“Jesus Washes His Disciples' Feet”
A Sermon Preached by the
Rev. Jean Niven Lenk
Fifth Sunday in Lent, March 17, 2013
First Congregational Church of Stoughton, MA
Text: John 13:1-20; 34-35
Let us pray… Holy God, as we hear again the story of your Son’s last night on earth, open our hearts that we might receive with open hearts your message of love and servanthood and be moved to follow Jesus’ example in word and deed. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen.
This morning’s story takes place in an upper room somewhere in Jerusalem. Jesus has asked his disciples to meet him there for one last meal together. They arrive in small groups from all over Jerusalem – and they are dirty and dusty from their travels. They are also disgruntled, for they have been arguing with each other about “who is the greatest” among them. As they enter that upper room, we can almost see them pushing and shoving their way in, intent on sitting in the places of honor at Jesus’ right and left hands [Matthew 20:21-23].
We can only imagine that they hurry past the pitcher and basin of water set by the door. In a show of hospitality from the host, a servant would normally be present to wash the dusty feet of guests as they entered, and walking in sandals on the filthy roads of Palestine in the first century made it imperative that feet be washed before a communal meal.
But on this night, no household servant is present, and none of the disciples are willing to do the job. After all, they are trying to climb the Kingdom ladder; none of them wants to look like a servant and perform a task that is considered so lowly that not even a Hebrew household slave can be forced to do it.
As Jesus watches his disciples jockey for position, he knows what lies ahead of him. He knows he is going to be betrayed by one of his own, and he knows the hour of his death is fast approaching.
And yet, what concerns Jesus on that final night is how can he teach his disciples – probably for the last time – the meaning of servanthood. They have been with him for three years, traveling with him, hearing his sermons, witnessing his healings and miracles. But on this evening, none of them are heeding his message that “the first shall be last, and the last first” [Mt 19:30, 20:16; Mk 10:31; Lk 13:30]. None of them are remembering his words that “whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all” [Mk 10:43-44].
And so, in the midst of all the arguing, Jesus gets up and does something that shockingly flouts the boundaries of social and cultural convention. I invite you to turn to pages 107 and 108 in your pew bibles as I read from the Gospel of John, chapter 13, verses 1 through 20 and 34-35.
13 1 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 put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. 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 the table, 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 returned to the table, 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, servants 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. 18 I am not speaking of all of you; I know whom I have chosen. But it is to fulfill the scripture, ‘The one who ate my bread has lifted his heel against me.’ 19 I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. 20 Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”
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.”
To truly appreciate the radical nature of Jesus’ actions in this passage, it is important to know that one’s status in the Roman Empire was everything, and what you could do for a living, where you could sit at the dinner table, even what you could wear was determined by your rank in the social pecking order. The upper echelon was made up of the wealthy and powerful, and below them were the “nobodies.” But then the “nobodies” were divided into ranks, and at the very bottom rung were slaves. The upper echelon and most of the nobodies could wear togas, but the slaves could not; they wore towels wrapped around their waists.
In a society so focused on rank, everyone was expected toot their own horn; humility was neither an admired nor desired quality. Even capital punishment was divided by status; decapitation and burning alive were much less shameful than crucifixion, which was reserved for slaves. So you see where this is going… Jesus was offering a radically different way of thinking and of being, an alternative view of greatness.
In the midst of the disciples’ arguing about “who is the greatest” among them, Jesus offers a direct contrast by silently getting up, removing his outer garment, and wrapping himself in a towel just as a household servant would do. And just as a servant would do, he makes his way to the basin and fills a bowl with water, and goes to the end of the table and kneels down. Without a word he takes the feet of one of the disciples, brushes the dirt off, and washes them with water, one foot at a time.
This servanthood Jesus displays is neither subservience nor servility. It does not flow out of a condition imposed by someone in power, nor does it come from a low sense of self-esteem, an attitude of “I’m just a lowly servant.” Rather, it flows from Jesus’ knowledge that he is of God and is doing God’s work.
Think about this scene for a moment. Jesus, God in the flesh, goes from disciple to disciple, over and over kneeling down and gently performing the humble task of washing their feet. Imagine the faces of those who are gathered. There is Peter who, that very night, will fall away and deny Jesus. There is Andrew, Peter’s brother, who will also disappear into the night, as will James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Imagine the expression on the faces of Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, the former tax collector, and Thomas, the doubter. They too will all desert Jesus, as will James, the son of Alphaeus, along with Thaddeus and Simon the Zealot. And finally, there is Judas Iscariot, the betrayer.
Jesus serves his disciples – even to the extreme of washing their feet – because he loves them. He loves them, in spite of everything he knows about them, in spite of knowing that they have been arguing about who is the greatest, in spite of knowing that they are about to forsake him and flee for their lives. It is one thing for people to love us who do not know all of our shortcomings, thoughts, and motivations. It is another for someone to love us, in spite of knowing us fully, warts and all. Jesus washes the feet of his disciples in a symbolic act that shows the extent of his love for them, and it is a foreshadowing of the love he shows all of us on the cross.
But as you have heard me say before, when we receive the grace of God, we must respond. And Jesus is very clear about the response he expects from his disciples. He says to them, “I have set you an example that you should do for one another as I have done for you.” Jesus’ model of servanthood is to become the pattern of life within the Christian community; as he has served his disciples, they are to serve each other, and so are we. Jesus demands of them – and of us – the same reversal of cultural and societal values that he has preached with his word “the first shall be last,” and “The son of Man came not to be served but to serve,” and “those who want to save their life will lose it.”
Jesus said those words to his followers 2,000 years ago, and he says them to us now. And he commands us to “love one another as I have loved you.” Consider who you might serve; who might be waiting for you to show them love through a kind act or compassionate word. That person may be a familiar face or a total stranger. That person may be at your workplace, in your school, or even in your own home. That person may be sitting right here in this church. There’s no shortage of people in this world, in this community, even in this church, dying by inches for lack of love. What they need is someone to be a conduit of God’s love, someone to serve them in the name of Christ.
That basin and towel that Jesus picked up in that upper room so long ago are powerful symbols of every deed of love, every act of service, every mark of mercy, done in the name of Christ. As Christians, may we kneel before neighbors and strangers alike, showing them God’s love and serving in Christ’s name. Amen.
