Jesus Interprets the Meal (John 13): A Maundy Thursday Reflection
In the Gospel of John Jesus does not celebrate the “Last Supper” in the Upper Room with his disciples as is described in the other three gospels. In John he has already identified himself with the bread (Jn.6) and the wine (Jn.2). So in the Upper Room Jesus acts out a parable which interprets the meaning of the Supper as the other gospels present it. This parable is that of Jesus’ washing his disciples’ feet (Jn.13:1-17). The Lord becomes the Servant, performing a most menial task. In the world of that time a Gentile slave could be ordered to wash someone’s feet but a Jewish slave could not. That the Jewish Jesus does this, chooses to do it, shows this is an act of freely chosen humility (humiliation?) not an imposed task. Further, this foot-washing was something that wives would do for husbands, children for parents, and disciples for their masters. Jesus, then, reverses the roles in relation to his disciples. We can conclude, then, that this radical act of service was a f...