May the words of my mouth and the meditation of our hearts be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, our Rock and our Redeemer. Amen.

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. (John 13:12)

Lord, in loving contemplation
Fix our hearts and eyes on you
Till we taste your full salvation
And your unveiled glory view. Amen.

In Christ's name and to his glory, dear friends: Tonight we enter the season of Lent. We choose to spend some extra time looking at the passion, the suffering and death of our Savior, with this in mind-it was for my sins that he suffered and died. And if the Lord will give us the grace to ponder and take to heart his suffering and death, then Easter will be all the more sweet for us. For it is certain that I am a sinner. But it is also certain that Christ was delivered over to death for my sins and raised to life for my justification. Each of us may confidently say this and believe this.

This year we want to pluck some heart-penetrating questions out of the passion history and use them as our central thoughts. Questions help us think and ponder. As children we are asked questions in school so that we have to formulate and answer and thus make the information our own. Communicants can prepare for the Lord's Supper by asking the questions of self-examination in the front of our hymnal. Questions help us think and ponder and prompt us to formulate an answer in our hearts. All this is good for us especially so when it involves our faith in Jesus. Tonight we have before us Jesus' question in the upper room-Do you understand what I have done for you?

We heard John's eye witness account of what happened up in the room. More than that, by inspiration he tells us what is in the heart of Jesus. (v.1,) Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father; Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love.

How badly the disciples needed that love is seen in the fact that the disciples had been arguing about who was the greatest. They were not very lovely people when they argued that way, but Jesus still loved them. Judas had already taken money to betray Jesus, but still Jesus would show his love to Judas. Amazing, isn't it?

It was customary for guests to have their feet washed when they came for dinner. They wore sandals in those days, and the dusty roads tracked in with them. A foot washing was usually a servant's job. Well, people who argue about who is most important would never volunteer for a servant's job, would they?

But Jesus did. (v.3) Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; but he stooped to do this most humble task. John the Baptist had said that he was not worthy to even tie Jesus' sandals, but Jesus stooped to wash the feet of everyone, even Judas. What love is this! So unworried about himself and simply seeing something that needs to be done and doing it.

And it is even more remarkable when you consider what Jesus was going to do during the next 24 hours. (v6,7) Now you do not understand; later you will. Later, after they had seen him suffer under Pontius Pilate and crucified...later, when they saw him alive again and he said: Peace be with you...then they would be struck with what a remarkable thing it was that Jesus stopped to do this lovely, humble, gracious act. Is it not true that sinners like us get self-absorbed under pressure? But this is not a sinner but the sinless Son of God. He has not a selfish, self-absorbed bone in his holy body.

Peter didn't want Jesus to wash his feet. He didn't want to serve others, but neither did he want to be served. Sinners are like that, aren't they? God says, Love your neighbor, and people explain why our neighbor doesn't deserve our love. God says, I gave me life for you, and people say, I'm not that bad that I need saving.

Jesus says, (v.8) Unless I wash you have no part with me. Now we can tell Jesus is speaking about something besides dirty feet. And when Peter then wants a full bath, Jesus says, (v.10) A person who has had a bath needs only to wash his feet; his whole body is clean. And you are clean. And it becomes even clearer that Jesus is speaking about cleansing consciences of sin rather than feet of dirt. There is a fountain filled with blood drawn from Immanuel's veins; and sinners plunged beneath that flood lose all their guilty stains. And as Paul says: (Titus 3) He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renew by the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Lord.

We like Peter still need daily foot washing-we need to pray "forgive us our trespasses" for we daily sin much. Yet even as we ask, we realize that God is telling us that he has forgiven all our sins. He does not point us to what we must do in the future to pay for our sins, but to what he has done in the past to wash away our sins.

Do you understand what I have done for you? Yes, Lord, you have saved me by your life, death and resurrection.

Something else lies here on the page for our thoughts. Notice that Jesus calls himself "Lord", that is, Savior. He also receives the title "Teacher." What is he telling us by accepting this title? Not only that he saved us completely, but also, as he says, I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.

A foot washing was not commanded in OT law. When Jesus says, Do as I have done for you, he was not saying actually wash feet. That is a custom that has lost any purpose for us today. But still Jesus says, I have set you an example. How so? Look at him. So much on his heart yet, he does a simple act of kindness. Dare we say, I'm too busy for what God wants me to do? Such a lowly task God's Son does-this foot washing. Do we not confess as sin our "I'm too important for this work?" The Law didn't demand foot washing, still Jesus did it. Dare we be satisfied with as-little-effort-as-possible at our tasks when Jesus went the extra mile again and again? Who alone, but we whom the Lord has taught to call Jesus "Savior", could call him "Teacher" follow his example? Confident of his grace to us, we carry the light yoke of obedience.

He who saved us completely calls us to give ourselves to him completely and what that means he shows us-humble service to God and neighbor. Very few are called by God to die for the faith. Far more, yes, all of us are called to "live" for the Lord. Let us be doing this.    Amen