Maundy Thursday, that’s what we call today. The meaning
of the word, “Maundy” is largely lost to history. We think it is a corruption
of the word “mandatum” from the
Latin, meaning commandment. In John 13:34, Jesus says, “A new commandment (Mandatum novum) I give to you, that you
love one another….” Mandatum and Maundy sound similar … if you stretch your
imagination a little and consider who pronunciations can change across time and
geography.
What is actually important, however, is not so much the
name we have given to the day. More and more people simply refer to today as
Holy Thursday. What matters is what Jesus did. The Last Supper. Washing the
disciples’ feet. Instituting the Lord’s Supper. Giving that new commandment. Praying
in the Garden of Gethsemane.
As your read, pray for the Spirit of God to open the
Scriptures to you. Pray to understand the gravity of these events, and to
receive the benefits Jesus has placed in them.
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