It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end ...Why does Peter resist? It must be that Peter still doesn't understand the Way of Jesus. In Peter's eyes Jesus is Lord, Messiah, and King. Consequently, it makes no sense for Jesus to wash Peter's feet. It's humiliating. That's not the behavior of lords and kings.
Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. 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."
"No," said Peter, "you shall never wash my feet."
Peter doesn't want a Lord or King who washes feet. The same way he doesn't want a Lord or King who goes to the cross.
Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.And I wonder, has anything changed? Are Christians still rejecting a Lord and King who washes feet?
Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. "Never, Lord!" he said. "This shall never happen to you!"
Jesus is washing feet in the world. Jesus is serving the least of these in humiliating, ignominious ways.
And still his followers look on and say,
"No. That's not my Jesus."
To go one step further, the picture above is by Lars Justinen. Long story made short, when Justinen had contracts to display his image in various Christian venues throughout Seattle, Christians called in so much protest that he lost those contracts. And was forced to find a secular outlet -- which not only allowed his showing of the image, but did so without protest.
Let me be honest: Every time I take the name "Christian", I have to cringe. Because I know what that means.
Obviously, the protesters believe that Jesus would not wash Osama Bin Laden’s feet. But Jesus died "not only for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world" (1 Jn 2.2) -- and this obviously includes Osama. So if Jesus died for Osama, how are we to imagine him being unwilling to wash his feet?
Being a Christian is uncomfortable, because it calls into question so much about what we identify with in our culture.
What the protest reveals is that many Christians have tragically allowed their patriotism to co-opt their faith. They have allowed their American citizenship to take priority over their Kingdom citizenship -- despite the New Testament's instruction for disciples to consider themselves "foreigners" and "exiles" wherever they happen to live (Heb 11.13; 1 Pet 1.17, 2.11) and to consider their real citizenship "in heaven" (Phil 3.20). Many American Christians seem to want a Jesus who will defend their country and hate their national enemies as much as they do. Many want the Jesus of the Middle Ages whom Crusaders called on to help them slaughter -- not serve -- their Islamic enemies. Many seem to want to reduce Jesus to just another version of the tribal gods that have been called on for centuries to bless tribal battles. Most wars throughout history have been fought under the banner of some god or another.
"You can wash my feet, Jesus, but not those of my enemy." In other words, we're Peter.
Fortunately, the real Jesus isn't anything like this. Knowing all power had been given to him, John says, he wrapped a towel around his waist and washed the dirty, smelly feet of people he knew would deny and betray him in a couple hours (Jn 13.3-5). Knowing he could call legions of angels to vanquish his foes, the real Jesus rather chose to let them crucify him, because this is what they needed him to do (though they of course didn't know it). Then, with his last breath, the real Jesus prays to his Father to forgive his barbaric torturers -- and all of us (Lk 23.34).
This is the kind of power the omnipotent God of the universe uses against his enemies. And this is the kind of power we're to use against our "enemies". It's the power of Calvary-like love.
We're called to imitate the Jesus who washes the feet of enemies, dies for them, and prays for their forgiveness. We are to "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave his life for us..." (Eph 5.1-2). When we were enemies, Jesus nevertheless ascribed unsurpassable worth to us by paying an unsurpassable price for us. We who claim we are his disciples are called to do the same. We're to sacrificially ascribe unsurpassable worth to all people, including our enemies -- evenOsama Bin Laden.
In light of God's servant love toward us, we must be willing to wash Osama's feet -- and pray for his forgiveness.
Jesus says to us:
"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt..." (Lk 6.27-29)
And in case we missed the point, he comes back five verses later and says:
"...love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. (How important is this? Read this next sentence carefully).Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6.27-29; 35-36).
When we act like our kind Father, we reflect the fact that we are his children.
In Christ, God's been kind to Osama. May we who are his children do the same. May we be encouraged by the picture rather than offended by it. May we pray, "Father, forgive Osama. He doesn't know what he's doing."
This is the kind of power the omnipotent God of the universe uses against his enemies. And this is the kind of power we're to use against our "enemies". It's the power of Calvary-like love.
We're called to imitate the Jesus who washes the feet of enemies, dies for them, and prays for their forgiveness. We are to "live in love, as Christ loved us and gave his life for us..." (Eph 5.1-2). When we were enemies, Jesus nevertheless ascribed unsurpassable worth to us by paying an unsurpassable price for us. We who claim we are his disciples are called to do the same. We're to sacrificially ascribe unsurpassable worth to all people, including our enemies -- evenOsama Bin Laden.
In light of God's servant love toward us, we must be willing to wash Osama's feet -- and pray for his forgiveness.
Jesus says to us:
"Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt..." (Lk 6.27-29)
And in case we missed the point, he comes back five verses later and says:
"...love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. (How important is this? Read this next sentence carefully).Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6.27-29; 35-36).
When we act like our kind Father, we reflect the fact that we are his children.
In Christ, God's been kind to Osama. May we who are his children do the same. May we be encouraged by the picture rather than offended by it. May we pray, "Father, forgive Osama. He doesn't know what he's doing."