A Mandate of Love—A Maundy Thursday Reflection (John 13)
John 13:1-17, 31-35 New Revised Standard Version Updated
Edition
13 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. 2 The devil had already decided that Judas son of Simon Iscariot would betray Jesus. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from supper, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 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. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9 Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10 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.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had reclined again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, slaves are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.
31 When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 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.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”
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Holy
Week is reaching its culmination as we gather to observe Maundy Thursday.
According to the Gospels and Paul, on the night before his execution, he
gathered his followers to share a meal. We usually envision twelve men besides
Jesus. But surely there were others in that room. Mary Magdalene and other
women were a constant presence with Jesus, so they must have been there. We don’t
know who was there since none of the Gospel writers provided us with a guest
list. So, we tend to simply follow Leonardo DaVinci’s lead. While we don’t know who was there, the
community shared a final meal with Jesus. According to the Synoptics, it was a
Passover meal. It was at this meal that Jesus gave the words of institution
that we share at our communion services.
As is
typical of John, he has his own version of the story. For one thing, it’s not a
Passover meal, for in John’s telling of Jesus’ final earthly moments, he dies
on the Day of Preparation for Passover (John 19:14). John doesn’t have words of
institution or a commission to continue this observance until his return. What
John does offer us is a story of servanthood and a new commandment.
In John’s
version of the “Last Supper” of Jesus, during the meal, Jesus takes on the role
of a servant. He took off his outer robe and knelt down and began washing the
feet of his disciples. When he came to Peter, Peter resisted this act of
servanthood. I don’t think Peter was being prideful here. I believe he had such
an exalted opinion of Jesus that he couldn’t allow Jesus to debase himself by
washing his feet. Jesus responded by telling Peter that if he didn’t wash his
feet, he would not have a part of him. In other words, Jesus was using this act
of servanthood to incorporate his followers into his own life. Now, as is often
the case with Peter, he says something inappropriate. He pushes things to the
extreme, telling Jesus that if he was going to wash his feet, why not the rest
of him? Jesus gently lets Peter know that it’s only the feet that are unclean
and need to be washed. However, there is one among them who is unclean—that
would be Judas, who will soon betray Jesus. At that point, it appears that
Peter relented and allowed Jesus to wash his feet. I wonder, did he not also
wash Judas’ feet?
When it
comes to the practice of foot-washing, it’s not a common occurrence among
Protestant congregations, though there are Anabaptist communities that continue
to practice it. The Anabaptists are restorationists in their orientation, so
they have attempted to restore New Testament practices. Interestingly my own
tradition is restorationist in background, but our founders never instituted
foot washing. While foot-washing expresses servanthood, for most moderns it’s a
bit too intimate for us to embrace. So, we read the story, acknowledge its meaning,
and move on to things that are less personal and intimate. Though, we need to
acknowledge that Jesus urged his disciples to follow his example and wash each
other’s feet. That is because servants are not greater than the master, and since
the master washed their feet, they should reciprocate by washing each other’s
feet. In other words, Jesus is commanding them to serve one another.
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