My husband and I chose inscriptions for each other’s wedding rings, not revealing what we’d picked for each other until our wedding ceremony. The inscription of my wedding ring is “John 13:1-17” which is the passage describing the Thursday before Jesus’s crucifixion when he washed His disciples’ feet.
Verses 12-15:
“When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ‘You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.’”
My husband chose this passage for my ring to set the tone for our marriage: that we would approach it with Christ’s attitude of humility and service, washing each other’s feet so to speak. (Yes, of course I cried when the pastor revealed this during our wedding!)
It’s providential that I’m writing this blog post during Holy Week as we are on a brief getaway celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary. It is good to be reminded of how we began and to ponder again this passage that I literally carry with me every day on my hand.
But back to Maundy Thursday. It is this lesson from Jesus that shapes what Christians remember on this day. While often churches commemorate it as the introduction of communion, or the Lord’s Supper, the word maundy is a direct reference to the feet washing Jesus performed.
Dictionary.com explains it well:
“On its own, the word maundy means ‘the ceremony of washing the feet of the poor, especially commemorating Jesus’s washing of his disciples’ feet on Maundy Thursday.’
Recorded around 1250–1300, the word maundy comes from the Old French mande, in turn from the Latin mandātum, which means ‘mandate or command.’ As you may have guessed, this Latin word is the source of the English mandate.”
As John later records in verse 34 of chapter 17, Jesus gives His disciples a new command: to love one another.
As we ponder Maundy Thursday this year, may we look again at Jesus and his mandate for us: love and service.
I’m considering these questions this Holy Week and maybe you’ll find them a gentle reminder of our mandate – our maundy – from Christ:
Who is already in my life that I am called to love? How can I serve them in better ways?
How am I currently serving the body of Christ? Have I prayed over that? When is the last time I asked God to show me how I can and should serve in the church?
What are some ways Jesus has loved and served me well in the past year for which I can recount and thank Him?
How can I follow Jesus’s mandate to love and serve in new or different ways?
Who are the people that are on the peripheral of my life that I need to move towards in love and service?
Who can I ask to pray for me as I consider these questions and take steps to follow Christ’s mandate?
Have a blessed Maundy Thursday and live in the knowledge that Christ’s love and service for us compels us toward love and good deeds.
ABOUT THE BLOGGER:
Originally from Georgia, Mary Beth Gombita is a lover of sweet tea, a proud Georgia Bulldog and an avid music fan. She works in public relations, running her own communications consulting business from home. Mary Beth and her husband, Stephen, have two young sons. She is currently the editor of our Willowdale Women blog.