The Table Was Set

Jesus knew at was coming: the betrayal, the arrest, the cross. John 13:3 (NRSVUE) tells us that before he ever picked up the towel, Jesus knew that “the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God.”

And knowing all of that, he got up from the table, took off his outer robe, wrapped a towel around his waist, and washed his disciples’ feet.

All of them.

Have you ever had to choose love in a moment when you had every reason not to? When you could see clearly how things were about to go, and you still decided to kneel? That is what Jesus did that night, and it is what Maundy Thursday asks us to sit with.

When Jesus finished and sat back down, he said: “Do you know what I have done to you?” (John 13:12, NRSVUE). The one with the most authority in the room had knelt before everyone else and loved them. Fully, freely, and at great cost to himself. He shows us a picture of what love looks like when it is fully surrendered.

Then he gave them and us what we now call the Great Commandment: “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” John 13:34 (NRSVUE).

He calls them into a specific, directional, actionable love that notices who is carrying the most weight in the room and moves toward them.

Reflection: You may be carrying a lot. You may feel tired. The invitation here is simple: the table is already set, the love is already given, and the rest is already yours. Lean into it.