Issue 1407 – Maundy Thursday, March 28, 2024
This morning, we continue our journey through Easter Week, or Holy Week as it is called in some parts of the church.
It’s Thursday, the Thursday with the weird name. As a child, I always thought people were saying Monday Thursday, which made no sense.
So what is with the term Maundy? It’s from Latin, a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means “command.” We are all (hopefully) aware of the events of The Last Supper. It is a huge event in the life of the church. A small portion of that evening has been considered his mandatum from the earliest days of the church.
“When he had gone out, Jesus said, “Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him. If God is glorified in him, God will also glorify him in himself, and glorify him at once. Little children, yet a little while I am with you. You will seek me, and just as I said to the Jews, so now I also say to you, ‘Where I am going you cannot come.’ 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. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” John 13:31-35
We are to love one another. That’s not news; throughout his ministry, Jesus called his followers to love.
Here, Jesus tells us how we are to love. “Just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.”
How did Jesus love? He loved unconditionally. He loved sacrificially. He loved in the Father’s love and the Spirit’s power.
It isn’t a suggestion. It’s a command, a mandate for Christians. We are to love others as He loved us. It’s a matter of obedience.
We pay attention to the institution of Communion, as we should. We marvel at Jesus’ servant leadership in washing the disciples’ feet. We debate the motives of Judas.
We must not neglect the mandatum Jesus left us that fateful night. Love one another as I have loved you.
It’s easy to say but not so easy to do. Not everyone is loveable from a human perspective. Left to our own devices, it is an impossible task.
It can only be done in the power of the Spirit.
Praise God for the gift of the Spirit who makes it possible for us to grow in the image of Jesus.
Be blessed
Hallelu Yah / Praise God
Kevin
Gleanings From The Word
Experience an extraordinary God in ordinary life.
Soli Deo Gloria (For the glory of God alone)
Never let the enemy tell you that you are worthless or insignificant. Your value in God’s eyes is so great that it was worth dying for. You are a blessing to the world. You are so precious to God that his plan for heaven will not be complete without you.
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Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are from the English Standard Version (ESV)