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MAUNDY/HOLY THURSDAY REFLECTION

EXODUS 12:1-4

1 CORINTHIANS 11:23-26

JOHN 13:1-17

The word Maundy comes from the Latin, ‘mandatum’, or ‘command’ which refers to the instructions Jesus gave His disciples at the Last Supper. There are two important commands given on Maundy Thursday, these commands are love and service. Jesus’ earthly ministry is a demonstration of these commands. knowing that He will soon leave His disciples, He stressed their importance. The theme for our Maundy Thursday reflection is the body and blood of Jesus. We shall focus on the following two facts even as we reflect on the theme:

1. The body and blood of Jesus are the representation of Jesus’ sacrificial love as the Passover lamb.
2. A disciple or a beneficiary of Jesus’ sacrificial love must follow his command to serve others.

Firstly, it is important to understand that body and blood of Jesus replaced the original sacrificial lamb of the Passover. The first Scripture reading captured the origin of the Passover lamb and the history behind the celebration of the Passover festival. Historically, the last plague or catastrophe brought upon Egypt to liberate the Israelites from slavery was the death of the firstborn in Egypt. God said that “About midnight I will go out in the midst of Egypt, and every firstborn in the land of Egypt shall die, from the firstborn of Pharaoh who sits on his throne, even to the firstborn of the slave girl who is behind the handmill, and all the firstborn of the cattle. There shall be a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt, such as there has never been, nor ever will be again. But not a dog shall growl against any of the people of Israel, either man or beast, that you may know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.’ (Exodus 11:4-7) What were the Israelites required to do to prevent their firstborns from dying? The first Scripture reading from Exodus tells us that ” The LORD said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, “This month shall be for you the beginning of months. It shall be the first month of the year for you. Tell all the congregation of Israel that on the tenth day of this month every man shall take a lamb according to their fathers’ houses, a lamb for a household. And if the household is too small for a lamb, then he and his nearest neighbour shall take according to the number of persons; according to what each can eat you shall make your count for the lamb. (Exodus 12:1-4). After sacrificing the Passover lamb, “they shall take some of the blood and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat it (Exodus 12:7). “The blood shall be a sign for you, on the houses where you are. And when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague will befall you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.” (Exodus 12:13)

Dear friend in the Lord, the Passover lamb was sacrificed to avert the death of only firstborns of the family however the significance of the body and blood of Christ which has become the new Passover lamb is that it saves each and everyone who believes that Jesus sacrificed His body and blood for him or her to save him or her from sin and hell. “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son.” (John 3:16-18) It was for this reason, Paul reminded the church of Corinth of Jesus’ sacrificial love when he wrote that “The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes. (1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Beloved in the Lord, if you repent and accept Jesus as your Lord and Saviour through the sacrament of baptism and the sacrament of partaking in the body and blood of Jesus then you are by faith delivered by Jesus from the wrath of God against sinners. This is the meaning of Jesus being our new Passover lamp. It is important to note that Jesus our Passover lamb was sacrificed at the same time the Passover festival was being observed to commemorate the original Passover in Egypt. It was God’s plan of salvation predestined in our favour, it was not an accident nor was it a coincidence but an institution of a new covenant and a new meaning given to the Passover. It started from the deliverance of only the firstborns in Egypt through the sacrifice of a lamb without blemish to the salvation and eternal life of all who shall repent and believe the sacrifice of the body and blood of Jesus Christ as their Lord and Saviour. God has truly demonstrated His love by Sacrificing His own Passover lamb which is without any blemish so that through Him we shall receive the full assurance of our salvation. The question therefore is, have you repented and is Jesus the Passover lamp in your life for which God will mercifully Passover your sin and grant you eternal life?

Secondly, when you become a partaker of Jesus’ body and blood, you must follow His command as His true disciple. We are commanded by Jesus to serve others through humility in the third Scripture reading “You call me Teacher and Lord, and you are right, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you. Truly, truly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.” (John 13:13-17) Jesus’ service through humility is again acknowledged by Paul when wrote to the Philippians that “Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. (Philippians 2:3-8). Dear friend, love is demonstrated through service to others in total humility even though we may be richer, more educated or more privileged than them. Love through service in humility is not an option for a disciple or believer of Christ but a command from our Lord Jesus Christ! It is our identity and hallmark which must be demonstrated through our speech and action. Let us be watchful when we are placed in positions of power. If we truly understand the command of Jesus, then the higher we go, the more we render our service to others in total humility. Do not wait to be elevated before you start serving others in humility, start from today regardless of wherever your find yourself a believer. Serve in the house of God and wherever God has called you to offer yourself as living sacrifice. (Romans 12:1)

In summary beloved in the Lord, the body and blood of Jesus is the representation of Jesus’ sacrificial love as the Passover lamb. Again, a disciple and beneficiary of Jesus’ sacrificial love must follow his command to love others through humility and service. May the Holy Spirit strengthen us to live as people saved and sanctified by the body and blood of Jesus to follow His command of humility and service to others. Amen

Jean-Paul Agidi