Maundy Thursday April 8, 2004.

Exodus 12:1-14

Psalm 116:1-2, 12-19

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

First Reading

Exodus 12:1-14 takes place in Egypt, immediately before the Israelites' dramatic departure, and it describes the first Passover meal. At the time they were instituted, the rituals of the Passover were intended to ward off the tenth plague, which would wipe out all firstborn Egyptians. Every Passover meal held thereafter would be in remembrance of God's act of liberating the Israelites from slavery. This "festival to the Lord" would take place in the first month of the year, marking a new beginning from the past that oppressed them, and the whole congregation would be invited. A lamb, costly and unblemished, is sacrificed and served with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. While the rituals surrounding the Passover seem foreign to us (vv. 1-11), the interpretation of the meal is not (vv. 12-14). The Passover is a day of remembrance of how God saved God's people, just as the Lord's Supper we celebrate as Christians is a remembrance of God's saving act through Jesus Christ. Like the Israelites at the Passover meal, Christians celebrate the Lord's Supper as a festival to the Lord every time we gather together as an assembly. By understanding the original ritual and interpretation of the Passover as described in Exodus, we can better understand the meal that Christ shared with his disciples on the night of his betrayal.

The church at Corinth had been abusing the Lord's Supper by allowing some to go hungry while others became drunk. This caused divisions among them rather than joining them together, as the Lord's Supper was intended to achieve. People were excluded from the table, in contrast to what God commands in Exodus, that the whole congregation be invited to the meal. Paul reminds the Corinthians of the unifying purpose of the Lord's Supper by recounting its institution. They are to eat and drink in remembrance of Christ and, by so doing they proclaim the Good News of Jesus' death and resurrection. They are not to eat greedily and drink in order to get drunk; by doing so they "show contempt for the church of God" (11:22). Just as Paul received these words from God, he is now sharing them with the Corinthians, whom he hopes will share this message with others, so that there will be oneness in the covenant of Christ's blood.

John describes an event from Jesus' last days that is described nowhere else in Scripture. Instead of narrating a farewell meal, as do the Synoptic Gospel writers, John tells of another offering of sacrifice: Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Before the festival of the Passover Jesus takes on the role of a servant by removing his outer robe, tying a towel around himself, and washing his disciples' feet. Simon Peter protests against his Lord doing this, but once he hears why Jesus is washing his dusty feet, to ensure Peter's share with Jesus forever, Simon Peter wishes to have his hands and head washed as well! But he misses the point. By washing their feet, Jesus is setting an example for the disciples to follow, a command to wash one another's feet. This command, or mandatum, to love one another as Christ has loved us is the basis for the name of this day, "Maundy Thursday." Through this command Jesus once again demonstrates what it means to be great by humbling oneself and serving one another as Jesus has served his disciples. By following this command people will know that we are disciples of Jesus Christ.

Pastoral Reflection

The idea of literally following Christ's example of washing one another's feet during a Maundy Thursday service is often met with some level of opposition. People are squeamish about baring their feet to another person, having someone touch their ticklish feet, having their pastor wash their feet in public. Worship planners find the act a messy and logistically complicated one as they determine what the pastor and parishioner should sit on, how the ritual should be performed, and how to keep people from slipping on the wet chancel area afterwards. Most people who have experienced a foot washing, either as observers or participants, have found it to be quite meaningful, but the challenge is in persuading neophytes to this ritual of its power.

Our reluctance to bare our feet to others runs parallel to our reluctance to bare ourselves to others. A friend of mine has always been embarrassed to take off her shoes and socks in public, believing that her feet are big and ugly. Many of us are embarrassed or ashamed to take off the shells that cover up the ugliness of our lives, the sin, pain, and vulnerability that we do not want anyone to see. We do not wish to expose our weaknesses to others. Yet this is what Jesus is asking his disciples to do by washing their feet, that they not only expose their dirty feet to him but their dirty lives as well. Jesus, out of his love for them, will wash both. This is hard for the disciples to accept, for it requires them to be loved by Jesus and to be loved to the death. Simon Peter protests, "Lord, you will never wash my feet!"

As we continue our journey to the cross with Jesus we will see how Jesus made himself vulnerable for our sake, how his weakness was uncovered in his crucifixion. Stripped of his clothes, dignity, and his very life, Jesus shows us what it means to love. He was not merely exposing his feet to others to be washed, he was baring his whole body in all of its shamefulness so that all of us might be washed. There is nothing neat or logistically pristine about this great act of love; more than just a few drops of water were spilled in Jesus' crucifixion. In the outpouring of blood on the cross Jesus showed us his wondrous love, unhindered by feelings of vulnerability or weakness.

This offering of sacrifice is ours today as we witness in Scripture or experience for ourselves the foot washing. Jesus stoops at our feet to wash both our soles and our souls of the dust that needs to be cleansed from our lives. By doing so we might have a share in His life, death, and resurrection, just as the disciples did when Jesus washed their feet. This may be a tough offering to accept, but it is offered freely, no matter what our vulnerabilities or weaknesses. As beloved children of God Jesus invites us to be loved by God in this way, to expose ourselves to the one who was himself exposed so that our feelings of weakness will no longer have power over us.

In response to this act of love, we are commanded to love others as Christ has loved us. This, too, can be as challenging as exposing our broken lives to others. In obeying Christ's command, we are called to look past the dust and dung of other people's lives and love them without condition. We are called to sacrifice our needs for the sake of others, just as Christ sacrificed himself for us. We are called to disregard our status in order to love the poor, the weak, the imprisoned. This is not an easy calling, but we are encouraged by Jesus' example of self-sacrifice and assured that, even if we fall short of obeying His mandatum, we will again be washed clean.