Know Who You Are
Maundy Thursday
Daily Reading: John 13:1 – 15
Focus Passage:
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (Jn. 13:1 – 5)
All of Jesus’ actions, both on this night and through the last days of his life, are framed by these words: “Jesus knew that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
In other words, Jesus knew who he was. He knew his identity. He knew that he had emerged from the heart of God and was returning to the heart of God. He knew his origins and his destiny, the Source of his being and the Goal of his being.
He didn’t have to worry about what people thought of him. He didn’t wring his hands over how others estimated him. He was free to do what he needed to do because he was free to be fully the person God created him to be.
In the immediate context of this passage, he was free to take off his outer clothing, wrap a towel around his waist, and stoop to wash the dusty feet of his disciples. It was an unheard-of act for a rabbi or teacher to stoop in that way, yet Jesus was free from social expectations and relational norms. He was not bound by what others thought he should do. As he said in another place, he only acted and said what he first heard the Father do and say, so he was free of the obligations others placed upon him.
If we looked honestly at our days, we would be quite surprised at how much of our existence is driven by obligation and demand. We live with the continual expectations others have of us. We live out of roles that come with “oughts” and “shoulds.” We easily lose sight of “where we have come from” and “where we are going.” We lose touch with our core, our basic identity.
The many hats we wear are not bad, but we live oblivious of their pull upon us. We fail to see how relentlessly they drive us, how the roles become larger than the soul-truth that our lives carry.
Jesus lived fully into his God-given identity, so he was able to enter fully into Holy Week without backing down. He washed feet, he was publicly humiliated, he was lashed with a whip, he was crucified.
But he also was free to enter into these situations because he knew who he was with God. That wasn’t up for debate with him. So he acted with courage and inner freedom.
For Reflection:
On this Maundy Thursday, spend some time pondering the phrase, “Jesus knew that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
Consider the same phrase using your name: “______ knew that he/she had come from God and was returning to God.” Sit with that phrase for several minutes. Write in your journal whatever arises within you.
Daily Reading: John 13:1 – 15
Focus Passage:
It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.
The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. (Jn. 13:1 – 5)
All of Jesus’ actions, both on this night and through the last days of his life, are framed by these words: “Jesus knew that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
In other words, Jesus knew who he was. He knew his identity. He knew that he had emerged from the heart of God and was returning to the heart of God. He knew his origins and his destiny, the Source of his being and the Goal of his being.
He didn’t have to worry about what people thought of him. He didn’t wring his hands over how others estimated him. He was free to do what he needed to do because he was free to be fully the person God created him to be.
In the immediate context of this passage, he was free to take off his outer clothing, wrap a towel around his waist, and stoop to wash the dusty feet of his disciples. It was an unheard-of act for a rabbi or teacher to stoop in that way, yet Jesus was free from social expectations and relational norms. He was not bound by what others thought he should do. As he said in another place, he only acted and said what he first heard the Father do and say, so he was free of the obligations others placed upon him.
If we looked honestly at our days, we would be quite surprised at how much of our existence is driven by obligation and demand. We live with the continual expectations others have of us. We live out of roles that come with “oughts” and “shoulds.” We easily lose sight of “where we have come from” and “where we are going.” We lose touch with our core, our basic identity.
The many hats we wear are not bad, but we live oblivious of their pull upon us. We fail to see how relentlessly they drive us, how the roles become larger than the soul-truth that our lives carry.
Jesus lived fully into his God-given identity, so he was able to enter fully into Holy Week without backing down. He washed feet, he was publicly humiliated, he was lashed with a whip, he was crucified.
But he also was free to enter into these situations because he knew who he was with God. That wasn’t up for debate with him. So he acted with courage and inner freedom.
For Reflection:
On this Maundy Thursday, spend some time pondering the phrase, “Jesus knew that he had come from God and was returning to God.”
Consider the same phrase using your name: “______ knew that he/she had come from God and was returning to God.” Sit with that phrase for several minutes. Write in your journal whatever arises within you.
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