“It’s nothing short of outrageous”
By Rev. Michael Stonhouse
Meditation – Thursday, April 14, 2022
John 13:1-17, 31b-35 (Forward, p. 75) CEV p. 1119
It’s a job that virtually nobody wants, and virtually no one will admit to having. Recently I was reading an article in National Geographic about what has to be the most disgusting job in the world, cleaning out, entirely by hand, the septic systems belonging to other people. And, as if this whole idea doesn’t sound gross enough in and of itself, the job entails more than just cleaning out the wastes but actually getting down bodily into the system to give it a thorough clean. Many people who have this job simply never admit to their families, either for the shame of it or because of the worry of disease or contamination. And yet the worker that was interviewed for the article was quite proud of what he does. He felt that it was necessary and for the good of society.
But the disgust and the loathing that most people feel about this is probably akin to what Simon Peter felt about the prospect of Jesus washing his feet. That task was loathsome and repulsive and normally relegated to the lowest of the low, the lowest servant in the household. After all, bare feet, even if in sandals, were muddy or dusty at the best of times, and often bleeding, full of pus, and caked with manure, at its worst. It was not at all a task that one would relish or take on willingly and gladly. And yet Jesus did. He did so as a way of saying, of demonstrating, just how much He loves us. In other words, there simply isn’t a depth that He would not go in order to redeem and rescue and help us. Yes, even something horrible and repulsive, yes, even something as awful and excruciating as a death on a cross. It is indeed, outrageous, but that’s how much He loves us.
All of that is harrowing enough, challenging enough, but Jesus doesn’t end His little demonstration there. He tells His disciples (and us) that we should do this for each other. Surely, you say, not going around washing each other’s feet. And yes, you’re probably right. What I think that He was saying is that we should be willing to go to any length, to stoop to any depth, in order to love and care for each other as fellow Christians.
That said, it puts an entirely new light on our corporate life as Christians. How many petty resentments and quarrels we have within the Church, how much petty bickering and one-upmanship, how much senseless jockeying for power or control, how much determination to get our own way. Why the church is often the place where we do just the opposite of what Jesus did, where we take offence easily and refuse ‘to cut the other person a bit of slack.’
So, I wonder what it would be like if we imitated the example of Jesus and sucked up the nasty and the unpleasant in the other person and simply loved him or her, anyway, simply served that person and tried to do what was best for that fellow Christian, that fellow human being. To say the least, it is quite a challenge, but nevertheless, it is a command that Jesus has left us with. That too is outrageous, but seeing that it is a reflection of how much He loves us, should we not try? And seeing as He commands it, it must also be something that He makes possible. So, let us step out in faith, put this into action, expect and accept His help and see what happens. After all, it is one of His final commands. Amen.
Forward notes: “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” (verse 5).
“Maundy Thursday services that include foot washing have always been the most meaningful Holy Week services for me. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that foot washing probably has the same effect on people today as it did in the time when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. The disciples were shocked: Jesus, the Son of God, is going to touch our feet? He knows how dirty they are. The Messiah should not have to do something so dirty and degrading.
“Honestly, I do feel a little dirty when the moment approaches for my feet to be washed. And I don’t relish touching and washing someone else’s feet. But I am always glad I participated. There is a holiness in this service, a sacred moment in which we push past the dirtiness of each other and our own discomfort to be in human contact and divine relationship.”
Moving Forward: “Did you know that Forward Movement has an active ministry in providing free resources to prisons, hospitals, & nursing homes? Learn more and support this work at forwardmovement.org/donate.”