The Order of the Basin and Towel

 

Read John 13:1-17

It is Thursday night, the night before Jesus was to be crucified. In John 13:1-2  we read that Jesus' hour had come, and he would soon be dead. This was his destiny and these men with him were his beloved disciples, the men he had chosen and the Father had given him. He knew that the Devil had already put into Judas’ heart to betray him. Judas was one he had chosen and like the others, Judas was loved until the end, even though Judas was destined to betray Jesus.

In Luke 22:7-13 we learn that Jesus sent Peter and John off to secure a large room in Jerusalem and to prepare the meal to celebrate Passover - the Last Supper. Jesus and the rest of the disciples are most likely resting at the home of Lazarus and his sisters. One can only guess that Lazarus had invited Jesus and his disciples to stay for the Passover meal. However, we can be sure Jesus explained why he must meet alone with his disciples in a borrowed upper room in Jerusalem.

It is now time for the Passover meal. I can imagine that as the disciples climbed the stairs to the upper room a lively “discussion” erupted between the disciples as to who was the greatest amongst them. (Luke 22:24-27) Jesus heard their “discussion” and chuckled to himself and thought to himself another teachable moment. 

Using more creative imagination, we can imagine that Jesus entered the room first and thanked Peter and John for all their hard work. Then as host of the meal, Jesus assigned each of the disciples their place to recline and eat the meal. He placed John on his right and Judas of all people on his left side. Peter was not assigned a place to Jesus’ immediate right or left side. He, I am sure, was not happy.

Scripture tells at some point and time Jesus “rose from supper (it was teachable moment time). He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.” ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭4‬-‭5‬ ‭ESV‬‬ 

Since feet clad only in sandals tend to get dusty on the unpaved roads of Palestine, it was customary for a host to provide a basin of water so guests could wash their own feet. The disciples were stunned and silent that Jesus was washing their feet. This was unheard of, Rabbis don’t do this. How could Jesus do such a thing when he was their Lord, their Messiah, and their teacher?

When Jesus got to Peter to wash his feet, Peter asked Jesus if he was going to wash his feet. “Jesus answered, “You don’t understand now what I’m doing, but it will be clear enough to you later.” Peter persisted, “You’re not going to wash my feet—ever!” Jesus said, “If I don’t wash you, you can’t be part of what I’m doing.” “Master!” said Peter. “Not only my feet, then. Wash my hands! Wash my head!” ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭7‬-‭9‬ ‭MSG‬‬

“Jesus said, “If you’ve had a bath in the morning, you only need your feet washed now and you’re clean from head to toe. My concern, you understand, is holiness, not hygiene. So now you’re clean. But not every one of you.” (He knew who was betraying him. That’s why he said, “Not every one of you.”) After he had finished washing their feet, he took his robe, put it back on, and went back to his place at the table. Then he said, “Do you understand what I have done to you? You address me as ‘Teacher’ and ‘Master,’ and rightly so. That is what I am. So if I, the Master and Teacher, washed your feet, you must now wash each other’s feet. I’ve laid down a pattern for you. What I’ve done, you do. I’m only pointing out the obvious. A servant is not ranked above his master; an employee doesn’t give orders to the employer. If you understand what I’m telling you, act like it—and live a blessed life.” ‭‭John‬ ‭13‬:‭12‬-‭17‬ ‭MSG‬‬

If Jesus the Lord and Rabbi sets an example of humbling himself to serve, how much more should we, his disciples, do so, rather than touting our own self-importance? In Mark's Gospel Jesus taught his disciples:“ But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” ‭‭Mark‬ ‭10‬:‭43‬b-‭45‬ ‭ESV‬‬

When one of the graduating classes of the Denver Seminary marched across the platform to receive their diplomas, Dr. Vernon Grounds, then the seminary president, presented each graduate with a gift.  A new Bible?  No.  An inspiring book?  Again, no.  Possibly, a plaque of commendation?  Again, negative.  He presented each person with a towel‑‑a common ordinary hand towel to remind them of the example of Jesus‑‑a visual reminder of the fact we are to be servants, not lords.  Those towels have now been carried all over the world by men and women who have learned that lesson well.  (Dr. Harold J. Sala, Guidelines For Living)

Would like to serve others and join the “order of the basin and towel”?

