Holy Thursday | Evening Mass of the Lord’s Supper
Foot washing. It’s not what I would call one of the favored rituals among Christians. At least not among the Christians I have known. And for good reason. Touching other people’s feet kind of freaks people out. And they’re also not keen on having someone else touch theirs. Washing someone else’s feet is personal. It can feel like it’s intimate even. And, of course, unless you’ve recently had a pedicure, you’d likely prefer just to keep your socks on!
Peter is with you on that! Jesus gets himself a towel and pours water into a basin and starts washing the disciples’ feet. Simon Peter is watching and is in something of a panic. Now, it’s his turn. Simon Peter asks Jesus if Jesus intends to wash his feet. Yep. Simon Peter loses it and says no way! You will never wash my feet. Acknowledging that Simon Peter really has no clue what is going on, Jesus says that one day he’ll get it.
Why does Jesus insist on washing Simon Peter’s feet?
Years ago, I attended a Maundy Thursday service at a Mennonite church in Pittsburgh, PA. It was the first time I was exposed to the ritual of foot washing. I remember so vividly kneeling on the floor before a woman who was sitting on a folding chair. She took off her shoes and pulled off her socks. And then she raised her pant legs so that I could wash her feet without getting them wet. I held her foot with one hand and then cupped the other to capture some water from the basin and gently pour it over her foot. And then I did the same for the other foot. And then I dried each foot with a soft towel.
That was the easy part.
Then it was my turn to have my feet washed. So, we switched places. I took my shoes off. I actually didn’t have socks on at that moment because like an idiot I had worn a skirt and tights to the service. Thankfully, I caught my error in time and slipped into the bathroom to remove those before the service got started.
I have to say that It was hard to sit there in that chair (I didn’t know her well) as she got down on her knees in front of me to wash my feet. Washing my sister-in-Christ’s feet felt good. I actually liked it. I was serving her. Maybe being a bit like Jesus even.
But having my feet washed. That was something quite different. In that uncomfortable moment I was Simon Peter as he was freaking out.
And I was receiving God’s grace. Can I receive God’s grace? Can you?
The more I witness the violence humans do to one another—whether physical, emotional, economic, or in some other form—the more I get how Jesus’ passion is already underway on Holy Thursday. It wasn’t some super hero heroic spectacle (like the sort Mel Gibson portrayed in his film The Passion of the Christ). It wasn’t spectacle at all. It was the Son of Man on his knees washing our (stinky, nasty) feet. And saying: You do get it right? I love even you!
That being so, surely we can find a way to love one another. Amen.
-Sue Trollinger