Exodus 12: 1–14a; Psalm 78: 14–20, 23–35; I Corinthians 11: 23–32; John 13: 1-15
This is a homily by Fr. Gene Tucker,
given at St. John’s Church, in Huntingdon, Pennsylvania on Thursday, March 24,
2016.
“PETER: AN
ALL-OR-NOTHING SORT”
(Homily text: John 13: 1–15)
The
Gospels and the Book of the Acts of the Apostles paint an interesting picture
of Peter: Quite often, he is one who will get his mouth into gear long before
his brain in engaged, sometimes for good and sometimes for unproductive
ends….for example, Peter is the first to confess Jesus’ identity as the Christ.
But then, he turns right around and rebukes Jesus when the Lord begins to tell
His disciples that He will be going to Jerusalem, where He will be killed. Peter
is often the one who’ll be leading the others in some activity or another. He
is the one who will cower in fear when challenged by those who were standing
outside during Jesus’ appearance before Caiphas, as the maid asks, “Are you one
of his (Jesus’) disciples?” He is the one who will deny the Lord three times on
that fateful night.
But
before Jesus’ arrest and appearance before Pilate, Peter – true to his nature -
is the one who seems to be an all-or-nothing sort of a person. Notice that,
when Jesus comes and kneels before Peter in order to wash his feet, Peter
insists that the Lord will never wash his feet. When Jesus ups the ante by
telling Peter that, if he will not allow the washing of his feet, then he will
have no part of Jesus’ will and plans for the future. Then, Peter completely turns around, and
becomes the willing partner in the foot washing that took place on Maundy
Thursday evening. Peter insists that the Lord not only wash his feet, but all
of him in the process. All-or-nothing, that’s the picture we have of Peter.
So
what’s going on here?
Two
elements of the events of Maundy Thursday stand out: washing and eating,
cleansing and sustenance.
The
Lord emphasizes the nature of servant hood by setting aside His outer garments
in order to take up a towel to wash the disciples’ feet. Understood within the
context of the societal norms of the time, what Jesus is doing is to
demonstrate that He is willing to be slave and servant of all, for in those
days, the washing of feet was a task that a slave or a servant would do.
When
we are spiritually washed by entering the waters of baptism, we are allowing
ourselves to become the Lord’s servant. In our baptismal covenant, we
acknowledge Jesus’ lordship, we acknowledge that we are unable to help and save
ourselves, and then we promise to do certain things in service to the Lord and
in service to others.
Our
spiritual journey must include a passage through the waters of baptism. In
those waters, we are cleansed from the stain of original sin, and we are
claimed as Christ’s own forever. In response to God’s love made known in Jesus,
we willingly admit that we are nothing in God’s sight, apart from Jesus’
atoning death.
The
baptismal event marks the beginning of our journey with God the Father through
God the Son. As we make our way forward, we are strengthened for the work God
has called us to do, as we receive the Lord under the species of bread and
wine….spiritual food for God’s people.
The
aim of baptism is to set us on a course from a place of being nothing, toward a
course of being all-for-Jesus. Spiritual maturity is the goal here, as we
continue to live out the reality of our baptisms, by which we have died to
ourselves and to our old natures, in order to put on Christ and to make His
presence in our lives the all-in-all.
May
the Lord strengthen us to see ourselves as those who were once nothing in God’s
sight, but who – through the blood of Jesus – have now begun our journey to
being all-in-all in Christ.
AMEN.
