"Do you realize what I’ve done for
you? "If I have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s
feet. I have given you a model to
follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do."
(John 13:1-15)
There’s an
old saying "familiarity breeds contempt." But I think that often when it comes to
Scripture, a better way to phrase this would be "familiarity breeds
complacency."
We’ve all
heard many times the story told in John’s Gospel. As a former altar boy, I even had my feet
washed by the priest of my parish. And
so sometimes when I hear this account, I find myself tempted to say inwardly
"Yeah, yeah, I’ve heard it before. I
have to humble myself. Let’s go on to
the next lesson."
But pause
with me here for a moment, and let’s consider what really happened in this
story. The disciples still believed that
the Messiah was the one who was going to restore their nation’s former glory. The Christ would be the warrior king who will drive
out the Romans, unite the Hebrew people and establish Israel as a beacon for
all nations. And yet they found
themselves in an upper room with the man they believed to be that Messiah and He
stripped himself naked, wrapped a towel around His waist, knelt down before
them and began to wash their feet like a slave. And what’s more, from our perspective 2000
years later, we see that Jesus already knew that among these people whose feet He
was washing was the one who would betray Him, the one who would deny Him, men
who had bickered about who is greater and who would sit His left hand and His
right hand. He had repeatedly asked
them, "Don’t you get it yet? After all the time I’ve been with you?"
And He still
knelt before them and washed their feet.
It’s easy
for us to look back and chuckle at the disciples who didn’t get it. And yet don’t we still find ourselves looking
for that "messiah" who will establish our version of the kingdom of
heaven on earth? Don’t we campaign for
that candidate who will restore our nation to its former greatness by promoting
social justice or preserving religious freedom or maintaining 2nd amendment
rights while fixing the economy with just the right mix (in our minds) of
taxation and spending?
Jesus said, "You
call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am." He acknowledges that He is our master, and
still, He kneels before us.
This Triduum
I pray that I let the words of Jesus deeply affect me, that instead of looking
for a "savior" out there, I follow the model of the Savior I carry in
my heart and kneel before and wash the feet of those I encounter every day.
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