Sermon-Thursday, April 5, 2007
Maundy Thursday
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
So once again, it’s Maundy Thursday. And as is usually the case on Maundy Thursday the Gospel lesson is the story of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. So what is this about? What is Jesus doing in this story? What is God up to here?
The tendency with this story is to turn it into Jesus setting an example for the disciples, and for us. And indeed in verse 15 from this chapter, Jesus says to the disciples that by washing their feet, He has set an example for them. And in the final verses from tonight’s lesson you can see an extension of this idea when Jesus gives His great command that we are to love one another, just as Jesus loved us, and that by this everyone will know that we are Jesus’ disciples; that we have love for one another.
So Jesus does indeed appear to be setting an example of humble service and devotion to each other, but I also believe that there is more going on here than an example being set. Almost immediately we see a reference to the devil and that the devil had put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. So right there, you can see that in the midst of this powerful demonstration of humble love and service, there is a battle between good and evil going on.
Beyond setting an example, Jesus is revealing something about how the devil is going to be defeated; not through military might, not through your good works or acts of piety, but only through the selfless act of sacrifice of the sinless Son of God; Christ Jesus.
Indeed the appearance of Judas in this story reminds you that the devil is there in the midst of this powerful moment of intimacy between Jesus and His disciples. This devil who put it into the heart and mind of Judas to betray Jesus is the same devil who daily puts it into your heart and mind to betray Jesus as he casts his slings and arrows of doubt, sin, pride, and shame at you. It is the same devil who daily tempts you to think of yourself before thinking of your neighbor, and you once again fail to follow this example that Jesus set for you with this act of humble service and devotion.
But John reminds you in tonight’s lesson that Jesus does not allow the presence of the devil and all of his deceitfulness and temptation to stop Him. As it says, Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands. Jesus knew that everything that was taking place had been put into motion by His Father. He knew that He had come from the Father and that He was going to the Father and that the presence of the devil would not derail that in any way, shape or form.
You can see His determination and devotion to the path of victory that has been laid out for Him not because He assumes the role of great military leader or great politician, but because He assumes the role of servant. In tonight’s lesson, He assumes the role of servant by tying a towel around Himself and filling this basin with water and beginning to wash the feet of His disciples. As it says in Matthew 20, the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve.
And as Jesus comes to wash the feet of Peter you can see that, like you, even Peter fails to grasp just what it means to be cleansed by Christ. At first, of course Peter fails to understand that Jesus must assume the role of servant in order to continue on the path that has been laid out for Him, when Peter says that Jesus will never wash his feet.
Jesus then tells Peter that unless He washes Peter that Peter will have no share with Him. And then Peter, showing confusion once again, insists that Jesus wash not just his feet but his hands and his head also.
Peter’s confusion is your confusion. In the waters of baptism you also experience a cleansing in Christ. But in the same way that Peter got confused, you get confused. Like Peter you think the power of baptism comes in the ritual itself or in how much or how little water is used. In doing this you reduce baptism to just that; a ritual, as opposed to the moment of being welcomed into the family of God and being claimed by Christ that it really is.
For as you are reminded in the catechism, "Baptism is not simply plain water." " Instead it is water used according to God’s command and connected with God’s Word." " Baptism brings about forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as the Word and promise of God declare." "For without the Word of God the water is plain water and not a baptism, but with the Word of God it is a baptism, that is a grace-filled water of life and a ‘bath of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.’(Titus 3:5-8)"
What Peter failed to understand was that the impact of that act of servanthood was not in the water that was being used to wash the feet of Peter, but in who was doing it; Christ Jesus coming not to be served but to serve.
And we know that Jesus is pointing to something that is still to come. We know that Jesus did not leave Peter in His sin and confusion. Jesus would continue on His path and He would go where He told His disciples they could not come. He would go and become a curse for them and for us, and in so doing defeat sin, death, and the devil for you.
Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) does not know now what Jesus is doing but later he will understand. Jesus is promising Peter that what is about to take place must take place, but that He (Jesus) will come back and the veil of mystery and confusion will begin to be lifted from Peter’s eyes. Jesus is of course pointing to the cross, the empty tomb, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
And He doesn’t leave you in your sin and confusion either. He continues to come to you in Word and sacrament and fellowship with other believers. In His supper He continues to bring His grace and forgiveness to you in a tangible and touchable form. And He continues to cleanse you with His Word as it says in John 15:3 You are clean because of the Word that Christ Jesus has spoken to you. And that Word is you are His and you are forgiven.
In taking on the role of servant Jesus does indeed set an example of servanthood to each other that He calls you to try to follow. But He also knows that, in sin, you will fall short of this example every day. So out of unconditional love and grace, He takes on the role of servant and becomes a curse for you on the cross, and defeats the very same sin, death and the devil that you struggle with everyday. You struggle with it, but you know that because of the servanthood of your Savior; sin, death, and the devil have been defeated.
In the footwashing you see Jesus pointing to the future of a new reality; the future that will take Him to the cross where He shed the blood that frees you. And like the Israelites that you read about in our Old Testament lesson from Exodus who were passed over from a plague of destruction, because their houses were marked with the blood of the lamb, you are passed over and saved from sin, death and the devil as you have been marked with the righteous blood of the lamb of God; Christ Jesus.
In the footwashing Jesus is pointing to the new reality that breaks all barriers and gives you a share with Jesus and frees you to be servants to each other and thus join the Israelites from tonight’s lesson from Exodus in their celebration of freedom and redemption, and you are made a part of the intimate fellowship that Jesus has with His Father.
Amen
Brothers and sisters,
Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.
So once again, it’s Maundy Thursday. And as is usually the case on Maundy Thursday the Gospel lesson is the story of Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. So what is this about? What is Jesus doing in this story? What is God up to here?
The tendency with this story is to turn it into Jesus setting an example for the disciples, and for us. And indeed in verse 15 from this chapter, Jesus says to the disciples that by washing their feet, He has set an example for them. And in the final verses from tonight’s lesson you can see an extension of this idea when Jesus gives His great command that we are to love one another, just as Jesus loved us, and that by this everyone will know that we are Jesus’ disciples; that we have love for one another.
So Jesus does indeed appear to be setting an example of humble service and devotion to each other, but I also believe that there is more going on here than an example being set. Almost immediately we see a reference to the devil and that the devil had put it into the heart of Judas to betray Jesus. So right there, you can see that in the midst of this powerful demonstration of humble love and service, there is a battle between good and evil going on.
Beyond setting an example, Jesus is revealing something about how the devil is going to be defeated; not through military might, not through your good works or acts of piety, but only through the selfless act of sacrifice of the sinless Son of God; Christ Jesus.
Indeed the appearance of Judas in this story reminds you that the devil is there in the midst of this powerful moment of intimacy between Jesus and His disciples. This devil who put it into the heart and mind of Judas to betray Jesus is the same devil who daily puts it into your heart and mind to betray Jesus as he casts his slings and arrows of doubt, sin, pride, and shame at you. It is the same devil who daily tempts you to think of yourself before thinking of your neighbor, and you once again fail to follow this example that Jesus set for you with this act of humble service and devotion.
But John reminds you in tonight’s lesson that Jesus does not allow the presence of the devil and all of his deceitfulness and temptation to stop Him. As it says, Jesus knew that the Father had given all things into His hands. Jesus knew that everything that was taking place had been put into motion by His Father. He knew that He had come from the Father and that He was going to the Father and that the presence of the devil would not derail that in any way, shape or form.
You can see His determination and devotion to the path of victory that has been laid out for Him not because He assumes the role of great military leader or great politician, but because He assumes the role of servant. In tonight’s lesson, He assumes the role of servant by tying a towel around Himself and filling this basin with water and beginning to wash the feet of His disciples. As it says in Matthew 20, the Son of man did not come to be served but to serve.
