Lent Day #38 - Maundy Thursday

John 13:3-17 (ESV)
3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going back to God, 4 rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" 7 Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but afterward you will understand." 8 Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no share with me." 9 Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" 10 Jesus said to him, "The one who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but is completely clean. And you are clean, but not every one of you." 11 For he knew who was to betray him; that was why he said, "Not all of you are clean."

12 When he had washed their feet and put on his outer garments and resumed his place, he said to them, "Do you understand what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. 14 If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. 15 For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. 16 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. 17 If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them."

THOUGHTS:
Today is "Maundy Thursday" or "Holy Thursday". Today the Church remembers:

• The Last Supper
• The Institution of the Eucharist (communion)
• Jesus washing the feet of the disciples
• Judas betraying Jesus
• Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane
• The arrest of Jesus
• etc.

The Gospels are jam packed with the events of Jesus life corresponding to today and tomorrow.

I'm looking at the message accompanying the foot-washing. We, as disciples of the Christ, are called to service. Foot-washing is foreign to our context -- we don't walk around every day on dusty ground in sandals. Some churches still do it to commemorate the event, and it can be a powerful reminder of both our call to service, and our call not to prevent ourselves from being served.

The first part of this seems easier. When we are able to knock down the walls of selfishness around us, we see the needs of others. Helping them feels good. It can be "cool" to serve others. Feeding the homeless, giving money to charity, we like these things. It makes me feel generous and philanthropic. No matter how small, service to others feels good and right -- maybe even natural.

Jesus points out that serving and caring for others doesn't make us better than them. We care for them because we are like them. Sure, there may be differences, but we are all human. We all struggle. Sometimes the situations we find ourselves in get the best of us.

We aren't as good at accepting the service of others. We like to feel independent. "I don't need your help -- I can do it on my own. I can take care of myself. I can dig myself out of this hole." This is selfish pride. Like Simon Peter, we arrogantly assert that we don't need the body of Christ (our communities) to dote on us. Instead of feeling entitled to be cared for, we feel entitled to be independent. We don't want to feel like a charity case.

The "Maundy" in "Maundy Thursday" is derived from the first word of the Latin version of John 13:34 (ESV):

34 "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another."

Compare verse 34 to verses 14-15. These are mutual relationships. We are all to love one another. We are all to serve one another. Are there times that we try to prevent others from loving and serving us? Are there ways that we can be more open to allowing others to support us, even as we work to better support them?

PRAYER:
Dear Lord, today we pray that you give us the strength to love and serve those around us, while giving us a humble heart open to allowing others to meet our needs as well. For Jesus sake. AMEN.