Today’s Gospel Reading (John 13:16-20) is drawn from what Jesus spoke to the disciples, having washed the disciples’ feet (John 13:3-11) at the Lord’s Supper on the night before his death.
It may sounds odd to read a Gospel narrative from the Last Supper during Paschaltide. However, it is about who Jesus is in his relation to the Father and also to his disciples (and us). In today's Gospel Reading (John 13:16-20), we realize that receiving apostles of Jesus is a way to receive the Father, who sent Jesus, His Son, who sent them. And, what is common between the one whom the Father sent and ones whom Jesus sent is the servant leadership.
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Though he is the Lord, Jesus is also the servant,
not only to the Father, but also to his disciples. And by saying, “Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is
greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. If
you understand this, blessed are you if you do it “(John 13:16-17), Jesus
was reminding his disciples that he is always the Lord to them, while he is the
servant of the one who sent him, namely, the Father in heaven.
To understand this fully, we must also read what precedes
the above statement:
Do
you realize what I have done for you? You call me “teacher” and “master,” and
rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have
washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a
model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do
(John 13:12b-15).
Jesus was asking the disciples if they realize why
Jesus had just served them like a slave by washing their feet, though he is the
Lord – though they acknowledge him as their “teacher”(rabbi), as well as
“master”. It was a task usually done by a slave or servant for his or her
master.
Jesus wanted the disciple to learn and practice the
same servant leadership, which Jesus, their master had demonstrated to them, to
one another, and this is a model of his new commandment,” Love one another. As I have loved
you, so you also should love one another (John 13:34).
What Jesus said in John 13:12b-17 is an expression
of his desire for the disciples to serve one another and people of all nations
(Matthew 28:19). And, this is servant leadership, symbolized with the foot
washing performed by Jesus, the Lord, teacher, for his disciples, students, to
prepare them for their commissioning to be sent out as the apostles. In other
words, Jesus was pointing to how they will be sent out by the power of the Holy
Spirit on Pentecost.
And the disciples who serve one another and people
of all nations as Jesus did to them with understanding will be blessed (John
13:13). This beatitude can be integrated to the eight beatitudes that Jesus had
spoken to start the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5:3-12).
Blessed are you, who are servant leader, serving as
Jesus did.
Then, Jesus began to speak of him as the greatest
servant, in fact, the suffering servant prophesized by Isaiah (Isaiah
52:13-53:12), betrayed by one of his close disciples (Judas Iscariot), as David
reflected that his servant, whom he shared his food with, raising his heel
against him, in Psalm 41:10:
I
am not speaking of all of you. I know those whom I have chosen. But so that the
scripture might be fulfilled, “The one who ate my food has raised his heel
against me. From now on I am telling you before it happens, so that when it
happens you may believe that I AM” (John 13:18-19).
Ultimately, the reason for Jesus to have been sent
to the world by the Father is to die on the Cross so that we may be saved – as
the Good Shepherd laying down his life to save his sheep as in the Father’s
will (John 10:11-18). For this, Jesus wanted the disciples to know beforehand
that he would be put to death because one of the twelve disciples would “raise
his heel against him”, namely, betray him. So, Jesus expressed his hope that
the disciples would know that he is the Lord, who is one with Yahweh (I AM) (John 10:30, 38; Exodus
3:14) – he is in hypostatic union with the one who sent him.
Then, in order to further address who he really is
in regard to his oneness with the Father, who sent him – his hypostatic union –
his homoousios – with the Father, who sent him, Jesus said:
Amen,
amen, I say to you, whoever receives the one I send receives me, and whoever
receives me receives the one who sent me (John 13:20).
By this Jesus reminded that those who receive the apostles, whom he sent also receive him, and likewise, those who receive him also receive the Father, who sent him. This echoes what Jesus said in John 12:44-45:
Whoever
believes in me believes not only in me but also in the one who sent me, and
whoever sees me sees the one who sent me.
Obviously, Jesus was alluding that his disciples,
except for the one who betrays, would be sent out as his apostles by him,
empowered by the Holy Spirit on Pentecost. At the same time, he also implicated
that he is one with “I AM” (Yahweh),
while implying his desire to be in such closeness to his disciples.
The First Reading today (Acts 13:13-25) describes
that Paul, accompanied with Barnabas and John Mark, has begun his first
mission. However, John Mark “dropped out”, though it is not written why he left
Paul and Barnabas. Perhaps, John Mark (Mark) was not spiritually mature enough
to endure the mission journey far from home.
Without John Mark, Paul and Barnabas reached Antioch
in Pisidia (not to be confused with
Antioch in Syria). It locates in the Roman province of Asia Minor.
There, Paul delivered his sermon on Jesus with
extensive Old Testament background, first, to the Jews (Acts 13:15-41). Then on
the following Sabbath, Paul and Barnabas spoke boldly of Jesus to the Gentiles
(Acts 13:46-47).
In today’s portion of Paul’s sermon (Acts 13:15-25),
Paul described how God had cared for the Israelites as His chosen, from their
time in Egypt into Exodus, from the age of the judges to the age of kings, with
focus on David. This is to remind that Jesus draws the Davidic line. Then, Paul
also addressed how John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus’ public ministry
to launch.
We will read Paul’s sermon further in tomorrow’s
First Reading (Acts 13:26-33).
Paul (Saul) was not one of the twelve, when Jesus
spoke the words in today’s Gospel Reading (John 13:16-20). In fact, Paul was
persecuting and killing those who followed the way of Jesus, like the thief to
attack and destroy his sheep (John 10:10a) (Acts 8:1;9:1-2;22:20). However, it
was Jesus, who converted the heart of Paul and transformed him into one of his
disciples and made him an apostle (Acts 9:3-30;11:27-30; 12:25-13:12).
The question is: Do Paul’s audience accept him or
reject him? In other words, do they accept Jesus, who sent Paul?
Remember, the Father in heaven sent His only
begotten Son in the human flesh of Jesus, not only to save us, but also to make
us servant leaders, exemplified by him, to be sent out as his apostles. That is
why we are his one holy catholic (universal) apostolic Church.
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