“Maundy” Thursday, and “Good” Friday?
“Maundy” is a strange word, isn’t it? It comes from the Middle English (the era of Chaucer
and “The Canterbury Tales”) and Latin from the same root as “Mandatory”, meaning an
obligation. Many people, maybe most, tend to be wary of obligations.
This obligation comes with a great blessing and promise to Peter, and to us, found in John
13:8 “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.” While some people have considered
the act of “foot washing” to be the obligation, and it is practiced in some churches
regularly. This is widely understood that Jesus refers here to the washing away of sin by his
blood, spilled as a sacrifice at the cross.
There is only one way to be clean in God’s eyes and that is to be washed by the blood of
Christ, through saving faith in him as Messiah and Lord.
There is nothing uplifting or positive for us in this scene from Jesus’ life. No wonder he
needed to go to a secluded garden to pray!
The worst thing so far would happen that garden. They would lay hands on him, place him
under arrest, and take him to the Roman Governor, Pontius Pilate. But far worst things yet
would happen the next day.
And yet, the worst thing of all for Him turned out to be the best thing of all for us. And so
we call it “Good”. Good Friday.
His worst for our good. That’s why we call Him Savior, and that’s why we called him
friend. The price paid for you and me at the cross obligates us to live differently, as the old
hymn says,
“I’ll live for him, who died for me,
How happy then my soul shall be!
I’ll live for him who died for me,
My Savior and my God.”
Pastor Bill
Pastor William Reincheld would love to have you join us for worship and fellowship!
