HOLY THURSDAY -2018

As we come to the end of Lent, we begin the Sacred Triduum, the high holy days of the Christian liturgical year when we remember and celebrate the passion, death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus. Holy Thursday calls us to remember: the institution of the Eucharist; the institution of the Priesthood; and the call to Christian service and discipleship. All these three things happened at the last supper.

Dr. Ray C. Stedman once noted, "We have to get out of our minds the famous Leonardo Da Vinci painting of the Last Supper, with everyone sitting on one side of the table . . . Da Vinci was a masterful artist, but he was a weak theologian. Someone has said that when they look at that picture, they imagine Jesus saying to the disciples, ˜Everyone who wants to be in the picture get on this side of the table!' But that is not how they sat at table that evening. They arranged themselves around a low, probably U-shaped table, and they reclined on their left elbows, their legs and feet sticking out diagonally from the table. A second misconception in that painting is the ‘angelic' look of the disciples' faces as they gaze at Jesus. Luke records that they came into the room, arguing over who was the greatest among them.

There was no servant there that night. The disciples certainly were not going to wash each other's feet. To do so would have lowered their position and prestige in the group. It is a strange scene. Jesus strips himself down to the garments of a common slave and washes the dust, mud, and sewage from the feet of the proud disciples.

In ancient Palestine foot-washing was a job reserved for slaves. It was one of the most unpleasant and humiliating tasks. People wore sandals or went barefoot. And they walked on roads shared by herdsmen driving their animals to market and traders moving goods by ox and camel. The dirt of these unpaved byways, therefore, was blended with dung. Even a short walk caked one's sandal-exposed feet with the filthy, smelly mix. That's what Jesus washed off his Apostles' feet.

In that one decisive act Jesus demonstrated that Christian greatness is not determined by position, or prerogatives, or education or titles or visibility. Christian greatness is determined by the willingness to meet the need of the moment with a deed of service. The need at that moment was to wash dirty feet.

Max Lucado describes it so vividly:

"As they argue, the basin sits in the corner, untouched. The towel lies on the floor, unused. The servant's clothing hangs on the wall, unworn. Each disciple sees these things. Each disciple knows their purpose. But no one moves, except Jesus.

"As they bicker, he stands. But he doesn't speak. He removes his robe and takes the servant's wrap off of the wall. Taking the pitcher, he pours the water into the basin. He kneels before them with the basin and sponge and begins to wash. The towel that covers his waist is also the towel that dries their feet." (3)

The Lord Jesus Christ demonstrated the nature of glory by washing mud off the feet of common, ordinary, laboring people. He did it in love not with a sense of disgust and disappointment. "Someone with my education shouldn't have to do that," we would have said. "Someone in my position doesn't do windows or floors. I have been elevated above this type of duty . . ." Jesus washed their feet. He took the position of servant.

When I was at St.Timothy’s one Sunday we had no servers showed up. I was going around looking for servers and one man offered to serve. He was the County judge at the time. I politely declined him telling I will try to find somebody else. I was impressed by his willingness to serve which usually even altar boys once they are in high school feel ashamed to do. Any way after two weeks I received a letter from him asking me to serve on the Jury. May be I should have allowed him to serve!  

The most miserable people are always worried about their proper titles. Always worried about rank and prestige. The happiest people are those who don't spend a great deal of time concerned with rank, order, prestige, or authority. They focus in on something greater.

Peter was ticked off at Jesus because, if the Lord did something humble like this, then Simon Peter as a follower of Jesus, must be willing to do it too. All destructive human pride must go in the service of God.

There was a story a number of years ago that was carried in the newspapers and in TIME magazine. A plane crashed on a runway in Philadelphia and caught on fire. At the door an attractive twenty‑four-year-old flight attendant, Mary Housley, took her place to help the passengers to the ground. As soon as she had finished getting all of the passengers to safety Housley also started to jump from the plane. But just before she made her escape, a passenger on the ground screamed, “My baby, my baby!” Somehow this passenger had left her baby behind on the plane. Flight attendant Mary Housley turned back into the plane to find the baby, and that was the last time anyone saw her alive. When the debris cooled they found Mary Housley’s body over the 4‑month-old baby she tried to rescue.

TIME magazine captioned her picture with these words, “She could have jumped.”

There are still heroes in the world. There are still people who sacrifice themselves for others and we are thankful for it. But many of us, have forgotten what Christ meant when he said that we are to be a servant of all.

As somebody once put it, “Live such a life that when it comes your time to die, even the undertaker is sad.” If we would be the greatest person in our community, we have got to be a person who is willing to serve the community, serve the town, serve the Scouts, serve the church. That is the key to greatness.

Jesus Christ, says Paul in Philippians, “though he was in the form of God became man and took upon himself the form of a servant.” There was Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. There was Jesus carrying his cross up Golgotha. There was Jesus saying to his disciple Peter after his resurrection, “Feed my sheep.” That’s who we are.

We are the Servant Community; we are the Body of Jesus Christ who gave himself as a ransom for others.

Today when we receive Holy Communion, our Lord will renew his commitment to us. He will wash our feet, cleanse our hearts and minds, and fill us with his strength. And how will we respond? How would he like us to respond? 

He has told us: "If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another's feet." This is his commandment of love in concrete forms.