Why Do They Call it Mandate Thursday?
And you were dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience— among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like the rest of mankind. Ephesians 2:1-3 ESV Read More
Today is Holy Thursday or Maundy Thursday. The word Maundy is weird, but much less so when you consider that it comes from the same root word as ”Mandate”. Today is basically Mandate Thursday because it was at the Last Supper that Jesus gave the disciples the mandate to love one another as He had loved them.
The most impactful part of that mandate was, in fact, the way He had loved them. Dressed in a towel like the poorest and most insignificant servant, Jesus washed the feet of His disciples. He washed the feet of Peter whom Jesus knew would be a denier. He washed the feet of Judas whom Jesus knew would be a betrayer. He washed the feet of Mark the fleer and John the passive crucifixion watcher. He loved each one of them, knowing full well their capacity for sin.
If you ask a great dad how many people have told him that he’s a great dad, he might humbly admit that he has heard that now and then. If you ask him how many men he has corrected for being bad dads, he’ll be shocked. That’s just not how it works. Ask the Bosse basketball team how many people have complimented them on a great season, and they’ll say plenty. Ask them how many teams they have criticized, pointed at, and showed them their errors, they will look at you like you’re talking crazy talk. Again, that’s just not how it works.
Jesus knew better than anybody that the disciples were still living by the passions of their flesh. A minute before He said “This is the blood of a new covenant,” they were arguing about who was the best. Without Christ, these guys were already on a path to destruction. Tax collecting traitors, murderers, passive religious men, they were all living by their passions and the spirit of the air. (Remember the time James and John wanted to call down fire from heaven on a city that didn’t believe them?!)
Jesus’ reaction to this pack of poor worldly fools wasn’t to beat them over the head with their sin. Paul is reminding the Ephesian church to remember where they came from, but not to discourage them. Jesus showed the disciples how to deal with people dead in their sins: serve them.
A new commandment I give to you (dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience), that you love one another: just as I have loved you (dead in the trespasses and sins in which you once walked, following the course of this world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at work in the sons of disobedience), you also are to love one another. John 13:34
Happy Mandate Thursday