Holy Week
Thursday, March 20, 2008
A New Commandment…
31As soon as Judas left the room, Jesus said, “The time has come for the Son of Man to enter into his glory, and God will be glorified because of him. 32And since God receives glory because of the Son, he will soon give glory to the Son. 33Dear children, I will be with you only a little longer. And as I told the Jewish leaders, you will search for me, but you can’t come where I am going. 34So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other. Just as I have loved you, you should love each other. 35Your love for one another will prove to the world that you are my disciples.” John 13:31-35
We all know that the Last Supper occurred on a Thursday evening. We also know that the Thursday before Easter is commonly referred to as Maundy Thursday. What you may or may not know is that the word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word “mandatum” or commandment. The reason Maundy Thursday is known by that name is because Jesus gave the disciples a new commandment at the Last Supper. We just read that new commandment in John 13:34 “So now I am giving you a new commandment: Love each other.” The command is strong and clear, but Jesus added even more strength and clarity to it when He said, “Just as I have loved you, you should love each other.” Jesus love for His disciples was great. They already knew that. What they would find out in a matter of hours was that His love for them was absolute! As we follow Jesus in our daily lives, the true test of our faithfulness to Him of our love for Him is our love for one another. As we go about this Maundy Thursday, let’s remember that Jesus loved us enough to give His life for us, thus we are to love one another with a self-giving love that puts others before ourselves. As we do that—and only as we do that—the world will know that Jesus’ claims are real and true. Jesus’ new commandment never gets old, and the living out of that new commandment will ever be the affirmation of His Lordship in our lives!
Questions and Comments for Reflection and Action:
If you had been at the Last Supper, do you think you would have understood the profound implications of Jesus’ new commandment? Why or why not?
As you go about your life each day, what do you do to ensure that you live out the new commandment?
What do you think would happen if every Christian (or every person who claims to be a Christian) lived out that new commandment 24/7?