When someone says Holy Week, Good Friday, and Easter are the holidays that come to mind, but what about Maundy Thursday? Maundy Thursday is significant because it is the day of the Last Supper, and when Jesus teaches His disciples the importance of communion, serving one another, and more! So, without further delay, these are the must-know facts about Maundy Thursday.
Jesus Taught His Disciples to Serve Others
Jesus and His disciples were celebrating Passover, a very popular Jewish holiday. If you ever read the New Testament, you should know that around this time, Jesus knew He would die on the cross soon. So, He wanted to teach His disciples vital lessons before His appointed time came.
John 13:4-7 says,” So He got up from the table, took off His robe, wrapped a towel around His waist, and poured water into a basin. Then, He began to wash the disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel He had around him. When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
Cleaned with the Blood
Peter protested and said he didn’t want Jesus to wash his feet, but Jesus said, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” We are never clean until the blood of Christ cleanses us. People may try to justify themselves by their works or how “holy” they appear, but none of that gets them to heaven. It is only through the working of Jesus that we are cleansed. And if cleaned by Jesus, then we can be children of God! John 14:6 says,” Jesus told him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one can come to the Father except through me. “To be in right standing with God, you must come through Jesus and be washed by Him.
This is why Jesus said, you don’t understand now, but someday you will. To Peter, this was a physical cleaning, but to Jesus, He knew it represented the spiritual cleaning of our souls once we get to know Him.
Not Greater Than Our Master
As we go down the passage of John 13, Jesus tells His disciples,” And since I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash each other’s feet. I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth: slaves are not greater than their masters. Nor is the messenger more important than the one who sends the message. Now that you know these things, God will bless you for doing them. “
We are meant to replicate anything that we see Jesus do. He is our Lord and Master, so we follow His example, not the world’s. People say they don’t know how to live right or mess it up whenever they try. If that is you, read the New Testament. By reading Jesus’s life, you will understand how a good life is lived. You’ll no longer have to fear messing it up! Jesus’ life is the blueprint for righteous living!
Little Christs
Have you ever wondered why Christians are called Christians? Because we are little Christs! We are imitators of Him and are not higher than anything He did. Jesus denied His flesh and temptation, fed His Spirit, prayed daily, stayed in His Word, spread the Gospel, loved and served others, fasted, honored His mother and father, and so much more! We must do the same if we want to claim to be His followers. The followers of Christ, do what He did!
If you feel this is impossible, I have good news for you. We can be little Christs, because Jesus gave us the Holy Spirit, which is His Spirit that lives inside of us, enabling us to live like Jesus! So, don’t feel as if you’re not doing it right. Utilize the Holy Spirit, and He will show you how to live!
Jesus Identifies Judas as a Traitor on Maundy Thursday
John 13:21, 26-27 says,” Now Jesus was deeply troubled, and he exclaimed, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me!” Jesus responded, “It is the one to whom I give the bread I dip in the bowl.” And when he had dipped it, he gave it to Judas, son of Simon Iscariot. When Judas had eaten the bread, Satan entered into him. Then Jesus told him, “Hurry and do what you’re going to do.”
Most people wonder, if Jesus knew that Judas would betray Him, why didn’t He stop him? It wasn’t the Father’s will. If you’ve read the New Testament, then you know Jesus did everything according to the Father’s will. In John 5:19, Jesus says, “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing because whatever the Father does, the Son also does.” Jesus was not doing anything that God disapproved of. And stopping Judas from betraying Him, God disapproved.
Sometimes, especially as “little Christs,” we must do things we do not want to. We have to enter into battles. We would much rather have someone else fight. However, we do it because we love God and want to bring His will to Earth. If Jesus saved Himself, He wouldn’t have been able to save us. So, the next time you want to be disobedient and not listen, trust me, I’ve been there! Don’t be! Listen, because you don’t know who you could be blessing.
The Disciples Were Taught About Communion
Matthew 26:26-29 says, “While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body. Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
If you ever wondered why we take those little wafers and grape juice on the first Sunday, this is why! Communion is powerful because it is the consumption of the Body and Blood of Christ. Now, not literally, but by faith, we are remembering His sacrifice, which offers us power. This act provides the believer cleansing from all sickness and disease and power straight from heaven!
If you are ill, start taking communion regularly. All you need is grape or cranberry juice and some unleavened bread. If you don’t have access to that, regular bread is okay. This is the blood of Christ that washed away our sins and His body, that took stripes and whips for our healing. Believe in that power when you take communion, and it will empower you. We’ll get into the significance of communion in another blog post ;).
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial
Never say never! That’s what Peter did; He said, “Never, Lord!” And most, if not all, of us know what happened. John 13:37 says, “Peter asked, “Lord, why can’t I follow you now? I will lay down my life for you.” Then Jesus answered, “Will you really lay down your life for me? Very truly, I tell you, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times!”
Sometimes, we believe we would never do anything to hurt Jesus. But the truth is, we all have. We all have sinned, and sin is what sent Him to the cross. When we act out of our flesh, we are denying Jesus. I say this because it is refusing to come to the truth that Jesus is all we need in this life. Acting out of your flesh is evidence that you believe you need something outside of Jesus. That you believe He isn’t the way, the truth, the light, but He is a side piece that comes after your flesh.
