What is Maundy Thursday?
Christianity.com
Good
Friday, we know. And Easter most certainly. But what is Maundy Thursday? Maundy
Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, believed to be the day when Jesus
celebrated his final Passover with His disciples. Most notably, that Passover
meal was when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in an extraordinary
display of humility. He then commanded them to do the same for each other.
Christ's "mandate" is commemorated on Maundy
Thursday--"maundy" being a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which
means "command." It was on the Thursday of Christ's final week before
being crucified and resurrected that He said these words to his disciples:
"A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another" (John 13:34).
What was so "new" about this command? Well, for one thing, it raised the definition of love to a new and higher standard. Jesus sacrificially met His followers' deepest need---that of new spiritual life and the forgiveness of sins. He even loved His enemies, and He calls us to show love to those who don't appear to deserve it. Just as Jesus loved sinners "to the end" (or "to the max" John 13:1) when He had nothing to gain from them, so must we. The Bible says that there was nothing attractive about sinful mankind that drew Him to love us. God loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8). Salvation is not only a wonderful gift that protects us from the penalty that we deserve Romans 6:23, the work of Christ also embues new life, grants spiritual strength, and motivates godly action in those who believe:
"For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works." (Titus 2:11-14)
While
Scripture doesn't forbid us to commemorate days like Maundy Thursday, the main
question is are we observing Christ's new command to love---especially those
who deserve it least?
"Beloved, let us love one another. For love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love." (1 John 4:7-8)
Maundy Thursday Bible Verses
Luke
22:27-38 - " When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the
table. 15 And he said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer. For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it
finds fulfillment in the kingdom of God.” After taking the cup, he gave thanks
and said, “Take this and divide it among you. For I tell you I will not drink
again from the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took
bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body
given for you; do this in remembrance of me.” .."
John
13:2-17 - "Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power,
and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the
meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After
that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet,
drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him. He came to Simon Peter,
who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You do
not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.” “No,” said
Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you
have no part with me.” “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but
my hands and my head as well!”
Philippians
2:1-11 - "Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with
Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if
any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded,
having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of
selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above
yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests
of the others. In your relationships with one another, have the same mindset as
Christ Jesus: Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God
something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by
taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness...
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