Y’all…..Ever fallen down a rabbit hole on the Internet?  For whatever reason t’other day, I did just that.  The question was asked on Reddit, “What would you do today if you knew you’d die tomorrow?”  The answers were as many and varied as the folks who answered that question.  Some of them were pretty tragic, some of them hysterical, and some were just odd.  But funny thing though, as we are in the midst of Holy Week, Jesus Himself answered that question, without submitting an answer to Reddit.  See, today is Maundy Thursday, the day before Good Friday.  Jesus knew that he would be crucified the next day, and reckon wonder what did he do?

He washed feet.

In the gospel we read that Jesus had gone to Jerusalem for Passover and gathered his twelve disciples at the dinner table.  He knew that by the end of the night one of them would betray Him to the authorities, one of them would deny Him three times, and all of them would leave him alone in his hour of greatest pain.  And yet there He was breaking the bread and pouring the cup, eating with them, and blessing them.  And he washed their feet.

Ya see, way back in Biblical times, especially in dusty, and hot regions like the Middle East, walking in sandals made foot washing necessary.  This was done as a courtesy shown to guests upon arrival to wash away dirt and refresh them.  It was what the proper host offered right off the bat when someone came to their house.  It was the proper thing to do.  Now, of course the host didn’t do the actual washing.  Nope.  It wasn’t socially acceptable, ya know.  Washing feet was generally handled by servants, or the lowest ranked person in the household. It was considered such a menial, demeaning job that it was sometimes deemed inappropriate for even a Jewish slave to do it.

But Jesus had some points to make, so he washed feet.

The disciples must have been stunned at this act of humility—that Jesus, their Lord and Master, should wash the feet of His disciples. Washing feet was  probably more properly their work, but no one had volunteered for the job, so Jesus kinda taught them a lesson.  We often forget that Jesus came to earth not as King and Conqueror but as the suffering Servant of Isaiah 53. As He revealed in Matthew 20:28, He came “not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” The humility expressed by Jesus’ s act with a towel and basin foreshadowed His ultimate act of humility and love on the cross.

See, He knew that He was not about to be thanked or praised, but killed, and mocked, and tortured. Why? Because in the end, the goodness, the kindness, and the compassion He had brought were more of a threat to the Roman authorities and clergy of his day than any weapon or army.  (Sound familiar?) Jesus so radically upset the status quo that they decided to get rid of him so that things might return to the way they had been before Him, when there were no “radicals,” no “troublemakers,” no “problem children,” and most certainly none of that “woke nonsense.”

Jesus wanted the ones who knew who He was, what He had done, those  who would be his witnesses to His life and teachings after He was gone, to know how to tell others to keep moving forward after He was  gone.

He washed feet.

He gave a demonstration and a commandment.  And this is where the word “Maundy” comes from.   A little research reveals that the word Maundy comes from the Latin for mandatum, or “mandate” in our current English.  Jesus said, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Now, here we are a couple thousand years later, still Jesus’s disciples, and still under the mandate that he issued. His commandment, His mandate; Love one another as I have loved you. This is the only way we can separate ourselves from the modern day Romans. We must continue to be Jesus’s disciples, continue to practice what he preached, and to love each other even when anger might be expected of us. 

This is a message all Christians need to be reminded of, over and over again. 

Now, this doesn’t mean that we just randomly wash folks’ feet.  In today’s society, that would be considered odd at best.  However, we  do need to let others know that this is how Christ said other people would know us: by how we love one another. Following Christ’s teachings and mandate’s makes us Christians. That’s what Christ wants us to be known for.

So how do we wash feet today?  House the homeless.  Feed the hungry.  Comfort the sick.  Love the least, the lost, and the forgotten.  Work for peace.  Work for truth.  Love the unlovable.  Stand up for the downtrodden, the poor, welcome the stranger.

Again, “maundy” means mandate.  Mandate means “this is something you gotta do, period, you ain’t got no choice.”   Love one another.  Regardless of sex.  Regardless of gender.  Regardless of politics.  Regardless of anything else that might separate us.  There is no one on this planet who God doesn’t love.  There is no one on this planet who Jesus didn’t die for.  Period.  Love.  One.  Another.

Loving God, Who continues opens the door, Who meets us at every table, Who breaks bread and drinks wine alongside us, Who came not to have his feet washed, But to wash our feet, How often do we focus on the smallest parts of your teaching?

We hear your directions to us, But we only follow you to the degree that suits us.  You call us to wash one another’s feet, But how far does your instruction go? 

Are we to humble ourselves before our families?  Our friends?  Our pew mates?  Our fellow congregation members?  That seems reasonable.

What about the man who lives on the street?  What about the woman who cleans our house?  What about the person whose political beliefs offend us?  That causes us to hesitate. 

Are we like Peter, Begging to have not only our feet, But our hands and head washed? When we can wash the feet of a stranger,  Will we be willing to follow you then?  Like Peter, will we deny you? 

Teach us to love others as Christ loves us.  Embolden and empower us by your love to live out these mandates of our faith:  To wash the feet of others.  To serve rather than be served.  To give without needing to receive.  Give us grace when we fall short.  Make us ready, In our hearts and our minds, To follow your son, Jesus Christ, In word and action, In love and service.

Help us to see and feel your presence alongside us As we imperfectly seek to follow Jesus in all we do, Give us courage to begin anew when we inevitably stray.

Through Jesus Christ our Lord, who first taught us the way, Amen.
The Rev Savannah Demuynck