PRAISE & PRAYER PROMPT ••• Today is Maundy Thursday.
Maundy Thursday is a remembrance of The Last Supper and the command that Jesus gave mere hours before His arrest.
In fact, the word “Maundy” is a derivative of the Latin word for “command.”
Two commands were given at the Last Supper.
The first, we are very familiar with…
It’s the basis of communion.
Jesus broke the bread said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19b).
Then, Jesus did the same thing with the wine (verse 20).
When we move over to the Gospel of John, we find His second command.
John 13:5 says, “Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and to wipe them with the towel that was wrapped around him.”
After talking down Peter’s objections, Jesus explained in verses 12-20, but let’s just look at 12b, 14-15, “Do you understand what I have done to you? If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you.”
The point Jesus was making is that we are to love and serve one another.
And we can do this with confidence because Jesus set the example Himself.
We remember the Last Supper today and reflect on the last moments before Jesus was arrested, beaten, and killed…
He knew what was coming and yet, He thought not of Himself but continued to love and serve His disciples.
And He allowed it to happen so He could pay the price for the sins of humanity.
When Jesus prayed that God might take this cup from Him, we sometimes assume that He had no options.
The truth is, as God’s Son and God in human flesh, Jesus could have easily written us all off.
It was within His right and power as the God of the universe to say, “Forget these people.”
But His love…
Greater and bigger and more incredible than any of us can truly comprehend.
All the oceans in the world would look like a meager drop compared to the vastness of His love for us.
It was love that compelled Him forward to love, serve, and allow Himself to be mocked and executed in the most horrific of ways.
Today, on Maundy Thursday, thank Jesus for His amazing love and willingness to be beaten, broken, and killed for us.
Thank Him for His commands and setting the example.
Ask the Holy Spirit to help you reflect on what today represents.
