Sermon Central
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Maundy Thursday Series
Contributed by Rev. Dr. Andrew B Natarajan on Apr 6, 2023 (message contributor)
Summary: Jesus introduced a new command and instituted a new covenant through his own life and sacrifice. The best leader, role model ever lived on the planet is Jesus. Love one another is not the command to the world but to the disciples to implement it.
Maundy Thursday
Text: Luke 22:14-23
Greetings:
The Lord is good and his love endures forever. I greet you all in the name of our Lord and saviour Jesus Christ.
Introduction:
Jesus has systematically prepared His last dinner with His disciples, during that time He gave them a new command, established a new covenant, and a instituted a new commemorative event. This dinner is known as the Lord's Supper.
Nowadays, we have dinner banquets to make known the engagement function, starting a new business, housewarming, and a wedding reception, and many other things. Some have the bachelors party.
Jesus had dinner with three new ideas. To teach the humility with the washing of the feet of his disciples who were his guests to his banquet. Secondly giving them a new command to love one another, a new covenant to keep up till he returns, and to observe it till he returns as a new commemoration.
The last supper is instituted on the Thursday Night according to the reference available to us in the four gospels (Matthew 26:17-29, Mark 14:12-25, Luke 22:7-20, John 13:1-38). Early church observed it on daily basis (Acts 2:42,46), and Paul refers to it in his first letter to the Corinthians (1 Corinthians 11:20-26).
Jesus had his last supper with his disciples on a Thursday before He had gone to Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26, Luke 22:39), Kidron Valley (John 18:1), garden Gethsemane (Mark 14:32) for prayer and preparation for His death on the cross.
So, I would like to leave with you these three lessons:
the Lord’s commandment,
the Lord’s covenant and
the Lord’s sacrificial commemoration.
1. The Lord’s commandment
The word Maundy comes from the Latin word mandatum. Maundy means commandment. It is called as a Commandment Thursday. “Mandatum novum do vobis” “a new commandment I give to you” (John 13:34). It is also known as Green Thursday in Germany to refer the practice of giving penitents a green branch as a token for completing their Lenten penance, and also known as Sheer Thursday (Holy Thursday), which refers to the ceremonial washing of altars on this day (ref: Britannica).
The following texts remind the mandate of God, such as Exodus 12:1-10, 11-14; 1 Corinthians 11:23-26; John 13:1-17. The mandate is to love and to serve, “a new commandment I give to you” (John 13:34). Christ's "mandate" is obeyed.
Tertullian, a pastor in the third century AD, a first man who used the word “Trinity” to describe the nature of God as Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Tertullian was an apologist, he devoted himself to defining and defending the Christian faith against its critics. He said that mainly the deeds of a love so noble that lead many to Christ and to the church. Today, the world is divided very strongly based on language, religion, nationality, differences of condition, and difference of genders. But Jesus says to us love one another.
This command is not to love all but love one another. Love among the disciples, followers of Christ. The necessity of love among those who were to carry on Christ’s work had that night become apparent. (Expositor’s Greek Testament). The commandment to love your neighbour as your self (Leviticus 19:8) was a part of the Mosaic Law. But now christ commands to love one another. The most excellent way of love is set forth in 1 Corinthians 13 by Paul.
The Law of Moses is of moral idealism, but Jesus commands for divine perfection: LOVE as I have loved. That love inclusive of forgiving one another, caring one another, and supporting one another. No one can love as Christ loved in the power of their own sinful flesh. No one can love as Jesus loved by their own imperfect human effort but by the grace of God.
Gladys Staines could forgive with the power of Christ and loved even her enemies who killed her dear husband and children. Mother Theresa could love because of her love for Christ. The real charity flows with the charity of Christ.
John says in 1 John 4:7 that believing community must love one another. We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brothers (1 John 3:14). By this it is evident who are the children of God, and who are the children of the devil: whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is the one who does not love his brother (1 John 3:10).
2. The Lord’s covenant
Jesus announced the institution of a new covenant. No mere man could ever institute a new covenant between God and man, but Jesus is the God-man. He has the authority to establish a new covenant, sealed with blood, even as the old covenant was sealed with blood (Exodus 24:8).
The new covenant concerns an inner transformation that cleanses us from all sin. God will put His law in their minds, and write it on their hearts. For He will forgive their iniquity, and their sin He will remember them no more (Jeremiah31:33-34). This covenant is all about a new, and close relationship with God. We can say that the blood of Jesus made the new covenant possible, and it also made it sure and reliable.
