Maundy Thursday (Exodus 12:1-14; Psalm 116:1, 10-17; 1 Cor 11:23-26; John 13:1-17, 31b-35)

Let’s admit that it is quite uncomfortable to see Jesus washing the feet of his disciples. Encountering God’s humanity unsettles us. How is it okay that God washes the feet of those who would eventually run away and deny him? Actually there’s nothing okay and normal about our Christian faith in God. If we remember that God became human and came to this world as an infant in a manger, if we remember that God became completely vulnerable to the point where God wouldn’t be able to survive without Blessed Mother and St Joseph’s nurturing, this foot washing scene is another evidence of the divine humility enfleshed, embodied, incarnate in Jesus of Nazareth. And again, this God catches us off guard. 

We can easily imagine how the disciples would feel about Jesus’s initiative to wash their feet. Their teacher and the one they confess as the Messiah gets off the table where he teaches them how to remember him and promises his real presence in the form of bread and wine as his body and blood. He takes off his outer robe. He ties a towel around himself. He pours water into a basin. And he begins to wash the disciples’ feet, wiping them with the towel. 

To this extremely odd behavior of Jesus, the disciples seem to be in shock. They’re probably thinking, “Is Jesus going crazy? I feel so awkward and uncomfortable. My feet smell so bad…” It is always Peter who can tell it like it is. He doesn’t like the idea that Jesus who he confesses as the Son of God and the Messiah washes his feet. He refuses to be washed by questioning and reminding Jesus of his bizarre behavior, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet? You will not wash my feet.” 

Have you ever experienced someone washing your feet? It is such an intimate experience that can really make you feel uncomfortable and even vulnerable. This act of someone other than myself washing my body part is quite troublesome. When I was hospitalized a couple years ago, I wasn’t really able to freely move my body. I was quite bedbound at that time. I wasn’t really able to walk on my own feet. That night, I had two nurses who appeared to be in their 20s. A more experienced nurse was training this nursing student. They came into my room and asked me if I wanted to bathe. I usually have a hard time saying no. So without much thought, I simply said yes. I just thought they would wash my face or something. Well, they meant what they said, which was to bathe me. They carefully moved my body left to right. I felt extremely embarrassed and uncomfortable. If you want to talk about vulnerability, this is it. Being washed by two nurses. But after I was being washed, I felt refreshed. And deep inside, I was so grateful for these nurses who were so kind enough to wash my body. 

We Christians talk about humility a lot. And there are many ways to define what humility is. In today’s gospel lesson, especially tonight on this Maundy Thursday, Jesus teaches us that humility is nothing but to have your feet washed by him. Accept and allow God’s coming into your life to wash your feet, to cleanse the parts of your life that you would like to hide, deny, and avoid to face. Let Jesus serve you first as he himself says he came here not to be served but to serve. 

Letting Jesus wash your feet is not an easy task. One of the challenges patients often express to me in the hospital is that they have to depend on others to do small things. Asking for help is hard. Acknowledging my need for help from others is harder. Because it’s making me feel and look imperfect and vulnerable. Our society teaches us that it is virtuous to be independent of each other. But what Jesus teaches us is quite the opposite. It’s like “If you want to serve someone, you need to be served by me first. Once you accept God’s service, you’re then ready to serve others.” In other words, make yourself vulnerable before God by letting God see everything about yourself including your pain, shame, guilt, and everything that you want to hide. This is the act of offering up our imperfection to God. Br. John Braught of the Society of St. John the Evangelist, the so-called Cowley brothers, once said, “When we offer up our imperfection to God, we no longer feel the need to play God, we no longer feel the need to make ourselves in our own image.”

Jesus himself allows his feet washed and anointed by Mary. This happens six days before Jesus washes his disciples’ feet. Mary takes a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anoints Jesus’ feet, and wipes them with her hair. Jesus doesn’t refuse to have his feet washed. He makes himself vulnerable and dependent on the hands of Mary. His allowing Mary to wash his feet and his hands reaching out to our feet are God’s way to enter into the very core of human vulnerability. Not only does he teaches us how to be vulnerable before God but also assures us that he’s with us in that moment. 

Tonight, we celebrate Maundy Thursday to remember the first sacrificial meal in the Eucharist and the greatest commandment of Jesus. “Maundy” comes from the Latin word, “mandatum.” It means “mandate.” Loving one another is a mandate for Christians. And we remember this teaching by remembering Jesus’ love for all humanity. This is not just one of many teachings Jesus gave to his disciples. This is almost like the last will of Jesus. Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. When we know our end is near, we want to give something that matters the most to our loved ones. St John writes, “Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” 

Remember you are his own. Let Christ wash your feet. Accept Christ’s love. Allow yourself to be loved by him to love him and love others deeper. When your feet are washed with Christ’s hands, we are transformed. And when we wash others’ feet, we are once again transformed in that very act. Let Christ’s love transform you during this Holy Week. In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.