Bishop's Corner
Pulpit Communications
Text St. John 13: 1-18
Verse: 16 - for meditation
A DEVOTION
By The Rt. Rev. Wilfred J. Messiah
FOOT WASHING: A LESSON IN HUMBLE SERVICE.
Serving Well
Introduction: This chapter marks the beginning of the Fourth Gospel's presentation of the passion of Jesus, but with a striking difference. John does not say a word about the institution of the Lord's Supper. Maybe He has something to teach us: "If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them, He ends the passage."
It is evident that something was wrong that had to be put right. Luke 22:15 - "With desire I have desired to eat this Passover with you." He had so much to say to them, so much to do for them. But He felt something in the atmosphere, which kept bothering and hindering Him. What was it? On the way to the Upper Room, the disciples had been arguing about who will be the leader. The result was that they arrive in the Upper Room with hurt feelings and ruffled tempers like schoolboys. Not one of them was willing to do the customary washing of the dust from the sandaled feet of the brotherhood. They had done it before, willingly. Tonight all of them sat stubbornly at their seats. They felt that the washing of feet was a menial task.
They started their meal still travel stained, without the customary courtesy..being carried out. Until our Lord, feeling hampered and baffled by the anger in the atmosphere around Him, felt that until and unless this childishness was cleansed out of their hearts, He could do nothing for them; that all He had planned to say to them that night to help them through the horrors of the coming days, would simply not get through to them. And so, during supper, feeling that He could no longer bear it, He rose and carried out this dramatic act which so gripped the imagination of the Church throughout the ages.
I want you to know however, that before Christ could perform this act of humble service, He did something, "He laid aside His garments and girded Himself with a towel." His garment without a doubt was a valuable one, and He did not want to ruin it. It would prevent Him from doing a good job, so He laid it aside and girded Himself with a towel to prevent the water from staining His undergarment. So, we too must lay aside the things that hinder us from serving and serving well. We must lay aside hatred and put on love, lay aside pride and put on humility, lay aside falsehood and put on truth - then He proceeded in washing their feet.
As the disciples followed these preparations and realized what Christ was doing, they were uncomfortable and uneasy. Yet curiously no one spoke, until He came to Simon Peter, always impulsive, never tongue-tied, apt to blurt out everything on his mind. This was far more than he could stand. At first he stared, stunned and amazed at what seemed not to be real. He then cried out "Lord will you also wash my feet?" Not the master washing the servant's feet, No! I need to wash your feet. "No Peter, you don't really understand, but you will understand later." Peter persisted, "You shall never wash my feet. I shall not have it." "I shall never be a part of it." But here is the clincher "If I don't wash your feet Peter, you will have no part in me. When Peter realized what it really meant, he cried "not only my feet Lord, but also my hands and my head."
Finally, it became clear what Christ intended with this dramatic act: an example of service for you to do likewise. Blessed are ye, not if you know about or think about them or discuss them, but if you do them. Hence the invitation from Christ is very real and a central part of Christianity. Our business is to put on Christ, to grow in His character, mind and ways and to take Him as our role model. It is a hard thing to do. A Lutheran philosopher and theologian out of the Midwest gave me some help: He says Christ overstated the principles in order for us to reach it. Christ is constantly saying through the pages of the gospel: Look at me, Love as I have loved, serve as I have served and forgive as I have forgiven, persistently, obstinately and endlessly. AMEN