© Douglas R. Yost All rights reserved

What is Maundy Thursday?

Our local churches here in London Kentucky have been meeting this week for combined Holy Week services at the United Methodist Church. The Methodists graciously opened their church for the noon services. Thursday was my church’s turn to plan the worship and provide a “light” meal. Of course, the First Presbyterian Church’s ladies outdid themselves with the light lunch.

In some traditions, churches will have evening worship services to remember the time of teaching in the Upper Room where Jesus taught the first Lord’s Supper. We call those worship services Maundy Thursday services. I remember a man asking me “Pastor what is ‘Maundy Thursday”? He was new to the church. Some of you might also be asking “What is Maundy Thursday?” Most people know what Good Friday is and I am reasonably sure the vast majority of people know about Easter. But, I would hazard a guess that most do not know what Maundy Thursday is. 

Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Good Friday when Jesus and his disciples met in a borrowed upper room of a house to celebrate the Passover meal. Jesus was winding down his time teaching the disciples but he still had some very important lessons for the disciples. Therefore, he was very deliberate and intentional in what he wanted to say. By this time Jesus was done with his public teaching ministry and he knew it was his time, the hour of his suffering, crucifixion, and death was upon him. 

Before the Passover meal had even begun Jesus surprised his disciples by washing their feet. The Gospel of John is the only Gospel to record Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. This is an extraordinary display of humility. It was unheard of that a teacher would stoop to wash his student's feet. He then commanded them to do the same for each other. 

What Does Maundy Thursday Mean? Christ's "mandate" is commemorated on Maundy Thursday---"maundy" being a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means "command."   His mandate or command was that they should “...love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”  John 13:34-35  While Scripture doesn't forbid us to commemorate days like Maundy Thursday, the main question is are we observing Christ's new command to love one another?

Even before Maundy Thursday, Jesus taught the crowds of people who followed him and his disciples that he, Jesus, was the Bread of Life. (John 6:35) The Jews began to complain about his claim when they knew him as the son of Joseph. (John 6: 41-42) He further astonished the crowd and his disciples when he said: 'I am the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats of this bread will live forever, and the bread that I will give for the life of the world is my flesh.” ' (John 6:51) When the Jews heard this they disputed among themselves saying, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat?” ' (John 6:52) Even some of his disciples (not the twelve) said, “This teaching is difficult; who can accept it?” ' (John 6:60). 

After this teaching about the Bread of Life, many of his disciples turned back and no longer walked with him. So Jesus asked the twelve, “Do you want to go away as well?” Simon Peter answered him, “Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life, and we have believed, and have come to know, that you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:66-69)

Jesus taught the disciples that evening the words and meaning of the Lord’s Supper, communion. “This is my body, this is my blood.”(Matthew 26: 26, 28)  No wonder the early Christians were viewed with suspicion by their neighbors. Do they eat their founder’s flesh? Do they drink his blood? Taken literally, this would be cause for alarm. And it was alarming to those on the outside looking in. The Lord’s Supper is still a deep mystery to the casual observer.  How shall we understand this uniquely Christian ceremony? What does it mean to us? (King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching Sermons Second Quarter 2015) 

John the Baptist, when he introduced Jesus to his followers, said “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world” (John 1:29). The Lord’s Supper is rooted in the Old Testament concept of the slaying of a lamb to provide protection and salvation for the people of God. It is a Christ-centered event that brings glory to God and to his son Jesus. The Lord’s Supper is a reminder to us that we are not a social club. Neither are we a service organization. We are those who have been redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. 

