Maundy Thursday: What does “maundy” mean?

Holy Week Reading Plan: Matthew 26

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Maundy Thursday commemorates Jesus’ last meal with his disciples. The Last Supper is documented in Matthew 26:17-30, Luke 22:7-38, Mark 14:12-26 John 13: 1-38. The word “Maundy” comes from the Latin word meaning “command” and refers to Jesus’ command to wash feet. 

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In John’s account of the Last Supper, Jesus washed His disciple’s feet. This likely would have shocked them. Foot washing was often associated with servanthood. Therefore, it would have been a task for a servant, not a leader. Peter seemed to be aware of this cultural norm. “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?” he asked (v. 6, NIV). Jesus simply responded, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will” (v. 7, NIV). Peter eventually gave in and let Jesus wash his feet. 

After washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus explained why He did it. “I have given you an example to follow. Do as I have done to you. I tell you the truth, slaves are not greater than their master” (v. 15-16, NIV). Essentially, Jesus made a leadership paradigm shift. He broke the cultural norm that a leader is better than a servant. 

In Luke’s account of the Last Supper, Jesus told His disciples, “In this world the kings and great men lord it over their people… But among you it will be different. Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the leader should be like a servant” (Luke 22:25-26, NLT). By washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus showed that servanthood and leadership go hand-in-hand. Foot washing was a practice that the early church continued to do (1 Timothy 5:9-10). 

Foot washing is not as common today as it was in Jesus’ day. If you have led in a church setting, you might have seen it done during a worship service or wedding ceremony. However, there are modern-day equivalents. Think about a task that you would have an administrator, assistant, or intern do. Picking up coffee for the team is an example of this. By doing this task yourself, you can both serve and model servanthood to your team. 

By washing His disciples’ feet, Jesus served and modeled servanthood for His team. As Christian leaders, we are not better than the people we lead. It is not our team’s responsibility to serve us. It is our responsibility to serve them. 

A Leader Worth Imitating, Principle 28: Serve