Day 38 - Maundy Thursday

During the events of Holy Week, Thursday is often referred to as Maundy Thursday, Holy Thursday, and it is when the Last Supper takes place.  There are several significant events on Thursday. Jesus sent His disciples ahead to gather what they needed for the Passover meal, so this was an event that would have been happening in every Jewish home to remember the faithfulness of God delivering His people from slavery out of Egypt.  And, Jesus is the fulfillment of Passover – for all who surrender to Jesus, He has delivered us from the bondage of sin. Jesus gives new meaning to the bread and the wine of the Passover meal: “As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, ‘Take it, for this is my body.’  And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.  And he said to them, ‘This is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice for many.’” (Mark 14: 22-24). The final Passover is completed in Jesus – for those who proclaim Jesus as Lord, death will pass over, Jesus holds the victory over sin and death.

Maundy is derived from the Latin word mandatum, which means “mandate” or “command.” Jesus demonstrates a new command for how we are to treat one another.  On this same Thursday, after washing the disciples’ feet Jesus says, “Do you understand what I was doing? You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and you are right, because that’s what I am.  And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet.  I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you.” (John 13: 12-15).  How can we still demonstrate this kind of humility and compassion with others? It may not look like actual foot washing, but how can you serve others as a demonstration of the Lord’s love for us?
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After supper, Jesus and His disciples walked to an olive grove called Gethsemane. Earlier,  Judas left the very sacred Last Supper to meet with the religious leaders who wanted to arrest Jesus and bring Him before the council. In the olive grove, Jesus prays to the Father and expresses His anguish over the events to come on Friday, “‘Abba, Father,’  he cried out, ‘everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.’” (Mark 14: 36). There is so much expressed in this prayer: the plea of a Son to His Father, acknowledging that God can do anything, the knowledge of suffering to come, the petition to be relieved from suffering, yet complete surrender to God’s perfect will.  Even in His anguish, the Lord Jesus teaches us to pray. Then Judas comes, and betrays Jesus with a kiss.  In the early twilight hours of Friday morning, Jesus is arrested, and at the same time “all his disciples deserted Him and ran away” (Mark 14: 50). It is hard to imagine that after such an intimate evening with the Lord, all His closest friends would abandon Him. But we are like them in many ways. When we need the Lord most, we often turn to our own means and ability, or we don’t seek His presence through prayer, or we have become too busy to make time for the Lord.  How will you make room for the Lord today? Being mindful of His great love for you. Won’t you come to the table today?