“The very word “communion” refers not only to our individual relationship with God but also to our relationship with those with whom we worship. We are a family. We may seem a bit dysfunctional at times, but we are joined together as the body of Christ.” (King Duncan, Dynamic Preaching Sermons Second Quarter 2015)

Dr.  Paul Brand tells about an Arabic Baptist church in Israel that has a way to celebrate the breaking of communion bread. When they come together, each member brings a handful of grains of wheat.  It may be from one’s own field, or from their personal supplies at home. They each pour their grains into a common pot as they enter the church. When all have come, and while the worship goes on, the pot is taken to the kitchen and somebody quickly grinds the wheat in a stone mill, mixes in water and salt, and kneads the flour into a loaf.  It is put into the already-heated oven and baked.

By the time the service is finished, and the church moves into celebrating the Lord’s Supper and the breaking of bread, the loaf is ready. As each member breaks off his own portion, he or she is sharing grains of flour with every member of the church. When asked why they do this, one member replied, “As individual seeds, we are each alone and separate from each other. Only when we are broken into flour and baked together can we experience full fellowship.” 

This small church has discovered a richness in its celebration of Communion that is missing in many churches. This means the culture inside these walls is different from that which is outside. Competitiveness is replaced by cooperation. Looking out for number one is replaced by loving God and loving our neighbor. We are a family, the family of Christ. (God’s Forever Feast, Grand Rapids: Discovery House Publishers).

My Personal Jesus Revolution

February 1969 was just like any February in my life up to now, at least that is what I thought. I was a freshman in high school and I found myself on a Young Life retreat at a Salvation Army Youth camp in southern Ohio. I had been attending Young Life, a Christian youth outreach that met weekly, since school started in September 1968.  Also, I went every Thursday morning to Teen Breakfast Club, a youth outreach ministry of College Hill Presbyterian Church. I can still remember the Assistant Pastor, Dr. R C Sproul speaking many times. That church was also big into Young Life and helped sponsor clubs in high schools all over the Cincinnati area. Growth in Young Life groups mushroomed. We did not know it at the time but we were part of the Jesus Revolution and we were all Jesus People! 

Well, that February in 1969 I became a Christian and to say the least it changed the whole trajectory of my life. I became very involved in Christian music and felt God calling me to ministry. One of my best friends and I paired up to create a guitar-playing singing duet called Bob and Doug. I know the name was lame but it worked for Simon and Garfunkle. 

One of the things that were popular in the late sixties and early seventies was coffee houses, especially Christian coffee houses for us Jesus People. Most of the time the focus was live music, food, coffee, and Bible studies. Such good memories of The Back Door sponsored by College Hill Presbyterian Church, Friendship House sponsored by Wyoming United Methodist Church, and The Jesus House (not sure about the name of the church or the actual name of the Coffee house, my little gray cells are fewer in number so we will for now just call it “The House”). 

One Saturday night at The House, Bob and I had just finished our last set of music. It was getting close for The House to close up. I was chatting with one of the pastors of the church that sponsored The House and was telling him that I had been Baptized as an infant but really wished I could be baptized again by immersion now that I had actually become a Christian. He said “ I will baptize you if you want. I have heard you sing several times and give your testimony. I am confident that you are a Christ follower, and besides the baptistery is full of warm water for a Baptism tomorrow. We always keep it ready for baptisms anytime.” 

The next thing I know I am standing in warm water in my clothes. The pastor asked me to give my testimony to everybody. I turned to look out towards what I thought would be an empty auditorium to find that it was packed with people from The House. The next thing I know the pastor is baptizing me. When I came up from being under the water, all I could hear was loud clapping and cheering. I climbed out of the baptistery to a warm dry towel being held by the pastor’s wife. 

The pastor then asked, “Does anyone else want to be baptized?”  Three hands shot up in the air. By the time we were done over a dozen people were baptized. I was getting ready to leave the church and this guy came over to me and handed me a beautiful shiny steel cross on a necklace chain. “Hey brother, welcome to the family.” The cool thing is they welcomed me to be baptized and I didn’t even attend the church. They were simply family. That is the way it was during the Jesus Revolution..I never was in the church again. Someday in heaven when all my little gray cells are healthy again perhaps I will remember the pastor’s name and once again thank him.

