Maundy Thursday – Whom Seek Ye?

Maundy Thursday – Whom Seek Ye?

Maundy Thursday became the ceremonial washing of the feet of poor persons, in commemoration of the Lord’s Supper –  known as ‘Communion’, and Jesus’ washing the disciples’ feet while giving them the command to love with humility, while serving one another without any feelings of superiority over one another.

This practice dates back to the first century church and is still practiced by some churches today. Churches usually have an evening service on the Thursday before Easter Sunday, with a message on humility, partaking of the Communion, and sometimes an actual foot washing service.

In the late sixties and early seventies I was in, and conducted, several foot washing/communion services. It was always a time of appreciation for one another as brothers and sisters in Christ, and of what the Lord had done for each of us. The men would gather in one room while the women would gather in a separate room, so that men were washing the feet of men and women were washing the feet of women. Everything was done in sincerity and purity, and really did leave you appreciating that brother who would kneel and wash your feet; and likewise did away with any feelings of superiority over the brother whose feet you were washing while on your knees.

When you think of Jesus, as the Son of God, kneeling before common men of the land of Palestine, washing their soiled feet (remember they wore open sandals), it makes you appreciate what He is willing to do to show His love to each of us. We certainly did feel His divine Presence in the room with us as we sang and prayed and washed and dried each other’s feet.

Jesus did this, knowing that He was going to be betrayed that very night and nailed to a wooden cross the next day!

Maundy Thursday is also the day that Jesus went to the garden and spent the night in intense prayer, asking God to remove the cup of the Roman cross from His life.

Jesus, being the Son of God, knew all things and was fully aware of all the details of a Roman Crucifixion, while being also fully human. His body wanted nothing to do with the agony and pain that He was about to go through on the cross, and all the things leading up to His death.

Disciples slept while Jesus agonized

The Bible says that His disciples slept while He stayed awake and prayed. Jesus prayed three separate times for His Father to remove this cup from His life. He prayed so intensely that He began to sweat drops of blood. (Luke 22:44)

Dr. Frederick Zugube explains this medical condition:

According to Dr. Frederick Zugibe (Chief Medical Examiner of Rockland County, New York) this condition is well-known, and there have been many cases of it. The clinical term is “hematohidrosis.” “Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form.” Under the pressure of great stress the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes “the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands.” As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface – coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.”

Jesus, after three intense prayers to His Father, was finally able to surrender His will to the will of His Father; arising in peace to meet Judas, who would betray Him with a kiss. He was able to meet His betrayer peacefully because the Bible says that an ‘angel’ came to strengthen Him. (Luke 22:42) He went to the cross with the full assurance that He was doing His Father’s will. God gives us grace to endure that which He leads us to endure.

Judas leads a group of Roman soldiers and Jewish servants to arrest Jesus in the garden called Gethsemane. These Jewish servants were under the authority of the Sanhedrin Council, which was the ruling body of Jewish leaders over Judea during the Roman occupation of Palestine and Jerusalem.

The disciples wanted to stop the arrest. One of them, Peter, drew a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, one of the slaves of the high priest. Peter may have been emboldened by the preceding scenario when Jesus caused all of those seeking Him to fall to the ground.

When they arrived to arrest Jesus, He asked them a three worded question: “Whom seek ye?”. When He spoke these three words, all of those who had come to arrest Him fell to the ground!

When they got back to their feet, Jesus asked them the same three words again: “Whom seek ye?”. This time they did not fall to the ground.

What was different between the two utterances of the same three words?

Jesus was both God and man. As God speaking the three-worded question, His power flowed forth from His voice and knocked them to the ground. When He spoke the same three words as the son of man, nothing happened. Two passages of scriptures come to mind:

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-3)

“Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Philippians 2:9-11)

Today – Love and Forgiveness

Jesus showed love and forgiveness to all those who betrayed Him, to those who arrested Him, and to all who were involved with His false trials and crucifixion proceedings. He could have called for legions of angels to come to rescue Him, but He knew His Father’s will for Him. On this particular Passover, He was to be the Lamb of God that would be able to forgive all the sins of the world, of all who would call upon His Name for salvation.

Tomorrow – Every knee will bow

As God who made Himself a Lamb, He is able to allow you to mock Him and defy Him, as He wills for you to believe in Him as your Lord and Savior.

As God who will judge the sins of all human beings, He is able to release His Divinity and cause your knees, as well as the knees of the whole world, to bow before Him as your tongue confesses that He is Lord of all!

Take time to read about Maundy Thursday in Matthew chapter 26, Mark chapter 14 and Luke chapter 22, to get a new appreciation for what Jesus went through as a human being and as our elder brother for each of us, and for what He could have done if He had chosen to do so, as God manifested in a body of flesh. Be humbled when you remember these things the next time you partake of Communion, and maybe even foot washing.