Deep Calls Out to Deep

After that He poured water into a basin and began to wash His disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around Him. He came to Simon Peter, who said to Him, “Lord, are You going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

John 13:5-7

Maundy Thursday our pastor posed the question do we understand?

I shook my head because I’m not positive I know.  I have my thoughts but let’s do a deep dive for Easter together. 

I have to admit it, Peter is one of my favorites. For many reasons, his enthusiasm for Christ, his ability to get it more right than anyone else, and his ability to get it wrong. Peter changed after Jesus’ resurrection, as I’m sure one would.  But that impulsivity turned into something different, no less zeal but a calmer way of learning.  Peter accepted correction from Paul and learned to embrace his ministry. Peter obeyed the Lord when the Lord told him to go to Cornelius and eat meat with him, even though that was against everything he could imagine. And he clothed himself with humility as he instructed believers in 1 Peter 5:5. He was a very different man than the one who said I’d die for You, Lord and cut off people’s ears only to falter shortly after.

Peter took Jesus’ reinstating words to heart, feed My sheep, and he learned service. My friend Bob says, when God is telling you to wait, do what waiters do…serve. So is that what He was doing?  Serving.  It certainly indicates that.  I’ve heard it said Jesus came to earth undressing, leaving a throne in Glory to inhabitant an animal’s feeding trough. The master serves, simple enough.  Is that the whole story?

What else could He have been doing?  Once Peter was told if he didn’t let Jesus wash him, then he had no part with Him.  So Peter was like wash all of me then and Jesus said no, when the body is clean, one only needs to wash his feet.  

Years ago my friends and I were talking about the Titanic movie after it had recently come out.  If you haven’t seen it, spoiler alert, the ship sinks. We were talking about the scene when the ship is sinking and the guy who built the ship fixes the clock to the correct time.  One of my friends asked why he did that.  Another said it’s so obvious.  I said yeah it’s deeply symbolic and heart wrenching, the ship had been hailed an unsinkable marvel and he built it and now it’s sinking and he fixes the only thing he could fix. My friend said, I was just going to say he wanted the clock to record what time it sank, should I just say I got yourdeep meaning out of it too? (Side note, I’ve always thought it was weird before it ever sank, they made such a big deal that it wouldn’t.  Maybe not the brightest move.)

Regardless, the point is maybe this is too metaphorical but I’m like that. I wonder if He was preparing them for the road that they would walk.  It would be a hard road, imprisonments, rejection, suffering, and for most of them, the death of martyrs.  Maybe before their feet took that road, our incredibly loving and gentle Savior wanted them to remember a loving intimate moment of His kind touch before they started that walk.

Or maybe, maybe He was giving them a glimpse that He was about to offer the ultimate act of cleansing, humility, and selfless love on the cross.  Maybe that’s why they wouldn’t know now what He was doingbecause they truly did not seem to understand the cross was necessary or coming, at least not then.

So back to the question. Do we know?  Do we know that everything He did pointed to the love and sacrifice He would make for them?  For us? Do we remember it and honor it when we say Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom?  Do we remember how much sacrifice it took to get us there?  And what did He ask us to do?  Say thank You over and over? No, He asked us to love others as He loved us.  I know for me, that is hard.  I want to love everyone the way He loved me regardless of how they treat me, but honestly it’s hard to even love the people who love me the way He loves me.  Look at what He did for me! And yet that is what my Savior asked of me.  Lord, with Your help I will try.  And thank You, because I believe it is later and I believe I do understand what You were doing. He is risen, He is risen indeed. Alleluia!!!