Maundy Thursday
The Church has celebrated Maundy Thursday for a long time. A special commemoration of the
institution of the Eucharist on the Thursday of Holy Week is first mentioned in the documents concerning the
North African Council of Hippo, which was held in 393 AD. The celebration goes by several other names as
well.
The word Maundy was first used in the 15th Century. The word comes to us today through Middle
English, maunde, meaning the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor on this day, following the example of
Jesus in today’s gospel reading. The word arrived in Middle English from the Anglo- French mandet, which
came from the Latin word mandatum.
Mandatum is translated “command” in today’s English. Mandatum is also the root of our noun
“mandate.”
At the end of the lesson appointed for Maundy Thursday from John’s Gospel, we find, “I give you a new
commandment…,” thus how the Thursday before Easter received its name. This took place during the last
supper Jesus ate with his disciples.
While Matthew, Mark, and Luke include the institution of the Lord’s Supper during the Passover Meal,
it is only in John that we find the foot-washing incident and the command Jesus gave his followers. According
to John, this took place on the day before the Passover Festival began.
Remember, the way to denote the beginning of a day in 1st Century Palestine was far different from the
way we in the West determine when the new day begins. For the most part, in the 21st Century, we use midnight
as the start of a new day. In ancient Israel, the new day began at sundown.
Now, let’s back up in today’s lesson from John and look for a minute or two at what Jesus did in
washing his disciples’ feet.
Impetuous Peter didn’t want to have anything to do with this activity. I think there’s a good reason why
Peter was hesitant about having his teacher wash his feet.
In Jesus’ day, there were basically two methods of motivation available to the majority of the residents:
walking or riding on the back of an animal if you could afford one. Only the very, very rich could afford a
chariot or other animal-drawn vehicle.
Now the roads in Palestine at that time were not constructed of concrete or asphalt or even crushed
stone. Granted, there were a few highways covered with large stone, but for the most part, the roads were
compacted dirt or sand. The footware available to most of the residents was basically what we call sandals or
even flip-flops.
Now, during the dry season, which was most of the year, the roads would be dusty. When the rain did
fall, the roads would become muddy.
When the one who had been traveling by foot on the roads in Palestine arrived at his or her destination,
no matter how long or short the journey, the traveler’s feet would need cleaning. If one were fortunate enough
to have servants or slaves, it was their duty to remove either the dust or the mud, plus any other material the feet
acquired on the trip. If no servant or slave was available, the job fell to the traveler. Not a pleasant duty for
anyone in my way of thinking.
So Peter wasn’t going to let this happen. Then Jesus, as he so often did, turned everything completely
around.
“Very truly, I tell you, servants are no greater than their master, nor are messengers greater than the one
who sent them….”
Conventional wisdom would say, “Wait a minute. Wait. A. Minute. The servant is no better than his
master? Of course a master is better than the servant. The messenger is no better than the one who sent the
message? The one who originates the message generally is far more important than the delivery person.
“Shouldn’t that be turned around so the sentence is, ‘The master is not better than the servant, and the
one who sent the message is no better than the messenger’?”
“Are you trying to tell us that everyone is equal?” one might ask. That’s pretty much it. We’re
all together in this journey we call life. We are responsible for each other, too. The writer of John’s Gospel
quotes Jesus, “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.”
Mark also wrote, “Jesus said, ‘The first commandment is this: Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God is the
only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your
strength. The second is this: “Love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than
these.’”
These are mandates or commands for all the followers of Jesus throughout the ages. They are not
suggested guidelines.
Anne and I, along with several youth here at Holy Family, are involved in the New Beginnings program
in the Diocese of Atlanta. During lunch on Saturdays, members of the team, which consists of adults, college
students, and high school students, sing a song to the participants, 6th, 7th, 8th and 9th graders. I would like to
read the lyrics of this song to you.
“Will you let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant too.
“We are pilgrims on the journey,
We are travellers on the road,
We are here to help each other,
Walk the mile and bear the load.
“I will hold the Christ light for you,
In the night time of your fear,
I will hold my hand out to you,
Speak the peace you long to hear.
“I will weep when you are weeping.
When you laugh, I'll laugh with you.
I will share your joy and sorrow
Till we've seen this journey through.
“Will you let me be your servant
Let me be as Christ to you?
Pray that I might have the grace
To let you be my servant too.”
How well do we follow our Lord’s mandates?