Holy Thursday - "Do you understand what I have done for you?"

“Do you understand what I have done for you?”
Who: Jesus asked this of his Disciples
What: Jesus took off his outer cloak and washed the disciple’s feet
Where: in Jerusalem before the Passover meal
When: a few hours before Jesus was arrested
Why: Why did Jesus wash his disciple’s feet?

Did you know the men of Jesus’ day wore an outer garment and an undergarment? Slaves or servants wore an undergarment only. And it was the slave or servant who washed the feet of their master and his guests. So, by removing his outer cloak, Jesus put aside his own comfort and took on the symbolic stance of a servant or a slave. This is a radical unconditional love that comes through humility, compassion, and commitment. Jesus’ radical love reached out and drew others in through a personal relationship – even when the “other” was a friend who would betray him. Jesus even washed the feet of Judas!

Jesus even washed the feet of Peter. And seeing Jesus acting like a slave really confused him. Peter said, “You will never wash my feet!” Peter knew where his sandaled feet had been – through mud and yuck, dust and sand. But Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.”

Jesus proceeded to wash the feet of the other disciples. His unconditional love is the key emphasis of this chapter of John. Love is laying down one’s life for another even to the end. Remember, the washing of their feet occurred just a few hours before Jesus was arrested and these same disciples fled. Yet Jesus still loved them.

Jesus is ready to wash our feet – to humbly go down to meet us – even at our lowest point – in our own mud and yuck, dust and sand. He’s ready to meet us where we are. Remember he often ate with prostitutes, tax collectors, and sinners.

I want to say, “Lord, I am a sinner. I am not worthy that you would wash my feet.” Yet Jesus’ ways are radical. Jesus said, “Now that I, your Lord and Teacher have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.” Are you ready to wash the feet of others? Remember, Jesus loves “you” with an unconditional love and Jesus loves “the other”. Who are “the others” in your neck of the woods who are stuck their mire and muck and need to be touched by Jesus’ radical love?

I heard the story of a small child who was frightened one night during a big thunderstorm. Terrified, the child called out from their room, "Mommy, I'm scared!" But mom was already in bed, so she called back, "Don't worry. Jesus loves you and Jesus is with you." Then, there was a moment of silence. The child said, "I know Jesus loves me, but right now, I need Jesus with skin on him." To be “Jesus with skin” means to follow the example of his radical unconditional love that comes through humility, compassion, and commitment.

Last year during Lent, I meditated on how Jesus emptied himself when he washed the feet of his disciples. I soon found myself looking for ways I could empty myself to be of service to God. So you can imagine my surprise when I was asked to be one the people who got their feet washed on Holy Thursday Night. It was as though my meditation had come full circle – as though Jesus himself was offering to wash my feet. On Holy Thursday I arrived with clean feet in my “easy to remove” shoes, but when Father called us to the altar to have a seat – a sort of musical chairs occurred – there were more people than chairs – and I was the last one up – so like a hurt puppy dog, I returned to my pew. Sometimes, we empty ourselves only to have our plan not to be God’s plan. I later realized that a man who has special needs from our parish thought that father was calling anyone who wanted their feet washed to come up. Ironically, I have now learned more about empting myself to God from this experience than if I had my feet washed.

In Philippians 2:7, Paul writes, that Jesus “made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.” But, Jesus is no longer walking on earth. We need to follow in his footsteps by never looking down on anyone unless we are helping them up. Jesus is calling us to be his disciples and help him reach others.

Jesus made this world a better place and we can too. Our talents are on loan from God. What are we doing with them? We need to use our talents out of a sense of responsibility and engage ourselves at the service of others to build a better world. Matthew 25:40 says, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

I would like to close asking the same questions I began with:
“Do you understand what I have done for you?”
Who: Jesus and us
What: Removing our outer cloak and washing each other’s feet
Where: Right here
When: Right now
Why: Because Jesus said, “Do you understand what I have done for you?” “If I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.”