So That's What That Means

    Last week, I learned something new. Maybe you're like me; sometimes I overhear conversations where someone will employ a word I don't know the definition of. If that word doesn't intrigue me for some specific reason, I'll move on and forget about it. Last week, a word I've heard before was repeated enough that it got my attention.

    The word was Maundy.

    I know what you're thinking; I was thinking it too... Maundy, Tewsdy, Winsdy, Thursdy, Fridy - the five business days of the Southern states.

    But apparently Maundy has a much different (and serious) meaning. According to Merriam-Webster, Maundy comes from an old Latin word meaning "command, order." Today, Maundy is used in the phrase, Maundy Thursday, to refer to the command Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper.

    In John 13:34 Jesus said, "A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

    So that's what that means.

    Jesus had told His disciples earlier to prepare for the Passover meal that night. But Jesus had more in mind than just observing a normal Jewish Passover meal. Jesus was going to show the disciples what Passover was really about.

    In Jewish culture, the Passover meal was a time to remember how God had led them out of slavery in Egypt. On the night before God would lead them out of Egypt, God told them to kill a spotless lamb and spread its blood over their household doorposts. The blood of that lamb was a sign between the Jews and God. God would "pass over" that household; He would hold back his wrath from them, because a lamb had died in their place.

    But at Jesus's Last Supper with His disciples, He showed them the truth of Hebrews 10:11, which says that the blood of an animal "can never take away sins." Jesus Himself would have to take on the penalty of the sins of the world.

    "And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, 'This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.' And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, 'This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood'" (Luke 22:19-20).

    So, Passover was foreshadowing the perfect sacrifice Jesus would make. Like the lamb at Passover, Jesus's body would be broken for His followers; His blood would be spilled for you. That broken body and spilled blood would cause God to "pass over" all who accept Jesus's sacrifice by faith.

    Maundy Thursday, then, is all about Jesus commanding His followers to love each other just like He had loved them. And how did Jesus love His disciples? As Captain America would say, "To the end of the line."

    He loved us enough to suffer; He loved us enough to die. And now it's our turn to love each other like that.

    So that's what that means.