Maundy Thursday
Scipture: John 13:2-17 - "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”
What it means
Most everybody knows all about Easter, and most probably know about Good Friday..but what about Maundy Thursday? Eh…not so much. Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, believed to be the day when Jesus celebrated his final Passover with His disciples. Most notably, that Passover meal was when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in an extraordinary display of humility. He then commanded them to do the same for each other. This story has always fascinated me, and if there was one act of Jesus that I think He should be remembered for, except for the resurrection of course, I think it should be this one. This selfless act fits the nature of Jesus to a T…doing something completely inappropriate for the creator of the universe. But…I guess He knew that, and it still didn’t faze Him in the least. He had spent three years pouring all of the knowledge and wisdom that He possibly could into His disciples, but He still needed to provide a visual to wrap it all up. The washing of feet was the most menial of tasks, reserved for the lowest of servants – again, not something that Jesus should have lowered Himself to do. But…wasn’t that the point? It wasn’t beneath Him…and servant leadership shouldn’t be beneath any of us as well. True leaders aren’t afraid to roll their sleeves up, get their fingernails dirty, and participate in the true work that is needed. Jesus did…and we should as well.
What it means to me
As we near the end of our journey to the cross this year with Jesus, opportunities still abound for us to wash the feet of our brothers and sisters in Christ. One of the heroes of our family, Sarah Clinard (the kids’ nanny growing up) is a nurse, and voluntarily went down to New Orleans to help out on the front lines during the height of the COVID-19 crisis. She has a husband and two precious children,,,but she knew that the hot spots of New York, Chicago, and New Orleans are where people were needed, so off she went…for three weeks. Folks, she was washing feet…on the front lines. Hopefully, we aren’t all called to put our lives on the line, but opportunities are still there…so keep your eyes and ears open. Be willing to scrub a few feet on behalf of The Master – it will make Him smile 😊
Love you guys, see you tonight for our joint Maundy Thursday Service at Pleasant Hill and tomorrow for our Good Friday Service at Peck’s – both at 6:30 pm, and then at 6:45 am Sunday morning at Pleasant Hill for Sunrise service, and then back to Peck’s for our Easter Cantata at 10:30…busy week, but what a blessing to share so many worship opportunities with each other, as well as our brothers and sisters at Pleasant Hill.
In Christ,
Brian