Maundy Thursday: A New Covenant
On Thursday of Holy Week, Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples. They gathered together in an upper room to share one of the ancient Jewish feasts called The Passover. When they arrived, Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, even Judas Iscariot, who would betray him a few hours later. In what we now call the “Last Supper,” Jesus gave his final message to his disciples, parting thoughts for his inner circle.
After the meal, they went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. But Maundy Thursday gets its name from something else that happened that day. Jesus gave his disciples a “new commandment,” or in Latin, a “new mandate” to love one another. This command of love has been celebrated in the church for centuries.
Another important aspect of this day is that it brings the storyline of the Bible together.
When God made a covenant with Abraham, he promised to bless the people of Israel, to give them a land, and to make his children a great nation. God upheld his side of the covenant, but the people of Israel failed to uphold theirs.
Then God made a covenant with Moses and provided a way to make substitute sacrifices on behalf of their sins. God was faithful, but his people were faithless.
Around that table in the upper room, Jesus showed his disciples that he would uphold the covenant once and for all. His death would be the sacrifice. His blood would be over every person who trusted in him. This would be a new Passover for all people, sealed with the Savior’s blood.
Dr. Cole Feix is the founder and president of So We Speak and the Senior Pastor of Carlton Landing Community Church in Oklahoma.