When Peter denied Jesus, he was acting out of fear, as if God wouldn’t protect him. He, for a moment, refused to believe in God’s promises. We all have done this at some point, but thankfully, now, we have the Holy Spirit. So, it is so much easier for us to take a stand in the Spirit and not submit to our fleshly desires. We see in the book of Acts that once the Holy Spirit came, Peter was no longer afraid but bold! He proclaimed Jesus in front of people who could’ve killed him for preaching the Gospel. So, aren’t you grateful for the Holy Spirit?
The Promise of The Holy Spirit on Maundy Thursday
The beautiful thing about Maundy Thursday is that Jesus promised us the Holy Spirit! And oh, what would we do without the Holy Spirit? Well, I know one thing, submit to our flesh, that’s one thing we do without Him. John 13:16-19, Jesus says, “I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever—the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him, for He lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see Me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.”
Jesus will never leave His people empty-handed! Though He was going to heaven, He ensured we were equipped to handle His Father’s business! That’s why when God calls us, we cannot be afraid. If He called you, He equipped you. His Holy Spirit will guide you to all truth and obedience; you will never be led astray. The Spirit of Jesus lives in us! Do you know how amazing that is? How much power does that offer us?
Nothing is impossible to us because nothing is impossible to Him! We can overcome everything because of the Helper Jesus sent! This is something to be excited about! Though Maundy Thursday was filled with some sorrow, here is a point to rejoice. Today was the day that Jesus gave us our greatest power, which allows us to be victorious in every situation! Amen! It was by the Spirit that Jesus was able to overcome His flesh and go to the cross.
Jesus Didn’t Want to Go to The Cross
That night of Maundy Thursday, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. This is where we see Jesus battling with His flesh. He prays in Matthew 26:39, “O My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” It was not Jesus’ fleshly desire to die. Yet, He yielded to His Spirit and followed the plan of God. As a result, we can spend eternity with God! Right after this verse, He said, “The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” (Matthew 26:41). We must continually put our Spirit above our flesh because listening to our flesh will take us out of God’s will.
As I said, you don’t know who you can bless through your obedience. God tells us to do things for a reason, not just for His benefit, but for ours and others. If you don’t learn anything else from the events of Maundy Thursday, remember this: If Jesus weren’t obedient, we would all be going to hell. You don’t know who could go to hell behind your disobedience. This is something I’ve had to realize with the blog. There are hurting people out there who need God’s Word. So, if God told me to spread it, I will! Obedience can save someone’s soul! Go and and do what God said!
Stay Ready
While Jesus was praying, His disciples were there but kept falling asleep while praying. Jesus said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going. See, My betrayer is at hand.” Jesus wants us to stay ready because our enemy always wants to attack us; he just needs an open door. So, in these last days, it is not the time for believers to sleep but to be spiritually alert.
I Peter 5:8 says, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour.” He probably remembered this situation. The devil doesn’t rest, so why should you? Keep your spiritual eyes open at all times, so you can avoid attacks but also, get direction and power from the Holy Spirit.
Jesus was Arrested and Questioned on Maundy Thursday
As Jesus was still speaking, Judas came with soldiers and told them, “Whomever I kiss, He is the One; seize Him.” (Matthew 26:48) he kissed Jesus, and they seized Him. Jesus admitted to being the One they were looking for. Peter, one of Jesus’ disciples, cut off an officer’s ear to prevent Him from arrest, but Jesus told Him to stand down. Now, Jesus could’ve gotten Himself out of this situation, yet He allowed it all to happen, continually putting God’s will above His flesh.
On the night of Jesus’s arrest, He was taken before the high priest to be questioned. John 18:19-21 says, “The high priest then asked Jesus about His disciples and doctrine. Jesus answered him, “I spoke openly to the world. I always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where the Jews always meet, and in secret, I have said nothing. Why do you ask Me? Ask those who have heard Me what I said to them. Indeed, they know what I said.”
The religious leaders thought the teachings of Jesus were blasphemous because they contradicted their teachings, and He claimed to be the Son of God. That was a high offense. Despite the miracles He performed and the lives He changed, they refused to believe Him and charged Him with blasphemy.
People Will Hate You
Jesus never did anything wrong, yet so many hated Him. So, of course, they are going to hate His followers. The more you talk right, the more you’ll find people being really nasty to you. The truth irks the devil, but we cannot let that discourage us. We must remember that Jesus warned us about this in Matthew 10:22: “And all nations will hate you because you are my followers. But everyone who endures to the end will be saved.”
If the world loves you and finds no fault with your doctrine, check it! I actually enjoy getting hate because it means I’m doing something right! So, don’t be discouraged, keep doing the work of the Lord and being used of Him!
The Must Know Facts About Maundy Thursday
I hope you were able to learn more about the significance of this day! Tomorrow, we’re going to learn a bit more about Good Friday. :)! God revealed wonderful things to us on Maundy Thursday, and we cannot take these lessons for granted. So, have a blessed Holy Week, and remember the sacrifice of Jesus. Also, that’s not how the story ends. :).
If this blog post tugged on your heart, and you want to know this amazing Jesus who sacrificed Himself, say this prayer: “Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and turn away from them. I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins and rose on the third day; I accept Him into my heart now, and I receive His forgiveness and washing away of my sins. I believe Jesus is Lord, and by faith, I give Him my whole life, heart, mind, and soul. Amen!” If you said this prayer, go to the I Just Got Saved page for church recommendations, a Bible, and a journal! I hope this helped, and God bless!
Helpful Resources to Learn More About Maundy Thursday
Bible Verses About Maundy Thursday
