Sunday, 28/3/21 was the Passion Sunday. I knew it was usually a long Mass due to the long readings and I prepared myself mentally for the length of the Mass and especially as it would affect the church workers. I also left early as I was expected to be at the Church at least, 20 minutes before the ‘masses’ and because parking is becoming an issue at our Church. Everything went on as expected but during the Sermon, our PP, Fr Onyeoziri drew my attention to the significance of, and differences between, the 2 basins that were mentioned in the day’s liturgy of the Word.
I knew the story of the two basins quite alright but I never realized that a theology had emanated from them. It was when he went on to explain the fundamentals of the Basin Theology that the reality hit me. I went on later to search and behold, there were loads of literature on the Basin Theology and that is my focus today, the Maundy Thursday, Christ’s last day as a free man on earth and a day to the end of his earthly existence.
While I heard of the Basin Theology from my Parish Priest, it was a phrase that was popularized, I believe, by Patrick Thurmer (https://www.tullian.net/articles/basin-theology). The basin played critical roles in the last few hours of Christ’s earthly existence. In the first case, on the night He was betrayed, Jesus filled a basin with water, tied a towel around his waist and washed his disciples’ feet (Jn 13,4-5). In the second instance, Pilate, who had declared that he found nothing against Jesus, and who was warned by his wife to be careful with this delicate case, asked for a basin of water and washed his hands off the case (and murder) of Jesus (Matthew,27:24). Starting from the later instance, it was a case of someone abandoning a fellow human being in distress and handing him over to sure death in the hands of a bloodthirsty crowd. Pilate admitted that He was innocent; he knew that the crowd was driven by envy or hatred or whatever; he had the power to save him and yet, he washed his hands off the case so as to please the crowd. People-Pleasing philosophy or strategy has never paid off and as somebody had remarked, if Moses had pandered to the wishes of his brethren, they would never have reached the Promised Land. It was not just for people-pleasing; he didn’t want to lose his ‘come-and-chop’ privileges from the emperor.’ This is a negative use of the basin; it is what most of us would do when we fail to help or save others because it might cause us a little inconvenience.
People-Pleasing philosophy or strategy has never paid off and as somebody had remarked, if Moses had pandered to the wishes of his brethren, they would never have reached the Promised Land
In the first instance, Jesus, the Lord and Master of the twelve, humbled himself to wash their feet so as to teach them hardcore lessons in servant leadership, which he started with his ‘Not So Declaration’. The basis of that declaration is ‘whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be your slave, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve.”(Matthew,20:25-28). The picture of this scenario as painted by Patrick Thurmer is touching: Jesus ‘knew that Judas was about to betray him. He knew of his impending mockery, torture, crucifixion, and death. He knew Peter would soon deny him. He knew the disciples would scatter when he got arrested. And yet, instead of washing his hands off the whole situation like Pilate did (and like I would be inclined to do), He removed his outer garments and clothed himself with a towel and began to wash the disciples’ feet.
Beyond being the author and finisher of our faith, Jesus was and is also the source of the 3S Model of Leadership. By his teachings and actions, he presented himself, an authentic leader, (and a model for other leaders) as a Servant, Steward and Shepherd. This was and is against the extant tendencies in which the leader has always been a BOSS, to be served, to swagger, to accumulate privileges and to oppress others. You don’t need to look beyond Governors, ‘sinnators’, other members of the ‘legislathieve’ and ordinary LG chairmen. Through his various parables, he also presented those in positions of authority as Stewards; who hold responsibility for other people’s property and who MUST render account of their stewardship. ( Luke,12; Mt,25) One of the major areas in which this is applied is man’s relationship with the environment in which we are admonished to use the environment with a steward’s mindset. He also presents himself as the GOOD Shephard (John, 10:11), with the responsibility to protect, provide, and be a source of love and comfort for the sheep. He has such a close-knit relationship with the sheep that he hears their voices and was willing to lay down his life for them. The shepherd is compassionate and generous, guides the sheep to safety and restores their strength, rejoices when he finds any missing one, carries them in his bosom, goes before them to take charge and fight off enemies, knows them individually and thus manages them with their idiosyncrasies. The reliance of the sheep on the shepherd is so deep that sheep without shepherd are usually harassed, dejected and helpless. The 3S Model, which Jesus Christ pioneered thus blends the three interrelated roles of servant (provider of service), steward (Guardian of Gods gifts, including all corporate resources ) and shepherd (protector of those who are served and loved; which encourages them to go into organisational Citizenship behaviour).
So where do we belong? In the Basin 1 or Basin 2 mindset? Do we show compassion for others, especially those beneath our status or do we say ‘I don’t give a damn or how that one concern me?’ Do we adopt the 3S mindset or are we the ‘oga at the top’, issuing and countering orders and without remembering that we are dealing with fellow humans and that tables may even turn? Jesus is a Basin 1 and 3S Leader and for us to emulate Him, we have to value diverse opinions, build trust, develop others, show compassion and empathy, sell instead of tell, promote ‘you’ instead of ‘me’, act with humility and be conscious of the mission
Professor Useem of Wharton had told us emphatically that ‘The old command and control structure where people on top issue orders & everybody salutes and obeys has been replaced by a different model where everybody is expected to be smart, think strategically, act decisively and provide leadership. That change in mindset has added to the premium on leadership on the part of No. 2 and those farther down the hierarchy’. This is somehow similar to the perspective of DT Phillips that ‘ leaders should circulate among the people, build strong alliances, persuade rather than coerce, posses integrity, never act out of vengeance, have courage to manage unjust criticism, lead by being led, master the art of public speaking, influence through conversation and continually preach a vision’( Lincoln on Leadership: Executive strategies for tough times).
One of the world’s great problems is egocentric, self-serving leadership — leaders who think people exist for their benefit, instead of vice versa; Shepherds who think the sheep exist for their pleasure, without giving some thoughts for the sheep, except enough for them to be good candidates for the abattoir. In stark contrast, Jesus modelled servant leadership, leading by example. He said, ‘I came to serve, not to be served.’ Now, 2020 years later and with knowledge workers and a new generation of human beings, it is time that we go back to Basin 1 and 3S models.
Happy Easter upfront and May the risen Christ shine his light on us and infuse us with his Spirit.
