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The Core of the Christ Community by Dr. Joe Kutter Scripture Text: John 13:1-17 |
What if Jesus really does know what he is talking about? I read C.S. Lewis a long time ago and I bought his argument that Jesus is more than a teacher. He is Messiah, the Christ, the Anointed One of God. Like so many of you, I have given my life to this simple creed, “Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God.” It’s more than a creed; it is “credo,” the fundamental assertion of my life.
However, if Jesus is all of that and more, then maybe I should pay attention to him as teacher. He really was a Rabbi, a master teacher of the faith. So, because he is Lord, I propose that we simply try to pay attention to him as “The Teacher.” So for this lesson, we are going with Jesus and the disciples to the Upper Room. The writer John sets the stage. He tells us “It was just before the Passover Feast.”
Thousands upon thousands of the faithful had gathered in Jerusalem to celebrate “The Passover.” This is the celebration that transported the Jews back to Egypt, back to the days of tyranny and cruelty and slavery. As the story was told over and over again, every man and woman became a slave in Egypt. And then comes Moses and the plagues and the most terrible event of all, the Angel of Death sweeping through the empire taking the first born son of every family. But the Children of Israel had painted the blood of the lamb on their doorways and over those doorways, the angel had “passed over.” Finally, the will of the Egyptian tyrants was broken and Pharaoh decided to let God’s people go! And God’s people went! They packed up and walked out of Egypt and through the Red Sea and across the Forty Year Wilderness and finally into the Promised Land. And so they learned to sing, freedom, freedom, freedom! And the memory of their oppression instilled a commitment to justice and righteousness.
Ah - it must be human nature! While they forever cherished the experience of freedom, they soon forgot their commitment to justice. And when they forgot their commitment to justice, they lost their freedom. Read Amos: “Let justice roll down like the waters and righteousness like an ever flowing stream.” Read Micah: “What does the Lord require of you but to love justice and to do mercy and to walk humbly with your God?” The message was absolutely clear: when justice is diluted, when justice is denied, freedom always goes away. Without justice, freedom is always reserved for the oppressor and that is not freedom.
So the people had gathered to celebrate Passover. They had come to Jerusalem to celebrate their journey to freedom. However, they were no longer free. Now they lived under the tyranny of the Roman Empire. The Romans controlled the government, controlled the temple leadership, and exacted a rate of taxation that left much of the population barely alive. So here they were, thousands upon thousands of Jews - including Jesus and his disciples - celebrating the freedom they did not have and yearning for that justice which was merely a distant memory.
It was Passover Time and Jesus and the disciples had gathered for the evening meal. We know the rest of the story. We know this was the last meal they would share together. And Jesus knew that, too. “Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.”
Now we learn the devil has already prompted Judas to betray Jesus. And Jesus knew he was about to be betrayed. So what does he do? He gets up from the table, perhaps walks off to the side of the room, and takes off his outer clothing. Now, wearing only his undergarments, he wraps a towel around his waist. He pours water from a pitcher into a bowl and washes his disciples’ feet. Nothing is said about excluding Judas from the ceremony! Is he really going to wash Judas’ feet? Did he really do that? Nothing is said to the contrary…
So Jesus moves around the table. The table probably sits close to the floor. The disciples are stretched out on cushions, resting on their left elbows. With their right hand, they take the bread and dip it into the main dish. So Jesus has to move from person to person, and for each person he must get down on his knees to wash their feet. You cannot wash feet standing up! You must assume the posture of humility, the posture of prayer. To wash the feet, you kneel and for a moment allow the other person to assume the posture of your superior!
What is this about? At the very least, it is about hospitality. It is about making your neighbor feel “at home” or better than “at home.” Your neighbor, your guest, becomes your special guest. Your neighbor is honored by your hospitable service. So, person by person, Jesus moves around the table, kneeling and moving the basin, kneeling and moving. Has he come to Judas yet?
Jesus comes to Peter, and Peter asks the question, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
Jesus replies, “You do not realize what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter says, “You shall never wash my feet.” And Jesus replies, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”
What? What is he talking about? “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” This is Joe Kutter’s best guess. When Jesus washed their feet, he said two things. First, he said, let me show you how important you are. Let me show you how much I love you. I think he was saying that you, each one of you, is a child of God, a son or daughter of the King of the Universe and you are of ultimate value to me. A little later we see how long and strong that love was as he dies on the cross. First, see how much I love you and see how truly valuable you are to God.
Remember the season! It’s the Passover Season. It is the season to celebrate freedom and justice in a time when freedom and justice have been swept away by tyranny. As the Roman Empire was telling them about their worthlessness, Jesus was proclaiming their eternal dignity.
What else did he say? We’ll get there in a moment. Just remember that he was arguing with Peter. A little later Peter promised to die for Jesus and Jesus told him that before the night was out, Peter would deny him, Jesus, three times. It happened. Three times that night, Peter had golden opportunities to say, “Jesus is my Lord.” Instead he said, “I do not know him.”
Not only did Jesus wash Judas’ feet - he washed Peter’s. Then he put on his clothing and returned to his place. Now listen again to his instruction.
John 13:12-17 (NIV)
“Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “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. I tell you the truth, 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. (The Holy Bible: New International Version)
First, he said, “This is how important you are.” Second, he said, “This is how humble you must be with one another.” If you are worthy of having your feet washed by Jesus, you must also be humble enough with one another to be a foot washer.
So, how shall we get along with one another? I remember a Maundy Thursday service a long time ago when I proposed that we wash one another’s feet. One lady quickly said, “I don’t care what the Bible says, I’m not taking my panty hose off for anybody!” That killed it!
The Apostle Paul caught this same notion in the Letter to the Ephesians, chapter 5, verse 21. “Be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ.” Then he applied it to real life. He told husbands and wives to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Then he told parents and children to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. And then he pushed the most radical revolution of all when he told masters and slaves to be subject to one another out of reverence for Christ. Did you hear that? Just as the slave is to be subject to his master, the master is to be subject to his slave out of reverence for Christ. The master is supposed to wash the slave’s feet!
Can you see a new vision for freedom and justice emerging? Justice happens when we take care of one another and when we take care of one another freedom happens and when freedom happens, Passover becomes true all over again.
But, what about Peter? This man denied his Lord! What about Judas? Jesus washed their feet too.
A little later that night, Jesus offered another word about the nature of his community. He spoke it in the form of a commandment and this is it: He said he was giving us a new commandment, that we love one another just as he has loved us.
And how did he love us? He washed our feet. He died on the cross. He forgave us our sin. He promised us eternal life. How shall we love one another? Sisters and brothers in Christ, how?
Joe Kutter is Pastor of the First Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas. He also serves as President of Ministers Council, ABCUSA. He and Peggy are the parents of four terrific children and grandparents to two awesome grandchildren.