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Saturday, March 6, 2021

A High Standard of Love

This is the message given in the Sunday night service in the Gettysburg United Methodist church.  The Bible verses used are John 13:1-17.

            Have you ever washed someone’s feet?

            Well, if you have kids, you obviously washed their feet when they were little.  But that’s not what I’m talking about.  Have you ever washed someone’s feet?  Or, have you ever had someone wash your feet?

            Back in Jesus’ time, it was not all that uncommon.  But it was not something people liked doing very much.  I mean, think about what feet were like at that time.  If you were lucky, and wealthy, you had a pair of sandals to wear.  If not, well, you went barefoot.  And there was no such things as a paved road back then.  You walked on the dirt.  If it rained, you walked in the mud.  You probably stepped on rocks and thorns and all sorts of other things.  And people raised animals, so there were other things to step in, too.

            So feet were, by and large, filthy.  And they were ugly.  They were calloused.  They were not in good shape at all.  Now think about having to wash those, filthy, ugly, calloused feet.

            It was not a pleasant job at all.  If you were an ordinary person, of course, you had to wash your own feet.  But wealthy people, who had servants, could have someone wash their feet for them.  And because it was a lousy job, it would be the job of the lowest servant on the ladder.  The new guy, or the young person with no seniority, someone like that.  They were the one who would get the job of washing feet, because it was a terrible job that no one wanted to do.

            Our Bible reading for tonight takes place on the night of Jesus’ betrayal.  We’re told there’s a meal in progress.  It was known as the Passover meal at the time.  Today, Christians refer to it as the Last Supper.  Judas knows he’s going to betray Jesus.  Jesus knows it, too.

            All of a sudden, Jesus gets up.  As the story is related to us, he does not say a word.  He just gets up, and he takes off his outer clothing.  He wraps a towel around his waist.  He pours water into a basin.  And he starts washing the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel.

            Again, as the story comes to us, no one says a word.  No one asks Jesus what he’s doing, and Jesus does not explain it.  The disciples just sit there, silently, as Jesus goes among them.  First one, then another, then another, washing their feet.  No sound but the splashing of the water.

Then he comes to Simon Peter.  And if there was one person who was going to say something, that’s who it would be.  And he does.  Simon Peter says, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

            We’re not specifically told this, but I have to think Simon Peter was appalled.  The Messiah, the Lord, the Savior, the divine Son of God, is going to wash his feet?  That’s not right.  That’s not what the divine Son of God does.  That’s what the lowest servant does.  Simon Peter cannot believe this is happening.  He refuses to allow it to happen.

            But then, Jesus says it’s something that’s necessary.  And to Simon Peter’s credit, he not only allows it, he wants more.  He still does not understand it, but if it’s something that has to happen for him to stay with Jesus, then he wants as much of it as possible.

            Jesus finishes with Simon Peter.  He goes on to the rest of the disciples, and again, as far as we know, no one is saying anything.  Even Thomas, who can usually be counted on to ask about stuff like this, does not say anything.  Jesus gets through all the disciples, he puts his clothes back on, and he comes back and sits down.  And then he explains it.  He says:

Do you understand what I have done for you?  You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him.  Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.

            Jesus could say so much in so few words sometimes.  He’s telling them, look, you acknowledge that I am greater than you.  And yet, being greater than you, I have done this job which only the lowest of the low usually do.  So that tells you that you should never think that any job is beneath you.  And you should especially never think that there’s nothing you could do for someone else that’s beneath you.  When you can help someone, help them.  Period.

            That’s what Jesus says to us, too.  When we can help someone, we should.  Period.

            And the thing about Jesus is, when he says to do something, and when he models that behavior himself, there are no half-way measures.  Jesus is all in.  Think about what he did here.  He did not wait for the disciples to ask for someone to wash their feet.  He just saw the need and did it.  He did not ask the disciples if they’d like him to wash their feet.  He just saw the need and did it.  In Simon Peter’s case, he did it in spite of his protests.  Jesus saw that this lousy, disgusting, menial task needed to be done, and he did it.  Period.

            And here’s another thing about that.  All twelve disciples are there with Jesus when he does this.  In other words, Judas is still there with Jesus when he does this.  Judas, who is going to betray Jesus.  Judas, whose actions are going to lead to Jesus being arrest, and beaten, and tortured, and killed.  Judas is there with all the disciples.  And Jesus, knowing all that Judas is going to do, washes Judas’ feet.

            What do you supposed Judas felt?  Did he have any second thoughts?  Did he feel any shame or remorse?  Or did he think, well, I must be going to get away with it?  After all, if Jesus knew what I was going to do, he surely would not wash my feet, right?  

            That’s what I mean when I say Jesus was all in on this.  Jesus calls us to extreme service, because extreme service comes from extreme love.  Jesus told us to love everyone.  No exceptions.  We are to love even our enemies.  And Jesus demonstrated that in about as unforgettable a way as possible, washing the feet of Judas, the man who was about to betray him.  And Jesus told the disciples, and he tells us, to do the same.

            That’s a pretty high standard.  One of the hardest things Jesus tells us to do is love our enemies.  But now, it seems like Jesus is going even beyond that.  We are to serve our enemies.  We are to do the smallest, lowest, most menial tasks for our enemies.

            And if I’m honest about it, I’m really a little uncomfortable preaching about this.  Because I fall far, far short of this standard.  I’m not even remotely close to it.  I can say this should be our goal, and it should be.  But is it?  Is it for me?  Because if it’s a goal, then we need to do something about achieving it.  We need to make some sort of a plan for how we’re going to meet that standard.  And quite frankly, as I stand before you tonight I have not done anything about achieving it.  I don’t have any plan at all.  And I have not even taken the first step toward making one.

            So, if you’re like me, what do we do?  Do we just let it drop?  Do we just say, well, that’s a nice story, and yeah, that’s something we should do, and then just go home and forget about it?  That’s what we’re tempted to do.  It’s what I’m tempted to do.  But we know that’s not what Jesus wants us to do.

            It seems to me that, before we can even make a plan that’s meaningful, we need to have the desire to actually do this.  Because the best plan will fail if we don’t have a desire to carry it out.  So then the question becomes, where can we get that desire?  It would be great if our love of God and our belief in Jesus was enough to give it to us.  And obviously, it should be.  But, for some of us it’s not.  And so, the only way I can see to get that desire is through the power of the Holy Spirit.

            Now, it’s easy to use that as an excuse, too.  We say, well, I just have to wait until the Holy Spirit strikes.  And so we do nothing.  That’s not the way to do this.  God’s Holy Spirit does not force His way into our hearts.  We need to invite Him in.  The Holy Spirit may encourage us to do that.  The Holy Spirit may knock on the door of our hearts, asking to come in.  But the Holy Spirit does not force His way in.  We need to open that door.

            So, it’s up to you.  And it’s up to me.  Are we going to take Jesus’ example seriously?  Are we going to be willing to do the smallest, most menial tasks?  And are we willing to do them even for our enemies?

            If so, invite the Holy Spirit in.  Ask the Holy Spirit to give you chances to serve.  But be ready.  Because my experience is that, when we ask the Holy Spirit to give us chances to serve, the Holy Spirit answers pretty quickly.  And often that answer comes in ways we never expected.

            Jesus showed us what to do.  It’s up to us to allow God’s Holy Spirit to help us follow His example.

 

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