Sermon for Maundy Thursday, 2026
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
One by one, He washes their feet; each moment more humiliating than the last. Until, finally, Jesus, with water in hand and a towel wrapped around Him, is right there. “No!” cries Peter. “This is not proper, this is not right; this is not what You, Lord, should do. You shall never wash my feet!”
Jesus, You are the Christ, the Son of the living God. You are God of God, the eternal Word, begotten of the Father before all worlds. You are holy and righteous. To You belongs all authority, all judgment. And yet You take the place of a servant? You stoop down, You wash my feet and wipe them with the towel bound around You? Far be it from You, Lord!
And Jesus answers, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me.”
You cannot have Him on your own terms. You cannot decide what He may absolve and what you will retain. You cannot hold back whatever you may have hidden, exposing only what you choose. You cannot keep Him at arm’s length; either He washes you, or you have no part with Him.
“No, Lord! Then not only my feet, but also my hands and my head!”
Yet Jesus says, “He who is {washed} needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean.”
You are washed. You are baptized. You are clean. Still, you get your feet dirty; that is to say, you sin. Now, it’s not as though Baptism covers only so much or cleanses up to a point. No, that’s not it at all. You are clean. You are baptized. You are washed. Here, from this altar, He who says, “I am the Way,” washes your feet: He imparts the forgiveness of sins, the same forgiveness Baptism works, applied again here and now. Beloved, this is grace upon grace.
And that is why the Evangelist records these events. He does not set the Supper aside; he shows you what it does. He shows you the washing. He shows you the forgiveness. He shows you what is given when the Lord gives Himself.
Readings:
Old Testament: Exodus 12:1-14
Epistle: 1 Corinthians 11:23-32
Holy Gospel: John 13:1-15
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