I enjoyed preaching this sermon in the Maundy Thursday setting in our sanctuary. It felt good. After the John Scripture lesson, we sang a hymn that told the story of the woman anointing Jesus' feet with perfume, so when I mentioned it in the sermon, the congregation had just sung about it. I had Move 2 and Move 3 already done when I read the blog by Ian Paul, so I added a Move 1 (actually renumbered to what is below) with an abbreviated description of his blog on Jesus' foolishness.
“A Foolish Next Step” April 1, 2021; Maundy Thursday; SAPC, Denton; Dr. Richard B. Culp John 13: 1-20; Mark 14: 12-24 Lenten 2021 series “Postcards from the Wilderness”
Mark 14: 12-24
12 On the first day of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 13 So he sent two of his disciples, saying to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him, 14 and wherever he enters, say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16 So the disciples set out and went to the city, and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal.
17 When it was evening, he came with the twelve. 18 And when they had taken their places and were eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.” 19 They began to be distressed and to say to him one after another, “Surely, not I?” 20 He said to them, “It is one of the twelve, one who is dipping bread[e] into the bowl[f] with me. 21 For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born.”
22 While they were eating, he took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, and all of them drank from it. 24 He said to them, “This is my blood of the[g] covenant, which is poured out for many. 25 Truly I tell you, I will never again drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Introduction: Lenten journey has been about moving through the wilderness. Last Sunday, we reflected on our final steps in the wilderness and our next steps as we move to new places.
As we gather here on Maundy Thursday, let’s take a look at some of Jesus’ final steps.
We might say, not just because it is April Fool’s Day, that Jesus in these last day, is taking foolish steps.
At least foolish from the world’s point of view that values power; prestige; money; and control.
Move 1: We might note that the last foolish steps Jesus takes are not the first foolish steps Jesus has taken.
a. Theologian Ian Paul notes the following foolish moves by Jesus.
1. He was a fool to be born in a marginal place, well away from the spheres of influence. It would have been so much wiser to have been born amongst the elite, of royal blood,
He was a fool for having his birth announced to a ragtag assortment of foreigners and shepherds. Hardly the trusted witnesses he should have found.
He was a fool to follow that raving eccentric John the Baptist, even if he was a cousin, and even to be baptized to him. What a fool.
He was a fool to choose those 12 men—and even more foolish to count women amongst his disciples (we all know how unreliable they are). Did he think he could begin a national renewal movement with that mixed bag? What a fool.
He was a fool to leave the people who knew and loved him, and set his face towards Jerusalem, where he knew trouble waited for him. l.
He was a fool to not out Judas, or to trust his friends to stand by him in the garden, or during his trial, to not deny him.
(I had already been working on this sermon when I ran across Ian Paul’s blog “psephizo," April 1, 2021, https://www.psephizo.com. The background on Jesus’ foolishness comes from his blog.)
Move 2: Or consider the story from the Gospel of John that depicts what Jesus does when he gathers with his disciples in
not big on feet. You remember when Mary anointed Jesus feet by taking expensive perfume and wiping them with her hair?
Judas takes umbrage that she is using expensive perfume instead of selling it and giving to the poor. I would have questioned why she would touch his feet!
But here is Jesus doing something similar with his disciples. not anointing with perfume, but doing the customary washing of the guests feet.
The one they call Lord; the one who is the Son of God; stooping to wash the feet of his disciples, the ones he know will shortly betray and deny him. What foolishness!
The Master washes the feet of the servants.
And to top it off, he sets that as the example for his disciples to follow. he invites them to the foolishness he shows to them.
Move 3: Or whatever about the story we read in the Gospel of Mark.
Jesus with his disciples for the Passover meal. But, Jesus changes the script.
Instead of the story of the angel of death passing over the the Israelites homes in Egypt, jesus tells another story.
he tells the disciples that his body will be a gift to them and his blood would be poured out for them because it was the blood of the covenant.
His friends who gathered with him do not know what he means, but they will.
In a few days his words will sink in - he is giving himself over to crucifixion - death on the cross, where his blood will be shed and his body will be broken.
Death on the cross - his gift to his people.
Talk about a foolish step — willingly dying for the sake of those who will betray him, who will deny him, who will run away afraid for their lives.
Both his followers on that night and his followers in years to come.
People like you and I; people who will sin and turn away; people whom Christ still invites to his Table to receive his gift of body and blood.
conclusion: Here we are, in this sanctuary or in your homes on April Fool’s Day.
On Maundy Thursday, the day when we remember the foolishness of our Savior.
And hear his call to come to his table and join in his foolishness.
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