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Ringwood Knox Lutheran Parish

where love comes to life

Year C Maundy Thursday – Loving by example

18 April 2019 - Year C Maundy Thursday

Text: John 13:1-17, 31b-35

13:1Now before the festival of the Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to depart from this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end. 2The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper 3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4got up from the table,took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. 5Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was tied around him. 6He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” 7Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” 8Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” 9Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” 10Jesus said to him, “One who has bathed does not need to wash, except for the feet, but is entirely clean. And you are clean, though not all of you.” 11For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.”

12After he had washed their 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? 13You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 15For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you. 16Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. 17If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

31bJesus said, “Now the Son of Man has been glorified, and God has been glorified in him. 32If God has been glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself and will glorify him at once. 33Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ 34I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

New International Version - for other versions see BibleGateway.com

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Sermon - Year C Maundy Thursday – Loving by example

Pastor Peter Ghalayini

Children are really good at watching their parents and imitating them.

So as parents we always need to be careful about what we say and do around young impressionable children so we teach them right.

When you see a child misbehave or use swear words in public you actually look at the parents and blame them rather than the child.

Today, as God’s children, Jesus is leaving us an example that he wants us to follow as well.

And it comes as an object lesson and a verbal lesson.

The object lesson is he washes his disciples’ feet.

The lesson here is one of servanthood.

Jesus had turned things around so much that Peter objected to what he was doing – I need to wash YOUR feet and yet you wash mine.

As Christians we are sent into the world to serve one another and turn things around in the world.

We are called to look for ways that we can help one another which goes against the view of looking after yourself first.

We are sent to look for ways that we can build one another up rather than tearing down others to build ourselves up.

So Jesus gets down on his hands and knees and washes his disciples’ feet.

Totally unheard of for a master to lower themselves below their servant.

But that’s what Jesus did – he came as a servant – not to be served but to serve.

It’s an object lesson on how we are to treat one another – to look for opportunities to help others in need and sometimes that means lowering ourselves and putting ourselves out.

But at the foundation of this object lesson is a verbal lesson – a command –

Love one another as I have loved you.

Previously Jesus had said – love your neighbour as yourself.

Now the command to love has been further defined.

A love where in serving one another our love may require sacrifice which is what Jesus’ love for us meant as he sacrificed his life for ours.

It’s not always easy to love one another and that’s when we have to look beyond our own feelings and be prepared to extend the love of God even to those one might consider unlovable.

To extend love to those we don’t like.

And that’s exactly what Jesus did for us –it is what God did for us when it was while we were yet sinners – unlovable – that he sent Jesus to die for us.

So with that as an example – to love as Jesus loves us – I can’t think of an example where I can ever be right in not extending love to someone.

That’s what Jesus meant when he said: servants are not greater than their master.

If Jesus, our Master, made that sacrifice, then we, God’s servants, are to show the same sacrifice.

At the centre of this object lesson and command, Jesus institutes what we know as The Lord’s Supper.

Here servanthood, love and sacrifice are brought together in Jesus’ Body and Blood.

This is the same Body and Blood that while on the cross continued to show his love for us by crying out – forgive them Father.

As our Father, God has set us an example in much the same way that parents are asked to set examples to their children to teach them the correct way.

And as we example God’s love for us by loving others – not only will our children see what we are doing and copy it – but others who experience God’s love through us will also learn and begin to extend that love to others.

It’s not always easy to love others as Christ loves us but as we receive his Body and Blood in this sacrament we remember that Jesus went to great sacrifice in extending God’s love to us.

And that is what Jesus’ life and death are:

For God loved the world so much that he gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in him shall not perish but receive eternal life.

So may God grant you the strength to show that same love to one another that he has shown to us and if you love one another as Christ loves you – then all people will know that you are his disciples – that you are God’s children.