This post is reprinted
from March 25, 2013.
__________
When I grew up, we always
went to church on Maundy Thursday. It was an important day to my father, and it’s
an important day in my current denomination.
But many Christians don’t
even know what it is.
Maundy Thursday
commemorates the Last Supper. That’s when Jesus and his disciples celebrated
the Passover meal in an upper room and Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper (also
called “Holy Communion” and “the Eucharist”). The same meal where Jesus told
his disciples that they were to serve one another and washed their feet as an
example to them.
The commonly accepted
derivation of the term “Maundy” is that it comes from the Latin word “mandatum,”
meaning mandate or commandment. After washing the disciples’ feet, Jesus told
them, “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.” (John 13:34 ESV)
Jesus left the upper room
with a heavy heart. He knew he would be crucified the next day, but he did it
for us because he was our servant.
And our Lord.
That’s why I celebrate
Maundy Thursday.
__________
The
picture is called “Christ Washing the Feet of His Disciples,” and the artist is
Nicolas Bertin. The painting was created sometime around 1720 or 1730 as an oil
on panel. It is in the public domain because of its age.
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