The joy and celebration of Easter are almost upon us. We will soon delight in the happy pastels of little girls’ dresses, the singing of cheerful and jubilant songs, the indulgence of candy and glazed ham, and exultation of the ancient dialogue,
“Christ is Risen!”
“He is Risen Indeed!”
But right now, on Maundy Thursday, we must wait. And not just wait, but palpably undergo something other than Easter victory and triumph. The next couple of days provide a contrast to Easter. Sour before the sweet. Lament before the rejoicing. Dark before the light.
For Jesus Christ himself, the darkness builds over the Three Days immediately preceding Easter. He dies an unjust, forsaken, and gruesome death on Friday. He descends to the bottom of hell on Saturday. But for us who follow Jesus, the darkest day may be Thursday.
Maundy Thursday has deep roots in the Christian tradition. For centuries, the main scripture for the day came from John 13. There, Jesus shares a meal with his disciples. Knowing that he will soon die, he begins giving them his parting words, among which are, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another.” (v 13). The word “commandment” (or “mandate”) in an earlier version of English was “Maundy,” giving us the traditional name for this day.
Prior to speaking these words, the words of the Great Commandment, and sharing a meal with the disciples, Jesus knelt to wash their feet. It was model of love for the disciples. And more.
For the sandal-wearing disciples, washing feet was a common cultural practice. It was proper hospitality to offer your guests a basin of water for their feet. But guests were usually expected to wash their own feet. In a household without slaves, everyone washed his or her own feet.
Yet Jesus willingly dropped to his knees in the position of this extra-lowly slave to wash the disciples' feet. The disciples were immediately shocked, and it seems, embarrassed by this act of humility. But their surprise should be no surprise to us. This was the Creator of the universe on his knees washing the dirt from the callused feet of his followers!
When we look at Jesus' humble act of foot washing, we can understand why the disciples were unable to immediately grasp the significance of the act. But we should!
Jesus lowered himself into the position of a lowly slave, he served like a slave, he washed the disciples' feet like a lowest-of-the-low slave, because ultimately, he was preparing to die the dehumanizing death of a slave. As he washed out dirt from between the disciples' toes, Jesus performed a parable of the cross - the cross that brought us a once-for-all, head-to-toe, cleansing from our sin.
Jesus shared this last meal not with devoted and faithful followers, but with his betrayers and deserters. As John tells us from the beginning of the meal, the devil had already convinced Judas to betray Jesus (13:2) and Jesus knew it (13:11). And despite Peter’s confidence that he will die for Jesus, Jesus knows that Peter will repeatedly deny even knowing him (13:38).
The stories of Jesus’ disciples, especially their fumbles and missteps, were not written so that we, thousands of years later, could shake our heads, wag our fingers and tell ourselves we would do better.
For believers, this is the real darkness that comes before the light of Easter. Even though Jesus washes our feet and shares his bread with us, in a very real sense, we still struggle to take up his cross and follow him. Through outright disobedience or passive neglect, we sell him out, deny knowing him, and let him die alone. Rejecting our Savior is our own descent.
But God! Jesus accomplished many things when he rose from the dead. But for doubters, deniers and deserters, the most important thing was that he came back to them with words of forgiveness and peace (John 20:21). He will have the same words for you. “My grace is sufficient. My power is made perfect in weakness. I will never leave you, nor forsake you. I loved you first. I love you best. I love you!”
Jesus gathers to himself the last, the least, and the lost. He died and rose for them all! For you and for me! So, although it pales in comparison to the radiance of the gift, it is fitting to celebrate this with bright colors, sunny songs, and tasty treats.
It’s Thursday. Wait. Watch. Worship. Sunday is coming!