The Greatest Gift We Can Receive
A Sermon by the The Reverend Shearon Sykes Williams on Maundy Thursday, April 6, 2023.
John 13: 1-17, 31b-35
Tonight we gather to begin a three day journey into the very core of our tradition, a journey that captures the essence of what it means to be a Christian.
As we enter into the Gospel tonight, Jesus’ public ministry is over. He is about to be betrayed and handed over to the authorities and condemned to death. He is alone with his closest disciples for one last meal together, and he does something completely shocking , confounding and embarrassing. “…He got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet. ..”
You can imagine the looks of disbelief on their faces. Peter is the only one brazen enough to say what they were all thinking. “Lord, you will never wash my feet.” Peter and the other disciples loved Jesus. They revered him. They had seen the power of God working through him for the past three years. They had witnessed the throngs of people flock to him. They had been with him as he preached and taught and healed people of terrible infirmities, both physical and spiritual. How could their teacher, their master, their Lord, take the role of a slave and wash their feet? And yet, he does. Jesus tells Peter that “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me.” These are strong words. “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me.”
Having our feet washed and washing one another’s feet is an essential part of being a follower of Jesus. In a few minutes, everyone will be invited to come to the center of the circle, to wash and be washed. When we are the one who washes, we are taking the role of Jesus, lowering ourselves, stooping down in humility and service to others. You may not even know the person whose feet you are washing tonight. It doesn’t really matter whether they are your dearest friend or a complete stranger. We serve others, regardless of who they are , whether we like them or not, whether they like us or not, whether we think they are worthy or unworthy. The Gospel of John simply says that Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, so presumably he washed Judas’ feet because he too was one of the disciples. Jesus already knew that Judas would betray him when they gathered that night, and even so, Jesus washed his feet. Think about that. How could Jesus be so kind, so loving toward the one he knew was about to hand him over to be condemned to death? That is costly love.
So when we wash another person’s feet, it is a wondrous and costly thing. When we switch positions and are the one having our feet washed by someone else, it can feel costly in a different way. It makes us feel vulnerable, exposed, needy, like someone coming as a guest to our food pantry instead of someone serving as a volunteer. When the roles are reversed, we have a very different perspective on things. But allowing someone to care for us is important. We all need to love and to be loved. It is an essential part of being human. Love is the greatest gift we can receive, but it requires us to let our defenses down and take the risk that we may be hurt. Jesus made himself completely vulnerable, taking on the form of a slave and emptying himself of worldly power to demonstrate the upside down power of God, the power of love. Love is the strongest force in the universe and the greatest healing agent there is, stronger than death, stronger than suffering, stronger than betrayal, even stronger than our need not to appear needy.
Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you will have no share with me….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 you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”