Let me clarify a couple of things. I do not believe that if you become a Christian and you’re baptized as an infant you should get baptized again. That was my choice that I did. Nor do I believe you have to be Baptized by immersion. Please be clear you are not saved by Baptism. You are saved by faith not by works. Baptism is something that you do, it is a “work”. You are not saved by “works”.

Chapter One: They Call Me HoJo

 “Hey, HoJo, you awake up there? Everyone keeps asking about you, and I could use some help!” I awoke with a jolt, “Where am I?"  Then I realize I am home in my bed, but why does everything smell like smoke? “Fire!” I tumbled out of bed only to realize that I was smelling myself! I got called out to a fire last night, and when I came home, I never changed out of my clothes. I must have just crawled into bed in my clothes.

“Fire? What do you mean, fire?” Into my room ran Barnabus Phifer, aka Barney, my business partner, and best friend. “Fire? You okay, HoJo? Oh man, dude, you smell like smoke. What did you do, sleep in your clothes?”

My name is Howard Johnson. I know, I know, just like the restaurant. However, Howard Johnson was a real entrepreneur who started the popular Americana foods restaurant, Howard Johnson’s in the 1920s. My dad named me after him. Johnson started out selling ice cream at a soda fountain in a pharmacy; he purchased it for $2000, and soon his claim to fame was that he had 28 flavors! “Can you imagine that 28 flavors of ice cream,” my dad used to say. 

Stopping at Howard Johnson’s restaurants was my favorite thing about the long drive on the Pennsylvania Turnpike to granny and grandpop’s house in New Jersey each summer. You could always find a Howard Johnson’s just about anywhere. I can remember the restaurant’s iconic orange roofs, with cupolas and weathervanes.  I would order the Clam Boat - deep-fried clams, served in a split-top hotdog bun, or the Frankforter - a grilled hotdog also served in a split-top hotdog bun with a side order of incredible french fries or onion rings. But the absolute best was trying to decide what flavor of ice cream I wanted; I mean, there were 28 flavors. In the end, it was always ice cream with some kind of chocolate in it. I love chocolate.

For as long as I can remember, my nickname has been HoJo. My little sister gave me my nickname because I never stopped talking about Howard Johnson. HoJo was also the nickname and a trademark of Howard Johnson’s restaurants. I used to tell people that I, too, was one day going to own a bunch of restaurants like Howard Johnson and be rich and famous.

I grew up in Charleston, Ohio, on Lake Erie. My parents moved there when I was ten. Built where the St. Charles River meets Lake Erie, Charleston was an industrial city anchored in steel mills, shipyards, and auto assembly plants. It was a culturally diverse community. Charleston is home to Polish and Italian immigrants, black folks, white folks, Hispanic migrant workers, Jews, West Virginians, and more. People came from far and wide to work in the steel mills, build ships, assemble cars and vans, and open up businesses. Charleston was known as the “International City” because it was home to over 70 different nationalities. It was a booming city with a vibrant economy and a racially mixed community.

Charleston was a part of the “golden crescent,” a crescent moon-shaped area from just west of Charleston and east to just the other side of Cleveland. The industrial belt, if you will, is now a part of the “Rust Belt!” The shipyards closed a long time ago, the steel mills are closing, and the auto assembly plants have all shuddered their doors.

My parents came from New Jersey to Ohio in the late 1950s to stake their claim in the “wild west.” That was what my grandmother used to call Ohio - the “wild west.” She never forgave my father for taking her daughter and grandchildren to the wild west state of Ohio. I can still remember as a teenager trying to explain to my grandmother that Ohio was in the Midwest, not the “wild west.”  To her, anything west of Delaware was the “Wild West.” No, she never forgave my father.

