Thursday of 4th Week of Easter
Acts 12: 24, 13: 5a; John 13: 16-20
Dc. Larry Brockman
Jesus says “Blessed are you if you do it”. Do what? I puzzled much over that as I heard this Gospel. True, Jesus was referring to the washing of feet. But there’s so much more implied.Â
First, there are the two analogies Jesus mentioned: one about masters and servants; the other about messengers and the one that sent them. The disciples were cast into those roles. They didn’t catch on at the time, but after the resurrection they did. They recognized Jesus as the master; they recognized they were being sent by Jesus. We, too, are cast into these roles no matter how much authority we seem to have- authority as a boss; as a mom or dad; or a teacher, or any of the other roles we might have in authority. Because when it comes to our relationship with God, we are the messenger, not the one who sends him; and we are the servant, not the master.Â
This is the Easter season, and we are constantly being reminded that we are all being sent forth, sent forth to share the Good news of the death and resurrection of Jesus; sent forth to share the joy and the faith that goes with it. But, we are not sent forth as persons set apart from the people we come in contact with. That means we are not sent forth to form clichés; nor are we sent forth in a spirit of superiority. Rather, we are sent forth to show our faith to the world in a way that will attract others. And we are called forth to serve these others even when they are unbelievers- difficult; skeptic, and seemingly undeserving.Â
This service is characterized by a humble heart punctuated by a spirit of joy- joy that we recognize our salvation, and that it is Jesus Christ. That can be hard. But as Jesus said, “Blessed are you if you do it.”Â