My Head and My Heart As Well

Holy Thursday

In my typical fashion, I want to focus in on a small moment.  When Peter hears that this strange thing -- his Rabbi, his Teacher  washing his feet -- is the key to his acceptance in the kingdom, he immediately says to wash "my hands and my head as well!" if that is the case.  It's charming, really, and Jesus tells him patiently that "he who is clean has no need to wash, except for his feet."

Which works nicely in that we are all made of clay.

But it also strikes me as a good thing to keep in mind.  Especially with how hard my girls seemed to be working in today's discussion to set up the world around them such that they were already safe from its worst dangers, from making bad decisions.  Tried to make the battle already won and, later, dismissed evidence they didn't like to look at -- proving that the world was unfair.

We want so badly to be DONE becoming good people, I've said a lot this Lent.  And sometimes in the pursuit of that, we miss why Jesus is really washing our feet and telling us to do the same.  We cease on one of the good things that God tells us to do and think, "Okay, so more of that would be even better!" and go from using our words instead of our fists to never fighting back even to offset a wrong.  If peace is better than violence, then cooperation that prevents bloodshed is good!  Or we think that if encouraging young people to wait for marriage for their own benefit is good, then shaming and scaring them so that they actually do it must be even better!

Wash not just my feet but my head and heart as well.

The really dangerous thing about this reaction -- seizing on the thing you see that is genuinely good and doing it over and over or more and moreso or harder and harder -- is that you miss what the ACTUAL follow up to that goodness should be.  If you're focused on what else Jesus can wash clean to make you better, you will never get around to washing the feet of others.

You'll misunderstand what the next step in service and love of God should be if you are too intent on figuring out the system so that you can game it -- rack up points on the holiness side of the equation.  If you don't stay open and listen to God and focus on the simple things He told us.  Love God, serve your neighbor.  Let God wash your sins away, and then turn and serve the needs of others.  Wipe their sins away with forgiveness or relief for the consequences it brings them or healing for their injuries.

Turn and do unto others as GOD has done unto you.  Don't just repeat the thing He first asked of you over and over again.  Look for what He wanted you to do next, growing out of that first gift of love.