3/30/2019   3 Comments (at the bottom of this reflection.)

Today's question:
"Do you know what I have done to you?"

From John 13:

12 After he had washed their feet, had put on his robe, and had returned to the table, he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? 13 You call me Teacher and Lord—and you are right, for that is what I am. 14 So if I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. 

Reflection from Don Ankeny

Jesus did not ask “What have I done for you? That would have been easy to answer. He had washed their feet. But instead Jesus asked a tougher question “Do you know what I have done to you?” Jesus went on to explain that by washing their feet, Jesus, the teacher, had lowered himself from a social level of their superior to the level of a servant, by doing a job reserved for a servant. Now Jesus expected his disciples to follow his example and to serve one another. From then on, no one would be considered better than another. What Jesus had done to his disciples was to set a new standard in the way they were to treat one another. Teacher and student, master and slave are to treat each other as of equal worth.

When I read the background scripture leading up to Jesus asking this question, what struck me the most was that the meal had started. Then Jesus stopped eating and got some water and a towel and began washing his disciple’s feet. Why didn’t he wash their feet before the meal started? I suspect that he had suddenly realized this was an extremely important lesson he needed to teach and he would not have another opportunity to teach this important point. So, he had to teach it right away even though the meal had started.

I remember a time when I was in grade school a couple of weeks before the end of the school year. My teacher had the textbook in her hand and was preparing to give us our homework assignment. Suddenly she started flipping quickly through the pages of the book. I remember this because I thought I saw the look of panic in her face. Then she seemed to calm down and calmly announced she wanted to get us to the end of our current section of the book before the end of the school year. Apparently, she had a goal to teach us certain things and had suddenly realized her time was running very short.
Did Jesus, like my teacher, have a sudden realization that this lesson had to be taught, and taught right away while he still had time? We will never know? But I think that is what happened. What do you think? Is this important for us to learn? 

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Comments

John Nankervis
Sat, Mar 30, 2019 at 1:58 pm
Thanks for giving me a focus point to think about.
Don't put off till tomorrow what you can learn today.

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Harolyn Thogersen
Sat, Mar 30, 2019 at 9:05 pm
Until you pointed it out, I never noticed that Jesus said ‘done to,’ and not ‘done for,’ when he asked his disciples “Do you know what I have done to you?” Regardless of the word Jesus used, I would have continued to think he meant ‘done for you,’ and without your observation that it appeared Jesus suddenly realized his time was short, I would have missed the unspoken admonition that time is running short -- for all of us, to do as He demonstrated.

I focused on many things in previous decades, and more recently, on faith and being faithful, and yes, on time being short, since I am in my 70s. But even in ‘good works,’ often my goal was to do tasks well, and, and in discourse, to get a point across, or to be correct -- not on interacting with others with humility, as Jesus asked of his disciples, and of us, today. Humility is a more ‘inviting’ choice, implying a togetherness, and a ‘level playing field.’ 
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Most of us interact with others every day, on small and large matters. How can we “treat each other as of equal worth,” as Don said? We could practice; today! Thank you for your thought-provoking words, Don. 

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kay maloney
Tue, Apr 2, 2019 at 7:26 pm
Thanks Don, I do think it's important to learn that time is of the essence & that as Jesus said, we should wash each others feet.

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About Today's Author

Don Ankeny is a long time member of First United Methodist Church of Des Plaines. He and his wife, Loryn, recently moved to Lombard, IL.

​They have a son who was married this year and now also lives in Lombard.

Recently Don has discovered the fun to be had playing Pickle Ball.

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