Summary: Jesus, after setting an example for service and discipleship in his name through the act of washing the feet of his disciples, then tells them -- and us -- that though we may not feel ready, we are called to become a part of this great story of salvation.
As the autumn of 1796 approached, George Washington, who had led the American people in battles both military and political for 45 years, and who now was nearing the end of his second term as President of the United States, set about to accomplish what many considered unthinkable: to decline to continue leading the nation.
Eight years earlier, when the presidential electors cast their ballots in the first Presidential contest, most assumed only one man was qualified for this job, and for that reason Washington was elected unanimously.
Many assumed he would serve for life. Washington himself made no such assumption. Instead, he called upon his friend and protege Alexander Hamilton to help him craft what became his classic farewell address. For decades afterward, it was considered as important a document as the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution.
His closing words were powerful. "Though in reviewing the incidents of my administration I am unconscious of intentional error, I am nevertheless too sensible of my defects not to think it probable that I may have committed many errors. Whatever they may be, I fervently beseech the Almighty to avert or mitigate the evils to which they may tend. I shall also carry with me the hope that my country will never cease to view them with indulgence and that, after forty-five years of my life dedicated to its service with an upright zeal, the faults of incompetent abilities will be consigned to oblivion, as myself must soon be to the mansions of rest."1
As it turned out, despite the fears of many, the nation did move on. There were mistakes and disappointments, as well as acts of heroism, and successes. Things weren't perfect, but the nation endured after Washington.
Rewind 1760-ish years and another farewell address -- one difference being that despite the fact his words are clear to us, when Jesus said, "A little while, and you will no longer see me ...,"2 it's not clear that his disciples really understood that the Lord they loved and served was leaving them.
This farewell address occupies John chapters 13 through 16 and begins not with words but with an unforgettable example. Jesus rose from the table, girded himself with a towel, and washed the feet of his disciples. As Jesus made clear, typically one bathed before coming to a special meal, but the vagaries of the road insured that regardless of what care one took, and whether one walked barefoot or in sandals, upon arrival one's feet required washing.3
Washing feet was considered a degrading task. One either washed one's own feet, or one's host provided a slave to perform this procedure. According to author John Christopher Thomas, there is no record in the ancient world of a person in a superior station of life washing the feet of someone who would be considered inferior. Yet this is precisely what Jesus did.4
And to make it clearer, Jesus added, "You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for that is what I am. So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have set you an example, that you also should do as I have done to you."5
Most Christians, even those who literally wash feet as part of their observance of this event, point to this as symbolically telling us we are to imitate Jesus in radical service and servanthood to the world.
Throughout his farewell address, Jesus would return again and again to the command of service and humility, not only in his impending death, but also in care and service for each other.
The imitation of Christ, God's presence in humanity -- one of the essential theological stances of the followers of Jesus -- is emphasized throughout the larger passage, but in today's brief reading Jesus also calls into play the actions of God as Spirit and Creator. This is one reason this passage is shared today, on Trinity Sunday.
The Trinity is one of the ways we understand God, and I emphasize the word "we," because the concept of the Trinity is not explicitly a part of scripture. It is part of our struggle to understand the words of God not only in this farewell address, but throughout scripture.
Although this idea of the Trinity is largely human in origin, it is a very helpful way to understand both the complexity and mystery of God's presence among us. Some may ask, in response to words about Three Persons in One God, how can one being be several people? Some might even accuse us Christians of being polytheistic, believing in multiple gods.
But a more helpful analogy might simply be to consider the way each of us fulfills several roles while remaining one person. We are definitely someone's child, as Jesus is the Son of God. Some of us are parents as well. Some of us are siblings and spouses, or grandparents and grandchildren. Some, like the Spirit, may move behind the scenes.
One result of these several different identities is that we are perceived differently by our spouses, parents, children, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, the boss, an employee, creator (as painter, writer, sculptor, and the idea guy around the manufacturing plant) -- and no one is suggesting that we are godlike in the least, except the psalmist, who says God, who is mindful of humanity, has made us "... a little lower than God ...."6
So even though Jesus is making it clear to the disciples that he is getting ready to depart, he is also telling them that in no way are they, or we, abandoned.
This short passage begins with Jesus telling his disciples that though there are still many things to be said, "you cannot bear them now." All that Jesus has said and shown us, about washing each other's feet, bearing each other's burdens, sharing the cup of cold water, feeding the hungry, visiting the sick and bearing the load for "the least of these," together constitute a burden greater than we can bear -- at first.7 Our faith is something for us to grow in. Discipleship is a process.
And for this reason, the Spirit of Truth, also referred to in his larger passage as the Comforter or Advocate, will continue to provide guidance. And the Creator, in this passage called the Father, has shared with and through Jesus, the Incarnate, the ineffable glory of all that is and was and will be.8
All this, as stated earlier, is too much to bear at first. The word Jesus uses, bastadzein, refers to trial and suffering. Perhaps it should be translated "You cannot bear it, hack it, stand it now." Yet it is not unreasonable to suggest that the more we are about the work of God, the greater our endurance. Surely, we understand this to be the case when it comes to something both physical and mental, growing in endurance as an athlete. Runners push themselves in shorter races, learning to embrace the struggle and suffering of long-distance events, until in the Marathon they can draw on deep reserves they have built up in preparation for 26.2 miles.
When Jesus said, "You cannot bear it now," it wasn't meant as a put down. It's an honest fact. There are some things we simply cannot bear at this time, knowledge that is too difficult to think about. We need layers of comfort to survive.
But the harsh truths are out there. In order to bear some things, we will need a transformation.
Transformation comes in stages. Like Paul says, step by step: "... affliction produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not put us to shame."9
One way to build that endurance includes practicing the physical trappings of faith. Do we need to pray on our knees? No. But if that helps us concentrate and get the job done, then perhaps yes. Stick to it. Prayer may not always be meaningful, exciting, "glowing," but at least you're telling God, "I'm here!"
In George Washington's farewell address, there is an implicit assumption -- Washington believes that despite his absence the nation will endure and even triumph. And though Jesus in his farewell address warns his disciples of the difficulties that lie ahead, he is also confident that "When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth," as he says in today's passage. The church endures through changes. And with the guidance of the Spirit, we can be confident that until the Lord's return we will be ready when we are called to serve -- in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.