The Table
Reflections on Maundy Thursday
Tonight, all across the globe, believers will be gathering to remember the Thursday meal that leads into the crucifixion of Christ. In some church traditions, this is not practiced, but I have found it to be one of the most impactful services I have led over 20 years in ministry.
Some ask: If we attend a Good Friday Service, what role does a Maundy Thursday Service play in the life of the believer? Isn’t it all the same message? In short, no, it is not the same message. Although some of the themes and events cross over in the teaching or an actor’s portrayal in a Good Friday Service, the focus of Maundy Thursday is different.
Thursday was the Passover meal that Jesus shared with His disciples. It was a meal that happened every year, but this particular meal had a much different tone than the previous Passover meals Jesus celebrated with his disciples.
The meal originated after the Israelites were liberated from their oppressors, the Egyptians. It was a meal designed to cause the people to remember what the Lord had done for them, so they’d never forget the Lord’s liberating work. His liberation came in the way of miracles and a powerful, prophetic figure- Moses. This meal was and is rich in tradition, but the Passover meal, which had been celebrated for hundreds of years, was actually a finger pointing to that very moment, that very room, and that very night. The Passover was not just the Lord’s way of bringing remembrance, but also a window into the even greater liberation He would bring through a new spotless lamb that would cause death to pass over His people.
The meal was laced with symbolism that we can now see was prophetically displayed just hours after eating together when Jesus was beaten and then hung on the cross.
Thursday was about intimacy. Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. Jesus displayed his love, service, and humility in this act. Jesus longed to be with these men before His death. He knew His time had come, and He wanted the company of his closest friends. Jesus spoke words of love and encouragement to His disciples. He yearned for them to understand what was going to happen and why. He used the Passover meal as a prophetic picture of what was to come. He shared with them the beauty of the coming Holy Spirit and the reason His death was necessary for them and for the world.
After the meal, he brought His disciples to the Garden to pray. All he requested was that they stay awake and pray with Him. He wanted to join Him in His quiet time with the Father. The Garden was the only time he asked His disciples to pray with Him. Every other time, he would retreat and pray alone.
Thursday was about betrayal. Judas, one of Jesus’ closest companions, chose to have Jesus arrested. He sold him out for less than $1,000. Jesus was not meeting Judas's desires for a Messiah. Many thought he sold him out to force Jesus’ hand to move in power against Rome. Either way, a friend was betrayed by a friend. Yet, Judas was not the only betrayer. The disciples whom Jesus asked to pray with Him fell asleep. Not once, but three times. Jesus had welcomed them into the most intimate of settings- prayer- and they couldn’t stay awake. Jesus was clearly distraught. We have windows into Jesus’ prayer time, asking for the cup to be taken if possible, and the blood dripping from His brow. So, we can assume that at least one of the disciples stayed awake a little bit to see this. Yet, even that one disciple, despite seeing Jesus in such an emotionally raw state, still fell asleep. Once the soldiers grabbed Jesus, the disciples fled as well. They scattered in fear, leaving Jesus alone to His fate.
Thursday was about deep emotion. We focus so much on the physical anguish of the cross and often skip over the deep emotional pains Jesus experienced on Thursday. This betrayal, abandonment, and the knowledge of the coming pain weighed heavily on Jesus. His prayer indicates as much. He wanted one last meal with His friends, poured His heart out to them at dinner, and was visibly distraught before their very eyes. They did nothing except leave Him at His greatest point of need. We cannot really connect to Jesus physical pain, but we can absolutely connect to His emotional pain. This pain was also a part of the plan. This pain was also a choice by the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. One of the key parts of a Maundy Thursday service is for those in attendance to feel the weight of Jesus’ emotional burden. Allowing ourselves to step into a space where we have been ourselves and realizing, maybe for the first time, what Jesus must have been feeling.
Thursday IS about remembrance. Jesus said as he broke the bread and raised the cup that this meal should be done in remembrance of Him. The disciples did not connect to this in the moment, but they certainly grasped it after Jesus’ resurrection. We know this because the early church practiced the Lord’s Supper as we do even today. Taking this meal together is an act of obedient remembrance. Reflecting on what Christ has done for us, both the physical and emotional pain He willingly went through on our behalf.
Thursday is about HOPE. One thing that Jesus said at this meal, despite the pain and anguish to come, was to partake of this meal until He returns. He was not talking about the resurrection here, but His return at the end of days. Every time we reenact the Last Supper during communion, it should be laced with this hope. We cannot skip the pain of Friday, or the sadness and fear of Saturday, but we CAN look forward to our own resurrection when He returns. Lingering in the pain of Holy Week is critical, but that pain is not without HOPE.
So, let me encourage you to honor Maundy Thursday. Reflect on its meaning and, if possible, attend a Maundy Thursday service and experience the weight of this night in community with other believers.