In this episode I explore the symbolic proclamation of nonduality presented in the powerful story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, found in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.
In this episode I explore the symbolic proclamation of nonduality presented in the powerful story of Jesus washing the feet of his disciples at the Last Supper, found in the thirteenth chapter of the Gospel of John.
The Sacrament of Nonduality
I speak of Christian nonduality, and people ask why I use that term, and not just nonduality. After all, the addition of the adjective Christian seems to make it dualistic, distinguishing it from other types of nonduality, as if such a thing were possible. What I mean by this term is that this is the nonduality taught by Christ and I express it in traditionally Christian terms. There is also a unique flavor to Christian nonduality. Just like Himalayan salt has a distinctive pink tint to it, so does Christian nonduality have a distinctive tint. It is the tint of love, a divine love which in the Greek Testament is called agape.
Love is present in other religions as well. The Buddhist virtue of compassion comes to mind. So it is really more a matter of emphasis. As I have studied the religions of the world it seems that Christ emphasized love more than other religious teachers. In the story that I am going to explore today from John 13 we have the picture of Christ on his knees with a towel wrapped around his waist washing his disciples’ feet. This towel ceremony is what I am calling the sacrament of Christian nonduality.
In Protestant churches the term sacrament is reserved for the Lord’s Supper and baptism. But in the Gospel of John both of those rites are downplayed. There is no institution of the Lord’s Supper in John’s gospel, and baptism is mentioned only in passing. Those rites are not given the prominence they have in the other three gospels. That is intentional. The spiritual community that developed around the apostle John in Ephesus was nonsacramental and nondual.
A Last Supper is mentioned but it is not a Passover Meal nor is it the Lord’s Supper. In place of the institution of a sacrament of bread and wine we have another ritual mentioned – foot-washing. The story says that during the supper Jesus “got up from supper and laid His outer garments aside; and He took a towel and tied it around Himself. Then He poured water into the basin, and began washing the disciples’ feet and wiping them with the towel which He had tied around Himself.”
The fact that this is done during the meal indicates its prominent position in the story, taking the place of the Eucharist in John’s depiction of the Last Supper. Normally foot-washing would be done as soon as one entered the door of a house. If it was a wealthy home foot-washing would be done by a servant. In this case it would be done by each guest by themselves. We can assume that this is what happened, even though it is not mentioned.
Foot-washing was done is because people reclined at the table with their feet off to one side. It is not too appetizing eating a meal while smelling the dirty feet for your neighbor! So people took off their sandals and washed the dust and dirt and mud off their feet before they entered the room to eat. It is kind of like the mud rooms we have here in New Hampshire, where we take off our boots or our shoes before entering the home.
This foot-washing that Jesus did in this story is probably a second washing – meant to be symbolic. Jesus was playing the symbolic role of a servant. Sometimes a rabbi would have his feet washed by his disciples as a sign of respect and subservience. Never the other way around. That is the reason why Peter is so flustered by Jesus’ action, refusing to allow Jesus to wash his feet. It does not fit the traditional idea of the teacher-disciple relationship. But there was nothing traditional about Jesus’ servant leadership.
After Jesus had gone around the table and washed all of his disciples’ feet and put his robe back on again, he “reclined at the table again, He said to them, “Do you know what I have done for you? You call Me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord’; and you are correct, for so I am. So if I, the Lord and the Teacher, washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I gave you an example, so that you also would do just as I did for you. Truly, truly I say to you, a slave is not greater than his master, nor is one who is sent greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, you are blessed if you do them.”
This is a sacrament of humility and service. It communicates egalitarianism and not hierarchy – very different than what the church became a few centuries later. It is a much more fitting sacrament for nonduality in which all are one. It see it as similar to the Eastern gesture of folding one’s hands and bowing to people. That has become my COVID alternative to shaking hands during this pandemic. In the East it is understood as God in me recognizing and bowing to God in you. “The Christ in Me Greets the Christ in Thee,” is an old Christian greeting. There is a beautiful hymn about that: “Oh what a mystery! Christ in you, Christ in me! Oh what a victory! Christ in you, Christ in me!”
To make it clear exactly that Jesus is communicating, after the supper Jesus said to them, “I am giving you a new commandment, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all people will know that you are My disciples: if you have love for one another.”
According to Jesus love is the distinguishing mark of his disciples. He calls it a new commandment, which may seem odd. Didn’t Jesus teach love before? Yes. He taught that the greatest commandment was to love God with all one’s being. And he said the second similar commandment was to love our neighbor as ourselves. So how is this new?
It is new because we are to love each other as Christ loves us. This is about the example of love in Christ being followed by us. And this is not just outward imitation. It is about the embodiment of love in Christ being embodied in us. This is the incarnation of love. It is what Christmas is about. As the hymn says, “Love came down at Christmas.” It is what the Cross is about.
The Cross is the embodiment of self-giving love. As Jesus says a couple of chapters later: “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” This sacrament of the towel foreshadows this giving of his life. Jesus calls this glory here. He says, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in Him.”
The glory is oneness. We are one with each other, and we are one with Christ, and we are one with God. We can talk about this using all sorts of theological and philosophical language, but to do that seems to take us further away from the reality of it. We are one. That is glory. In loving one another we are loving ourselves, which is the truth behind the command to love our neighbors as ourselves. This is also at the meaning of loving God with all our heart and mind and soul and strength. When we do that we are also loving ourselves. For we are one with God.
This oneness is symbolized by the sacrament of the towel. Most people do not get the full impact of this story. In the middle of the meal Jesus took off his robe, which means his clothes. He was in the first century equivalent of this underwear. He is wearing exactly what he would be wearing a short time later when hanging on the cross. While in his underwear he tied a long towel around his waist and one by one washed his disciples’ feet. Imagine how long that would have taken to do twelve sets of feet. Imagine the silence of the twelve disciples, including Judas who was about to betray him. This was a holy moment.
This is the embodiment of divine love. Not only love of our neighbor but love of our enemy. Judas Iscariot plays a large role in John’s story of the Last Supper. Jesus was showing us what it means to love our enemies. Christ in me serves the Christ in you in selfless love, because there is no self in this love.
This is a powerful ritual that acknowledges that we serve God by loving our fellow humans with all our hearts and minds and soul and strength. That is because they are in essence God. This is Christian nonduality. This is pure wholehearted love based on the realization that all are one.