Meditation for 31 March 2010
Wednesday in Holy Week
From The Rev. Peter A. Munson
John 13:21-30
21 After saying this Jesus was troubled in spirit, and declared, ‘Very truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ 22The disciples looked at one another, uncertain of whom he was speaking. 23One of his disciples—the one whom Jesus loved—was reclining next to him; 24Simon Peter therefore motioned to him to ask Jesus of whom he was speaking. 25So while reclining next to Jesus, he asked him, ‘Lord, who is it?’ 26Jesus answered, ‘It is the one to whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.’ So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot. 27After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him. Jesus said to him, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’ 28Now no one at the table knew why he said this to him. 29Some thought that, because Judas had the common purse, Jesus was telling him, ‘Buy what we need for the festival’; or, that he should give something to the poor. 30So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out. And it was night.
Serving (Indiscriminately) Until the End
Right up until the very end of his life, Jesus was serving others.
The night before he died, he “… got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him.” (John 13:4-5) He performed an act that at the time was reserved for the lowliest slave in the household. Then he spelled it out for them, as clearly as possible. “So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. Very truly I tell you, servants are not greater than their master…” (John 13:14-16a)
Jesus then goes on to feed Judas – another act of service – even though he knows Judas is about to betray him. (verses 21-26 above) He didn’t wash all the disciples’ feet except the feet of Judas. He didn’t feed all the disciples except Judas. Judas was included. Jesus didn’t think to himself, “James and Peter and John have been in my inner circle from the beginning. I’ll wash their feet.” No. He served them all – indiscriminately.
And if we look at what happened at the very end, what do we see? Yes, Judas set things in motion by betraying him with a kiss. But Peter denied him three times before the cock crowed, just as Jesus predicted he would. And they all ran away from him during his time of need. Yes, in the end, they all betrayed him.
And yet Jesus washed all 24 feet. He fed all of them. He knew the frailties of all of them. He knew they would be scared and run away at the end. And yet he served all of them, right up until the end.
Our love for God and for Jesus is marked – in the end – by our acts of service and love. Jesus calls us to serve and love indiscriminately. It’s not about serving the ones we like the most. It’s not about taking stock and thinking about it for two weeks and then saying, “This person is the one I choose to serve.” No. It’s about serving the one whom God puts in front of you. It’s about serving the one whom God brings to mind. And it’s about serving until the day that we die.
So if God brings to your mind someone whom you have hurt, serve that person by offering an apology.
If God brings to mind the fact that someone has hurt you, serve that person (and probably yourself, too) by making the first move, contacting that person face-to-face, and offering your forgiveness.
If God brings to mind a person or a political group that you cannot stand, serve that person or group by offering up a prayer to God on their behalf.
If God has blessed you with being a spouse or a parent or a grandparent or a friend, then – by all means – demonstrate your thanksgiving by using every opportunity you can to serve those people who are the dearest to you.
If a stranger comes into your life – at work, at church, on the street corner, at the grocery store – serve that person by offering a listening ear for five minutes.
Sometimes when I go into a nursing home, I see one resident listening to another, or a resident offering a kind word to a staff member, or a resident offering loving and encouraging words to one of his or her grandchildren. These residents are usually not in good health. But they are still serving – indiscriminately – right up until the very end. Just as Jesus was on the last night his life, they are examples for you and for me.
As we participate in the last days and hours of Jesus’ life over the remainder of this week, let it not be lost on us that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve…” (Mark 10:45) And this is the One who says to each of us, “Follow me.”