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Well, it's the day before Christmas. Tomorrow we celebrate the
birth of God's only Son who came to live among us. As the first chapter
of John tells us: (John 1:14 NRSV) "the Word became flesh and lived
among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son,
full of grace and truth." |
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But what is it
that we're celebrating? What is the full significance of the incarnation,
of God becoming flesh and dwelling among us? Today I want us to look at
John 13 with that question in mind. Strange as it may seem to be looking
at the last supper on Christmas Eve, I think we find here one of the great
expositions of the significance of the incarnation. |
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So with that in
mind, let's have a look at the text. |
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The first thing
we need to understand is the situation. Look at v3: "Jesus [knew] that
the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from
God and was going to God." Jesus understands who he is. He knows the
position he has before the Father. But of course what he is at this moment
is only a pale reflection of what Jesus had been, even more perfectly, before
he came to earth in the form of a human being. This is a theme taken up
by Paul in his letter to the Colossians: (Col 1:15-17 NRSV) "He is
the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation; 16for
in him all things in heaven and on earth were created, things visible and
invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or powers -- all things
have been created through him and for him. 17He himself is before
all things, and in him all things hold together." Jesus was there at
creation, bringing this world into being. He is the one in whom all things
hold together. Without him life couldn't go on. He's pre-eminent in the
whole creation. |
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But there's more.
Listen to what the writer to the Hebrews has to say along the same lines:
(Heb 1:2-3 NRSV) "but in these last days [God] has spoken to us by
a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created
the worlds. 3He is the reflection of God's glory and the exact
imprint of God's very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful
word." Jesus is God's only Son. He bears the exact imprint of God's
very being. He is God incarnate, God made flesh. |
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So what Jesus
is about to do has to be seen against that background. John wants us to
recognise that the action that's about to take place is carried out by one
who is in every way equal with God and that he knows it. |
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So what is the
action that takes place? "Jesus got up from the table, took off his
outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured
water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them
with the towel that was tied around him." Jesus first takes off his
robe. Now, you've probably heard that 'clothes make the man.' In every society
I can think of, clothes are used to demonstrate or to create status. For
example, you can always tell when someone's going for a job interview, because
of the way they dress up for the occasion. At university ceremonies, the
staff always put on their academic hoods to show the type of degree they
have. In the 70s & 80s when women started to move into the business
world they developed what was known as 'Power Dressing.' And so forth. So
what Jesus does here in taking off his outer robe, signifies a change in
status. He takes off the clothing of the teacher and puts on the clothing
of a servant. He ties a towel around his waste so that when he's washed
the disciples feet he can more easily wipe them dry. Never mind the fact
that his makeshift apron is going to be soiled by the grime he wipes from
their feet. That's the lot of a servant. |
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The significance
of all this isn't lost on the disciples. Peter, always the impetuous one,
always the spokesperson, stops him. There's no way he's going to let Jesus
demean himself by washing his feet. He understands Jesus status. He knows
where he fits in the order of things. So he naturally recoils from the idea
of Jesus becoming his servant. But the trouble is, he hasn't understood
the significance, the meaning behind what Jesus is doing. Jesus replies
with this warning: "Unless I wash you, you have no share with me."
This simple act of washing contains within it such meaning that for them
to refuse to partake, will rule them out of the blessings of being part
of Jesus Kingdom. There's something of a parallel here with the Pharisees
who refused to accept the type of Messiah that Jesus was. They didn't like
the unseemly way he behaved, the sorts of people he associated with. But
their rejection of his lifestyle and teaching resulted in them missing out
on the blessings he came to provide. [Just as an aside, this might be a
warning to us as well. Are there activities that we recoil from because
they appear to be unseemly to our conservative Protestant cultural mindset,
but which in fact might lead to the growth of God's kingdom? Do we miss
out on something when we fail to take up opportunities that Jesus would
have availed himself of if he'd been here? It's worth asking ourselves that
question whenever we find ourselves worried about some activity that's being
proposed for St Theodore's. But let's move on.] So Jesus warns Peter and
the others to accept his humble service of them even if it does make them
feel uncomfortable. Why? Because of what lies behind his actions. |
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Well, let's think
about the meaning, the significance, of what Jesus does? |
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First of all,
this service of them is an expression of his love (v1:) "Having loved
his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end" or as the
NIV paraphrases it, " he now showed them the full extent of his love."
