Sir, I wish to see Jesus.

Maundy Thursday

John 13:1-17, 31b-35

The first thing to change was the Passover.

Oh, the Spirit of Death would still pass over the firstborn of the Israelites.

But Death would also pass over the first born of the Egyptians.

No Roman child would die, no son of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish governing council.  King Herod’s children would live...even though Herod’s father, Herod the Great, was guilty of executing innocent children, the Holy Infants.

But God’s Son, his only child (God’s own Isaac) would die.

Death would not pass over God.

But I am getting ahead of myself, passing over an important event.

Let us not forget the night in which Jesus was betrayed.

Let us always hold it in remembrance.

When death is near, the last memories are the most vivid, and hopefully the most precious.  Is this not so?

And what do we remember?  Jesus wrapping a towel around his waist and stooping (stooping before he is lifted up!) to wash his disciples’ feet.

The Passover meal was supposed to be eaten in haste.  Exodus says: “This is how you shall eat it: your loins girded, your sandals on your feet...”  (Exodus 12:11).  The Israelites needed to be ready to move, to flee, once the final plague had struck.  Their window to freedom would be small--Pharaoh, the mercurial, would not allow his heart to be softened for long.  There was no time--no point--to wash one’s feet.

But Jesus didn’t follow the Passover laws and regulations.

He stopped.  He removed the sandals from their feet.

No more running.

The Israelites in Egypt had somewhere to go.

But evil and corruption followed them.

Before freedom could be had by moving somewhere else.

Now their oppressors had come to them, and invaded their home.

Nowhere in the world was safe.

Jesus said, “Where I am going, you cannot come.”

“I must leave you behind,” he said.

Left behind.

Because the time of running was over.

Just as evil had followed them and come close, now goodness and mercy and blessing and freedom will follow and come close.

Jesus went further, to death.

He left us behind, to remain--to abide--in life.

I am reminded of the book of Revelation.  The enemies are taken up and banished.

The saints, followers of Jesus, remain behind  (Matthew 24:38-42).

Because the New Jerusalem is coming down from heaven to earth.

God is coming to make his new home here, in the world (Revelation 21:1-2).

“I believe that I shall see the goodness of the LORD 

in the land of the living.  

Wait for the LORD; 

be strong, and let your heart take courage; 

wait for the LORD!” (Psalm 27:13-14).

Wait.  Look for Jesus to be lifted up--broken, poured out...given for you.

Call on God: “Sir, I wish to see Jesus.”  He will come.

Appendix I: Do Not Run from the Task

“So, if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.  For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you.”  (John 13:14-15)

In other words, do not run and flee, but stay and help.

Remove your sandals.  Remove the sandals of others.  Keep them with you, so that they, too, will be here to receive the blessings of the Kingdom when it comes.

Stay together in love, sharing love and comfort.  

Do not run from the task.

There is a set of feet out there that only you can wash.

Appendix II: Do Not Run from Yourself

“So when he had dipped the piece of bread, he gave it to Judas son of Simon Iscariot.  After he received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.  Jesus said to him, ‘Do quickly what you are going to do.’  ...So, after receiving the piece of bread, he immediately went out.”  (John 13:26b-27; 30a)

We do not share this part of the text in worship, but skip over it from the washing of the feet to the Great Commandment to love one another.  We skip over it because it is frightening...we run away from it.

But it is crucial.

It tells us something important about Holy Communion, about what happens to us when we dip the bread into the wine and receive it.

The sacrament of Holy Communion is a mirror.

When we eat and drink, we invite Jesus inside of us...and all of a sudden we share in such a communion with God that nothing within us is hidden.  We can no longer run from ourselves.

And who we are inside is magnified.

We still go out to do what we were going to do anyway...but one thing has changed:

We know that God can see it.

We now can see ourselves.

And so if we go out to love, we see Jesus Christ in our works and in our souls.

We see the wonderful things that the Holy Spirit does in and through us. 

And if we go out to sin, we see the sin within us.

We see the Law and where we have broken it.

Seeing our sin, we can be turned.

Seeing Jesus, we can follow behind.

Don’t run.

Take off your sandals...stay for the meal.

And let the Spirit say in you: “Sir, I wish to see Jesus.”

Watch the bread and cup be lifted up.

Look to the cross...