Thursday, March 05, 2020

In their own words: Day 9

Day 9 - John 13. 6-9

Jesus came to Simon Peter, who said to him, ‘Lord, are you going to wash my feet?’ Jesus answered, ‘You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.’ Peter said to him, ‘You will never wash my feet.’ Jesus answered, ‘Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.’ Simon Peter said to him, ‘Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!’’

The scene is the Last Supper, in a borrowed upper room, where Jesus is about to share his final meal with his followers. First, according to John’s Gospel, he wraps a towel around himself, kneels down and washes their feet, the actions of a servant. Peter is horrified. It seems all wrong. This is not what he expects a leader to do, still less the Messiah. Jesus’ response is that if we can’t accept help, if we must always be the ones who are giving rather than receiving, then our service is really just a twisted way of making ourselves feel powerful and worthwhile. We need to accept our own need, and allow ourselves to be served, and saved, by Jesus and by one another. If Peter doesn’t understand this, he doesn’t understand anything, says Jesus!

Do you find it easy to receive help? 

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