DEATH TO EGO

“The word Maundy comes from the Latin, mandatum, or command, which refers to the instructions Jesus gave his disciples at the Last Supper” (2024 BBC article). Before Jesus and the disciples partake in the Passover meal, Jesus washes the disciples' feet. The task of washing feet is given to the lowest of the low servants, because it was truly a “dirty job.” The ancient roads were dirt, people wore mostly sandals, and they walked everywhere. Tables for eating were low to the ground, more like our present-day coffee tables, where you reclined around the table on cushions on the floor. Since your feet would be in people’s space, you would want to make sure they were clean as a sign of respect. But it was the lowest who would do the washing because it was such an unclean thing to do. While the disciples thought it might be a job for someone else less worthy, Jesus stepped into the space to let them know that serving others is the heart of who He is and who He calls His disciples to be. Jesus, Creator and King, did not allow ego to stand in the way of humility and service.

From that act of humility, Jesus goes into the Passover meal with the same humility, sharing that He is to be the new covenant and the new lamb that is slain. It will be His blood and body that we will now partake in, because of the sacrifice He was about to make. He was stepping into the place of the Passover lamb and making a final sacrifice that would allow for a new covenant and relationship with God.