Maundy Thursday - Full Love Series

Maundy Thursday

Theme: Full Extent of Love

Text: John 13:1-17

Introduction:

Maundy means commandment. Today is Commandment Thursday, Holy Thursday or Sheer Thursday, green Thursday in Germany, because of cleaning the penance of a new beginning (ref: Britannica). The following texts remind the mandate of God, such as Exodus 12:1-10, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17. The mandate is love and serve, “a new commandment I give to you” (John 13:34). Christ's "mandate" is commemorated today.

Three lessons we could arrive at from this passage: Greater love of Christ, greater humility of Jesus, and a greater commitment to God.

1. Jesus Exhibited greater Love (John 13:1-2)

Jesus commanded us to love God, and love others as we love ourselves. Jesus showed us what it looks like. We are commanded to love as we have been loved by Jesus. We are prompted that love is not a sign of weakness, rather than strength; love is about God’s mercy and grace, rather than any goodness of our own. Jesus exhibited love towards the disciples who will run away, betray, deny. Jesus loved the arrogant, proud disciples. Jesus loved the self-loving, and self-projecting followers. Jesus loved the disciples who were worried about their petty positions among themselves and fought for them. John says, "Beloved, let us love one another. For love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God..." (1 John 4:7-8).

On this night, we gathered as the enslaved Hebrews gathered in Egypt to share the lamb and celebrate God’s passing over them in mercy. We are amazed and humbled, to have the dust of our souls washed by the servant Messiah. I would like to ask you ‘have you been to Jesus for the cleansing power?’ We gathered to share bread, and wine through the loved of Christ with friends and strangers. We are here to feast with God in midst of fears of death, sickness, wars in the world, in midst of poverty, scarcities, loneliness, despair, in the midst of racialism, religious hatred, political turmoil confusing and changing climatic conditions, and prevailing economic injustices, in the midst of disharmony. Jesus shares a table feast—pleasantly, with his unfaithful friends, with the traitor and the betrayed (Jacqueline K. Thompson, UMC Insight, 7.4.22).

The Last Supper was a Passover Seder, the feast of unleavened bread. Seder a ritual feast that marks the beginning of Passover and involves retelling the liberation story of Israelites enslaved in ancient Egypt. It is based on the Biblical verse commanding them to retell the story of the Exodus from Egypt: "You shall tell your child on that day, saying, 'It is because of what the LORD did for me when I came out of Egypt" (Exodus 13:8). Jesus and the disciples ate unleavened bread. The LORD delivered a liberating love and the love Jesus commands is a liberating love. God loved us while we were yet sinners (Romans 5:8).

2. Jesus Exhibited Servant Leadership (John 13:3-17)

It's the ultimate act of "servant leadership." Jesus instructs his followers to love and serve with humility. In stooping to wash their feet, Jesus demonstrated service with a humble state. It is service among equals, where no one—not even Teacher and Lord—stands out. It is a service of hospitality. Jesus commands us “do as I have done to you, which Means wash one another’s feet, …” (John 13:14-15).

Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in an extraordinary display of humility. The action is simple, yet is revolutionary. We serve as we have been served by Jesus. Jesus shows us what a servant’s heart looks like. (Jacqueline K. Thompson, UMC Insight, 7.4.22). Jesus taught his disciples to humble themselves and to believe that no one is better than another. Jesus was trying to teach the "value of spiritual washing, and the cleansing of the soul from the pollutions of sin" (Bible Gateway).

Jesus was teaching His disciples to not only humble themselves and to serve but to also learn how to receive love. Indeed, it is nothing short of shocking that the one who comes from God and is going to God has done the menial task of a slave and set an example for us. Jesus takes the role of a slave and washes the dirty feet of his disciples, but even more astounding is the fact that he does so knowing full well that they will all fail him miserably in his hour of greatest need. That is the greatest love exhibited with the greatest servanthood.

In ancient days the Jewish Hosts used to offer water and basins to the Guests to wash their dirty feet before entering their houses. However, the host would not do the washing. In some cases, the host would have a slave wash the feet of his guests. But no free person would stoop to wash the feet of another free person. Hospitality meant offering water and perhaps the services of a slave. It does not mean doing the washing. But Christ excelled them all. Jesus does not act this out of weakness, but out of strength (ref: Working preacher).