In the portion of Christ's earthly ministry nearing the end, the religious leaders plotted to trap him in his words, some of which were later used in the unlawful, midnight, secret trial to which Jesus was later subjected. Here's one of them:
On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”
To sidestep a trap phrased as a question, Jesus answers with a question: What does the law say? The religious leader answered correctly, which is completely expected:
He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.‘”
Like many of us, he knew his scriptures. Jesus affirms that this is the correct answer. "Do this," he says, "and you will live." Then, because the religious leader felt convicted by the Law (which is its job), we glimpse the motivations of this religious leader's heart:
But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”
Jesus answered with the parable of the Good Samaritan. You probably know it from Sunday School:
In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,’ he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.’
“Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”
The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”
Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”
The parable—like the rest of Jesus' teachings—created controversy. His audience, the greater portion of whom were Jews, certainly saw themselves in his story. That is the point of using parables, of course. Some in his audience might have been the robbers. Some are the religious leaders who did not stop to help. Some identified with the ceremonially clean Levite—thinking they were clean enough to work in the temple but quite obviously disobeying the law and therefore disinherited. Some in the audience quite possibly saw themselves as the Good Samaritan but it must have been a bitter pill to swallow because the Jews would not have wanted to identify with their enemy. (For actual Samaritans who heard the story much later, it would have been a bitter pill to swallow to know they probably would not have been moved with compassion for their enemy in the same way.)
Lastly, some understood they were the neglected, abused, man left for dead on the side of the road. The religious leader seems to have understood this, given his response. He was rebuked. Let us hope he went away and repented.
Who is my neighbor? The one who helped you. Wait! Not the one you helped, but the one who helped you, because without Christ, you are that broken man or woman left for dead.
Like the rest of Jesus' teachings, this encounter is COUNTERCULTURE. The religious leaders are rebuked. The enemies who do not respond in mercy to their enemy are rebuked. Those who are too busy or too outwardly "holy" are rebuked. Anyone who has been an enemy or has had an enemy is rebuked.
We're all rebuked. No one's feelings are spared.
Jesus is only on the side of his Father, not your side and not mine, not anyone else's.
Which brings me to the recent "Jesus Gets Us" foot-washing commercial. First of all, the intense drama surrounding the controversy is far more interesting and more important than the message of the commercial itself and whether or not it resonated with people. This is more than a sad state of affairs!
It reminds me of the stir or the controversy that Jesus caused when he answered the same question “Who is my neighbor?" that this commercial is answering. I find it very interesting that the controversy has not changed all these centuries later. The answer is still counterculture.
Jesus explains that washing the feet of the disciples was not about cleansing, which he makes clear to Peter in verses 13:5-10 and to the group. John tells us that it was Judas that Christ was referring to. Judas was not made clean by the foot-washing. Similarly, the commercial isn't advocating that we white-wash the sins of the other "side." It is not about foot-washing, it is about being a servant of all:
When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. Now that you know these things, you will be blessed if you do them.
Foot-washing might be foreign to us, but it was not for the disciples. It was a service job. It was done upon entry to a house, either by the person for themselves or by a servant.
As a daughter of the Jesus Movement, I'm VERY familiar with foot-washing. It happened regularly in our charismatic circles and was usually a leader humbling himself to wash the feet of someone "lower" than themselves to remind everyone that we are to serve one another and that no one is above Christ's example as a "servant of all." (I wonder sometimes if we reminded ourselves of this more often we might find that the Pastoral role wouldn't attract quite so many narcissists. Just a side thought.)
When Jesus washed the disciples' feet, he proclaimed himself to be the servant of all. (See also Mark 9:35 and Galatians 5:13.) He did not say I am the servant of these twelve men and only these twelve men, which is what I have heard from a scholar recently. He clearly commanded the disciples to go and do likewise. The Bible does not record Jesus washing everybody’s feet…correct. But as John says so eloquently, "Jesus also did many other things. If they were all written down, I suppose the whole world could not contain the books that would be written." You can't argue from silence.
Do we really think Jesus who healed the sick, restored the marginalized, and raised the dead wouldn't have washed feet?
The groups behind the commercial are not advocating that we go out and wash everybody’s feet! The commercial advocates that we serve each other—that we lay down our lives for those we consider our enemies. That's why they showed two people who are most likely enemies in each shot of the commercial. Jesus was the servant of all, especially those who were his enemies (aka Judas). At one point in time, before we were called from darkness into light, we too were enemies of God. Let’s not forget that we were enemies of God, and he called us into light. It’s him that does the calling, not us.
We who are in the light serve those who remain in darkness so the light of God's glory can be seen. The commercial is saying, "Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify God in heaven." Yes, if someone continues to keep their position as an enemy of God, disregarding the graciousness of God who calls everyone to himself, they will be lost eternally. Beyond sharing the gospel and our lives, that is not for me or anyone else to concern ourselves with. We are simply to display the love of Christ, laying down our lives, and being a servant of all—in every opportunity, in every dark corner.
Certainly, proximity to the presence of God can convict a heart. Certainly, proximity to the presence of God will transform a broken mind. Certainly, proximity to the presence of God will restore a broken body. My job…your job…is to bring the presence of God. To display the transformative, resurrection, humbling, power of God on display whether we live for Christ or die for Christ. And, if living for Christ includes lowering yourself to be the servant of all, then get out a bucket of water, some soap, suds, and a towel and go wash somebody’s feet!
In a day when "Who is my neighbor?" is still causing controversy and all "sides" are pretty sure Jesus is on their side, it's good to remember our part. I feel quite certain those who love their darkness didn't like the commercial either (I've read several rants from the "other side" mainly centering on the old generalized accusations of hypocrisy that are regularly trotted out) but that's not my concern.
I’m supposed to be a vessel of his holiness, restoring wholeness to anyone, and everyone. And if they have broken minds, broken hearts, broken lives, broken bodies, my job is to be a vessel of the Holy Spirit, who is Spirit and Truth, in all that I say and do. Jesus healed. He served them in the way that they needed most. I'm to continue his ministry.
Grace serves all.