Final Acts of Love

The Final 24 Hours

If you knew you were going to die within the next 24 hours, what would you do? How would you spend those last hours?

I searched the internet with that question in mind and found a surprising number of responses from teenagers today, and I wanted to share a few of their responses.

Several talked of a desire to watch their favorite TV episodes.

One person said they would watch all of Season 3 of the Office throughout the day… and to them that would be the greatest way to spend their final day.

Others talked about finally getting even with their boss or someone else significant in their life who had frustrated them.

One person wrote that they wanted to spend the whole day playing different board games with their family while eating chicken wings together.

Many talked about calling their family members and telling everyone they cared about just how much they truly loved them.

One teenager wrote that she wanted her divorced parents to come back together for one more meal as a family.

Some talked about experiencing a sunrise or sunset for a final time.

A few wanted to make sure that all of their financial information was in order.

I did notice a common theme with all of these answers… one that was I was perhaps expecting but definitely had reinforced.

No matter how a person wanted to spend their final few hours—whether it was watching TV or enjoying a final meal with family… whether they had an hour by hour time-line or just one or two items to fill the entire day… to those individuals who were pondering on their last hours and minutes of life… those moments seemed especially precious.

And indeed, I think we can feel more intentional about how spend our final hours than how we spend much of the rest of our life.

Turning to our Gospel

In the Gospel of John today, we hear of a Jesus who knows what’s coming. reads

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

13 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.

There is a strong sense that he is keenly aware that these will be his last hours before being arrested, put on trial, and finally nailed to the cross to die.

And in these most precious of final hours and minutes, we have the opportunity to see what is on Jesus’ bucket list of things to do before he dies.

We get to hear about what he viewed as words and actions worthy of his final breaths before the cross.

Picking back up at verse 3

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.

The New Revised Standard Version Jesus Washes the Disciples’ Feet

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, 4 got up from the table, took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself.

Up to this point in the Gospel of John, we had seen Jesus’ expressions of love to his disciples and others alike.

We had seen his compassion for the crowd of 5,000 along the shores of the Sea of Galilee. And rather than sending them away he provided a miracle of food.

We witnessed Jesus saving the woman who had committed adultery from being stoned.

We heard of how he healed the man who had been born blind despite it being a Sabbath day when he healed him.

Most recently, Jesus had wept at the news of his friend’s death… and then responded by raising Lazarus back from the grave.

And now we see Jesus at the table, with his disciples, sharing a meal with them.

In these final hours of Christ’s life, Jesus prepares to express that love once more through washing the feet of his disciples.

This footwashing that Jesus was about to perform was done in anticipation of the cross and expresses the meaning of the cross graphically as a deed of Jesus.

For the disciples and then hearers of the word afterward, this act of footwashing helped Christ’s followers understand that his death on the cross was an act of love—not unlike the washing of feet that he did that evening.

Both that evening and then again upon the cross, Christ lowered himself so that he might serve others. And we see Jesus reveal himself for who he really is… a servant.

He humbles himself and becomes a servant, a slave, maid, janitor, waiter… whatever you want to use. He takes the role of a lowly position so that he might show his disciples the love and compassion that he has for them.

And also to help them understand in days to follow that his giving of his life on the cross was yet another act of love—just as the washing of the feet had been.

And so we see this love exposed to the world through the foot washing… Jesus reveals himself for who he really is… a servant. He humbles himself and becomes a servant, a slave, maid, janitor, waiter… whatever you want to use. But he takes the role of a lowly position so that he might show his disciples the love and compassion that e has for them.

Eventually our reading today comes to a conclusion with Christ giving the love commandment found in verses 34 and 35:

The New Revised Standard Version The New Commandment

34 I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. 35 By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

But here’s the thing… we’re missing part of the story. The lectionary text today which was selected many years ago skips over a particular part of scripture that I think deserves to be highlighted.

Yes, Christ’s pronouncement for the disciples and for us to love one another is the crux of this entire passage.

And yes, it is incredibly important that we see Jesus taking on the servant role and humbling himself in service both to act as our savior and our example to follow.

Enter Judas and the Dark Side

But that gap in scripture today… verses 18-31a is important. And, while yes there are times that those gaps in the lectionary text are helpful to keep the main point flowing… today I disagree with it. Here’s why:

The “gap” today… is the story of Judas’ betrayal according to John.

Recap of what we missed:

The disciples have been eating their meal.

Jesus declares that one of the disciples will betray him.

All of the disciples argue who it might be...