And as Jesus comes to wash the feet of Peter you can see that, like you, even Peter fails to grasp just what it means to be cleansed by Christ. At first, of course Peter fails to understand that Jesus must assume the role of servant in order to continue on the path that has been laid out for Him, when Peter says that Jesus will never wash his feet.
Jesus then tells Peter that unless He washes Peter that Peter will have no share with Him. And then Peter, showing confusion once again, insists that Jesus wash not just his feet but his hands and his head also.
Peter’s confusion is your confusion. In the waters of baptism you also experience a cleansing in Christ. But in the same way that Peter got confused, you get confused. Like Peter you think the power of baptism comes in the ritual itself or in how much or how little water is used. In doing this you reduce baptism to just that; a ritual, as opposed to the moment of being welcomed into the family of God and being claimed by Christ that it really is.
For as you are reminded in the catechism, "Baptism is not simply plain water." " Instead it is water used according to God’s command and connected with God’s Word." " Baptism brings about forgiveness of sins, redeems from death and the devil, and gives eternal salvation to all who believe it, as the Word and promise of God declare." "For without the Word of God the water is plain water and not a baptism, but with the Word of God it is a baptism, that is a grace-filled water of life and a ‘bath of the new birth in the Holy Spirit.’(Titus 3:5-8)"
What Peter failed to understand was that the impact of that act of servanthood was not in the water that was being used to wash the feet of Peter, but in who was doing it; Christ Jesus coming not to be served but to serve.
And we know that Jesus is pointing to something that is still to come. We know that Jesus did not leave Peter in His sin and confusion. Jesus would continue on His path and He would go where He told His disciples they could not come. He would go and become a curse for them and for us, and in so doing defeat sin, death, and the devil for you.
Jesus tells Peter that he (Peter) does not know now what Jesus is doing but later he will understand. Jesus is promising Peter that what is about to take place must take place, but that He (Jesus) will come back and the veil of mystery and confusion will begin to be lifted from Peter’s eyes. Jesus is of course pointing to the cross, the empty tomb, and the arrival of the Holy Spirit.
And He doesn’t leave you in your sin and confusion either. He continues to come to you in Word and sacrament and fellowship with other believers. In His supper He continues to bring His grace and forgiveness to you in a tangible and touchable form. And He continues to cleanse you with His Word as it says in John 15:3 You are clean because of the Word that Christ Jesus has spoken to you. And that Word is you are His and you are forgiven.
In taking on the role of servant Jesus does indeed set an example of servanthood to each other that He calls you to try to follow. But He also knows that, in sin, you will fall short of this example every day. So out of unconditional love and grace, He takes on the role of servant and becomes a curse for you on the cross, and defeats the very same sin, death and the devil that you struggle with everyday. You struggle with it, but you know that because of the servanthood of your Savior; sin, death, and the devil have been defeated.
In the footwashing you see Jesus pointing to the future of a new reality; the future that will take Him to the cross where He shed the blood that frees you. And like the Israelites that you read about in our Old Testament lesson from Exodus who were passed over from a plague of destruction, because their houses were marked with the blood of the lamb, you are passed over and saved from sin, death and the devil as you have been marked with the righteous blood of the lamb of God; Christ Jesus.
In the footwashing Jesus is pointing to the new reality that breaks all barriers and gives you a share with Jesus and frees you to be servants to each other and thus join the Israelites from tonight’s lesson from Exodus in their celebration of freedom and redemption, and you are made a part of the intimate fellowship that Jesus has with His Father.
Amen
posted by Steve at 1:08 PM
1 Comments:
I liked this-especially the line "What Peter failed to understand was that the impact of that act of servanthood was not in the water that was being used to wash the feet of Peter, but in who was doing it; Christ Jesus coming not to be served but to serve." WOnderful connection to baptism.
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