When considering the events of the final night of Jesus’ life, at least one thing is clear. Whether you look at the stories in the synoptic Gospels or in John’s Gospel, it seems abundantly apparent that Jesus reveals profound Truths through the use of common, ordinary, everyday, even mundane things. He takes bread and cup and transforms them into a holy banquet. He takes towel and basin and transforms them into divine service. “Keep it simple” seems to be Jesus’ motto -- which is probably a very good thing for us.

It was a dark time in Jesus’ life. He could read the writing on the walls. The tension was mounting and the powers-that-be were growing increasingly disturbed by his profoundly simple message of God’s unconditional love and grace. They were coming for him, and he knew it. And yet, in the midst of that gathering storm, in what would turn out to be his last hours, he greets his disciples with a towel over his arm and a basin of water in his hands. He gets down on his hands and knees and engages in a task normally reserved for slaves and servants. Jesus washes their dirty feet. And he says with his actions, this is what it means to be my disciple. This is what it means to follow the path where I would lead you. This is what it means to be a person of faith. Not thinking righteous thoughts and developing intricate theological systems. Not believing just the right doctrine and dogma. Not praying lofty and beautiful prayers. If you want to follow me, Jesus seems to be saying, you better be prepared to wash dirty feet.

Of course we would rather not hear that message. It is not surprising that the church, at least for the most part, has focused on the upper room stories we find in Matthew, Mark and Luke. Sharing bread and cup is a relatively safe activity. The most we have to worry about is whether we need to use real wine or if grape juice will suffice, and who gets to come to the table. Of course even sharing bread and cup can become a messy business, as Peter discovered when God told him to go eat dinner with Cornelius, but for the most part it is easier to look the other way and pretend that it is just a nice, sweet, safe ritual of the Church. But not so when we dare to venture into John’s Gospel. We find ourselves faced with the prospect of actually getting our hands dirty. And worse yet, we have to actually touch each other. I can pass you the bread and the cup without ever touching you or even looking at you. But things don’t stay so neat and tidy when I wash your dirty feet, or allow you to wash mine.

We want our faith to be safe. We want to be in control. We want to choose who we will touch and who will touch us, both figuratively and literally. But when we choose to follow Jesus, all of that goes out the window. Faith is not safe. Just in case we are tempted to forget that truth, tomorrow is Good Friday and we all have crosses in our sanctuaries. We don’t get to be in control. It is hard to receive the gifts which God would give us when our fists are closed and our arms are crossed and our jaws are clenched. We don’t get to choose who to touch and who will touch us. Jesus washes Peter’s feet. Peter eats dinner with Cornelius. We are called to go into all the world.

Washing dirty feet is not what we would choose as a symbol for our faith. Fortunately for us, we aren’t always the ones who get to choose such things. What are the dirty feet in your life that need to be washed? What are the dirty feet which you need to wash? Are we really ready to follow Jesus?