Maundy Thursday 2004Feet can be a bit gross.
Especially when they’ve been inside running shoes, especially the ones that are totally uncontaminated by natural fibres, the ones that don’t breathe at all. They end up stinking to high heaven.
But imagine what it was like in Jesus time.
People wore sandals. Which means that their feet probably didn’t get all smelly from foot odour, which is a plus. All that fresh air would be good in that respect. But imagine all the other stuff they would have on them. Dust and dirt. The remains of the calling cards left by animals – goats, donkeys, camels, cattle. Since feet were not covered, they would be susceptible to damage, so perhaps many feet might have had horrible festering sores. They would have had really tough skin, the nails chipped and cracked, with lots of yukky stuff stuck underneath them. Enough to make you vomit really. Which makes you wonder then why on earth Jesus would want to wash other peoples feet.
The job of foot washing was usually done by the lowly servants or slaves. It was an act of hospitality yet not usually done by the head of the house. It would be far below his station. Jesus, in doing this, was setting a very radical example. He was saying that to be a leader you need to be a slave, and more, that you needed to be one of the lowest of the low. You have to wipe the dirt and dung of other people’s feet. You have to get your hands dirty serving others.
Now this is a radical statement about leadership, as I’m sure you will all realise. It turns the concepts of power and leadership upside down. It makes the whole concept of what community could and should be new.
Jesus said “I am making all things new.” The washing of the feet is an example of this. All who seek to be disciples of Jesus must wash each others feet. We must all humble ourselves, get our hands dirty, dirty with the grime that someone else has trodden in. The flip side of this is that we mustn’t be too proud not to allow another person to wash our feet. We are called to serve and to be served. This is mutual ministry, mutual service by all members of the community. We minister to each other. Even with us clergy types, we minister to others, but others minister to us as well. It’s a radical concept. For some it’s a scary concept, this complete re-write of the rules of honour and service. For some it was scary enough to beat a man to within inches of his life, then nail him to a cross. They couldn’t handle the fact that this man who was more than a man was not supporting the existent social order. They couldn’t accept that a King would be anything less than powerful, mighty warrior King. When the truth was right there in front of them, they couldn’t see it. We are more threatened by humility and service to each other than by violence and selfishness. This is what Jesus was speaking out against.
It’s a powerful concept. So powerful that God sent His only son to the world to spread the word about it, and to die on a cross, as an example that there is another way, a better way, a loving way.
Follow that way. You know the way. Follow Jesus.
Amen.
