Maundy Thursday 3-29-2021

Message given for Church of the Good Shepherd Episcopal in Covington, GA 

https://www.youtube.com/live/hY4F-xvrMTQ?feature=share&t=710

“Maundy” comes from the Latin word for mandatum, or commandment, reflecting Jesus’ words “I give you a new commandment.

This night, this Thursday before the Passover changed everything we as a human religious community did historically as worship to God. The Jews like the Romans like the rest of the world were in the practice of animal sacrifices to please the god’s of the city or state -the Jewish God being no exception. On the eve of the biggest celebration of the year for Jews to mark their freedom from Egypt, their deliverance from their oppressor – the eve thatsent them into the wilderness where they would become a people like no other people – receiving the Law of God by the Hand of God through a prophet anointed to bring them out of Egypt and int a land they took by force – on the eve of that annual sacrifice of a lamb, a blood sacrifice … Jesus changed everything.

Jews were coming from all over the known world to glorify God with their offerings and sacrifices. Many lambs would die. The temple would become it’s annual blood bath. Thousands of animals were to be slaughtered all to glorify and thank God for their deliverance.

Maundy Thursday. Jesus changed everything.

Jesus did not eat lamb that night. He took bread, he took wine, and he changed everything. In one meal, the sacrifice ended. But that meal, the meal of bread and wind that we have come to know so well – that meal is not what glorified God.

When was God glorified in this text? What does it say? When did Jesus say God was glorified?

John 13:31 says, “When he had gone out,” meaning when Judas had left to betray him, “Jesus said, ‘Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him.”

The missing pieces of the text from 13:18-30 include the exchange between Jesus and Judas before he sets out to betray him.

We have read that Jesus washes the disciples’ feet. All of the disciples including Judas. Knowing that he is about to be betrayed by him, he washes Judas’ feet anyway.

Knowing he is about to be betrayed by Judas, he shares in the meal with him anyway.

Knowing hi is about to be betrayed, hi identifies his betrayer and offers him bread dipped wine anyway.

When Judas leaves to do his duty, to fulfil his obligation of betrayal, then Jesus says, “The Son of Man has been glorified.”

Why the Son of Man? Why not the Son of God?

From the time of Jesus’ baptism, after which he spent 40 days in the wilderness being tempted by Satan, he refused to use his power as God, as the Son of God, on the earth to save himself. He chose in those long blistering forty days of temptation and trial in the desert to be human. He chose to be fully human as the Son of Man. He chose to set aside his godly power to accomplish the will of the Father, unto death.

He could have at any time used his power to change the course of his life. He could have become the triumphant messiah who took over the world like some of his followers wanted and expected. He had the power as the Son of God to do that.

But in his choice to be human, in his choice to glorify God, in his choice to be obedient to the Father, he set aside his ability, his power to do his own will.

In the washing of his disciples feet, he is demonstrating that in all of the power that God has given him, and in all of the power that God has given them, they are to humble themselves as servants to each other. The power of God is not to be used to do their will or to become Lord’s over anyone, but to be humble with each other, serve each other and love each other. This was exactly opposite of what the zealots wanted. This was the juxtaposition to power that the Son of God was demonstrating. The bread and the wine as the bread and cup of life in a new covenant were the juxtaposition to a blood sacrifice. Jesus changed everything.

For this night to have meaning for us in our lives today, we need to examine our power. Where do we have it? Where do we use it? Where do we misuse it?

Are we humble with our families? Are we humble with our friends? Is our motto “my way or the highway?”

In our recent news I think of the tragedy in Acworth, and I think about the people in the salons whose life work is to wash feet and provide care. Regardless of the fullness of their careers, I think about the humble position they are in. The vulnerable position as care takers. What would it mean to be in a salon to get a pedicure and look at the person washing your feet and remember that Jesus did that for his disciples.