Maundy Thursday 2025

I'll incorporate the "handwashing" service into the message, connecting it to Jesus’ act of humble service and cleansing. Let me proceed.

Maundy Thursday Message: The Table of Grace and Remembrance

Text: Matthew 26:26–30; Luke 22:14–20; John 13:1–17; 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 Supporting Scriptures: Exodus 12:1–14; Isaiah 53:3–7; John 6:48–58

Introduction: Tonight, we gather on Maundy Thursday, a night rich with symbolism, humility, love, and grace. This is the night Jesus shared His final meal with His disciples, the night He washed their feet, the night He gave them a new commandment: “Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34).

It’s a night that leads us to the table of communion, the practice of remembrance and proclamation. But before we approach the table, we remember that Jesus knelt and washed the feet of His disciples — a profound act of humility and cleansing.

Tonight, we will experience both the handwashing service and the Lord’s Supper by intinction, reflecting on what these acts mean for us as followers of Christ.

I. The Humble Service of Handwashing (John 13:1–17)

The evening began with a shocking act. As the disciples entered the upper room, their feet were dirty from the dusty roads. Typically, a servant would wash the guests’ feet, but this night, the Son of God took the role of the lowest servant.

“He rose from supper. He laid aside his outer garments, and taking a towel, tied it around his waist. Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet.” (John 13:4–5)

What does this act mean? Why would the King of Kings stoop so low?

A. A Picture of Humility and Cleansing

Jesus demonstrates that true greatness is found in serving others.

His washing of the disciples’ feet symbolizes a greater cleansing — the spiritual cleansing He would accomplish through the cross.

John 13:8: “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.”

B. The Call to Serve One Another

Jesus finishes by saying:

“If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.” (John 13:14)

It’s a call to humility, grace, and sacrificial love.

Tonight, we will participate in a handwashing service — a symbolic act acknowledging our need for cleansing, our willingness to serve one another, and our desire to be made pure before approaching the Lord’s Table.

Application:

As you allow your hands to be washed, remember that Jesus came to serve and cleanse you.

Consider where you need to embrace humility and where you are called to serve others.

Let this act prepare your heart to receive His grace through the Lord’s Supper.

II. The Fulfillment of Passover (Exodus 12:1–14; Matthew 26:26–29)

The timing of this supper is no accident. Jesus intentionally institutes this meal during the Passover, the most sacred of Jewish feasts commemorating God’s deliverance of Israel from slavery in Egypt.

In Exodus 12, we read of the Passover lamb, whose blood marked the doorposts of the faithful, sparing them from God’s judgment. The lamb was sacrificed, its blood shed, and its body consumed. It was a meal of remembrance, but also one of anticipation — pointing forward to a greater deliverance.

Jesus is the fulfillment of Passover.

John 1:29: “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!”

Isaiah 53:7: “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter.”

By taking the bread and the cup, Jesus reinterprets the Passover meal around Himself. The bread becomes His body, broken for us, and the cup becomes His blood, shed for the forgiveness of sins. He is the Lamb who takes away the sin of the world, fulfilling the old covenant and establishing a new one.

Application:

As we approach the table, we remember the perfect sacrifice made on our behalf.

When we partake of communion, we are proclaiming His death until He comes again (1 Corinthians 11:26).

Jesus drank the Father’s cup of wrath so we might drink the cup of salvation.

III. The Invitation to Intimacy and Grace (Luke 22:14–20; John 6:48–58)

As Jesus reclined at the table with His disciples, He extended an invitation far greater than they understood. The bread and the wine were not mere symbols but profound realities pointing to His sacrificial love and His desire for true fellowship with His people.

“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. … This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.” (Luke 22:19–20)

Jesus offers Himself as our spiritual sustenance.

The bread and wine represent His very life given to us.

The new covenant is sealed by His blood, granting forgiveness, reconciliation, and intimacy with God.

Communion is not merely a ritual — it is an invitation to partake of His grace, to receive His life, and to abide in His love.

Application:

We come to the table not as outsiders but as beloved guests.

Communion by intinction — dipping the bread into the cup — symbolizes our complete participation in the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus.

Tonight, as you take the bread and dip it into the cup, receive His grace anew and let it nourish your soul.

IV. The Call to Remember and Proclaim (1 Corinthians 11:23–26; Matthew 26:30)

Paul makes it clear that this practice is meant to be repeated — a continual remembrance of what Jesus has accomplished.

“For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.” (1 Corinthians 11:26)

Jesus knew we would need this practice of remembrance.

We are prone to forget, to drift, to let the truth of the gospel grow cold in our hearts.

The table calls us back to the cross, to the incredible grace of a Savior who loved us to the point of death.

Application:

Communion is both a remembrance and a proclamation. As we partake, we remember His sacrifice and proclaim our faith in His atoning work.

Let us examine our hearts, confess our sins, and receive His grace anew.

And let us leave this place determined to live out the new commandment He gave: “Love one another as I have loved you.”

Conclusion:

The table of communion is a table of grace, remembrance, and proclamation. Tonight, as we wash one another’s hands and come forward to receive communion by intinction, let us remember the depth of His love and the power of His sacrifice.

Jesus drank the Father’s cup of wrath so that we might drink from the cup of salvation. His body was broken so that we might be made whole.

Let us leave this place as His redeemed people, committed to serving, loving, and proclaiming His grace.

Come, for all things are ready.