Some faith traditions call today "Maundy Thursday." Maundy is the name of the rite for Christian foot-washing. On this day, Jesus left his friends in Bethany and hiked for an hour into Jerusalem...for the last time.

Jesus enjoyed a seder supper with his disciples on Thursday night at a private home. It's a Passover Meal that marked the beginning of the "Feast of Unleavened Bread" (Matthew 26:17). This ritualistic meal memorialized the liberation story of ancient Israelites from their bondage in Egypt, when the death angel "passed over" all homes "framed in lamb's blood" (sparing the firstborn children).

The Passover Festival was popular. Jews from across the Roman empire traveled to Jerusalem for this celebration, swelling the city's population from 100,000 to 3 million people. Jesus is one of the visitors. To avoid the crowds he stayed in Bethany. On this day he sent his disciples ahead to secure a room and meal provisions.

The time has come for one final master lesson.

It was customary for Gentile slaves to wash the dirty feet of dinner guests. It was a smelly, gross, and even humiliating job to do. On this night, for whatever reason, the house host forgot to schedule a slave. So Jesus seized the moment. He took a basin and a towel and did the dirty work himself.

It was an outrageous thing for a rabbi to do.

His students were the servants. It was their job to wash their rabbi's feet whenever no Gentile slave was present. But Jesus' disciples didn't. They were too self-absorbed at the moment. And so Jesus washed them all until he got to Peter (John 13:6-10).

That's when Peter protested: "You'll never wash my feet!" But Jesus rebuked his disciple and told Peter that unless He "washed" him, he could have no "part of him." Peter replied to wash all of him. He loved Jesus. Peter wanted to be immersed in Jesus.

Did you catch it? It's a conversion story.

In this episode, Jesus transformed the ancient seder supper into a memorial feast for his followers (a.k.a., the Lord's Supper, Eucharist, or Holy Communion). But He also taught a deeper truth: you can't participate in this meal until you're "clean."

And this washing we can't do ourselves. We must be washed by Jesus. It's in our baptism (washing) that we experience spiritual cleansing (I Corinthians 6:11; Hebrews 10:22; 1 Peter 3:21; Revelation 7:14). Titus wrote that Jesus "saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit (3:5)." Our first act of humility (like Peter) is to let Jesus wash us.

We must be clean before we can dine at the Master's table.

It's no wonder Paul later warned his Corinthian disciples not to participate in this sacred meal without serious self-examination ("Are you clean?"). This is no spiritual snack or fast food lunch. The Lord's meal represents his body and blood.

So how about you?

Have you been washed? Will death "pass over" you because you have the Lamb's Blood upon your life's door? Are you ready for the Supper?

Holy Thursday is a Holy exodus that begins with a  departure meal.

It's the beginning of the end...for Jesus...for his disciples...and you and me.

Do you believe it?