Maundy Thursday: John 13

John 13:1-17

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

Maundy Thursday means Holy Thursday. It’s an evening set aside to remember the things that happened right before Jesus’ trial and death on the cross.

• A meal together with his disciples.
• Instructions about sharing bread and wine as holy communion.
• Jesus washing the disciples’ feet.
• Going to the garden to pray.
• Judas betrays Jesus in exchange for silver coins.

There’s so much mystery, so many emotions tangled up with these stories.

• The disciples still don’t get what Jesus is about to do.
• Judas reminds us of our own instinct to sell out love and life to self-preserve or get ahead.
• We still have questions about why saving creation had to look like suffering and death for the innocent one.
• And we wonder what that says about our God.

This is our salvation story, the story that draws us into the scene, that is revisited every single year so we don’t forget the fierce, generous, and risky love that God has for us.

I usually focus on the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday.

• First Communions in the congregation
• Remember where Holy Communion comes from
• All are welcome — even Judas and Peter

But this year I’m drawn to Jesus washing their feet, the intimacy of being touched by another human being, the way Jesus changes his clothes, and in doing, so changes his role from teacher and son of God, wrapping a towel around his waist and lowering his body in service to his friends.

It makes his disciples uncomfortable. When Jesus kneels down and touches their dirty feet to wash them, they hesitate because this is out of order. Jesus is their spiritual guide, their leader and Lord — he shouldn’t be so low to the ground serving them!

Peter asks him to stop, or switch places. But Jesus says this kind of love

is more important than the rules, more important than the way we’ve always done things or the good order we’re clinging to.

Jesus says he has to do this and Peter needs to get over his discomfort — because things are about to get a lot more uncomfortable. This is good practice.

Practice for what?

• Living in the present moment
• Focusing on what love looks like right now
• Feeling everything that’s hard and good about the disruption

Jesus is modeling the importance of human touch, and physical contact, and healing presence and God’s care for our bodies.

-AND-

How to be in these bodies here and now.

The gospel says Jesus was eating with his friends. And while they were eating together, Jesus remembered where his power came from, he remembered who he came from, and he remembered where he was going.

With the past and future taken care of, Jesus could focus on the present.

This season of social distancing, staying home and for many, isolation from human touch has been hard. And there’s great grief in not being able to plan for or control the future. We like to think about what’s coming next because we’re optimistic. We’re future oriented and sure the Good Life is still waiting out in front of us.

It’s another everybody day. Attempts at family schedules. Paying attention to our bodies (food, exercise, sleep). Our clothes are different. (Closet swap). Grown ups don’t know how to do this either. Living in the present is deep, holy time.

Jesus is calling us to be present in this story, the details of this Holy Week.

To acknowledge the ways our past and future orientations are seriously disrupted, to grieve that loss fully, and to dwell more deeply in what we do have here and now.

Friends in Christ, you know where your power comes from and who you come from, and where you are going.

And that is all you need in order to change out of the clothes you were wearing for what might have been, into garments for this time and space,

to move your body into a new posture of love and presence, to be here and now, alive and in service to your neighbor. Amen.

Introduce the blessing.
Hand over heart and diaphragm.
Or lotion on your hands.
If together, a foot washing.

“For the Bodies”
This blessing wants
to be sure you hear,
even while we are apart,
that your body matters.

Your flesh and breath belong
to this world and the next.
We would not trade your life
for silver coins or a future unknown.

This blessing speaks kindly to
your frame and every cell within.
You are beating and breathing
with dedication and fullness.

This blessing gives thanks
even when you cannot
for your body that strains and serves,
that moves with grace and power,
made in the image of heaven
for the sacred here and now.

By Meta Herrick Carlson