Maundy Thursday by Luis Morales
Matthew 27:38-44
Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
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Talk about kicking someone when they’re down! These days they would be called “haters.” Those who passed Jesus by, the chief priests, the teachers of the law, the elders, and the rebels, they just didn’t get it. They didn’t see that by dying on the cross, Jesus would be saving them. Jesus’ crucifixion was His ultimate way of serving others – sacrificing His life so that others may live. Wow.
This is an interesting Scripture for today, Maundy Thursday, a day that several Christian denominations observe with a foot-washing ceremony (see John 13: 1-17). Matthew’s passage above is filled with disdain, contempt and mocking. Washing someone else’s feet on Maundy Thursday is filled with hospitality, humility and compassion. And service. Quite a contrast.
Having participated in our mutual foot-washing ceremony at church, I can say that it is a powerful and tangible lesson about how Christ lived. Young and old, rich and poor, _____ and ____, we are all equal. We physically participate in our common humanity by washing another’s feet. It is a symbolic act that reminds us to serve and to care for our brothers and sisters.
This Maundy Thursday observance is the prelude to Good Friday, when we see the crucifixion play out in all of its agony. Instead of being a hater and mocking those that may be suffering and facing their own figurative cross, maybe we can soothe them with some form of “foot washing” – a show of compassion and service to bring healing.
As we near the end of our Lenten journey, we can contemplate what today’s foot washing and tomorrow’s crucifixion mean for us after Easter Sunday. Will we be haters or will we be compassionate humans in service to others?
It’s our call.