depths He was willing to go for that love. Remember that this act is but a taste of the depths of His love, His willingness to die on the Cross for us. This is how much Jesus loves us, that he takes on the role of a servant and sacrifices Himself for us.
Jesus commands us to have that same love, which we will have the opportunity to show one another in a moment. He commands this not just to bring us together as a community, but because we are the Ambassadors of Christ in this world, when we show that love to others, we're really showing that Jesus loves them too. So love one another just as Jesus loves you, and in doing so, realize the depths of Jesus' own love for you and for each and every one of us.