4-2-26   Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

1 Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2 The devil had already decided that Judas son of Simon Iscariot would betray Jesus. And during supper 3 Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from supper, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5 Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7 Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8 Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I 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, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11 For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
  12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had reclined again, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15 For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16 Very truly, I tell you, slaves are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17 If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”

  31b “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32 If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33 Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me, and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

What is the most concrete way our Lord has contact with us?  Jesus wants to connect with you so that you can continue to follow in His footsteps, to serve as He has served, to love as He has loved. It is in the remembrance of this day that his most potent means of making this connection is celebrated and reenforced. What is that focus and how is it demonstrated?

On the Thursday of Jesus’ final week, the week we call Holy; Jesus met with his disciples in the upper room. As colleagues who were as close as a family, they joined together to eat this meal.  Jesus knew that this would be his final supper with them. And more, it was a final opportunity to emphasize the lessons he felt were of vital importance. He intended for it to be memorable.

What might you or your family do if you understood that this was a gathering that was going to bring to an end the get-togethers which were familiar for the group of you? I imagine a special menu might be designed, with the favorite foods you had shared. You might do some decorating and add activities that you had done together before, like sing songs, play games, gather in a special place. Everything that you ate or did would take on extra significance. Conversations would be remembered and repeated later. Much of that is true for this Last Supper with Jesus. 

John let us know about some unusual behavior on Jesus’ part. He put a towel around his waist, took a basin and water, going from person to person to wash their feet. In a time and place where sandals were the usual foot gear and walking along dusty roadways and paths were the way one had to go, feet were perpetually getting covered with grime. So, washing up before mealtime included one’s feet. The role of the one to provide this assistance would have been allotted to the servant, to the person with the least status in the group. Yet here was the Rabbi, their leader and Lord, who got down on his knees before them, and did the dirty work, an unpleasant task. 

He did not need to, with a word any one of his disciples would have done it.  In fact, Peter was appalled that Jesus would do such a thing. Jesus wanted to impress it upon them that He had indeed come to serve and that as his followers they would be expected to do the same. This was not the only lesson on the agenda. 

We have named this day, Maundy Thursday. Maundy means “command.”  Jesus last directive was to spell out exactly what he expected of his followers when he said, “I give you a new commandment: love one another, as I have loved you.” 

These lessons are all wrapped up together, teaching how we are to go about dealing with one another. We are to serve in ways that are beneficial to the other, which will move us ever in the right direction. We are to love each other in such a way as to make Jesus’ known. And all this is tied up with a meal. At the start of this reflection, I asked you a question: what is the most concrete way Jesus makes contact with us?  Yes, it is with a MEAL, the one we call the Lord’s Supper. This supper in fact has many names because it is so important and has many nuances to offer. We know it as the Sacrament of the Altar, for it is upon the altar table that it is displayed and from which it is served. As a sacrament we are to recognize that it is a sacred act of God, a gift provided to us. It is the Eucharist which emphasizes the thankfulness which is to come from us for this food and drink, by which we are forgiven. We are to be reminded of all that Jesus suffered for our sake. We refer to it as Holy Communion because we are united in this eating and drinking as one community of believers who are set apart for the tasks we are thereby strengthened to perform - that of serving and loving. 

As we gather for this Meal it also becomes our public witness by which we identify ourselves as Jesus’ disciples. We are to become known to others in this world by the love that is shared through us. We become the Body of Christ in this place - His hands which uplift one another, His knees that bend in humility and prayer, His feet that walk in His way and His heart that gives generously. We all partake of the same cup, that new covenant that has been provided by Christ so we always remember His blood shed for our sakes. This has been done in order that our lives proclaim His death until Jesus comes again.

We meet on this day to refresh our memories of the Supper that is gifted to us, so we acknowledge the connection we have with Christ by His very Body and Blood.  We come together to remember