Maundy Thursday Sermon

preached on April 13, 2006,  by Laura Baarda, seminary intern

Abington Presbyterian Church

John 13:1-9
 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. ²The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 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!’*

What was Peter thinking? Wasn’t it this same Peter who, in the Gospel of Luke, after a long night of completely unsuccessful fishing, lowered his nets into the water again on the word of a carpenter? How could a fisherman ever forget such a large catch? Wasn’t it this same Peter who, in the Gospel of Matthew, stepped out of a boat in the middle of the lake simply because Jesus said, “Come”? Why is it that now Peter pulls away when Jesus simply tries to wash his feet? Even after all of the time Peter has spent with Jesus and all of the things Jesus has taught him, Peter just does not get it.

This is something we see time and time again in the gospels. Jesus gives everything he’s got teaching large crowds and afterwards the disciples, the people who know him best ask him, “Um, by the way Jesus, would you mind explaining to us exactly what you meant?” They just did not get it. Here again in the Gospel of John we see the same thing happening. With intention and purpose Jesus tries to teach the disciples through example and they just don’t get it.

Now I do not want to sell Peter short. He really does try. Peter is one of those people who completely commit to things. With Peter it is all or nothing. Part of the problem in this situation is that Peter is totally devoted to Jesus. In their time and culture foot washing was the lowest of the low jobs that was done by the lowest of the slaves. Peter pulled away because he did not want to humiliate Jesus by allowing him to do the work that belonged to the lowest of slaves. When Jesus explains that the washing is necessary, Peter, bless his heart, completely submits and wants his hands and his head washed, too. Again, Peter just does not get it.

It is not the washing that is important but it is the action as a whole that matters. The point is that Jesus, their teacher and their Lord, the very son of God, chooses to submit to serving his disciples by doing the work of the lowest of slaves. Jesus does not only serve his faithful disciples in this manner, but he also knowingly serves the disciple who will betray him. This action, this ritual, foreshadows the coming crucifixion where Jesus willingly gives his life in order to free the world from sin. Just as in Exodus the blood of the lamb saved Israel from the fierce judgment of God in the Passover, so now the blood of Jesus saves us from the judgment of God.

For Israel the Passover was the edge of freedom. They stood on the brink of being free from Egypt. Free from being slaves of Pharaoh. Free to become servants of God. In Exodus God tells Israel to re-enact, to re-live this experience of being on the very edge of freedom. It is not enough for future generations to be told the story. They need to live the story. Being on the edge of freedom needs to be real. For this same reason we as Christians celebrate the Lord’s Supper. It is not enough to simply tell the story. We must re-enact, re-live the experience of being on the edge of freedom. We must make it real.

During Holy Week we take extra care to re-live the experience of being on the edge of freedom. We are at the very brink of being free from the judgment of all of our sins. We are preparing to enter into the freedom of Christ. On Maundy Thursday we are reminded of the nature of that freedom. We are free to serve. Not just to serve our fellow Christians, not just to serve our friends and neighbors, but free to serve our betrayers as well. Jesus said, “For I have set you an example, that you should also do as I have done to you.” The example Jesus set is not, “do unto others as they do unto you.” The example Jesus set is, “serve all people.” Choose with joy to submit to serve even the people who turn against you.

He asked his disciples, “Do you know what I have done to you?” Tonight, during this Holy Week each of us also ask ourselves, “Do I know what Jesus has done to me?” We are on the edge of freedom. Let us together remember, re-enact, re-live that freedom and make it real.

*The New Revised Standard Version Bible, (Nashville, TN: Thomas Nelson Publishers) 1989.

Abington Presbyterian Church, Abington, Pennsylvania,  www.apcusa.org