I've hear a lot of people complaining that Easter has come entirely too soon this year. For
many it seems it has come right on the heels of Christmas, and that is just too much. Unfortunately the observance
of Easter, like Passover follows the lunar calendar and therefore we don't have too much choice in the matter.
Jesus however followed a much older calendar when he gathered with his disciples in the upper room to share this
seder meal nearly two thousand years ago. Traditions had changed with changing times, and the Temple in Jerusalem
had made the shift with the rest of the Mediterranean world to following the same calendar year as their Roman
oppressors. Ultra orthodox Essenes on the other hand had abandoned the city altogether to escape such corruption
from the outside. Enough was enough, and for them even the slightest modernization of sacred text was much too
much. They continued to follow the calendar of their ancestral lineage, which on that particular Passover put their
celebration one night earlier than their more progressive counterparts. Jesus followed their example. Thus it happened
that tomorrow when Jesus was hanging on the cross most peoples' minds were far away, busying themselves with preparations
for the celebration which would begin at sundown, a celebration Jesus and his disciples had already observed.
While this may be a valid example of how Jesus was more of a traditionalist than we often give him credit for,
it is also clear in terms of the way he played out his understanding of justice and righteous living that he was
far more progressive than we often realize. In the course of this holy meal he gave his followers then and now,
some very important lessons on the problems inherent in "giving and receiving."
While most people can be coerced, even shamed into "giving," it is very difficult to receive. Think of
people you have known who are in hospitals or nursing homes and through no fault of their own have been forced
into a position where they can only receive care and are no longer able to give. So much of our feelings of self
worth are caught up in our ability to "do" and to demonstrate "caring" for others. It feels
good to give, and pretty human, if not humble, to pat ourselves on the back for being so darned generous. But while
we clearly value independence, how much do we really value those who need to be cared for, and how comfortable
would we be in a position where someone else must care for us?
Not everyone who needs care is helpless. Not everyone who needs care is deserving. Not everyone who needs care
is appreciative, and not everyone who needs care is receptive to accepting their own need. That doesn't change
the fact that they may still desperately need care.
If one reads the account of the last supper according to John it would seem that most of the disciples fell into
one of those categories. They were too busy jockeying for positions of power and prominence within the group, and
defending their own track records when the possibility of a traitor amongst them was announced.
When Jesus assumed the role of servant to wash their feet one can be fairly sure that Peter's bold indignation
was the vocalized feeling of them all. How could their leader, their rabbi, the one they had left everything to
follow and become like, stoop to such a mundane task? It seems clear that even Jesus recognized that the foot washing
example could not be understood till much later, and that it was about far more than how the disciples, and now
we should act. The truth is that no one can begin to serve as Jesus does until they first allow Jesus to serve
them, and that means we have to really come to grips with our own need.
In receiving such grace inspired attention to our own individual needs we become free from the conventions and
values of "the world" to truly live and serve in Christ's name - as the church. Jesus was starting a
new community with profoundly different values and standards of love and service from what the world would have
expected. He was setting a standard that offered much more to each recipient of things they would never have thought
to ask for but also desperately needed, in order that they in turn would also be empowered to give far beyond their
own means. Was it too much to give, or too much to expect?
Furthermore there was no room for personal grievances or disappointments when it came time to offer the gift of
grace. It seems clear from John's account that Judas was still at the table when Jesus washed feet. Therefore,
we are being asked to conjure in our own minds how Jesus knelt and carefully and with equal tenderness washed the
feet of the one who would betray him in just a few hours. Each one the same, not on the basis of their merits but
on the basis of his love. Is that much too much for us? Not humanly possible?
Such is the gift of a generous spirit. The Readers' Forum of "The Sandusky Register" several years ago
as published this actual letter from a potentially angry father who learned an important lesson about love from
his six year old son:
"My six-year old son was devastated to learn that his bicycle was stolen from our garage in Stonewood Wednesday
night. Whoever is responsible should realize the emotional stress that it put my son through. He was only able
to ride the bike on five occasions, weather permitting, as it was just a few weeks old. He always parked his bike
in the garage, because I informed him it would be safe there.
It became almost a ritual for him to pull the bike in, use a soft cloth to wipe off every piece of exposed metal,
and then to clean off the tires. The bike is all chrome, and thanks to several lectures from me prior to purchase,
he understood the shiny metal would become dull and pitted from any moisture and dirt.
When my six-year-old learned of the bicycle being stolen he became very upset. He felt cheated and violated for
the first time in his life. For the most part, his concerns were far different from what I would have expected.
He was most upset that the thief did not take the soft cloth hung neatly next to where he parked his bike, and
that it would rust. I tried to explain to my six-year-old that some kids do not always behave in a manner which
their parents would like, and it was probably a troubled child who stole the bicycle. He asked me if the child's
parents would know that the bicycle did not belong to them. I did not have a valid answer to that question.
My son was up most of the night, confused and shaken. His comment Thursday morning surprised me most of all. He
asked how this kid was going to learn to look both ways while riding, and what the kid was going to do without
a helmet.
Would whoever who stole my son's bicycle please return for the helmet and the soft cloth designed for use with
the chrome? My six-year-old is concerned for your safety and the care you give the bike. They are hung in the garage
next to where you found the bike. Most of all, please stop and look both ways, and be careful." Neal Bass
Sr. Perkins Township Blessings. CT
A new commandment….on top of the other 638 faithful Jews were already expected to commit to memory. A new commandment,
not just a variation on how to get around the existing ones and still be found within the Law that the Pharisees
were so busy offering. A new commandment…not an invitation…but a commandment…that you love one another, just as
Christ has loved you. Is that too much?
In our tradition we hold that their are only two sacraments, baptism and holy communion. We defend that decision
by saying that those were the only two things that Jesus specifically told us to do. So I am struck again this
year and every Maundy Thursday with this text, and can imagine Jesus saying "just what part of go and do this
didn't you understand?"
How easy it is to skip the hard parts, the servant parts, the bare parts. How different would the church have been
...how different could the church still be...if we truly held our servanthood as sacramental. Is that much too
much to expect?
When it came time for someone to be on the right and left hand sides of Jesus wouldn't you know they would all
be on crosses, and even then the other two couldn't agree! One wanted out and the other wanted in. "You saved
others, save yourself and us," and "Lord remember me when you come into your kingdom."
All these years, I have thought what a magnanimous act it was on the part of Jesus, to wash the feet of his followers.
That is most certainly true. However, I now believe the greater understanding has to come through the eyes of Simon
Peter, who just like the rest of us needed to receive such selfless action with humility, far more than Jesus needed
to perform it.
In 1597 five Franciscan friars and 20 other men, women, and children were force marched through the Japanese countryside,
struggling through the mud and rain carrying crossbeams much too heavy for an adult let alone a child. They were
taken to a field where they were all crucified because they would not renounce their Christian faith. They were
among the first people martyred in the Japanese persecution of Christians, but in country after country around
the world right up to this present day innocent people continue to pay the price for their faithfulness. How much
will it take for the way of peace to begin right here, right now, with us?
|