Maundy Thursday

Intro

Welcome back to our celebration of Holy week the most important week of the year for the early church because they believed that Resurrection Sunday, the culmination of the season is the moment in history when everything changed.

As we look to the Gospels the story of passion week or holy week rushes to the cross but not without pausing for this moment. It’s as if imagery from the story slows down to half speed in order to focus our attention at the interaction between Jesus and his disciples during this their last passover meal together.

In this moment Jesus reframes the passover meal that marked the turning point of God’s rescue of his people out of Egypt, Jesus is now the lamb and the provision that the Father will use to deliver us out of our bondage.

We will upack and participate in communion together tomorrow but I want to draw our attention to another moment that happened at this meal that has all but been forgotten yet is the reason why for many Christians it is called Maundy Thursday.

Maundy comes from the latin word mandatum the mandatum novum or new commandment.

Jesus was making reference to his people loving one another exemplified by him washing his disciples feet in John 13.

We mentioned yesterday that he did not pick and choose his disciples, he washed Peter’s feet who would betray him and he washed Judas’ feet. Why would he do that?

Because as we have said there is room at the cross for every person especially for those who don’t deserve it.

In fact the early church had foot washing as a part of their maundy thursday celebration and the pentecostal church picked up the tradition 1000 years later, yet it is lost today.

Why was this important. Because more than anything Jesus wanted his disciples to view everyone in the same way that Jesus viewed them.

If he was willing to serve them in such a lowly way them as his followers they should reflect his service and humility.

Its hard for us today, we are called to wash people’s feet yet we are, a lot of times unwilling to give up our seat for anyone.

Why are we talking about this. Because in our desire to let everyone know that Jesus loves them we have unintentionally created a culture that thinks Jesus only loves them. We say, if you were the only person on earth Jesus would have died just for you but I think we view it as I am the only person on earth that Jesus died for.

But look around at the people in your life, your family, your neighbors, your friends, you co-works that you like, the ones that you don’t like. Each one of them was on the mind of Jesus when he went to the cross.

As we look to tomorrow as we celebrate communion together let us celebrate the richness of God’s great new wide covenant family in Christ. His new chosen people who entered into his grace through the cross of Jesus.

Let us celebrate Jesus the ultimate servant by serving others and putting them first, helping them to see Jesus in us and experience the grace he has to offer them as well.