Commandment Thursday
On
the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the
disciples came to Jesus and said,
“Where
do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
He
replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
‘The
Teacher says: My appointed time is near.
I am going to
celebrate
the Passover with My disciples at your house.’”
So
the disciples did as Jesus directed them and prepared the Passover.
Matthew
26:17-19
It is now Maundy
Thursday. Have you ever wondered what Maundy
means? Thursday of
Holy Week was the busiest day of the Passover season, with every family in Israel
preparing for the Passover Supper celebration.
We know the story of the Last Supper for Jesus and his friends: washing the disciples feet; revealing that
someone would betray Him; Judas’ departure from the room; predicting that Peter
would deny Him; the institution of the Lord’s Supper.
What we often forget is
that Jesus sat and spoke with His disciples at length that evening. Recorded only in the Gospel of John, Jesus
began His words with a new commandment:
A
new command I give you: Love one another
as
I have loved you, so you must love one another.
By
this all men shall know that you are My disciples,
if
you love one another.
John
13:34-35
The word “Maundy” comes
to us as an Anglo-French word derived from the Latin “mandatum,” which means
“commandment.” Maundy Thursday is
actually Commandment Thursday. Amidst
all of the stress and horror of the coming hours, Jesus’ mind was not on His own
pain. There would be time later for
that. His focus at the Passover Supper
was on His disciples. He knew that they
did not fully understand what was happening, but He gave them a new commandment: to LOVE each other, not with the weakness of human love, but with the power of
His love. He gave them the gift of each
other, knowing that was the only way they would get through the days ahead.
*
We
will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand.
We
will walk with each other, we will walk hand in hand.
And
together we’ll spread the news that God is in our land.
And
they’ll know we are Christians by our love, by our love,
Yes,
they’ll know we are Christians by our love.
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