Maundy Thursday
“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” John 13, 34-35
When the public contest for the design of the Czech National Library building was issued in Prague, several Czech and foreign architects developed projects that surprised specialists as well as lay public by their look, way of construction and materials used. Many of them stirred up intense discussion. The specialists agreed that even though some of the projects looked impressive and interesting, they were impossible to construct in reality because they contradicted the laws of physics of this world. - It reminded me again of the fact that essentially anything can be created in the virtual world. The computer programs do not impose basically any limits on us in this area. They let us create things that could not exist in real life, things we only dreamed of or thought out in our fantasy.
Imagine that a similar contest was issued for the project of realization of love. I believe that each one of us would be able to put together some plan after a shorter or longer time for reflection, since anyone who had ever touched love and experienced its beauty has at least some idea about the content of this word. Yet even here it is possible to imagine that our dreams, wishes or ideas coming from pure fantasy appear in our designs or projects. This type of virtual love – if carried over into the real world – could turn into something rather dangerous for our neighbors. By its construction based on selfish principles and one’s own gain or advantage. It could hurt other people and cause them life-long spiritual harm.
Yet, if we acknowledge God as the highest form of being, and actually the only and perfect Being in the true sense of the word, it will be worthwhile to look at his project of love as it comes from Him. Jesus made a very clear presentation of it in our Bible text.
Jesus, God in human body, called his disciples together just before the Passover night to eat the Passover lamb with them. By doing it He indicated one important element of love to them: sharing. The Passover dinner was not only a special feast or a nice gathering for the Jews. It was also a ritual meal when the whole family got together once a year. The father as the head of the family, figuratively speaking, invited the other family members to his fellowship to share not only the prepared meal with them but, most importantly, to pass the spiritual wealth to them by reminding them of the extremely important and miraculous act of God’s love - the rescue of their ancestors. It is probable that even the disciples used to go back to their families for Passover in the beginning to share this fellowship of love with them. So when Jesus announced to the disciples that he wanted to spend this Passover night with them it had to be an honour as well as obligation for them. They knew Jesus would share some spiritual nutrition with them besides the regular Passover meal, to strengthen their faith. He gave them much more, though.
Jesus, as the head of the family, took the bread in his hand first and then the wine. He gave thanks to God for the gift of life over them - and not only for giving life but for sustaining it as well. He passed the bread and then the wine to the other men present, saying that this time it was not only a meal to sustain their biological life and a mere reminder of God’s acts, even though great, but that this meal would have an even deeper spiritual dimension from that moment on. It would turn into a source of spiritual strength for them because anytime they commemorate Him in this way He will be present among them, with them and in them. He confirmed it by his words: “Take and eat; this is my body given for you… This is my blood ... which is poured out for you... do this in remembrance of me.”
There was yet another dimension to this sacred meal with Jesus. In the passages where the Evangelists Mark, Matthew and Luke speak about receiving the body and the blood of Jesus, with the bread and the wine, the fourth Evangelist, John, focuses on one more event that took place that night. He mentions the washing of feet. In this way he focuses our attention not only on the internal experience of the disciples during the meal but he fills the content of this important event with a practical act fulfilling everything Jesus ever told them to the last point. The truthfulness of the words of Jesus has been proven only when he put an apron on and kneeled down to them to wash their feet. Peter expressed the sentiment of all the disciples then: “No, Lord, it is not right. You cannot wash the feet of your audience.” In that moment they had to deal with the fact that Jesus had served them in a way that would have gone far beyond the usual even in the opposite position. The disciples would never debase themselves to serve their master in this way since washing of feet was the task performed exclusively by the home servant, a slave. So it was not just a case of switched roles but a complete craziness to them: Jesus, the Master, the Son of God and Savior had not shrunk from performing the work of the person in the lowest position.
In this way, He related love to what they heard about during the meal: “…given for you…” Love is not only what we get in love and what we may give back once in a while. Christ’s project of love includes not only the ability to love those who love us but also those who will soon betray us in the most ignominious way – let us just recall the actions of Judas, and later Peter as well. So Jesus went from one disciple to another washing their feet from the dust of the road they walked on bare-feet from their homes to the place where the meal was prepared for them.
Just as a person studies a project that interests him or her, we should now observe what true love can accomplish and what does it look like. It bows down to earth, it does not hold unto its position. It does not feel ashamed of demeaning itself in the eyes of others. It does not ask who deserves it. It does not love in a way interested in gain, to be appreciated for its actions later or to attain a better position. It gives itself away without reservation and without being overly worried if it is not too much of a sacrifice and if this love would not be abused. It does not think only about itself and about rest at this moment. It is not sorry about the energy expended, time spent or health problems.
Let us observe Jesus along with John for a moment: he goes from one man to the next and washes their feet - which are certainly not symbols of beauty or physical attractiveness. Rather, they are dirty soles with hardened skin and unkempt nails. Let’s watch Christ, our Teacher, and ask ourselves: is our project of love similar to this one, offered to us by the Lord Jesus? We often say “I love you”, or “I am glad to see you”, but don’t we rather mean we just feel fine with someone? We tell another person we love them but is it not just a physical desire at the moment? We repeat “I love you” but don’t we just feel the obligation to return something we had received from someone? But as soon as we find out that the other person has not been giving us anything anymore, we stop using this magic word.
When and under what circumstances are we willing to admit we should have the kind of love demonstrated by Jesus shortly before his death, in our lives? When we connect the well-known receiving of the elements of bread and wine with John’s view of the Lord’s Supper we get a very interesting and important legacy: love does not exist only in words, dreams, songs, poems and romantic imaginations. Love must also be put to practice in this world. Love must be materialized into specific situations and real actions. It must turn into a meal nurturing this world and our fellowship which has come together here to partake of a “supper”.
Unfortunately, the people invited to the Lord’s Supper often do not hear the words Jesus said after he washed the disciples’ feet: “As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” What I did, you should do as well in remembrance of me…-- Faith, nourished by the blood and body of Christ is not only our own personal matter. John also reminds us all that it must be transformed into acts of love oriented at others. In those places where the fellowship between the partakers is missing or is seriously damaged it is not possible to speak about the remembrance of Jesus’ last supper in the true sense of the word. And even further, it is not even a true understanding of why and for what purpose Jesus has remained among us in the form of bread and wine. Let us therefore come back from the world of our dreams and virtual love to the reality offered to us by God in His actions. Amen.
Prayer: Lord Jesus, You have invited us to a fellowship of love which you create whenever Your Holy Communion is served. May this holy meal be not any empty act but let us realize how much you loved us, every time we receive your body and blood. Help us not to create our own projects of love but make us to hold onto the love you have shown us when you started to wash the feet of your disciples. Bring it to our hearts, actions and words as well. Amen.
