Through the washing of the feet, Jesus became a servant, model for us

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Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor.

A reflection on the daily readings, for Holy Thursday of the Lord’s Supper, by Father Perry.
By Father Perry D. Leiker, pastor
+ Does God guide us? Does God show us the way or even a way? Does God protect us? Does God live up to his names in the Bible like rock and fortress and our salvation?
The Bible clearly is loaded with multiple examples of how God and why God acts in our lives. And every once in a while, we are given a story of mythic proportions that describes a very complicated action taken on the part of God.
Today’s narrative is a perfect example of it. And we are only getting a tiny portion of the story: the actual sending of the angel of death who went through the city, “striking down every firstborn in the land, human being and beast alike.”
And not only that, then God gave orders as to how this was to be remembered forever. The Passover meal would remember the actual pass-over of that dreadful angel.
But in effect, it would be remembered as a saving event that brought freedom and hope and life to God’s faithful people. This was God guiding and showing the way, and protecting and being rock and fortress and salvation.

And we celebrate in and through another meal — the one given to us by Jesus the Christ, one in which the Christ become spiritual food, and also gives life. And again, this was to be done again and again and again, and forever —
“Do this in remembrance of me.”
And in John’s Gospel — and only in John’s Gospel — we are given more; something is asked of us. Jesus, at that Last Supper, put on an apron and got down on his hands and knees and washed the feet of his apostles. He became a servant. He showed them what they were to become and what they were to do. He became a model and guide, and told them directly —
“If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet.
I have given you a model to follow,
so that as I have done for you, you should also do.”
This was clearly a case of “Do as I say” and “Do as I do!”
Was this just a commandment, or was this the way to discover joy and life?
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