A HOLY THURSDAY

Maundy Thursday calls us to focus on the night on which Christ was betrayed. On this night Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples. He did so, knowing that among them was the unfaithful one, the traitor, Judas. He did so, knowing that soon He would suffer death and humiliation. He did so, continuing to love in the face of hate.

On that night, this “last supper” was transformed into the meal of the new covenant, which we call Holy Communion. The bread and wine, which once recalled the time God delivered the Hebrew people from their slavery in Egypt, would henceforth, for Christians, signify the body and blood of Christ, reminding us of Christ’s sacrifice of love.

I am moved by the thought that Christ was willing to embrace suffering. He was no masochist, yearning for pain. Yet He did not view suffering as an absolute evil to be avoided at all costs. As His prayer in verse 42 reminds us, even in the face of death, His primary concern was to do the will of His Father.

I remind myself of this night and of Christ’s journey through suffering and death whenever I find myself confronted by difficult choices. Not that I have had to face anything remotely as agonizing as an impending crucifixion. To the contrary, my life has been remarkably comfortable; yet when I think about it, I am tempted, on what seems a regular basis, to take the easy way out.

My temptations seem so small that I am further tempted to think that compromise would not really matter. But upon reflection, I know that every time I do the small wrong thing, I make it harder to do the large right thing. Maundy Thursday reveals the strength of Christ’s character and the depth of his love for all humanity. It is indeed a Holy Thursday.

— Jim Noland

Courtesy of The Church of the Good Shepherd United Methodist