Maundy Thursday

Maundy Thursday, April 17, 2025

John 13:1, NIV

It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

Reflection - Pastor Taylor Walker, Zion Lutheran Church, Spring City

Many of us who come to church today will hear this passage aloud, the long version – where Jesus wraps a towel around his waist, pours water into a basin, and begins to wash the disciples feet. You might even take part in that ritual yourself… a vulnerable one, to be sure, but a way of experiencing the truth of the gospel through our senses, a way that disrupts our patterns and upsets our expectations.

If you worship tonight, during the reading, think about this verse… this first verse. Where Jesus knows he is going to die, but rather than hide or cry or perform some last-minute miracles, it says, “Jesus loved them to the end.”

It’s breathtaking, isn’t it? That he wanted his last day – no, his last few hours – to be spent in love. Agape love, in the Greek, which means servant love. This is the kind of love we are called to have for each other – this is what Jesus means when he says we are to love our neighbor.

He knew he would be risen… he’s even told them that before. But he knew that the next few days would be terrifying, painful, miserable days… and to get through Good Friday and Holy Saturday, the disciples would need each other.

Unfortunately, we still live in that Holy Saturday world, in a world waiting for the inbreaking of resurrection… so we will have to wait more than three days to see the light waiting for us on the other side. But through it all, dear people, take heart: God has anointed us to serve one another. We are family, and our job is to help each other get through this time – however we can, however we need.

Meditation: As Christ loved us, so we love others. How might you show up for somebody who needs agape love, today? It doesn’t need to be anything big, but don’t wait – there is never a good time and there will never be a right one. The day before he died, Jesus gathered his tools quickly and got to work. Now it’s time for you to make a plan to serve someone in love.