Sermon for Maundy Thursday, 2021

Homily for Maundy Thursday, 2021

Fr. Tony Melton

The Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread:

And when he had given thanks, he brake it…

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost.

This is the Feast of Maundy Thursday. You are probably familiar with the events of this night in the Passion narrative. Jesus met with His disciples in the Upper Room. He washed their feet. He instituted the Last Supper. He gave them the command to “Love one another.” This is where the feast day gets its name. The Latin word for “commandment” in mandatum. Jesus commands His disciples to love one another. You probably know, too, that later that night in the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus sweat drops of blood, filled with dread. And that a little later, He was betrayed by Judas and deserted and denied by His disciples. These stories are well known.

What is commonly missed is that all of these happened together. If we think about the night from Jesus’ perspective, the events are even more mixed. He knew that Judas would betray Him. He knew His disciples would flee. He knew Peter would deny Him, thrice. As He was breaking the bread, the torrent of emotion that would be unleashed in the Garden of Gethsemane was baying at the walls of His mind. And all the while, His disciples fought over who was the greatest.

On the one side, there was terrible mess that would soon become of his band of disciples, their deceit or cowardice, and the horror of what was about to befall Him. On the other, was the intimacy and love which He showed His disciples. The betrayal formed, no doubt, a deep dark sorrow in His mind. Yet the love for his disciples burned brighter than we can comprehend. And  these two experiences dwelled simultaneously within the same soul. He washed their feet which in a short while would be covered with mud as they ran as far away from their Lord as fast as they could. He fed the lips that would give the betraying kiss and that would deny Him thrice.

The commandment to “love one another” came in the context of a betrayal of friendship. The very Sacrament of Love was instituted within the betrayal of love. The very heart of the Gospel is that Jesus loved them, and they weren’t faithful to Him, but He still loved them to the end.

As I was discussing the events of Holy Week with my children a few days ago, one of my sons asked me, “Would you have fled?” What a great question. The answer is Yes. We are no better than the disciples. Jesus went to the Cross alone. No one shared His sufferings. None of us shares His glory because of none of use shares His Faithfulness! The real question is not, “Would you have fled?”, it is “Would you have betrayed Him?”

There is an old liturgy developed in the monasteries of Britain called the “Judas cup”. The celebrant would say, “Alas for the man by whom the Son of man is betrayed.” Each in turn ask, “Lord, is it I?” They pass a special cup called the Judas Cup which has a wide reflective basin upon which was molded the face of Judas so that as each monk would take the cup, he would see his own face reflected back in the face of Judas. Would you have fled? Yes. Would I betrayed Him? Perhaps. Did the love of God press through their deceit and cowardice? Yes. Will it press through yours? Absolutely. What a comfort it is to know that Jesus loved His disciples that much, even in spite of their wretchedness. It is our comfort because He has the same love toward us.

So significant is the juxtaposition of the unfaithfulness of the Church and the overcoming love of Jesus, that in nearly every liturgy in the history of the Church, the words of Institution go like this: “…in the night in which He was betrayed, He took bread, and brake it…” After their betrayals, both Judas and Peter wept bitterly. And if there is ever a night to weep, it is Maundy Thursday. The chief difference between them was not in the nature and degree of their sin, but in their response. Peter wept and repented and rejoined the fellowship of the Messiah. Judas wept and despaired and separated Himself from God forever. Christ has already pressed through our own wretchedness. We look into the cup and we see who we are. And in that moment the Christian hold two realities within his own soul, just like Jesus. Sorrow and Love. Sorrow that we are the Betrayer. Love for Jesus. Sorrow for this Sinner who sins grievously. Love for the Lover who loves without limit. This liturgy intentionally holds these two realities together that you might know how far the love of Jesus goes past your sins, and so that you know that the commandment to “love one another” goes far past any offense. What could possibly justify any grudge, or coldness, or desire for retribution when Jesus washed his disciples’ feet and gives the cup to you and me? So, brothers and sisters, let us go forth from here tonight with Sorrow and Love in our hearts. Love for one another, and love for Jesus, our Friend and Savior. Amen.