March 20, 2008 At Saint Mark in Norman, OK
Exodus 12:1-8, 11-14 + Psalm 116 + 1 Corinthians 11: 23-26 + John 13: 1-15
The Jesus of John’s Gospel is Divine, all knowing, all powerful.He knows, says John that the Father had given all things into his hands. He knows who will betray him. This Jesus does not eat the Passover meal. He is the Passover Meal. There is no Passover meal in John’s Gospel, no institution of the Eucharist. The Jesus of John’s Gospel does not pass broken bread and a cup around with a command. The Jesus of John’s Gospel has a different command.
He takes off his robes and wraps himself in a towel. Tomorrow his robes will be stripped from him, and he will be tied by others. Before they can do their deed, he does it himself. What he does seems at first to be act of humility. That is what Peter thought. But this is an act of love, not humility. It is a divine act, a revelation of how much God loves us revealed in a new Commandment upon which the New Covenant will rest: the Commandment of LoveYet if we think that this love is a feeling, we still get it wrong like Peter. The Love of Jesus is not a feeling, it is an action.
This is the love by which Jesus set aside all that was His. No power, no authority, no exaltation. He left that aside to show His love, and he asks us to do the same: to set aside our perceived privilege, our desire for power, our controlling ways, and our expectations, and be empty for the sake of others. He says to Peter and to all who fail to understand, if you do not participate in this self emptying, you cannot enjoy the blessings it will guarantee.
Never did Jesus deny the dignity that was his as God, but he did not use it to safeguard is own comfort or well-being. Instead, his self-giving is the model and example of what his disciples must be willing to offer others.
In John’s Gospel there is water everywhere. From water in the Jordan for John’s Baptism, from water into wine at Cana, from water at the Temple’s Pool, from water at Jacob’s well, water in this basin, finally to water from his pierced side. By water our thirst is quenched, we are healed, washed and brought to life. See it once more. Understand, believe, and imitate his example keeping the commandment he has given us all.