Encountering the Word
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. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 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. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 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.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.” [John 13:1-15]
Contemplating the Word
It is always interesting to me to reflect on an apparently well-known Scriptural account and to read it, as it were, for the first time. It’s a little like sitting down to a favourite meal, one you’ve had many times before, and while you’re eating, savouring every mouthful and locating the different tastes and other factors that come together to make it your favourite.
There is much to notice and savour in this account. Words like festival, Passover, knew, hour, depart, world, and Father impact in the first sentence alone. Each word there can be contemplated in its own right, each with its own contribution to the overall significance of what it is we are being asked to think about. Personally, I’m struck by the reference to Judas’ father in the third sentence. Judas was a man with a past, a family, and there were people who loved him – how on earth had things got this bad? It makes me sad and very aware that ‘there, but for the grace of God…’
It is very easy to focus on the obvious with this account, so let’s get it out of the way: Christian leadership is only authentic when it participates in the servant leadership of Jesus Christ. Christian leaders who act in any other way are failing in their vocation and need to sort themselves out. They are a disgrace to themselves and an obstacle to the coming of the kingdom.
So much for the obvious: of much more interest here is the conversation between Jesus and Peter. In an apparent fit of humility, Peter resists having Jesus wash his feet. He believes this is the right thing to do – after all, Jesus is his Lord and Teacher and ‘must not be allowed’ to assume the position of a slave. The exchange is a reminder of how difficult it is to accept the life that Christ offers us is something that he does to and for us. Our role is simply to accept what is being offered. It seems so simple and yet how quickly we revert to standing our ground as we seek to tell God how we think he should proceed. This isn’t Peter’s problem alone: ‘there, but for the grace of God…’
Being the Word
The tendency to tell God how we think he should proceed impacts significantly on our attitude to mission. There are certain things we think are a good idea, and we get our noses out of joi
