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JESUS SHOWS HUMILITY AND LOVE (MAUNDY THURSDAY)

SCRIPTURE READING
EXODUS 12:1-14
1 CORINTHIANS 11: 23-26
JOHN 13:1-17, 31-35

The word Maundy comes from the Latin word “Mandatum” which means “commandment”. Maundy Thursday commemorates the important commandment of love, humility and service Jesus gave to His disciples on the night of His betrayal and arrest. The theme for our reflection is “Jesus shows Humility and Love.” Jesus’ humility and love have become our example for which we must follow as commandments to be seen as His true disciples. We shall reflect on the theme as we consider the following points:
1. Jesus shows us His humility and love as the new Passover lamb.
2. We cannot fulfil our calling as true disciples of Jesus until we possess Jesus’ humility and love.

Firstly, in our first Scripture reading, Exodus 12:1-14, God shows Israel His mercy and love when Pharaoh was unwilling to liberate them. God took a decisive action by instructing the Israelites through Moses and Aaron to slaughter a male lamb of one year old without blemish. “Then 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”…”It is the LORD’S Passover. For I will pass through the land of Egypt that night, and I will strike all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and on all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgments: I am the LORD. 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 12:7,11-13). In sum, the Israelites were made slaves in Egypt, after several interventions to set them free through Moses, Pharoah refused to let them go but when God Passed Over Egypt and visited them with death Israel was liberated.

Israel and the rest of the nations will still be held slaves by a bigger captor. Satan continued to hold the children of God and humanity under the slavery of sin and eternal damnation. This was evident in Israel’s persistent disobedience and punishment and God’s continuous intervention to reconcile them to himself. God needed to make another Passover to liberate them, this time, not only Israel but the whole of humanity from the bondage of sin and Satan’s captivity. This Passover would be a unique and everlasting one because God’s begotten Son’s blood will represent the blood of the unblemished lamb on the doorposts and the lintel of the house of the Israelites in Exodus 12:7. The blood of Jesus will liberate us by faith.

It was during the celebration of the Passover Feast that our Second Scripture reading, 1 Corinthians 11:23-26 became a pivotal turning point in our lives and faith as believers. We see a manifestation of Jesus’ humility to die a shameful death on our behalf and His unconditional love for all who wish to be saved through His priceless blood. Paul said “For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when 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, also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes”(1 Corinthians 11:23-26). Jesus’ humility and love are again summarised in these words, “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 human beings. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Philippians 2:5-8)

Beloved in the Lord, Jesus’ humility and love are par excellence, He is the final Passover lamb and that is why He said “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only Son of God.” (John 3:16-18). Let not Jesus, the Passover Lamb pass over you without you inviting Him into your life. He is the only key to eternal life. Repent and have faith in Jesus, follow Him as a true disciple and your life will never be the same.

Secondly, Beloved in the Lord, to fulfil our true calling as disciples of Jesus Christ we must also possess His humility and love even as we engage the world to win souls for the kingdom of God. This is the crux of the third Scripture Reading in John 13:1-17. Peter failed to understand the lesson Jesus was teaching them. Jesus was teaching them to serve in humility in their mission as future Apostles when He washed their feet. Peter said to him, “You shall never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “If I do not wash you, you have no share with me.” (John 13:8). In other words, if you are not ready to humble yourself like me and to serve others on my behalf then you have no share with me. “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). Again, we cannot be true disciples of Jesus if we do not possess His kind of unconditional love. It is for this reason Jesus said to the disciples “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.” (John 13:34-35). The message is concise, to qualify to be a true disciple, you must not only become a humble servant but also love other just as Jesus has loved you. Dear friend, do you possess the virtues of humility and love? These virtues must be impactful in our marriages, social and work relations. Our demonstration of humility and love must project the perfect image of Christ in us as His disciples.

My dear friend in Christ, your discipleship status is determined by how humble and loving you are. In a world filled with unnecessary and destructive competition and obsession for superiority, the temptation to have people wash our feet while we sit in our comfort zones is high. Our love for one another must translate into our willingness to condescend to serve one another. Washing the feet of people can be in the form of visiting the sick and the poor to pray for them and make donations to them. We must be aware that some of the feet have been unkept due to poverty and disease, they may carry offensive odour yet as disciples of Christ we must not discriminate when Jesus calls us to show unconditional love and service to these less privileged ones. For disciples of Christ, demonstrating humility and love in our daily dealings with people is not an option, it is a commandment and a lifestyle, that is why we are being reminded on the Maundy Thursday. It is through humility and love shown to all and sundry, especially poor orphans, prisoners and the less privileged in our societies that we can please God. “Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”(Matthew 25:44-46). Again, Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the word” (James 1:27) May this Maundy Thursday reflection transform our attitudes into humble and loving servants and disciples of our Lord and Master Jesus. Shalom. Amen.