Meditation 5: Maundy Thursday
"...mandatum novum do vobis..."
I never heard about Maundy Thursday until I had graduated from college. The first church that I worked in had a Maundy Thursday service. I must confess that I felt a little robbed of what seemed to be a good tradition where the Last Supper was commemorated. The name comes from the latin version of John 13:34 listed above. For those of you whose Latin is a bit rusty:
"a new commandment I give unto you, love one another as I have loved you"
Jesus just continues to upset the apple cart. He celebrates the Passover with his closest friends the twelve disciples. This turns out to be his last meal before his crucifixion. Instead of insisting upon what he deserved during this meal, Jesus takes a towell, wraps it around his waste and humbly washes the feet of his disciples. We feel the force of this verse, as modern Bible readers, by being reminded of the fact that the feet of those guys had to be really dirty. They wore sandals after all!
But the force of this verse is not necessarily in how dirty their feet were. The astounding thing is that Jesus takes upon himself the identity of a servant, humbly bending down in front of his friends and serving them through washing their feet. He does it again. He commits another great reversal. Instead of a servant or slave performing this act Jesus did.
Is it not astounding that the night before Jesus was crucified he undertook the very humble act of footwashing? Why would the creator of the universe condescend to this point? Jesus is setting an example for his followers. They have heard him teach for approximately three years. He taught them privately and the disciples were in the crowds as Jesus taught. They know his message but familiarity bred indifference. Jesus recaptures their imaginations with his humblest of acts.
On this Thursday night before his crucifixion Jesus captures the imaginations of his followers in two very important ways. First, instead of telling them to humble themselves before one another Jesus humbles himself before all of them. No longer would these men have to think about what it was that Jesus said about loving and serving one another. The image had been emblazoned on their minds.
The second way that he captures their imaginations is by altering the typical Passover meal converting it into the first, and most powerful, Christian sacrament. It is important for us to remember that Jesus didn't give us an idea to think about when he instituted this sacrament. Jesus didn't give us a list of rules to follow. He gave us a meal to eat. His command was simple. Do this thing, eating bread and drinking wine, to remember me. They aren't left remembering Jesus in the abstract but instead they have the most concrete of activities to participate in, eating.
My prayer for all of us this Easter and Lenten Season is that each of us would have our imaginations re-captured by Christ. That we would not merely think about the sacrifice and death of Jesus in the abstract but that we would, in some sense, relive the drama surrounding his crucifixion and resurrection.
the prayer
Dear Jesus, remind us of your life and sacrifice through the normal things of life such as bread and wine. Let your supper be an opportunity for us to have our hearts, minds and imaginations recreated in your image again. As we await the observance of your resurrection may your grace overwhelm us again.
the question
How has Christ captured your imagination? What has he taught you that has taken place in an unusual way?
the psalm
Psalm 118:19-24
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thankds to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
You have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.
I never heard about Maundy Thursday until I had graduated from college. The first church that I worked in had a Maundy Thursday service. I must confess that I felt a little robbed of what seemed to be a good tradition where the Last Supper was commemorated. The name comes from the latin version of John 13:34 listed above. For those of you whose Latin is a bit rusty:
"a new commandment I give unto you, love one another as I have loved you"
Jesus just continues to upset the apple cart. He celebrates the Passover with his closest friends the twelve disciples. This turns out to be his last meal before his crucifixion. Instead of insisting upon what he deserved during this meal, Jesus takes a towell, wraps it around his waste and humbly washes the feet of his disciples. We feel the force of this verse, as modern Bible readers, by being reminded of the fact that the feet of those guys had to be really dirty. They wore sandals after all!
But the force of this verse is not necessarily in how dirty their feet were. The astounding thing is that Jesus takes upon himself the identity of a servant, humbly bending down in front of his friends and serving them through washing their feet. He does it again. He commits another great reversal. Instead of a servant or slave performing this act Jesus did.
Is it not astounding that the night before Jesus was crucified he undertook the very humble act of footwashing? Why would the creator of the universe condescend to this point? Jesus is setting an example for his followers. They have heard him teach for approximately three years. He taught them privately and the disciples were in the crowds as Jesus taught. They know his message but familiarity bred indifference. Jesus recaptures their imaginations with his humblest of acts.
On this Thursday night before his crucifixion Jesus captures the imaginations of his followers in two very important ways. First, instead of telling them to humble themselves before one another Jesus humbles himself before all of them. No longer would these men have to think about what it was that Jesus said about loving and serving one another. The image had been emblazoned on their minds.
The second way that he captures their imaginations is by altering the typical Passover meal converting it into the first, and most powerful, Christian sacrament. It is important for us to remember that Jesus didn't give us an idea to think about when he instituted this sacrament. Jesus didn't give us a list of rules to follow. He gave us a meal to eat. His command was simple. Do this thing, eating bread and drinking wine, to remember me. They aren't left remembering Jesus in the abstract but instead they have the most concrete of activities to participate in, eating.
My prayer for all of us this Easter and Lenten Season is that each of us would have our imaginations re-captured by Christ. That we would not merely think about the sacrifice and death of Jesus in the abstract but that we would, in some sense, relive the drama surrounding his crucifixion and resurrection.
the prayer
Dear Jesus, remind us of your life and sacrifice through the normal things of life such as bread and wine. Let your supper be an opportunity for us to have our hearts, minds and imaginations recreated in your image again. As we await the observance of your resurrection may your grace overwhelm us again.
the question
How has Christ captured your imagination? What has he taught you that has taken place in an unusual way?
the psalm
Psalm 118:19-24
Open for me the gates of righteousness;
I will enter and give thankds to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter.
I will give you thanks, for you answered me;
You have become my salvation.
The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;
the Lord has done this and it is marvelous in our eyes.
The is the day that the Lord has made let us rejoice and be glad in it.
posted by The Wheatland Mission @ 7:48 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home