My father’s dream was to start a restaurant specializing in American food and culture. He reasoned that it would do well in such a city as the “international” city of Charleston. There was always room for hamburgers, hotdogs, and malts, so with some inheritance money, he started Pappy’s Place in 1959 and ran it himself for the next forty years. I have great memories of hanging out there with my friends, dancing to music from the jukebox, and having crazy great hamburgers and deep-fried onion rings. When I got to high school, Pappy wanted me to learn the business and learn the business I did. Pappy dreamed about starting a whole chain of Pappy’s Place restaurants. “We will be just like Howard Johnson - rich and famous.” 

I graduated high school in 1967 and headed off to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, to pursue a major in history. Many of my high school classmates went to Miami, and most important of all, my high school sweetheart, Caroline Jones. We started dating two years before graduation, and I was smitten by her and would have followed her anywhere. Her strong Christian faith challenged me. My family was nominally Christian at best - Christmas and Easter Christians. My father thought church membership was like belonging to a service club; the community expected it. I did the obligatory catechism classes and became a member of First Congregational Church but did not want anything to do with church or religion.

While at Miami University, Caroline became involved with InterVarsity Campus Ministries. One thing led to another, and she convinced me to start attending Bible studies. I was impressed with how clear and understanding the studies were. In February of 1968, we loaded up a bus and went to a retreat center in the Hocking Hills of Southern Ohio. It was that weekend when I gave my life to Christ, and I knew I would never be the next Howard Johnson. God had other plans that I did not know about yet; I just had to wait on God.

Caroline and I graduated from Miami in 1971 and were married two weeks after graduation. We chose to have our wedding at the University’s Chapel on the campus of Miami University. By August, we had moved to Dallas, Texas, for both of us to attend Dallas Theological Seminary. I went to prepare to be a Bible teacher. I wanted to be the next Howard Hendricks who, for over fifty years, was a professor at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS), where he taught "Bible Exposition and Hermeneutics" to freshmen. We came to Dallas because of him. Caroline went to train to be a missionary, and her heart was attached to the mission field of Southeast Asia, specifically Indonesia. She wanted to teach elementary school at a missionary school.  She thought I would make a great Bible teacher and chaplain at a missionary school. She was partly right. I wanted to be a Bible teacher but I was not sure how great I would be as a chaplain on the mission field.  I was willing to follow Caroline anywhere but I just didn’t know about Indonesia. I honestly didn’t know if I could. I guess I just needed to wait on God. But, as far as I was concerned, he was going to have to speak loud for me to hear him. Once again, I found myself waiting on God.

During the month of June 1972, Explo ‘72 happened in Dallas, Texas. The New York Times called Explo ’72 “the largest and most conspicuous public outpouring thus far of the Jesus Movement, which has revived interest in fundamentalist Christianity among young people across the country.” Attendees earnestly studied their Bibles and attended workshops like “How to Live with Your Parents.” Caroline and I were among the many DTS students and spouses who volunteered to help out that week. Caroline taught a couple of sections of “How to Live with Your Parents.” I was blessed that I got to teach several times on the topic of how to study the Bible. It was an amazing week. Caroline and I were encouraged to continue pursuing teaching careers and I was more open to the mission field. However, I was still waiting to hear from God about His call upon my life to the mission field.

In December of 1973, we attended the Urbana Student Missions Conference in Urbana, Illinois. One of the speakers was John Stott, a noted New Testament Scholar from England. I was so excited to hear him. Caroline was ecstatic that she was going to hear Elizabeth Elliot. She had followed the story of her and her husband, Jim Elliot, who was martyred for the cause of Christ in South America. “HoJo, listen to this,” she said as we were filling out the registration forms, “Elizabeth Elliot’s conference session title is Women in World Mission. Can you believe it? We are going to get to hear Elizabeth Elliot.” She was glowing with excitement, and it was at that moment I had an epiphany; she was called to the mission field, and so was I. God had broken through my confusion and very clearly called me to go to the mission field as a Bible teacher.

