John
13:1-15
It
was before the festival of the Passover, and Jesus knew that the hour had come
for him to pass from this world to the Father. He had always loved those who
were his in the world, but now he showed how perfect his love was. They were at
supper, and the devil had already put it into the mind of Judas Iscariot son of
Simon, to betray him. Jesus knew that the Father had put everything into his
hands, and that he had come from God and was returning to God, and he got up
from table, removed his outer garment and, taking a towel, wrapped it round his
waist; he then poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet
and to wipe them with the towel he was wearing. He came to Simon Peter, who
said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘At the
moment you do not know what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ ‘Never!’
said Peter ‘You shall never wash my feet.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do not wash
you, you can have nothing in common with me.’ ‘Then, Lord,’ said Simon Peter
‘not only my feet, but my hands and my head as well!’ Jesus said, ‘No one who
has taken a bath needs washing, he is clean all over. You too are clean, though
not all of you are.’ He knew who was going to betray him, that was why he said,
‘though not all of you are.’
When
he had washed their feet and put on his clothes again he went back to the table.
‘Do you understand’ he said ‘what I have done to you? You call me Master and
Lord, and rightly; so I am. If I, then, the Lord and Master, have washed your
feet, you should wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example so that
you may copy what I have done to you.’
Food
for thought!
Life
in Palestine in the time of Jesus was hard. The popular means of transport was
your feet. People walked long distances on rough, dusty roads to go from
Galilee to Jerusalem, for example. Travellers often arrived their destinations
with sore and aching feet. As a sign of hospitality, the host would see to it
that his guests were given a warm foot bath and massage as a way of relieving
their aches and pains. This was usually done by the house servants or slaves.
This
service of bathing and soothing the tired feet was also provided by the rest
houses or inns found at strategic locations along the major roads and highways.
Travellers worn out along the way could go into these rest houses and have food
and foot bath. Their energy thus restored they would then be able to continue
and complete their long journey. That is how such rest houses along the way got
the name "restaurants" -- they restored strength to tired and
exhausted travellers on the way. The disciples would know why Jesus was washing
their feet in light of this cultural background. And for us it is a pointer to
the meaning of the Eucharist we celebrate.
Understood
in light of the washing of feet, the Eucharist is a place of restoration for
people on the way. The life of a Christian in the world is a pilgrimage, a
long, hard journey. Along the way we get tired and worn out and we are tempted
to give up and turn back. But Jesus has provided us with the Eucharist as a
place where we can go in to bathe our aching feet and to be refreshed in body
and soul for the journey that is still ahead.
In
the story we find that Peter was uncomfortable with having Jesus wash his feet.
Peter, who was somewhat of an activist, would have preferred to see himself
doing the washing, washing the feet of Jesus and even of the other disciples.
Sometimes it is harder to remain passive and allow someone else to bathe us
than it is to bathe someone else, as every toddler can tell you. But having our
feet washed and washing the feet of others are two sides of the coin we call
the Christian life.
The
first and most essential part is to let the Lord wash us. As Jesus said to
Peter, "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me (John 13:8). First,
the Lord washes us clean so that we belong to the Lord. Only then are we
qualified and empowered to wash the feet of our sisters and brothers in the
Lord. When this truth dawned on Peter, he overcame his reluctance and cried
out, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" (v. 9).
For this to happen all that the Lord needs from us is simply for us to be there,
to present ourselves to him and to let him wash us.
The
other side of the coin, which is equally important, is that after our feet have
been washed by the Lord, after the Lord has loves us, after he has forgiven us,
we must go and wash the feet of others, and love or forgive others. That is
why, after Jesus had washed his disciples' feet, 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 13:12-15).
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