April 2, 2026

April 2, 2026

Maundy Thursday. A time to gather as Jesus did. He gathered with His disciples, we gather together in His house and around His word. We come together to reflect on that evening so many years ago. And to take a look at that Savior, who in just a few hours will be hanging on a cross.

So what do we learn? St Paul takes us back to that upper room where He was celebrating that Passover with His disciples. He instituted that sacrament that we now know as the Lord’s Supper. That sacrament that we will receive very soon. We are reminded of the gift of His body and the gift of His blood and the life and forgiveness and salvation that He gives to us in that sacrament. But before He instituted the Lord’s Supper, the bible tells us that He stood up from the table, put aside His outer robe and taking a towel tied it around His waist and He poured some water into a basin and He began to wash His disciples’ feet (the gospel of John).  Ya know I read that story, and the thought that comes to my mind is, it’s just not right. It’s just not right to see the hands of God washing the toes of men. That’s not right. I mean, it seems strange, it seems wrong, and doesn’t seem right. If anything, they should be washing His feet, don’t ya think? Ah, but they don’t. In fact, rather than serve, St. Luke tells us that night they…..argue about which one of them was the greatest. An argument, if you remember, they’ve had before. Can’t ya hear them arguing, who’s the most special? who’s the best preacher? who’s the greatest? And how disappointing their words must’ve been to Jesus.

And as they argue that basin sits in the corner, untouched. The towel lies on the floor, unused. The servants clothing hangs on the wall, unworn. And each disciple sees those things and each disciple knows exactly what they are for, but no one moves. No one, except Jesus.

As they bicker about who’s the greatest, He stands up. He doesn’t speak, just removes His robe and takes the servants robe off the wall and taking the pitcher He takes the water into the basin. Then He kneels, kneels in front of those men. And with the sponge and the basin He begins to wash.

That’s just not right. Or is it? This little story about Jesus should give us insight into Jesus and what He’s all about. He’s not about Lording it over people. He’s not about scrambling to get to the top, He’s not about being the greatest as the disciples were so concerned about. He’s all about being a servant. Even if doing the thankless, despised task of washing smelling, stinky feet. Jesus demonstrates to us He has the heart of a servant.

Simon Peter, he always seems to say it like he thinks it. There’s not much of a filter on that man. Grandma used to say ‘think before you speak.’ I don’t think his grandma told him that or if she did he didn’t listen and ya see this here.

‘Lord you are gonna wash my feet?’

‘What I’m doing you don’t understand, you won’t understand it for while Peter.’

‘Well, Lord I don’t want you washing my feet, that’s beneath you.’

‘Well Peter if I don’t wash your feet, you have no part with me.’

‘Well Lord, not just my feet, my head and my hands too.’

‘Ah Peter your feet are enough.’

And after that teachable moment of washing feet, Jesus sits down again and says, ‘do you understand what’ve I’ve done to you?’

The obvious answer to that question is well yah, you’ve washed our feet. But you know and I know and I think the disciples knew it was much, much deeper than that. ‘Yes I washed your feet, but I served you. I took the lowliest task, the menial task, the dirtiest task of washing your smelly, stinky feet.  Now as I have done this to you. You, do it to others.‘

For the disciple, no task is meaningless. No task is too small. No task is too dirty. No task is too nasty. Do those things that need to be done so that people can see who I am. And by doing this all people will know you are My disciples. In doing this you demonstrate your love for those around you. In doing this you are reflecting My love, for you.

Now, I don’t know about you, but if this is what a disciple is all about….washing dirty, smelly feet. I don’t know if I want to go there. But the heart of the servant doesn’t end with feet. Jesus is just getting started. Go back and look, His servant heart is everywhere, washing feet is the tip of the iceberg, one example of many. Think about the children He welcomed for a blessing, when His disciples chastised them for bothering Jesus. Think about the lonely Samaritan woman at the well that Jesus not only stopped to talk with but, He gave her the gift of living water, He gave her the gift of faith. Think about the blind who were healed, the lame who walked again, the lepers who were cleansed and dead were even raised to life! And Why? So Jesus could draw all the attention to Himself, so that everybody could see His greatness? No, never. In fact, when He talked to those people that He helped He said, ‘don’t tell anybody this.’ No, He did it so He could serve. He did it to glorify God. He did it so He could help. Well, washing feet is just one example of many of Jesus loving, Jesus caring, Jesus serving. And all of those examples just serves to point to the ultimate example of His service to His people especially in the context of these words, ‘greater love has no one that this that He lay down his life for his friends.’ Do you see what Jesus does? He doesn’t just wrap a towel around His waist, and wash our feet. What we see, the very next day, on Good Friday. He’s stripped, He’s beaten within an inch of His life, He’s nailed to the wood of the cross and He begins to wash away the filth and the stench of our sins. He becomes the lamb sacrificial lamb, whose blood is painted on our hearts and on our lives so that death passes over us.

He washes us from head to toe with His blood. He gives us His grace, His forgiveness, His mercy and He declares us clean and holy and righteous.

Now when you look at what that servant did, the healing, the serving and the caring and then the beating and bleeding and the cross and that separation from His father and finally His death, His death that brought us life, salvation and ya look at how He was the servant. The ultimate servant. And then you look at the tasks He gave to His disciples, to you and me. Well, I don’t think washing feet is so hard, do you? Jesus gathers us together as His disciples, He serves us with His love and His grace and His forgiveness and He’s washing us clean, He’s preparing us for service for our world. And then He says to us let me give you some strength, let me give you some love, and let me give you some encouragement and some joy. Take and eat. My body broken for you. Take and drink, my blood shed for you for the f of your sins. Let me serve you so that you, can serve others. So you can go and wash some feet. Jesus gathers us so that He can serve us, to empower us for service in this world. To do the work He has us all to do. To impact the lives that He brings our way. To wrap that towel around our waist and wash the stinky feet of a sinful, stinky, broken world. We do it. We do it remembering the cross. Remembering we have been washed by more than mere water. We have been washed and made clean by the blood of Christ. And we serve, not out of guilt, not out of obligation, we serve out of love, we serve freely, we love because we have been loved, we serve because we have been served. Amen.