Maundy Thursday

John 13:1 + “He Loves Us Through & Through”

Jesus loved them to the end. There it is - the love of Jesus for raggamuffin rascals did not stop.

Today is Maundy Thursday. So named Maundy as it is the latin word for “mandate”, thus more simply we could call it “Mandate Thursday”. Why mandate? We remember the mandate our Lord gave in John 13 in that we are to love one another just as Christ has loved us.

Therefore, any talk on this Thursday must center around holy love.

There is some beautiful communion liturgy that speaks of the difference between human love and God’s love. It goes like this, “when our love failed, your love remained.” It’s truly a wonder that the love of God remains faithful and steadfast for human beings throughout all generations. Despite our best efforts, God’s love wins out and continues to pursue us beckoning us to repentance and faith.

While God’s love never fails, human love fails quite often. We break hearts. Friendships get shattered. Families divide. Relationships rupture. Words are said and actions are often taken that promote hate rather than love. This is the human experience. To be a human means yes to be loved by God and also to feel a lack of love - as we galavant around this creation looking for love in all the wrong places, only to be left null and void at the end of the day if we seek steadfast abiding love in something or someone other than God.

Even in the best of relationships; marriages and friends; the love is never truly, fully perfect.

It is however, with Jesus Christ. 

Jesus loved to the end because it was love that sent Jesus to this earth. (John 3:16)

Hatred, disappointment, annoyance, or one of their ugly siblings was not the heart of the Father for sending Jesus - no, it was and it is love. What is this love? I think it’s helpful to note what Thomas Aquinas said of love many years ago, “to love is to will the good of the other.”

Jesus willed their good, loving the disciples to the end by his love. Our Lord laid down his life for them and the world, by making a way on earth for them to make it by back home to heaven through the cross and by teaching them how to live as an authentic, genuine image bearer, wide open to the Holy Spirit who lives an “on earth as it is in heaven” life.

Making a way to heaven and teaching how to live on earth - that is willing the good of the us and that’s what Jesus has done for them back then and us still today.

He loved them to the end, and dear brother or sister - he will love you to the end too.