Growing up most of my life in central Kansas, we often travelled to southwest Kansas to visit family. We always made our way through Dodge City, Kansas, and drove across the Arkansas River. It should have been named the "Former" Arkansas River or the Arkansas Riverbed, because there was never any water in that place in all of the years we drove through there. Each time we went through Dodge City, I always made sure I got to the window of one of the family station wagons we owned through the years, and looked to see if there was any water. Had the water finally shown up? It never did. My childhood wasn't damaged nor was I deeply hurt over this fact it was just a curiousity that I always looked for the water and could never find it in the Arkansas River! Where was the water?
We don't have to look far for water in the next two parts of the Holy Week drama. The challenge to the human dilemma of discipleship comes full circle according the the traditional Holy Thursday and Good Friday scriptures in the next 24 hours.
3Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come forth from God and was going back to God, 4got up from supper, and laid aside His garments; and taking a towel, He girded Himself. 5Then He poured water into the basin, and began to wash the disciples' feet and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded.…(John 13:3-5)
24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this Man's blood; see to that yourselves." 25And all the people said, "His blood shall be on us and on our children!"…(Matthew 27:24-25)
It is interesting to me that the two scriptures with deep meaning for tonight, Maunday Thursday and Good Friday, include seminal moments of teaching about the human experience and being a faithful disciple.
Jesus, during the Last Supper, takes the place of a servant among his disciples, and the cohort with him, to wash their feet. It is his deepest teaching moment among many about who you serve and when you serve. His point of teaching about the position of those who would lead the movement he had started begins at the place of humility and understanding that in order to change the world our first instincts as humans are to be in the place of providing service to one another.
The water he uses to wash the feet of his disciples cleanses and purifies the thoughts and aspirations of grandiosity from the hearts and minds of the disciples. I'm sure they were profoundly moved to confusion, discomfort and heartache in this deep showing of love. Jesus' occupation of the place of a servant to show the way of discipleship, leadership and kingdom love will never be irrelevant in country that continues to lift up slick market saavy personality as the way to happiness and contentment. I acknowledge it is a hard place to be on Maunday Thursday. But, it is our place.
Several years ago a colleague asked me what interesting thing I might do on Maunday Thursday. I explained that my church members were too uncomfortable with an actual foot washing so we were going to do something I had done before around Maunday Thursday. We were going to pass a bowl and allow people to wash the hands of their neighbor. He quickly dismissed it by saying, "I always thought that was too much like Pilate washing his hands of Jesus." I've had a spiritual PTSD moment around hand washing ever since! Now its foot washing or bust on Maunday Thursday with Holy Communion!
Pontius Pilate holds a mirror to the human condition, though. We never outrun our ability to turn our backs on Christ in either word or deed. Holy Week teaches us that from Palm Sunday to the moment we sing Halleluiah, on Resurrection Sunday. We'll never set aside the need to practice our faith in a Holy Week journey that suggests after 2000+ years, we're basically still the same folks who very humanly and, at times, weakly, seek to follow the Christ who has occupied our hearts in transformative love. There will always be the need for a Holy Week that moves us from Hosanna to Holy Thursday and from Good Friday to Halleluiah!
Along the way, Jesus shows up with water in a basin and reminds us of the new mandate to "love one another as I(Jesus) have loved you.
Pilate also shows up on this journey holding a basin of water and reminds us that God's Day, Good Friday, is not complete with humanity washing its hands of Jesus blood.
Look for the water this weekend. Be reminded of our humanity and our need for the stone to be rolled away once again.
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