This day was full of events, not just one. It recognizes when Jesus observed the Passover meal, instituted the Lord’s supper, was betrayed by Judas, and the agonizing prayer of Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane, and his arrest that led to illegal trials. The most prominent part of the illegal activity was that he was put on trial during the night. It was against both for the Roman and Jewish traditions.
The word Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum which translates to the word commandment. The commandment of Jesus is found in John 13:34 when he tells his disciples to love one another. Jesus demonstrated in powerful ways love he had for those with him and expected them to follow his example. The two disciples that were responsible to make arrangements for the gathering neglected an important duty of the hosts. It was their responsibility to either do it themselves or to have one of their servants wash the feet of those in attendance. This had a practical application as well as a spiritual one. The land was dusty and often got on the feet of whoever was walking. The washing of feet was a kindness to remove the dust and refresh the feet. The spiritual application was that of humility demonstrated because of love. Whatever the disciples did from this point on must always be out of love.
Jesus told his two disciples to follow a man who was carrying water and he would lead them to the guest chamber for their gathering. For a man to carry water was very unusual in those days. It made him stand out and easily recognizable. Without question, he showed them to a large upper room. It was there the disciples gathered to observe the Passover which was the recognition of the Jews being freed from Egyptian slavery. It was during this time that Jesus recognized Judas for what he intended and told him to leave on his evil task. Remember that Jesus also washed the feet of Judas. All those three years of miracles and teachings by Jesus had no spiritual effect on the traitor.
After Judas left the room, Jesus implemented what we call the Lord’s Supper or Communion. Catholics call it the Eucharist or the Holy Sacrament. A twofold question for you: if you were one of the disciples of Jesus, what effect would help you when Jesus said this is my body and this is my blood; what effect does it have on you today when you go to church and the congregation observes the Lord’s supper? Sadly, this has become a ritual, and too many people have lost its meaning. The Bible says that at the end of the meal they left the guestroom after singing a hymn. It was then that Jesus predicted the denial of Peter by saying he would betray him three times after the cock crowed twice.
On the way to the garden of Gethsemane, we have recorded in John 17 what is actually the Lord’s prayer. It is a prayer that Jesus offered, not one that he expected his disciples to follow. It was a personally intimate time for him with the Heavenly Father.
It was not a new thing for Jesus to go to the garden of Gethsemane. He and the disciples often visited this beautiful place. On the evening of Maundy Thursday Jesus asked his disciples to pray with him as part of support for his prayer time when he went separately to talk with his Father. It was then we can learn a lesson from Jesus for he said, “nevertheless thy will be done.”
Since Judas was familiar with Gethsemane, he had no difficulty leading a band of enemies from the temple so that Jesus might be arrested. Jesus took note that he betrayed the Lord by a kiss to make sure the enemies were arresting the correct person. At first, the disciples were irate. Peter withdrew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, but Jesus healed the man’s ear. He reminded Peter that he could’ve called a multitude of angels to defend him if he so desired. Jesus said, “the cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it?” (John 18:11)
For some reason, a young man was spying out the events. He was only wearing a linen cloth wrapped about him. When he tried to flee, other men were able to grab on to the cloth and that left him naked as he ran away. It seems to make sense that that young man was the one who earlier had been carrying water and directed to the disciples to the guestroom. He was the son of a rich woman and wanted to follow Jesus, but when the apostle Paul began his missionary journey, this young man, John Mark, abandoned the mission leaving Paul angry with him. It was not until much later that they reconciled and Mark became an vital part of the evangelism and also wrote the gospel of Mark in the New Testament.
During the arrest of Jesus by the temple guards, the disciples abandoned him except Peter and John. Later that evening Peter was at the courtyard of the high priest warming himself on the fire. Just as Jesus predicted, when he was approached three times by people accusing him of knowing Jesus, he was so adamant in denying Jesus he even swore. John was the other disciples who followed behind. He went in with Jesus when he began to be put on trial. John was the only disciple at the foot of the cross when Jesus was murdered.
Can you imagine what you would have experienced, had you been like Peter? After denying Jesus, the Lord turned and looked on him. Peter realized what he had done and left to weep bitterly. Could you bear the look of Jesus after denying him? Yet, modern Christians deny one him in so many ways and never give it a thought!
Christian Writer 