Explore Maundy Thursday and Jesus’ new commandment to love, preparing our hearts for Good Friday and the hope of Easter.
When I was growing up, Easter appeared like a glorious burst of light in springtime. The small church my father pastored did all the traditional things, and we children anticipated them with tremendous excitement: new Easter outfits, a Sunday School program, the Easter egg hunt, bags of curly candy and chocolates, and—less appreciated—fruit.
We did not, however, give attention to the forty days of the Lenten season, or meditate on the days of Passion Week, or gather for a Good Friday service. Those events seemed to belong to more orthodox traditions that were not part of our church culture. We went headlong into Easter Sunday.
As an adult, entering into Lent and reflecting on Jesus Christ’s final week before the Cross has become a profoundly moving experience for me. Those weeks are vitally important to our faith, and they call us to contemplation and prayer—and thanksgiving.
A Command to Love
Of the days leading up to the crucifixion, Maundy Thursday is the richest in detail. It takes its name from the Latin mandatum, meaning “commandment.” I’ve chosen Christ’s mandatum novum on which to reflect this year: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:34–35).
This is not a suggestion, but a mandate. My love for you, made visible in the sacrifice you will shortly witness, is to be the measure of your love for one another. The minds of the disciples are saturated with the Mosaic Law, where self-love is assumed: “Love thy neighbor as thyself.” But here, the Master’s new command is measured by a much, much higher standard—the self-abandoning, self-sacrificing love of Christ Himself.
This mandate also rises out of a new revelation: “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35). Five times in these chapters, Jesus affirms that this love will be our signature of discipleship. Its effect begins not as a generic command, but, as one writer puts it, “affection towards those in the spiritual family.”
Love in Action
If I’m looking for a fresh word from the Lord—if, in this holy season, I say I’m willing to experience intense conviction and follow up with obedience—then these are words I need to hear again and again. Jesus expressly says that the practice of love begins with believers, with my brothers and sisters in the body of Christ. Within those bonds of fellowship, I learn to love unconditionally, remembering that feelings of love without its expression are powerless. Had Jesus not gone to the cross, His words would be interesting, but inadequate instructions.
Many years later, John would write, “Dear children, let us not love with words or speech but with actions and in truth . . . This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him” (1 John 3:18, 4:9). Too often, the monumental power of those words is diluted by my inattention and susceptibility to distraction. It is no wonder that the word “love” in various forms appears thirty times in John 13–17, pulsing throughout Christ’s last evening before the cross.
As a Christian, I am a child of God and, therefore, a child of love. I want that truth to infuse the ministry God has given me in the world. Paul’s wonderful treatise in 1 Cor. 13 (paraphrased) is a straightforward reminder of love’s effect:
- It is patient (very patient)
- It is not possessive or competitive (it is generous)
- It is not rude (or bitter or contemptuous)
- It bears all things (endures wrongs and doesn’t share them with others)
- It believes all things (is not cynical)
- It hopes all things (stays positive)
- And it endures all things (resists the temptation to return evil for evil)
Jesus promises answered prayer and the coming of the Comforter. “Do not let your hearts be troubled,” and “Peace, I leave with you.” These words have been a balm to sore hearts through the ages. He cautions that the world will hate His followers, as it hated Him, but He has overcome the world, and we need not fear. And throughout these chapters, like a bell ringing again and again with divine insistence, is that new commandment. If we truly love Him, we will keep it, knowing that the Holy Spirit will empower us to do so. These sublime chapters, if we let them, help prepare our hearts for the anguish of Good Friday—and the transcendent joy of Resurrection Sunday.
Debra Celovsky has served in pastoral ministry with her husband for most of her adult life. Her devotionals and articles have appeared in numerous publications. She is partial to The One YearBible, her grandchildren, and good conversation. You can find her work at Substack, on Instagram, Facebook, and at her website.
