Taking Jesus Seriously--August 10, 2023

Taking Jesus Seriously--August 10, 2023

"After Jesus had washed the disciples' feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, 'Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord--and you are right, for that is what I am. 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 13:12-15]

If Jesus is just a random historical figure, then you're free to ignore what he says and dismiss his actions.  If Jesus is nothing more than a teacher of philosophy, there's no reason we can't pick and choose from his insights like we're at a buffet, selecting only the nuggets of wisdom we like and skipping over the things that are not to our taste.  And if Jesus is reducible to just our religious mascot (as it is tempting for Respectable Religious Folks to want to do with him) who merely endorses whatever agenda we've got for him, then we never really have to be stretched out of our comfort zones to follow him.  

But... if our relationship with Jesus is one of discipleship to a rabbi or allegiance to a Lord, then we aren't the ones in charge, picking and choosing what to keep from Jesus, and what to skip over in the salad bar.  That is to say, if our relationship with Jesus requires us to live in trust with him, then we're not customers paying for a product. We are learning the Jesus way of life, and he gets to be the one to show us how we walk that way.  Faith in Jesus, in other words, means accepting that he'll show us what it looks like to love the way he loves.  And it means we don't get to ignore the teachings of Jesus that call us into serving like him.

Jesus makes that clear in this well-known passage from his last night with the disciples.  When he gets up from the table and washes their feet--taking the most menial job of the lowliest of the servants in a first-century Mediterranean culture--the disciples are baffled at first.  You probably know that at first Simon Peter protests what is happening and refuses to let Jesus do something so scandalously humbling.  But when Jesus has washed all of their feet (including, the text makes clear, Judas the betrayer), he then explains to them that this outrageous act of serving is what it looks like to love.  And he makes it clear, too, that they are called to follow the example he has set--perhaps literally, by physically washing one another's feet when they were dirty and smelly and needed it, but also as a model for all of their life in community.  Jesus' followers are called to serve each other, and to let other serve them in turn as well, in whatever the situation is.  

So, beyond the basin and towel, that might mean we take turns doing the "dirty" work of washing dishes in the church kitchen at the next shared congregational dinner.  It might mean that in our households, we look for ways to serve each other, rather than demanding or expecting others to serve us.  It might mean we go out of our way to hold the door or take the shopping cart back for the stranger at the grocery store.  It might mean we risk being called "weak" or a "loser" because we aren't always trying to put ourselves on top.  And it might mean learning the back-and-forth of sometimes putting other's needs before our own (which can be difficult for us, sometimes), and also of letting others attend to our needs as well (which can also be difficult, especially if we want to project the illusion that we're self-sufficient and don't ever need any help).  But none of those are "optional" practices we can just skip if we believe that Jesus is Lord rather than just an interesting figure from history or a philosophy professor.

I suspect you might be noticing a recurring thread here through this month's focus on how love is "always believing."  We keep hearing and seeing in passage after passage of Scripture that faith is not only a matter of believing things about Jesus, but also of simply believing Jesus--that is, trusting what he says and striving to live in ways that look like him.  We don't do it to impress anybody, least of all God (who isn't fooled and doesn't need to be, anyway).  But we strive to live the Jesus way of life precisely we believe that Jesus knows what he's talking about. So if Jesus says, "My followers will practice self-giving love for one another," we will commit to that same kind of love because we believe Jesus is right about that.  Like the old line of Dallas Willard puts it, "Saying Jesus is Lord can mean little in practice for anyone who has to hesitate in saying Jesus is smart…he is not just nice, he is brilliant, he is the smartest man who has ever lived."  Saying we believe in Jesus is going to include trusting that he knows the purpose and greatest fulfillment of our lives.  Faith is not merely a matter of memorizing a set of statements about Jesus without practicing love the way Jesus calls us to.  Faith means trusting Jesus when he directs us to wash one another's feet, choose the way of serving, and seek the good of others. It always has.

Today, what might it look like to practice foot-washing kind of love?  What might the 21st century analogs be for that utterly humble and self-emptying act of Jesus for his followers?  And what could it mean for us today to love people--including enemies, as surely as Jesus washed Judas' feet--the way Jesus has done for us first?

For us who name Jesus as Lord and Teacher, and not just an Interesting Historical Figure, exploring those questions is not optional.

Lord Jesus, let our trust in you lead us to do what you call us to do for one another.