Thursday 30 March 2017

Maundy Thursday - Text: John 13:1-17, 31b-35 – The temptation of “the selfie”

Sermon 2nd April 2015 – Maundy Thursday
Text: John 13:1-17, 31b-35 – The temptation of “the selfie”

There is an interesting comparison between 2 of the characters in the account of Jesus death.
Jesus and Pilate.
Jesus stands before Pilate for an extended period of time.
Pilate wants to let Jesus go.
Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 19:4)
The Jews don’t accept this and demand his crucifixion.
But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.” (John 19:6)
Even his wife knew that something was amiss.
Pilate’s wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.” (Matthew 27:19)
In the end, fearing the Jews, fearing Jesus, fearing his wife, Pilate only has one option:
He took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!” (Matthew 27:24)
Washing his hands was Pilate’s way of looking after himself – if you want to crucify him, you take him and do it.
Compare that to what we see Jesus doing today – washing feet.
But not his own feet but the feet of his disciples.
This is not an act of selfishness but an act of love and servanthood looking out for the other person.
Even Peter is shocked by this unusual act of servanthood –
“You will never wash my feet”. (John 13:8)
Sounds quite pious and what we might expect from a devout follower of Jesus.
But it sounds very similar to a previous encounter between Peter and Jesus where Peter hides his own selfishness behind an act of piety.
Back when Jesus predicted his suffering and death Peter responded with:
“Heaven forbid, Lord,” he said. “This will never happen to you!” (Matthew 16:22)
What Peter is really saying is – I don’t want that to ever happen to me.
Peter was a bit like that;
Remember at the Transfiguration where he wanted to build 3 shelters to stay on top of the mountain. (Matthew 17:4)
What about everyone else?
But Jesus saw through Peter’s veiled attempt of self-preservation:
“Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.” (Matthew 16:23).
Pilate and Peter are displaying typical human behaviours, thinking of themselves, while Jesus is giving a new commandment:
Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34,35)
This is different to the earlier commandment where Jesus says – Love your neighbour as yourself as it still has the starting point as oneself.
Now Jesus is saying to begin by looking at how he has loved us as the starting point.
Jesus loved the sinner.
Jesus put aside his own needs for our needs – “not my will be done but yours”. (Luke 22:42)
Jesus went against social conventions when he touched the leper (Matthew 8:3), when he let the sinful woman touch him, (Luke 7:36-50) when he healed the Canaanite woman’s daughter, (Matthew 15:21-28) when he ate at Zacchaeus’s house (Luke 19:1-10) when he told the people to example the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10:25-37) their despised neighbour and the list could go on and on where Jesus looks at the needs of others ahead of his own.
This is a real change for our present society.
We live in a society where the “selfie” is the modern craze where we take pictures of ourselves.
No longer is the camera facing away from us – no it’s now turned in on us – and in fact last year the biggest selling Christmas gift was the “selfie-stick” –
And extendable rod that you attach to your phone so you can take even better pictures of yourself.
Everything in society seems to be going to the “self”.
Many years it began with “self-serve” petrol.
Now we see “self-serve” checkouts at our supermarkets.
Self-managed superannuation.
The “self” is where we are told to put our confidence in.
If you want the job done – do it yourself.
But now Jesus shows us the better way –
To look away from the “self” – to deny oneself and look to Jesus selfless act of giving his love to others.
As you come to Holy Communion this evening, remember that here is the love of Jesus that we are called to look to when he says – love one another as I have loved you.
This is how Jesus has loved you and he will repeat it in chapter 15 when he says:
My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.  (John 15:12,13).
Love begins not with ourselves but by looking to how God loves us which John tells us:

This is real love—not that we loved God, but that God first loved us. (1 John 4:10, 19).

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