SHOES & SERVICE

A Sermon for Maundy Thursday
March 20, 2008
by Pastor Laura Gentry

John 13:1-13, 33-35
Now 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. The devil had already put it into the heart of Judas son of Simon Iscariot to betray him. And during supper Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself. Then 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. He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus answered, “You do not know now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no share with me.” Simon Peter said to him, “Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!” Jesus 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.” For he knew who was to betray him; for this reason he said, “Not all of you are clean.” After 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? 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. Very truly, I tell you, servants are not greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one who sent them. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.

Little 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.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”


Shoes! Don’t you just love shoes? I do. I confess I have a particular weakness for shoes. I especially love the bold and bright, the interesting, whimsical as well as the comfortable. In fact, I’ve brought a few of these tonight—just my favorite ones, the ones that really demanded to make an appearance.

First, my newest: fuchsia Crocs. They just arrived yesterday and I’ve already got them mostly broken in. I’ve resisted getting Crocs because, frankly they’ve been a bit too popular and on most people they look rather silly. But after reading a review that says even podiatrists are now recommending them because of their extreme comfort, I broke down and got a pair. Of course, the fact that they were available in fuchsia was also another plus.

I’ve also got these fuchsia shoes, which I painted myself nearly 15 years ago. I had a dress this color and couldn’t find any other shoes to match so I painted these. As you can imagine, they went splendidly with my dress!

There are also my orange Keen shoes, which helped me walk comfortably all over Bulgaria and slip off easily while in the car or airplane. I’ve got these patent leather red Danskos, also known for their great comfort. Professionals who are on their feet a lot, like nurses and chefs tend to wear them. They helped me stand in museums all over Scandinavia without any back pain.

Now even though comfort is important to me, so is style. That’s why I have these patterned boots (and I’ve got a matching suit and handbag for them). I’m also a sucker for polka dots and so I’ve got the red polka dotted gardening clogs and the retro polka dotted sandals. And while these are perhaps my most uncomfortable shoes, they also get the most compliments and look fabulous with my polka dotted apparel.

As I look at this portion of my shoe collection, I am reminded of all the places my shoes have taken me. I think of that old saying about walking a mile in someone else’s shoes. And as we have come to Maundy Thursday, we take upon ourselves the task of walking the way of the cross in Jesus’ shoes. We hear again the passion narrative with all the painful steps and we remember how much his journey means to each one of us.

And tonight, we hear how this journey to the cross continues from where we left off on Sunday. We heard of his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The cheering crowds, waving palms and shouting “Hosanna” was certainly an exciting part of Jesus’ walk. But now, he dines with his disciples for what he knows will be the last time before his death. It is likely the Passover meal they are celebrating. They would have retold the great story of how God delivered their ancestors from slavery in Egypt.

But suddenly, Jesus does something unexpected: he strips off his robe and kneels down to wash each one’s feet. Feet? Why does it have to be feet? This is such an important night—their last supper—and he has to drag feet into it.

Feet are perhaps the most unglamorous thing about us. They are kind of funny looking, they can give us pain, they are hard to reach because they are way down at the bottom of our bodies and worse of all, they stink! Well, at least after a day of use, they tend to stink. One year for Christmas, someone gave me a bottle of “Albert Einstein’s ‘No More Smelly Shoes!’” spray. A hint? Perhaps. There are many such products because, well, foot smell is a reality. Even my new Crocs advertise that they are built with an antibacterial material as well as ventilation air holes to keep your feet smelling nice all day.

Now in the time of Jesus, feet were even more problematic. They didn’t have any great products like this Einstein spray or stinkless rubber shoes and people wore open-toed sandals and walked through dusty deserts and messy downtowns where people drove donkeys instead of SUVs, so you can imagine the mess that their feet would have been through in any given day. Yet, here is Jesus grabbing up those day-old feet and lovingly washing them.

It’s a bit difficult for us to understand how outrageous this was for his disciples to witness. On top of the hygiene issue, feet were symbolically unclean according to their religious traditions. Yes, feet needed to be washed, but religious people didn’t wash their own. They had slaves do it for them, and not just any slave, but the lowest slave in the household. It was an embarrassing chore that nobody but nobody would have volunteered to do. So there is, no doubt, shock when Jesus decides to do this task himself.

Why would he do such a thing? Jesus explains a few verses later when he tells them: I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. Not only is his foot-washing stunt an example of humility and love for us, but it foreshadows his final act of love: his self-sacrificial death on the cross. Jesus does not beat around the bush. He commands his disciples to love in the same way that he has loved. And why wouldn’t he? His whole life centered around this message. The love of Christians for all people should be the distinguishing mark by which the world recognizes them as followers of Jesus.

So if Jesus’ commandment is so clear: that we are to love one another, why aren’t we Christians more focused on that task? Why is it that this priority sometimes take a back seat to less important issues—even within the church? How is the world going to know that we are Christians if we do not love? This annual service of Maundy Thursday is always an important reminder that love—showing itself in humble service—is our highest calling.

How that service plays out in our daily lives is up to us, but the commandment is clear: serve. And so we ritualize this annually at our Maundy Thursday worship service. Last year, I decided that instead of just talking about foot-washing, I should give you the opportunity to come forward and have your feet washed. There were a couple of “plants” in the congregation that I had arranged with ahead of time. They promised me that even if nobody else came forward, they would do so. Even just a couple of foot-washings would be a sufficient object lesson. To my surprise, however, most people came forward and let me wash their feet! It was a powerful experience for all of us and so we’re doing it again tonight.

Many of us feel rather self-conscious about our feet, even if we are wearing nice shoes on them. To come forward and take off a sock and let it be washed, demands that you let go of those inhibitions and come as you are. This is not about how your feet look, though. This is about experiencing what the disciples got to experience. It is about being served in a symbolic, humble gesture so that it will empower you to go out and do likewise.

Our feet carry us so many places in the course of our lives. Jesus wants to have control of those feet. He wants to wash them in his love and self-sacrificial death on the cross and he wants to empower them to continue his work so that we walk in “his shoes” in the light of God.

I urge you to think about your feet in this Holy Week journey. As they are washed tonight, may you listen carefully to what the Spirit is saying to you. Where exactly are your feet supposed to take you? Perhaps it is to that family member of friend with whom you have a conflict. Your feet need to go make peace. Perhaps it is to that person in physical pain. Your feet need to take you to their bedside. Perhaps it is to that outsider whom everyone else has forgotten. Your feet need to include them, to take you to them so they can feel included. Perhaps it is to those people across the globe in need. Your feet need to serve them through the funding of missionaries or perhaps even becoming one yourself. There are endless possibilities for your little feet. They have great journeys to make. To walk in Jesus’ shoes means that we must always be eager to help, to uplift, to comfort, to support and to serve. That’s what being a disciple is all about.

On this Holy Thursday, our feet are compelled to take action. Jesus calls us to love one another, generously, recklessly, without counting the cost. That’s why Jesus spent his very last evening on earth washing his disciples feet and emphatically issuing this new commandment—a commandment which speaks to us as loudly today as it did then. May we walk in the light of Christ, polka dotted shoes and all. Amen.

© 2008 Laura Gentry