Maundy Thursday

The Thursday before Easter is called Maundy Thursday because Jesus told his followers of a mandate (in Latin it is mandatum) - something they HAD to do: Love one another. How simple is that? Okay, so lets take that mandate into contemporary life - love your noisy-in-the-wee-hours-in-the-morning neighbor; love your uncle who thinks that cracking jokes about people of color and/or sexual orientation different from his are funny; love the political commentator who loudly talks about some idea you think is absolutely crazy; love the person who cuts in front of you on the highway in rush hour traffic and you have to slam on your brakes and come within inches of rear-ending them; love the little old lady who seems so sweet, but elbows you out of the way so she can snap up the last bag of dark chocolate M&M's. Do you see what I mean? I could go on. But these are just a few examples of people we are supposed to love, but we are having a hard time figuring out how.

This was also the night that Jesus instituted communion by breaking bread and drinking a sip of wine (or grape juice depending on one's tradition). It was during a Jewish Passover Seder that he did these things in front of his followers, disciples, friends and family. Yes, I think that the Last Supper had more than just men in attendance. Jesus' family, friends and followers of both sexes were there. Children were probably running around and making a lot of noise. It was like any friends and family celebration that any of us have attended. There was plenty of food, good conversation and drink. It was nothing out of the ordinary, except that it was extraordinary. Jesus probably had a suspicion that he might be arrested and possibly crucified. He had to have known that his teachings were so radical that the Roman occupiers had taken notice. He talked of a kingdom (or realm) that wasn't about Caesar and Rome.

The most striking teaching that Jesus talked about was his mandate to love one another. If we follow Jesus or call ourselves Christian, then we have to follow that mandate. It seems that some people who profess to be Christians have a hard time following it. Fear gets in their way. People who have a different religion, lifestyle, sexual orientation, food habits or believe in things they don't understand are "the Others". People who are different from them are automatically categorized as fear-factors. How sad. It doesn't take much to begin to understand someone else if you just take the time, but for them, fear gets in the way. Basically, Jesus' message is, "don't let fear get in your way, just accept people who are different from you and find common ground." You would think that that would be easy, but for some it isn't.

And let us not forget that Jesus did not set out to found a new religion. He was trying to reform or influence Judaism - the religion he was born into, lived on a daily basis and was crucified for. He was a good Jewish boy, period. He felt very strongly about the beliefs he had been taught since he was a baby. Passover this year begins at sun down on Friday, April 6, 2012.  That is also the day Jesus followers commemorate the day he was crucified - Good Friday. It is good to remember that Jesus was always an Other.