Today is "Maundy Thursday." Some call it "Holy Thursday" but I like "Maundy" because it makes people say "What does 'Maundy' mean?" and that gives us a chance to talk about one of the most important aspects of the Easter season: The New Commandment.
Now, admittedly, those who attend services on this day every year probably know it as the celebration of the Last Supper and therefor the birth of Holy Communion. This is true, and we should not minimize that aspect of Holy Thursday.
Yet the more significant event, relative to how Jesus asked us to live our lives, is the commandment He gave us that same night. "Commandment" comes from "command" of course, and the root word for "command" is also the root for "Maundy."
In John 13, we have the important account of Jesus acting as a servant, though He is the Master. He washes the disciple's feet. Then, he gives the New Commandment:
John 13:34 (King James Version)
34A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another.
In
one brief evening, in his last opportunity to be with His disciples,
Jesus gives us- the sacramental gift of Holy Communion,
- the model of servanthood, and
- the New Commandment: Love one another.
This is nothing new, of course. When asked what the greatest commandment is, Jesus says (in Matthew 22, Mark 12, Luke 10) that the greatest commandment is to "Love the Lord your God" but immediately follows it with "Love your neighbor as yourself."
In His final hours, Jesus knows that the disciples will soon find themselves floundering in grief. He gives them a few final lessons to solidify the foundation on which they are to build His church and spread His lessons: recognition of the need for salvation and the acceptance of that salvation (Communion), service to others, and Love.
It is this New Commandment -- to Love one another -- which we celebrate on Maundy Thursday.
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