Follow the Leader

In today’s passage, we continue to consider the interaction of Jesus with His twelve followers. Picture the scene: the disciples had been reclining in the traditional posture, each with his left arm to support his head and his right arm to reach dishes on the table. Their feet were stretched out behind them away from the table. Then, Jesus rose from the table and performed the last deed of His earthly life – to express His love for them through serving them. After Jesus does this act that was unheard of in their day, Jesus’ begins to help them process the significance of what He has just done – “Do you understand what I have done for you?” It is this question that frames the lives of all who would follow Christ from this moment on and it is this question, along with its implications, that we will focus on today.