What Is Maundy Thursday?

What is Maundy Thursday?  Why do Christians observe it? What does it represent?

The Holy Week

The Holy Week is the week before and leading up to Jesus Christ’s resurrection.   Some call the Thursday of that week Maundy Thursday.  Others call it Holy Thursday and even Great Thursday.  This day represents the day or actually the night when Jesus observed and held the Passover Meal, sometimes referred to as the Last Supper or Communion, with His disciples just before His betrayal, arrest, and crucifixion.

Jesus Institutes the Lord’s Supper

When Jesus and the disciples had the Last Supper, the Passover Meal or some call it, Communion, He was instituting or commanding a new ordinance for the church.  This new command or ordinance is recorded in Matthew 26:26-29 “ Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”  And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.  I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”  There is no doubt that this  is commanded because Luke puts it this way, “he took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me” (Luke 22:19).  The sentence structure in the Greek, and even reading it in the English translation, leaves no doubt that this is an imperative comment.

The Foot Washing

Some churches have the foot washing which occurred on the night of the Passover meal and this takes place at night of that Thursday or on the night of Maundy Thursday.  This is the night where Jesus washed the disciple’s feet when “He got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him” (John 13:4-5).  Some churches believe that this is an ordinance and do it several times a year after the so-called “Love Feast” or the meal after taking Communion or the Passover Meal.  Whether they feel obligated or not, no two denominations do exactly the same thing.   After the foot washing, Jesus said “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them.  “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am.  Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet.  I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.  Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him” (John 13:12b-16).  What Jesus was trying to communicate to them was that we are to serve one another; we should humble ourselves as a servant would before a master, which is why He said “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” because “no servant is greater than his master.”   This was largely a lesson of servant hood and humility.

What Maundy Means

The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum” which means “commandment” or “command.”  They base this on Jesus saying “A new commandment I give you: Love one another” (John 13:34). The phrase Maundy, as I said is of Latin origin and originally came from the Bible verse in Latin, “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos” which in English is “A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have loved you.” Because of this, many churches believe that Maundy Thursday and the ordinances of Communion, and for some, the foot washing, are commanded.  Most certainly believers are commanded to serve one another in love (Gal 5:13) and to esteem others better than themselves (Phil 2:3) and the foot washing seems to teach both.  I have done foot washing and had it done to me and I can see the value in it.  Maundy Thursday is held only one time a year and always the Thursday of the Holy Week, the week in which Christ died on the cross and was resurrected on that next Sunday, sometimes called Easter or Resurrection Sunday.

A National Holiday

Although Maundy Thursday is not a national holiday in America, it actually is a public holiday in some nations like Columbia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, and in Spain where public schools, some places of work, and government offices are closed.  Not all churches or denominations have a Maundy Thursday observance and in many of them that do, it is not actually commanded.  Even so, there are still a great number of churches around the world that do participate in this every year.

Conclusion

Some churches only allow baptized members to participate in Maundy Thursday activities because believers are the only ones that may take Communion or the Lord’s Supper.  A bigger question is whether you have been born again.  If there has been a time in your life where you have chosen to repent and trust in the Savior, then you have every right to participate in Communion or the Lord’s Supper and also in Maundy Thursday activities such as the foot washing, the Love Feast, or anything else that churches do on this day.  There will come a day when we will all see Jesus Christ.  He will either be your King, having saved you or your Judge, Who will judge you for all eternity.  You can read more about the outcome of this judgment in Revelation 20:11-15.  I would rather you not be in that judgment and if you think about it, neither should you.

Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon