| Maundy Thursday, April 18 | Read John 13:1-35 |
“I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (v. 34)
Unconditional Love
As a child, I was of the impression that parents were supposed to prove their love by giving their beloved daughter everything she wanted. Back then, I would have defined love as a tabletop stereo with a cassette player, piano lesson and one-of-a-kind birthday cakes. Everything seemed much easier to define back then. At the time, I would have defined broccoli as the complete absence of love. Even though I know better now, I still have trouble eating it.
With age comes wisdom. In time, we all learn that getting everything we want is neither healthy nor loving. Real love is focused on needs as well as wants and is often about experiences and relationships more than just things. Broccoli might not be part of the plan (at least for me), but vegetables certainly are.
On Maundy Thursday, Jesus was very focused on giving the disciples what they would need as they faced his arrest and execution in the next hours. Most of us equate Maundy Thursday with the Last Supper, but in John’s account, that is not mentioned. Instead, Jesus teaches the disciples about servanthood by washing their feet. At the time, this was a filthy task usually done by the lowest household servant. It is no wonder that Peter had difficulty accepting Jesus taking on that role. In most places today, foot washing is symbolic, but it remains difficult for most of us to have our feet washed by a friend.
Perhaps foot washing is a good reminder that loving each other as Christ commanded can be challenging. Sometimes it is about connections and affirmations, and it is overflowing with joy. But there are times that it means having conversations much like those Jesus had with Peter and the other disciples. There are times when following Christ’s new commandment means doing things that may feel a bit awkward, like having our feet washed or helping a neighbor prepare broccoli for our dinner. It may mean praying together or making a phone call or searching the internet to find resources for someone in need.
Loving as Christ commanded is to love no matter what. It means loving those who are easy to love as well as those who are not so easy to love. Peter, Thomas, and Judas were all with Jesus that night, and he loved all three of them – the denier, the doubter, and the betrayer. He has commanded us to love one another in the same way. That means that there will inevitably be sinners reaching out in love to other sinners in the name of Christ. And, like Communion, we do this in remembrance of Christ.
Pastor Mari Larson
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