John 13:12-20

12/23/23 –[John 13:12-20] – Like Master. Like Servant -  I presume each of us has sought or received a pattern of something we hope to make. In Jesus’ time it would be a drawing someone else created and then asking if it could be made. Did Jesus, a carpenter, have this happen? If Jesus gave you a pattern [v. 15] would you be thankful? Would you make it? Today the pattern Jesus lays before us gives us pause. It would be stressful on the eyes, nerves, will, heart and energy. Even after Jesus washed their feet; some might not be up to the task. However, Jesus reminds, ‘… I have given you a pattern, so that you may do things, in the same way that I did.’ [v. 15]

 

Why is this difficult? Why does He insist that, ‘the slave is no greater than the master’ …? [16] It is because we are proud. (Love Humility – Wisdom Humility) Today, if we see a foot washing it is often done by the senior pastor. It has become a sign of leadership. In Jesus’ time a slave per-formed the task. When leadership does it now, the symbol is not Jesus the servant, but as a leader enhancing his authority. The test is what would the senior pastor do if an old, poor, frail, alone man was dying and a call was made in the middle of the night. Come. 

 

We all chip in helping with the necessary tasks. The mundane 8 – 5 tasks. We are known by the spontaneity of our actions in doing the annoying, messy things, The things in the ancient world a slave would do; or in our time we wish others to step up so we will not have to waste time or demean ourselves. We, the church, must relearn this again and again, because we are so ready to fall to the temptation to proclaim Jesus as Lord when what we really mean is that we: His serv-ants, are rulers of this or that providence of His kingdom. We create little spheres of power and we enjoy flexing it. We talk about the kingdom of God hoping some of the glory will rub off on us. We draw attention to the promises about God’s people in Christ being ‘kings and priests’ in order to lord it over others. We forget the servant part, the messy part: The part Jesus did!

 

It is easy to fall into self-deception. The endless, mindless, menial tasks as an avoidance of the real and important tasks that only we can fill. Doing the menial, we can demonstrate our humility and we can be proud of being humble. What is correct? Getting right with the Lord and doing what we are truly capable of doing. The point - we must be looking away from ourselves and at the world we are called to serve. We meet Jesus at the intersection of the world’s needs and our vocation. Whether it is menial is not the question if it needs to be done and the visibility index must be viewed in the same manner. Now we are able to place Jesus’ washing of feet into perspective, i.e., doing it quietly, quickly and without drawing attention to it. This attitude relates to the challenge Jesus issued to Peter in John’s last chapter. The challenge to follow Jesus to the cross, lay down life itself in the service of God, and the world He came to serve.

 

We have to balance the warning of servants not being greater than their masters is the promise at the end of these verses. [v. 20] Those who go in Jesus’ name, who get on with whatever He assigns them to do in His spirit and His love are given extraordinary status and privilege. Anyone who welcomes them, welcomes Jesus and thereby welcomes ‘the one who sent Him’. You will not recognize this at the time, you will be too busy. However, remember the joy as you walked into that house, hospital, place of pain or hope. Jesus was walking in,    wearing your skin, speaking in your voice. “I have given you a pattern,’ He said, and he meant it.

 

[John 13:21-30] – Judas Goes Out – (Sheep at the slaughterhouse) – In these verses we can see two disciples, side by side, yet extremes. One, the writer of this gospel, ‘the beloved’, John, son of John of Zebedee, Jesus’ cousin on Mary’s side. He, not yet 20, had looked up to Jesus all his life, following Him with joy and devotion, often not understanding. Jesus had a special affection for him, but the others did not mind – he was a youngster. He was able to ask Jesus questions others were afraid to  ask. Note: in those days free men reclined, slaves sat or stood. They were so close they could whisper to each other.(One of the world’s great pictures. Several artists in Latin churches 1230 to 1850 AD. Orthodox icon by Ushakov 1685 AD). Jesus now says someone (Judas) will betray Him. Beware portrayal in paintings Judas should not be obvious. A point to ponder - Jesus washed his feet. Read, reflect [v. 22-30] 

 

They thought Judas was leaving to run an ordinary errand (giving something from the purse to the poor was a common event, taken for granted). Even people who had enough to eat, with little to spare, shared. Dipping bread into wine and passing it to another, signified a special friend. It was the sign Jesus used to tell the beloved disciple that it was Judas and the depth of the deed: the betrayal of trust and friendship. John had told us that the devil had put the idea into Judas; mind to betray Jesus. Now John tells us that when Jesus gave Judas the bread, ‘the Satan’ entered into Judas. Note: John does not imply that Judas became demon-possessed. We have to look at the language of the day. In Hebrew, the word Satan means accuser – it is a legal term for someone who brings a prosecution against someone else.

 

What we will witness now is how Judas will be used by the powers of darkness to bring charges against Jesus, the messenger of light. The exquisite confrontation of light and darkness. A battle that has been hanging over this Gospel story since the [Prologue 1.5] and it is coming to a cli-max. Judas has been willingly recruited to join the forces of darkness. The last verse of this study [v. 30] is a master stroke of storytelling. Read it again. The door opens – it is a dark night – in every way, in every level, in every sense - Judas disappears into it.

 

In the paintings noted above we have Jesus flanked by love and betrayal. Perhaps that is life. Perhaps they always go together in life: joy and agony; intimacy and backstabbing. Maybe Jesus being open to one means He was bound to be open to another. Or perhaps another law of Physics applies here: Force - a force is a pushing or pulling action that can make things move, change direction, or change shape. (Galambos) 

 

In all of this Jesus has comforting words for Judas, “Do it quickly.” Jesus knew the agony he was facing and wanted it over as quickly as possible. As in [12:27; 13:21] Jesus is troubled in spirit. We are not to feel shame if we are a foot washer, a generous love person, an open to deep friendships person and an open to serious wounds that only one who loves deeply can receive - type person. But John, as he describes the entry of Satan into Judas knows that even the satanic purpose is held firmly within the overarching purposes of love, of liberation.

 

The light  will go on shining in the darkness and the darkness will not master it. Amen

 

Hank Hohenstein, OFS