Maundy Thursday: A New Commandment

On Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper with his disciples. It is traditionally known as “Maundy Thursday.” The word “Maundy” is derived from the Latin “mandatum” which refers to the “commandment” that our Lord gave to His disciples “to love one another.”

John 13:33-34:
“My children…
A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

We see the tenderness of Jesus displayed as he addresses his disciples as his children. For Jesus, they belonged in his kingdom. Therefore, our Lord had to protect them from what was ahead. What was ahead was something only Jesus could undergo.

“Where I am going, you cannot come,” Jesus said.

The Lord gives them this new commandment to hold on to as they continue kingdom work. But why is this a new commandment? Didn’t Moses already give us this imperative in Leviticus 19:18 when he said, “to love your neighbor as yourself?” Indeed. However, this new commandment is unlike Leviticus. Jesus says “love one another, just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.” The difference is God became flesh and literally loved His disciples for three years.

The disciples now have the example of God in the flesh of what love truly looks like. Yes, it is a new commandment: Love one another. But when Jesus says “Do this,” it is because He has already demonstrated for us what it looks like.

Love is the center of Christian discipleship. How will the world know who we are? It should not be because of our intellectual expertise, or our professional accomplishments, but rather by the love we have for one another at our tables, living rooms, workplaces, and in the place of worship.

The Christian history triumphed because God has loved us in his Son, and Christians have reacted to that love by loving one another. Without love there is no Christian faith; without love, we are noise-makers, clanging cymbals, self-delusional religionists, but when we obey this new commandment, the world sees us and they will know that we are disciples of the Crucified King, Jesus Christ.

Prayer: O Lord, of heaven and earth, we are undeserving of such love, yet, you love us still without hesitation. We are your disciples and pray that your love would overflow in our hearts that we might display this love to those around us by listening, cherishing, serving and encouraging our neighbor in the Name of Jesus Christ, amen.