Maundy Thursday
MARCH 28
Love One Another
Devotional by Bruce Power, Elder
A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.––John 13:34
The Church has historically called this “Maundy Thursday.” The word “maundy” is derived from the Latin word for “command.” Normally, we focus on the institution of the Lord’s Supper on this day, but the name actually comes from Jesus’ new commandment given in John 13:34. As we think about the events of this day during Holy Week, let’s consider these words of Jesus more closely.
Let’s look first at what this new commandment is? Second, why does Jesus give this commandment at this point in his life and ministry? Third, what does that mean for us?
What is this new commandment? It’s very simple: love one another. It’s spoken to the disciples, so he’s particularly commanding love among brothers and sisters in Christ. It sounds very simple, right? And in theory it is. But we all know just how difficult it is in practice. Sure, we love one another, until someone gossips about you behind your back. Until someone disagrees with your political opinions. Until someone confronts you about sin in your life. In these and a host of other circumstances that happen frequently in the context of church life, it suddenly becomes quite difficult to love one another.
And what’s new about this commandment? After all, the Old Testament commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves back as far as Leviticus 19:18. Well, the manner of that love is quite new, and it’s in the second clause of Jesus’ command: “just as I have loved you, you are to love one another.” Jesus loved us with a love that sent him to the cross to die. A self-giving love that sacrifices for the sake of others. He’s saying that we should love like that! Not so easy, is it? As we contemplate what Jesus is about to undergo on our behalf (betrayal, arrest, crucifixion), it should give us perspective that what Jesus commands us is normally far less sacrificial than that. The Holy Spirit can empower us to live this out.
Second, why does Jesus give this command right here on this night? I think this is a critical juncture in the life and ministry of Jesus. He’s just instituted the Lord’s Supper. He’s just revealed that one of them is a traitor (John 13:21–30). And in just a few hours he’ll be arrested. Right here, between the revelation of a traitor in their midst (that would generate suspicion and mistrust) and his arrest (that will scatter them all and lead one to outright deny him), he commands them to love one another. Forces of darkness are at work on this night to divide the disciples. And at just this juncture, Jesus calls them to radical, self-sacrificing love for each other. In fact, he stakes the viability of their witness on this love (13:35).
Finally, what does this mean for us? It means that we, too, are called to radical love for one another. Not just when it’s easy and costs us little, but when we’ve been hurt. When forces are at work seeking to divide us. When suspicion and mistrust seem easier than love. That’s when we’re commanded to love one another. This is a love that shows itself at some of the most critical junctures of life together as a church. It’s this kind of radical, Jesus-like love that will cause all people to know we’re Jesus’ disciples. To love one another when all the powers of darkness are working to divide and destroy Christ’s church speaks loudly of the power of the Holy Spirit, and that we are a people different from the world.
