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Maundy Thursday

picture of the Garden of Gethsemane "I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another." (John 13:34-35)

On the Thursday before Easter, the Church begins the Triduum: a three-day commemoration of Christ's passion. Today we remember the Last Supper and the events that followed it that evening: the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane, the betrayal of Judas and the denials of Peter, and the various questions and trials of Pilate, Herod, and Caiphias.

"I give you a new commandment..."

On that evening Peter, James, John, and the other disciples probably expected a simple meal in the upper room with nothing out of the ordinary. What they got was quite different. Jesus starts the meal by quietly taking the place of a servant and washing the disciples' dusty and filthy feet. Afterwards He charges them (and us) to love each other: "Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another."

In Latin, the word used for "commandment" was mandatum, which led to "Maundy" Thursday. Many churches continue the practice of foot-washing on Maundy Thursday, often with the church leaders and pastor doing the washing. The English monarchs used to wash the feet of poor persons, as many persons as the monarch was old, and then distribute new clothing and alms to them.

Foot-washing may seem a little out-of-place today: most of us wear shoes that do a good job of keeping our feet from the outside, and the roads we walk on are often clean(er) asphalt and concrete, instead of dirt paths. Having your feet washed appears to be overkill, unless it's been a while since you showered! But I encourage you to take part in the ritual, if it is offered. Kneeling in front of a friend or stranger, laving hot water on their feet, and gently toweling them dry helps me remember to follow Christ, who "made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant" (Phil 2:7). More difficult, at least for me, is allowing others to wash my feet. I have the same question as Peter: "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Surely I am unworthy to be served in this fashion! And so foot-washing forces me to be humble and obedient, to give thanks and receive the grace that others offer to me. It is good preparation for Friday, when we meditate that Christ was not only willing to wash our undeserving feet, but to give his life that we might be redeemed.

"Take and eat..."

Despite the name "Maundy", the focus of most Maundy Thursday services is the Last Supper. Almost all churches offer Holy Communion (Eucharist) today, and many congregrations share an evening meal (agape) before the service. I'm grateful that I have the opportunity to receive Communion on a frequent basis...but the repetition sometimes causes me to take this miracle for granted. On Maundy Thursday, it's helpful to remember that this first Communion probably seemed much different to the twelve men in the upper room.

"The sacramental words are terrifying and incomprehensible...we associate them with "Early-Morning-Service", and "the-beautiful-simplicity-of-the Roman [Anglican, Free Church] rite" and "having-a-good-number-of-communicants", being on the Electoral Roll of the Parish Church, and all that sort of thing--but what must they have sounded like against the background of the Jewish Temple sacrifices with their daily, weekly, monthly slaughters, and the Passover rites, and the blood sprinkled on the doorposts; and with the living man whom you had eaten, drink, talked, laughed, and lived with for the past two or three years sitting there beside you?" --Dorothy Sayers, The Man Who Would be King.

Given this, you might wonder why the traditional color for Maundy Thursday evening is white, rather than the the red of Holy Week or the black of Good Friday. But, unlike the disciples, we know how the story ends: "We cannot even pretend to forget momentarily that this is not Jesus's last meal." [1] Although we know Jesus's body will be broken and his blood shed, we also know that on the third day, he will rise again. In Communion, we remember it all: "his blessed passion and precious death, his mighty resurrection and glorious ascension." [2] When Christ says, "This is my Blood, of the New Covenant..." we understand what that means: God's promise that Christ's death redeems us from sin. And so we rejoice, even as we prepare for the road to Golgotha that lies ahead on Friday.

"Where I go, you cannot follow Me now."

At the end of many evening services, the ministers will strip the altar: the candlesticks are taken off, the linen is put away, and what's left is plain wood or stone table. The rest of the church, if necessary, is also stripped: crosses are veiled, flowers are removed, and in general the worship space is made as bare as possible. These actions symbolize the body of Christ, who was stripped of His garments by Roman soldiers.

Many churches will keep the church open until midnight, offering a space to pray and keep vigil before the (now-bare) altar. We remember Christ's command to the disciples: to keep watch while He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Like Peter, James, and John did, we keep watch--and perhaps fall asleep--and we remember Christ being taken away from them, to be questioned, tortured, and crucified. It is a good way to end Maundy Thursday and continue into Good Friday.

On to Good Friday...

Readings

Church Services (2003)

 

[1]: Lawrence Hull Stookey, Calendar: Christ's Time for the Church (Abingdon Press, 1996), p.95.
[2]: Book of Common Prayer, Rite I (1979, p.335).

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