How Maundy Thursday Reminds Us to Love Others
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Holy Week is a sacred and blessed time for Christians around the globe. The week leading up to Easter Sunday is one that helps Christians focus on the cross in heart and spirit by recounting the final days of Jesus’ life and earthly ministry. Within this week leading to Easter Sunday, many recognize what is called Maundy Thursday. Maundy Thursday is celebrated the Thursday before Easter in remembrance of the Last Supper, when Jesus introduced communion and washed the disciples’ feet.
“After that, Jesus poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:5).
For Jesus to wash the feet of his disciples demonstrated an incredible amount of love, humility, and servanthood. Sometime later, following this act, Jesus established what is now referred to as communion, or the eucharist.
“And he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way, after the supper he took the cup, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you’” (Luke 22:19-20).
The final days and hours Jesus spent with his disciples were sacred and filled with significant teachings. Maundy Thursday is set aside to remember these commands Jesus gave at the Last Supper.
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What Do We Celebrate on Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday is the day in which we recognize and celebrate when Jesus washed the feet of his disciples and established the act of communion at the Last Supper. This was a profound time in which Jesus ministered to and taught his disciples. They could not understand why Jesus would wash their feet. He was Lord and he was their master, surely it should be the other way around. But Jesus taught them about loving one another, humility, and servanthood.
“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:14-16).
This time of year, we are given the opportunity to follow Jesus by loving others in this way. So, too, by partaking in communion, we are submitting to Jesus’ command to remember him by the taking and sharing of bread and wine (or juice). This is a powerful worship experience that draws us closer to Jesus as the body of Christ.
Is Maundy Thursday Biblical?
Both the establishment of communion and the act of foot washing are documented in multiple Gospels that detail the life and ministry of Jesus. No doubt, both of these spiritual practices are biblically based. Christians today can follow them in obedience to Jesus and to deepen their faith.
Communion and foot washing are rich spiritual practices that motivate us to live in peace, humility, and love – just as Jesus instructed us to do. These are transformational traditions that invite the work and power of the Spirit in each of us.
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What Is the History of Maundy Thursday?
Maundy Thursday itself has been part of the Christian calendar since the early church. It is believed that Maundy Thursday was celebrated as early as the late 4th century. Today, some churches host a special service during holy week on Maundy Thursday to take communion, and for some churches, this service will also include a foot washing element.
The word maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum, which means “command.” Specifically, this word emphasizes the commands that Jesus gave to his disciples at the Last Supper. Jesus set a radical example for his disciples when he washed their feet. In the crucial and humbling moment at the Last Supper, Jesus established this new command for his disciples. All Christians should follow Jesus’ example and are given the chance to do so each year by participating in a Maundy Thursday service.
Likewise, Jesus commanded his followers to continue the act of communion in remembrance of him. We see this taking place immediately in the early church. One such example is when the Apostle Paul wrote to the church of Corinth.
“For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, ‘This is my body, which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.’ For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes” (1 Corinthians 11:23-26).
Communion is a spiritual practice that connects us to Jesus’ journey to the cross, on which he demonstrated his great love for the world by offering up his life for our salvation. Communion is our way of proclaiming Jesus’ death to the world and the message of hope found in him. Most Christian churches participate in communion on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis.
Maundy Thursday continues to be celebrated by many denominations and churches around the world, as believers take the time to remember the Last Supper and the commands Jesus gave.
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Who Celebrates Maundy Thursday?
Nearly all Christian denominations partake of communion, however, there are exceptions. The Quakers are a Christian denomination that does not partake of communion. Communion is celebrated around the world by most Christians because Jesus commanded us to do so. Communion is a powerful experience in which we connect with God.
A wide variety of denominations also celebrate Maundy Thursday. Baptists, Catholics, Lutherans, and Methodists are just a few of those that do recognize Maundy Thursday. Traditionally, some churches host foot washing services on Maundy Thursday.
Christians celebrate this day during Holy Week with the desire to renew our efforts to follow these commands and to live like Jesus lived. It is important to recognize these beautiful teachings and demonstrations that Jesus gave in his final hours before he was arrested in Gethsemane.
Celebrating Maundy Thursday gives us a deeper look at the Last Supper between Jesus and his disciples. Remembering this day of holy week gives believers the chance to walk with Jesus in his final days and hours. It is a powerful recognition of Jesus’ commands to love others by foot washing and to remember him through the taking of bread and wine (or juice). What we learn from celebrating Maundy Thursday is that truly, to be a follower of Jesus means that we are to love others because he first loved us (see 1 John 4:19).
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