Maundy Thursday represents for me a night of anticipation. With a heaviness of what is to come, and mindful of His brief time left, Jesus gave the disciples important instructions. There is an urgency to His words and He gives some commands. Indeed, "maundy" comes from the Latin word for commandment.
Jesus commanded them to love. He modeled servanthood and humility by washing their feet. We see His command to remember – don’t forget what is being done here and remember with the bread and the cup. We know what those next 24 hours held for Jesus, but the disciples sharing the meal did not yet comprehend what was coming. And Jesus agonized in Gethsemane as He anticipated His sacrifice.
But as we remember the suffering and cost that was to come on Good Friday, He also leaves us with something else to anticipate. He tells His disciples that He won’t eat or drink this meal again with them until the Kingdom. Until. That means He is going to eat it again and it will be when the Kingdom is fulfilled. We get to join in a feast with Jesus someday. I love the word until – because it's not an end. It’s a pause.
While I remember and contemplate the great cost, and celebrate the victory over sin and death, I am also left with the eager anticipation of a great and glorious feast together with our Lord.
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