{"id":37,"date":"2012-04-05T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2012-04-05T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/events-of-holy-week-maundy-thursday\/"},"modified":"2026-07-27T18:09:53","modified_gmt":"2026-07-27T18:09:53","slug":"events-of-holy-week-maundy-thursday","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/events-of-holy-week-maundy-thursday\/","title":{"rendered":"Events of Holy Week \u2013 Maundy Thursday"},"content":{"rendered":"

Most everyone\u00a0are aware of Holy Week, but Maundy Thursday <\/em>?\u00a0 Many people \u2013 even practicing Christians \u2013 wonder \u2018 What is Maundy Thursday <\/em>? \u2019<\/span><\/h2>\n

Maundy comes from mandatum \u2013 a mandate or commandment.\u00a0 This night of the Last Supper\u00a0Jesus was to give his disciples a new commandment.<\/p>\n

Churches often have a Maundy Thursday<\/strong> service.\u00a0 It occurs on the day before Good Friday.\u00a0 I admit until the last maybe 15 years it wasn\u2019t that familiar to me, and I\u2019ve been attending Holy week<\/strong> services since I was a child.\u00a0 As a young girl at church they didn\u2019t have Maundy Thursday<\/span> services, although I was taught all about the Last Supper.<\/p>\n

The meeting that took place in an upper room where Jesus met with his disciples has been\u00a0the\u00a0subject of artists for centuries, and there is much commentary about just when it took place. \u00a0For those of you not familiar with the story of this last evening Jesus has with his disciples, it holds a lot of meaning.\u00a0 It was the Passover meal they were having.\u00a0 Jesus always observed the Jewish holidays \u2013 after all, he was a Jew.<\/p>\n

Prior to eating, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples.\u00a0 This was a menial job usually done by the very lowest servant in the household.\u00a0 Washing someone\u2019s feet is an act of humility when done as Christ says.\u00a0 Jesus says, If I then, your Teacher and Lord, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another\u2019s feet.\u00a0 For I have given you an example, that you also should do as I have done.\u00a0 Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him.<\/em> (John 13-16 RSV)<\/p>\n

The ceremony of Jesus\u2019 foot washing of the disciples gives us a glimpse into the character of Jesus.\u00a0 If we apply his lessons\u00a0in our lives given in such a unique way, we may better understand why some people find happiness and others struggle so.\u00a0 This is an important example for us in today\u2019s world.<\/p>\n

Jesus offered the unleavened bread, blessed and broke it and gave it to the disciples\u2026\u2026Take, eat; this is my body. <\/em>(Matt 26:26 RSV) \u00a0Then he took the cup and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them saying, \u2026\u2026Drink of it, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. <\/em>(Matt 26:27-28 RSV)<\/p>\n

Then he sent Judas Iscariot out saying \u2026..What you are going to do, do quickly. <\/em>(John 13:27 RSV)\u00a0Jesus was aware that Judas was to betray him that night for 30 pieces of silver.<\/p>\n

He spoke to the eleven disciples remaining saying \u2014 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; even as I have loved you, that you also love one another.\u00a0 By this all men will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another. <\/em>(John 13:34-35 RSV)<\/p>\n

Then they left the upper room and went to the Mount of Olives where Jesus was to pray.\u00a0 He knew that very soon he would be betrayed by Judas with a\u00a0kiss \u2013 a sign to the chief priests this was the Master.<\/p>\n

As Jesus was seized by those who meant him harm, one of the men with Jesus took out his sword and struck one of the slaves of a high priest, cutting off his ear.\u00a0 Then
\nJesus said to him, \u201cPut your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.\u00a0 Do you not think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels?\u00a0 But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?\u00a0 <\/em>(Matt 26:52-54 RSV)<\/p>\n

He was taken by them to appear before the high priest, with the scribes and elders also there.\u00a0 He was tried and sentenced to death.<\/p>\n

I hope you have a better understanding of why churches have services on\u00a0 Maundy<\/em><\/span> Thursday<\/em>\u00a0 and its meaning.<\/span><\/h3>\n

Bobbi Miller<\/p>\n

P.S.\u00a0 There are several other blogs I\u2019ve written on Holy week<\/span> \u2013 some of them just for fun!\u00a0 Take a peek<\/span>!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Most everyone\u00a0are aware of Holy Week, but Maundy Thursday ?\u00a0 Many people \u2013 even practicing Christians \u2013 wonder \u2018 What is Maundy Thursday ? \u2019 Maundy comes from mandatum \u2013 a mandate or commandment.\u00a0 This night of the Last Supper\u00a0Jesus was to give his disciples a new commandment. Churches often have a Maundy Thursday service.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":592,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3,4,5,6,7,8,9,19],"tags":[99,40,100,101],"class_list":["post-37","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-affiliate-marketing","category-bible-study","category-current-events","category-empower-network","category-favorite-recipes","category-featured","category-future-of-our-country","category-holidays","tag-holy-week","tag-jesus","tag-last-supper","tag-maundy-thursday"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/592"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=37"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":94,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/37\/revisions\/94"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=37"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=37"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/empowernetwork.com\/bmiller\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=37"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}