A Brief Summary of Maundy Thursday
Maundy Thursday marks the night during Passion Week when the Lord Jesus gathered with his disciples in the Upper Room to observe the Passover. This gathering became known as the Last Supper. During the meal, two significant events happened that Christian churches throughout the centuries have remembered: the Lord washed his disciples’ feet, foreshadowing his voluntary and atoning death, and he instituted the Lord’s Supper, which we observe weekly to this day, eating bread and drinking the fruit of the vine in remembrance of his body and blood given for us.
Maundy is from the Latin word mandatum from which we get words like mandate or command. This is based on Christ’s new command which he delivers in the Upper Room on the night of the Last Supper. The Lord said in John 13:34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” Maundy Thursday is a time to remember the events of the Lord’s last evening with his disciples in the Upper Room and the spiritual meal that he instituted. During this evening service, we consider the Passover, the love command, the Lord’s Supper, our own sinfulness, the holiness of God, the suffering and atoning death of our Savior and Lord, and the depths of the love of God.