Jesus' Last Lesson

I have been working on the Second Reading from Passion Sunday, Philippine 2, for the past few mornings.  However, today it Maundy Thursday and, my mind is on the greatest love story in the Bible — in my opinion that is — John 13: 1-35.

One of my very first sermon on Maundy Thursday was titled: ‘The Greatest Love Story Ever Told.’

Yet though the years that reading, from John, has become to me a precious summary of What Jesus came to teach the world since his birth.

It was his last time to be together with his closest followers.

It was a time of urgency.  He needed to make his final plea — the most critical point was to be made.

He needed to impress upon his friends how extremely important his call, his mission, his purpose, his reason for coming to earth in the first place. 

It was time to literally get toe to toe with them and actually show them — demonstrate to them — their call to follow him.

For any Jewish man or woman Jesus' actions would be very familiar.  This servant, who washed feet, was considered the lowest of the low household servants. 

So he got down on his knees — keeled before them like a common servant in  any Jewish home would do — and washed their dung dirty feet.

This was Peter’s understandably horrifying response:

⁸Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.

Then after he washed all of their feet, Jesus got up put on his robe and told them this: 

‘Do you know what I have done to you? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you…… ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

A completely pointed lesson.  

There can be no questions what Jesus' disciples, -- then and now -- are to be about doing.  And doing it all as  -- as -- Jesus modeled.

³Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, ⁴got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. ⁵Then 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. ⁶He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ ⁷Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ⁸Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ ⁹Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’ ¹⁰Jesus 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.’ ¹¹For 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? ¹³You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. ¹⁴So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. ¹⁶Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. ¹⁷If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them. ¹⁸I 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.” ¹⁹I tell you this now, before it occurs, so that when it does occur, you may believe that I am he. ²⁰Very truly, I tell you, whoever receives one whom I send receives me; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.’……..

³³Little 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.” ³⁴I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.’

(John 13)