His washing their feet is a symbolic act that shows the extent of his love
for them. In fact it shows the extent of his love for all those who are
in the world. Jesus love is such that he was willing to humble himself,
to put off the glory he had with the Father, and come in the form of a servant
to die for us all. |
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Secondly what
he's doing is symbolic of the cleansing that he's about to provide by his
death on the cross. And so his reply to Peter is "Unless I wash you,
you have no share with me." Unless we're washed by Jesus, unless the
Lamb of God takes away our sin, we can have no part in him. The cleansing
from sin that Jesus supplies is the only means by which we can enter freely
into God's presence. And how do we avail ourselves of that cleansing? This
is something that you may have noticed I emphasise fairly regularly. We
can only avail ourselves of that cleansing through faith in Jesus Christ.
Too many people think they avail themselves of that cleansing by living
more righteous lives, by ridding themselves of sin. But what does Jesus
say? "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet,
but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you." What
does he mean by 'One who has bathed?' I take it he means one who has believed
in Jesus, who has put all their trust in him. This is a recurring theme
throughout John's gospel. It's faith in Jesus Christ that brings cleansing
from sin, that leads to salvation. |
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But if that's
the case then what's the significance of this washing of their feet. Why
does he say "One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the
feet?" It seems to me there are 2 possible explanations, both of which
are worth us taking notice of. The first is that having received forgiveness
of our sins once for all through faith in Jesus' death and resurrection,
all we need do is to come regularly to him to confess our sins and ask again
for forgiveness. Not for the sort of cleansing that we received at conversion,
but as a sort of top-up, a cleaning out of the cupboards, to keep us walking
in faith. |
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But the second
way to look at the importance for the disciples of this washing of their
feet, is to see it as demonstrating their solidarity with Jesus in his act
of self-giving. If they want to be part of him, they need to accept his
act of self-giving to the point of wanting to identify with it. |
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This is in fact
the third thing of significance in this act. Jesus washing their feet is
meant as a model of Christian conduct (v12ff). "After he had washed
their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said
to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? 13You call
me Teacher and Lord -- and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So
if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash
one another's feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you
also should do as I have done to you." |
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Now its interesting
that in the other three gospels, at this point we have the institution of
the Lord's Supper, with the command to do this in remembrance of me, but
here in John's gospel we find this command "if I, your Lord and Teacher,
have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet."
It's as though John wants to remind his readers that as important as the
remembrance of Jesus' death and resurrection that we have through the Lord's
Supper may be, there is something essential about the nature of Jesus' self-giving
that we as disciples of Jesus need to keep before ourselves at all times.
There's almost something sacramental in this act of service which we need
to take on as part of our worldview. |
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Finally, the significance
of what Jesus does here is that it sets up a new paradigm of what it means
to be a subject of God's Kingdom. In God's Kingdom, status comes from being
a servant. "Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant
of all." (Mk9:35) "15For I have set you an example,
that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly,
I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers
greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things,
you are blessed if you do them." Later on in the chapter, he gives
them a new commandment that defines this new paradigm: "34I
give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved
you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will
know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."
To be part of God's Kingdom, to be one of Jesus disciples, implies loving
each other with the same sort of self-giving love that Jesus had. It means
that the Church is the one institution in the world where those at the top
should be the greatest servants of all. I always get a bit worried, in fact,
when someone jokingly calls me the boss, not because I don't want to be
seen as a leader of the congregation, but because to be the boss in the
Christian context means you should be more of a servant than those you lead.
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So here in this
simple action of washing the disciples feet, Jesus demonstrates the significance
of the Incarnation. In becoming a human being and dwelling among us he's
shown his great love for us by giving up all he had in order to provide
the means by which we might be cleansed from sin. In washing the disciples'
feet he symbolises that act of self-giving in a concrete way that has a
great impact on them, and at the same time gives them a model for living
out their faith in their relationships with one another. |
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I wonder how much
this aspect of the incarnation impacts on us as we approach the Christmas
celebrations tomorrow. Will we be conscious as we open our presents, as
we sit down to our Christmas dinner, as we lie around recovering afterwards,
of the great gift of self-sacrifice revealed in Jesus' coming to earth?
Will we think of the model he gave us of how to live? Will we be seeking
to follow that example in the way we give ourselves to one another? Let
me encourage you to recommit yourself today as a disciple of Jesus Christ
to being a servant of those Christ came to save and so to partake in all
the blessings of God's Kingdom. |
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"I have set
you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very
truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers
greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things,
you are blessed if you do them." |
