It all started really the day before Passover, we needed somewhere to celebrate Passover and Jesus had asked us to find a room, I think he’d booked it in advance; well everything seemed prepared when we got there any how.
Things weren’t 100% right that night, I could feel it in the air, you just know don’t you, Jesus had been going on and on that He must die, I didn’t see why to be honest, I know He wasn’t the most popular guy with the authorities but He wasn’t bad, it did seem a bit like they were ganging up on Him at times, any way as I said it just didn’t feel right, there was something in the air, I should have known really by the way Judas was behaving.
Judas was a great guy, a little odd at times and sometimes could be a bit dodgy, and light fingered but He was one of us all the same but this night He just seemed so uneasy, couldn’t stop fidgeting and kept looking around all the time, checking over his shoulder, and He just looked different, I didn’t notice it at them time, but looking back now I can remember it was His eyes, they gave him away. Judas couldn’t look at Jesus the whole night, He hung his head kept looking into his cup of wine, and I seem to remember that night Judas didn’t even finish the first cup of wine, He was normally one to drink us under the table, but when we were on our fourth cup He was still on His first. It was all a bit strange and out of character for Judas….
So we were sat reclining at the Passover meal, the wine was flowing and we all eased up a bit and relaxed, all expect Judas and Jesus, it was like they knew something that the rest of us didn’t. and Jesus was very, well He was very, just Jesus, He was calm and collected and in control, I was sat next to James, and we were chatting away, I think James told me a joke and I laughed out loud, can’t remember the joke now though! But as I laughed the room fell silent, I thought I’d done something wrong but I hadn’t, I turned round from James and there in the middle of the room was Jesus, he was taking His outer garment off, this was strange but we had learnt to expect strange things with Jesus, so we just watched Him, we were intrigued. The room was silent, he took the large jug of water that was near the door for foot washing and poured out the water, I couldn’t see a servant present so wondered if He might ask one of us to wash the feet, just as long as it wasn’t me, not keen on feet me, especially some of the ones in the room (not mentioning any names of course) but they had really dirty and smelly feet all the time, but then we were walking miles and miles a day in the dusty conditions, and you dread to think what we step in some times!
Anyway I digress; He poured the water, moved towards us all, and He knelt on the floor, I don’t remember who he was in front of first, but I do remember thinking no Jesus not on the floor, it’s filthy and then He began washing our feet. Well everyone was silent, stunned I think, Jesus was our master, and our teacher not a servant, He washed a couple feet and then came to Peter, and being the goby one of the group Peter spoke up, he wasn’t having any of it! He didn’t think it was right for Jesus to wash His feet, well we all didn’t, I remember Jesus kneeling on the floor looking at Peter and He told him that unless Peter allowed Him to wash His feet then Peter could no longer follow Jesus, well Peter didn’t want this of course so he allowed him, but Peter being Peter decided that His feet weren’t enough and that Jesus should, well Jesus should give Him a bath, Peter was always a bit all or nothing. Don’t think Jesus was keen on this idea and He reminded Peter that he had bathed before coming out and so would only need His feet washing today.
Anyway to cut a long story short Jesus persuaded Peter to have his feet washed, and then Jesus said it. The line that looking back on it now, should have made us all sit up and listen, he said to us, that all except one was clean, I know now He meant Judas but back then it just kind of washed over me, what did He mean…
It really was a night to remember, Jesus started speaking to us and telling us why He washed our feet and some of the stuff He was saying was a bit radical; “no slaves are greater than their master, and no messengers are greater than the one who sent them”
This was what I’d been brought up on my whole, life, slaves were the underdogs and masters were great and should be feared, we weren’t equal and had never been but Jesus was telling us that we should all wash each other’s feet, I did try and argue my point about feet, but Jesus just gave me the look…you know the one!
He was being serious; He was teaching us things we’d never heard before.
While He still had our attention, and Peter was quiet for a change he continued, and this time He was even more serious, the mood in that upstairs room changed and we all knew it, I remember the exact words he said “I am telling you the truth: one of you is going to betray me.” Betray you? How Lord? Why Lord? Who Lord? What Lord? I didn’t understand….
Who was going betray Jesus? I should have known shouldn’t I? You know after what I’d said about Judas, but I didn’t think it was possible not even of Judas. I remember the confusion in the room everyone was puzzled and then Judas left, had he gone to the shops, we weren’t quite sure? But things weren’t right we knew that.
I was sat there just wishing the room would swallow me up, I didn’t know what was happening and it’s as though Jesus picked up on that and I think He tried to lighten the tone a bit. It didn’t work! I remember again what he said “And now I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. If you have love for one another, then everyone will know that you are my disciples.”
Did He just say He loved us? I think He did, Jesus love us? Surely not? We were nobodies, He was the great one, we’d got to know Him over the last 3 years but could He really say He loved us? Well He did, Jesus loves me, do you know how that made me feel? I can’t tell you but the feeling inside was like nothing I’d ever experienced, Jesus loved me, and He wanted me to love other people. I could do that! I wasn’t very good at much else, but love, yes I could do that.
All of a sudden it all clicked, well no not quite all of it I was still pretty confused about a lot of things that happened that night but that thing he was saying about washing each other’s feet It was all to do with love, Jesus loved us so much that He choose to be like a servant for us and wash our feet and that’s what He wants us to do for others, we need to realise that we should be putting others first and not thinking we are greater than they are, this is real love, I don’t think it’s going to be easy to do though. And looking back now I realise what Jesus was on about with Peter, Peter had found Jesus, he’d been baptised by Him, like we all had and made clean. We all still do things wrong and get dirty feet, but we don’t need to be baptised again we just need Jesus in our lives to wash us clean. Jesus loves us so much He had made us clean, and on that night we had to learn to accept him ministering to us and that’s not always easy to do. We sometimes want to be in control but perhaps we just need to let Jesus. I think Jesus’ love was so strong for us all of us, even Judas, that He would have washed Judas’ feet that night too.
Jesus was a real inspiration to us, He changed our lives and I’m so lucky to have known Him while he was with us and what happens next broke my heart, and ripped my life apart but then Jesus being Jesus, well he surprised us all and you’ll never guess what happened next…. But that’s a story for another day!
Amen