Student-Led Prayer and Worship on College Campuses

Do students have the right on college and university campuses to assemble to pray and worship? In light of the tremendous outpouring of the Holy Spirit on Asbury University’s campus and now on over twenty other campuses around the world both secular and Christian, the question arises, should every college or university allow student assembly for student-led worship and prayer?

I have been watching a college in the news (which will remain unnamed) that may have prevented or made it difficult for students to assemble for student-led prayer and worship on the college's campus. Unfortunately, it appears there was no clear process or policy as to how students could request permission to have student-led prayer and worship on campus. It was a case of “students said...administration said” with each pointing their fingers at the other. There was little meaningful dialogue for resolving the misunderstanding and it was allowed to grow into a conflict that local media became interested in. I do believe the administration at this college should have taken the high road and made sure there was a resolution to the conflict and not let it get further out of control.

I believe that there was a miscommunication on both sides at this college. Additionally, I believe that the school administration is not flexible enough for spontaneous happenings like this and the students were emotional and reacted negatively when prevented from assembling on the campus. For the most part in conflicts like these, there will be miscommunications and misunderstandings if there is no clear policy and procedure. To allow student-led prayer and worship that is not sponsored by the college calls for wisdom and a clear policy that is not driven by emotional conflict and strong disagreement.

I believe students have a responsibility to respect the administrators of the school regardless of what the administration does or doesn’t do. Students you take the high road here and demonstrate maturity and understanding. Perhaps if the students had been more responsible in planning and less spontaneous in action, the college administrators and the students could have come to some kind of agreement and the students could have assembled for student-led prayer and worship.

Furthermore, I believe that students should have the right to assemble for prayer and worship on their college campuses. In fact, I think colleges have a responsibility to help students foster student-led worship and prayer. However, there needs to be a clear policy and procedure that allows for good administrative judgment and protects the interests of the students and the college.

Maybe it is Time to Descend Mount Asbury.

February 18th was Transfiguration Sunday. Matthew, in chapter 17 verses 1 through 13 tells the story of Jesus on a mountaintop being transfigured. Transfigured means transforming into something more beautiful or elevated. Jesus took Peter, James, and John, and led them up to a high mountain to be by themselves. Matthew tells us that Jesus transfigured before them and his face shone like the sun and his clothes became white as light. Additionally, verse 3 says, “behold, there appeared to them, Moses and Elijah talking with Jesus.”  Peter thinks this is pretty cool. In fact, he thinks they should build tents for Moses, Elijah, and Jesus and just stay there. Then in verse 5 a cloud overshadowed them all and from the cloud, they could hear a voice say, “this is my son, whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  And as they were coming down the mountain, Jesus commanded them, “Tell no one the vision, until the Son of Man is raised from the dead.” Matthew 17:9

Asbury University has had quite an interesting couple of weeks. In many ways, we have gone to the mountaintop and have been with Jesus. And many of us are like Peter, we want to build a booth for Jesus to stay in so we can remain forever on top of the mountain experiencing the outpouring of the Holy Spirit. In reality, maybe it’s time to come down from the mountaintop and take the messages to a hungry world. Now is the time to proclaim.

Remember, the bright cloud that overshadowed them all and the voice coming from the cloud that said this is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased, listen to him. It’s time to come down from our mountaintop experience and take the message of these days to a world that is desperate to hear them. It’s time for a commissioning service. This is the vision of Dr. Kevin Brown President of Asbury University and I agree. It is time to let Jesus shine in all His transfigured glory through his witnesses who have been to the mountaintop. It is time to let Jesus Shine

Lord, the light of your love is shining

In the midst of the darkness, shining

Jesus, Light of the world, shine upon us

Set us free by the truth you now bring us

Shine on me, shine on me

Shine, Jesus, shine

Fill this land with the Father's glory

Blaze, Spirit, blaze

Set our hearts on fire

Flow, river, flow

Flood the nations with grace and mercy

Send forth your word

Lord and let there be light

By Graham Kendrick