Stinky Feet

Yesterday was the first worship service that consist of the three days of Easter, Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word for commandment. On Maundy Thursday, we hear John 13:1-17, 31b-35, this is the story of Jesus washing the disciples feet and then giving them a new commandment to love others, hence the word Maundy.

This is also the day that we celebrate the Last Supper, which is where communion come from. And it is the day that we remember that Jesus was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas, before he was captured, sentenced to death, was crucified and died.

The service begins much like a typical Sunday worship, but after the sermon we had a moment for a blessing of our feet (I was explicitly told that Bethlehem does not do foot washing and I'll respect that choice). And after communion the altar area is stripped to symbolize the betrayal and to prepare us for the second part of the worship service, which is tonight, Good Friday, when we hear of Jesus' trial, crucifixion and death.

Here is my sermon from last night:

Feet. We walk on them, when they hurt it is hard for us to do much of anything. A broken foot can keep us out of commission for weeks if not months. Some of us make them pretty with nail polish and regular pedicures and we can’t wait till the warmer weather because that means we can wear sandals and show them off. Some of us hide our feet, they never come out in public, always hidden behind shoes and socks.

Bunions, hammer toes, planter warts, athlete’s foot, foot odor, toe jam. Is it any wonder why most of us do not touch other people’s feet.

The most of the people who touch our feet are people who are paid to do so: podiatrists, nail technicians or a masseur. Many of us don’t even like to touch our spouse’s feet.

So when we hear today’s gospel text, the story of Jesus washing the feet of the disciples, the story that we hear every Maundy Thursday, a variety of emotions run through our minds.

Knowing that some churches celebrate Maundy Thursday by doing a foot washing, some of us react in fear thinking that we might have to expose our feet or touch somebody else’s. Well fear not today, there is no foot washing today.

Some of us might even be grateful that in the Gospel of John this story of the foot-washing is not followed by the Last Supper. How unsanitary must it be to wash 12 pairs of stinky, dirty feet and then handle bread that is past around the table.

We also try to explain away Jesus’ actions that maybe it was a cultural thing and it is just our culture that doesn’t like feet. No it was not normal to touch other people’s feet in Jerusalem 2000 years ago. It was considered a sign of hospitality to provide water and a basin so that people could wash their own feet after a long journey, but as the host you would never touch their feet. Maybe if you were rich enough and the guest was special enough you might order a slave to wash their feet but most self respecting free people would never touch someone else’s feet.

That is why Peter reacts in the way that he does. Why we have that exchange between Peter and Jesus: Listen to the conversation again.
When Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean,”

Peter knew that Jesus was doing something extraordinary by washing his disciples’ feet. Peter, the students, the disciples should have been washing Jesus, the teacher, the messiah’s feet, not the other way around. They did not deserve this sign of respect, this sign of submission on Jesus’ part.

But yet Jesus humbles himself, lowers himself to the position of a slave in order to make the disciples realize that they had a place with God, that they were loved and were made clean.

In a few minutes you will be invited to come forward, not to have your feet wash, but to have them blessed. For that is what Jesus did in when he washed the disciples’ feet, he blessed them, he loved them. We will have our feet blessed, receiving the sign of the cross of them so that we might walk in the way of Christ.

But like the disciples we are commanded to go forward and wash, bless, others. We receive this sign of Jesus’ love, a sign that Jesus gave even with a heavy heart for he knew he was about to be betrayed and sentenced to death. He washed his disciples’ feet knowing that soon his feet would be pierced with nails. And as we receive this sign of Jesus’ love, we are commanded to go out and share Jesus’ love with others. We are commanded to go out to tell others that God loves them, even if they are about to betray God, even if they deny God, even if they don’t see the signs of love around them.

God love us, God is willing to touch our feet, our stinky, dirty feet with bunions, hammer toes, planter warts, athlete’s foot, foot odor, toe jam and all. God loves the purest parts of us, but God also loves the most disgusting parts of us. And God loves us so much that he sent his only son to die for us so that we might have eternal life.