Finally, after a question from Peter about who this betrayer might be, Jesus responds by saying “It is the one whom I give this piece of bread when I have dipped it in the dish.”

Soon after we see Jesus giving a piece of bread to Judas and the Gospel of John records that, “after Judas received the piece of bread, Satan entered into him.” and Jesus said to him “Do quickly what you are going to do.”

And then, perhaps, one of the coolest lines in the entire Gospel, “After receiving the piece of bread, Judas immediately went out. And it was night.”

“And it was night.” In other words, Judas ran away from the light that filled the room were Jesus and the disciples were and instead entered into the darkness.

To use my nerd lingo, Judas had turned to the dark side.

This is the part of the story that we are missing that is so key to understanding what’s really going on. While yes, there is something to be said for glossing over the story of Judas because we can get side-tracked on that bit of intrigue, focusing on Judas’ betrayal instead of Christ’s act of love. But keeping these stories in contrast of one another is important.

Love in the Midst of Betrayal

Without the story ofJudas, the act of foot washing and then the call to love one another might seem like just another item that we need to check off on our Christian to-do list.

But Christ’s foot washing and then later his pronouncement to love one another happens not as a stand-alone story but rather they are occuring as the story of Judas’ betrayal unfolds!

As Jesus is washing feet, Christ doesn’t skip over Judas and move on to Thomas. It is a good assumption that Judas had his feet cleansed by Christ along with the rest of the group.

Also, as the bread and wine were passed around… Judas would have partaken as well. He was a part of all of these acts.

And following Judas’ turn to the Dark Side and his exiting of the room to betray Jesus, it is THEN that Christ makes the proclamation for the disciples to love one another.

Jesus’ call to love comes not just after his act of love through the foot washing, but it comes directly after and during Judas’ betrayal of Christ into the hands of those who will kill him. Judas is on the way… and Christ knows it. And Jesus calls on the disciples to continue to love one another.

And so a question that comes to my mind is… does he still mean that Judas should be loved as well? Is that part of Jesus’ teaching in his final hours? To love someone even in the midst of betrayal? Unfortunately, I think it is.

And it’s important to note as much what he does not do here as much as what he does do. Jesus does not stand up on the table to pronounce his heirship to the Kingdom of God. Jesus does not declare a vengeance against his enemies.

Conclusions

In fact, as Jesus washes the feet of his disciples Judas is still amongst them. Jesus expressions his love and compassion even for the one who will soon betray him.

I don’t know about you but I have a much easier time thinking back to our First Reading in the Book of Exodus as the Hebrews were preparing for the great Passover in Egypt and awaited God’s smiting of Egypt.

Or perhaps looking at one of the many psalms where we see the psalmists crying out for God’s wrath to be unleashed on their enemies.

In his final hours, Jesus chooses to serve those he loves. He cares for their needs. He expresses hope for their well-being… and encourages them into the future leaving them with a new commandment, “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.”

It can be so much easier to call for God to protect us while punishing our enemies… but that is not Christ’s teaching this night.

And it’s strange… in my research on things people wanted to do in their last day of life… not once did I see a person write that they hoped to get in contact with everyone who had betrayed them. Not a single person said that they hoped to share love with those who had hurt them in their final day. Perhaps they wanted to seek forgiveness for things they had done wrong… but there was no desire to seek out those who had wronged them.

In these final hours with his friends, Jesus does not

In my research on things people wanted to do in their last day of life… not once did I see a person write that they hoped to get in contact with everyone who had betrayed them or that they hoped to share love with those who had hurt them.

And yet, Christ washed the feet and shared bread with the very one whom he knew would betray him. The Gospel of John proclaims a love shared by Christ that goes beyond our understanding. A love that, in the final hours of his life, moved him to care for those who were less than deserving.

As we come to the table to receive the bread and the wine, each of us has likely done things that make us less than worthy to receive that which we will receive. Each of us has fallen short, some of us perhaps feel those sins more deeply than others.

And yet, we are reminded in today’s Gospel that as those precious hours and minutes were counting down on Christ’s life, he made it a priority to cast love towards those who were less than deserving. Christ’s love on the cross and his love at that table was a love for all of us in spite of broken relationships or unkept promises. Christ made it known that his love was for all people, no matter their failures.

And yes… that even includes you and it includes me.

This day, know that you have a place at the table… a place prepared by Christ for you in spite of all the reasons not to. Why? Because that is who Jesus, the Son of God is. The one that loves even and especially those who do not deserve it.

Peace be with you.

Amen.