Maundy Thursday

Today is Maundy Thursday. I had honestly never heard of this before now, and after doing some research, I found that the name is Latin. John Piper put it this way:

The name comes from the Latin mandatum, the first word in the Latin rendering of John 13:34, “A new commandment (mandatum novum) I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” This commandment was given by Jesus on the Thursday before his crucifixion. So Maundy Thursday is the “Thursday of the Commandment.”

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭NIV‬‬ ‬‬

Often we can be in the Bible and find ourselves confused or struggling to understand the context and true meaning. We come across things like Maundy Thursday and not get it or know how it relates to us. But, when this happens, when we might find ourselves in that situation, let us get back to the core message of Jesus. Let us remember these words that were shared the day before Jesus was crucified:

“A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” - ‭‭John‬ ‭13:34‬ ‭NIV‬‬ ‬‬

I find myself thinking and processing the same thing in our lives, as I shared above. When we find ourselves confused, struggling to understand what is going on all around us, struggling to find meaning in our circumstances or situations, we can look to this new commandment that Jesus brings to us and keep things simple. Love one another. 

As we enter into Thursday, a time to remember the new commandment. A time of remembering, let us not forget the Eucharist, the thanksgiving meal, the last supper. 

“When the hour came, Jesus and his apostles reclined at the table. 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.” In the same way, after the supper, he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you.” - ‭‭Luke‬ ‭22:14-20‬ ‭NIV‬‬

Do this in remembrance of me. Break the bread and drink the wine and remember the love that Jesus expressed towards us. May our thankfulness, and our posture simply lead us to love others.