Thursday Brings a New Commandment After Supper

Maundy, an old English word, refers to how Jesus knelt down before each disciple and washed their feet as the group celebrated Passover. This is remembering the time that God put Moses as the leader of the Israelites as they fled slavery in Egypt. And there is more to this and the point that Jesus wanted his disciples to understand. The night before Passover, all the Israelites were instructed to put blood of a lamb on the door mantle of their home. When the Angel of Death saw this blood, he would “pass over” the family that lived there so no one died.

Jesus Message Around the Table

As had the other days of this week been full of teaching for the disciples, so started more truths they would need in the coming days. Jesus was trying to pack the week full of instructions because He knew He would soon be gone from their sides. As they gathered around the table for the Last Supper, Jesus made some applications which he hoped that His disciples would comprehend the true meaning of. When Jesus picked up his bread, he blessed it, divided it among the entire group and said, “Take; this is my body.”  

Then He took a cup with wine and gave thanks for it, and they all drank. Again, Jesus had a message, “This is my blood … poured out for many.” Jesus was specific but the disciples sat listening and nodding their heads but soon they would be wailing because their friend and leader was being beaten and hung on a cross to die. Then He said, [Believe me because I’m tell you something important], “I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”

A New Commandment

Now on this Maundy Thursday of Passion Week, Jesus was facing His death on the cross and the shedding of His blood would bring Redemption to the whole world. Whether the disciples grasped the gravity of the hour is questionable because they still saw Jesus before them teaching truths daily. As Jesus was washing the feet of His disciples, he took the opportunity to teach one of the most important truths of the Christian life, "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." Jesus not only taught them through His words about love but while giving them this commandment He was doing an act of love coming up to the day He would die on the cross for all our sins.

A Dark Night in The Garden

After giving His disciples a new commandment and an analogy about the bread and wine they partook of along with performing an act of love and humility — the washing of each of their feet, they moved to the next part of the night. After all this was over, he led the disciples to the garden where He prayed for strength to endure the pain of the crown of thorns being pressed into His head and the lashes He would suffered across His back and finally the nails which would be driven into His hands and feet. He knew what he was facing, and Jesus had attempted to let his disciples know as well. He was hoping that they would pray with Him, but they fell asleep, and were only awaken by the Roman soldiers arresting Jesus after Judas Iscariot planted the kiss of betrayal on his cheek.

The Lonely Journey Begins

Jesus went alone with the soldiers and chief priests who walked him back to the place where they mocked him and tantalized him to say that he was the Son of God so that their story about him being an imposter would sound right to the multitude of people gathering to defend him. But one fearful yet courageous disciple followed afar off, not wanting to be associated with his Teacher, but scared about what was going to happen.

We cannot condemn Peter because many of us have shown the same cowardice when faced with standing up for what we believe. Jesus knew his weakness but He also saw a relentless force for good and right that lay within Peter. Even so, as Jesus heard Peter deny Him not once, not twice, but three times, His heart was sad and the loneliness of the journey ahead of Him was shrouded with the truth of walking it alone.

These are the 4 readings for today — Matthew 26:17–75, Mark 14:12–72, Luke 22:7–71, John 13:1–18:27