Today, the Thursday before Good Friday and Easter Sunday, is referred to as "Maundy" or "Holy" Thursday. On this day throughout the annals of Church history, you would find that many set apart this day as one of remembrance Such remembrance would be accounted for through the sacred meal known as communion. On this day Christians recall Jesus' last meal, the Last Supper.
I wonder today in the midst of all our "worldly" business, how many will stop and even give a thought of one of the most significant evenings in the course of history? This was no ordinary meal as it represented Jesus' life - it represents the Christian life. The Eucharist is not simply a meal, it is an
act - an act of sacrifice so as to give life to the
other. That is, we are called to give of ourselves (to be willing to break our body and pour out our self) so that the world might come to know the insane love of Jesus - the life-giving love of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
What's more, on this night, not only did Jesus break bread with his friends, but He gave us the ultimate example of what it means to be a leader...He washed the feet of his disciples. That is right, in the fourth Gospel we read how Jesus elevates His performance through the washing His disciples feet ( John 13.1-17).
Theologian Karl Barth writes:
How emphatically the latter Gospel emphasizes the fact that the service of Christ is His true power and majesty and therefore the grace by which man receives His life! - the revealed grace of God which was already the secret of the Old Testament, though operative then only in a vertical movement from above. In the New, however, it has really come down into the depths and manifested itself there, becoming itself service in accordance with this end of its way. The action of God which absolutely precedes all human action and therefor all human service is that He has placed Himself wholly and unreservedly in the service of humanity as revealed and effectual in the service of Jesus.
When reading through the NT continuously we are reminded how God Himself acts and how He is revealed as a Servant and in this way as the Lord, in the person of Him who made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant (Phil 2.7). The form of a servant is not a popular concept in today's society. The reality of giving of our selves – Self-sacrifice - is not a popular issue or philosophy in a society that says win at all costs. The Christian reality of sacrifice for the sake of the “other” is the ultimate paradox. How so?
*By placing the "other" before the "self" we actually gain life thereby bringing about glory and victory
*We become first when we are last
*We live when we die - life through death
The question we must ask ourselves as we prepare to celebrate the culmination of the life of Jesus - are we, through the Holy Spirit, participating in His life, His way & His truth or do we expect Him to participate in our way, and truth and life? Are we building a worldly border around our bodies so as not to be broken, or are we willingly being broken and pour out for the sake of the world? Do we expect not only to be seated at the "supper," but to be served? Or are we "stepping" into the life of Christ, joyfully kneeling down on the floor so that we might scrub the foot of the "other?" Amen Jesus!
