Maundy Thursday, the Supreme Court, & the Law of Love

Growing up, my family always celebrated Passion Week, and
our church held special services commemorating the events of Jesus’ last week
leading up to his death, and resurrection, generally beginning with Palm
Sunday.  I wasn’t one to ask a lot
of questions as to what we were celebrating, but understood the “why” behind
it, which culminated in Jesus death to take away my sins, and his resurrection
of new life. 

This morning I did some research.  The older I’ve gotten, the more questions I seem to ask, or
the more I want things explained. 
I’ve wondered about the name given to the Thursday before Jesus
died.  What exactly is Maundy
Thursday?  So, I “googled” it –
thank you, Internet.  I think what
I discovered is pretty reliable. 
It actually came from an online devotional (free) from John Piper.  Here’s what he says:  “The word Maundy comes from the Latin
word, mandatum – the first word in
the Latin rendering of John 13:34. 
A new
commandment (mandatum novum) I give to you, love one another: just as I have loved
you, you also are to love one another.  Maundy Thursday is known as the Thursday of the
Commandment.”

Incredible timing on this revelation.  This week the Supreme Court of the
United States began debating the issue of marriage.  A new battle is raging, and new lines are being drawn.  Christian conservatives have become
known as the haters.  We’re the “anti” people: always against, never for whatever the current issue is at hand.   One has to wonder, “Why?”  Yet, the answer is a fairly obvious one
– a brief perusal of social media (take your pick) and you’ll catch on.  We draw lines.  While lines are good, and biblical, and
convictions are nothing more than guard rails for protection, we start letting
the lines define us, instead of the ONE THING that Jesus wanted to define us:
LOVE.

The Word is full of it:

We know that we have passed out of death into life,
because we love one another…1 John 3:14

Little children, let us not love with word or with
tongue, but in deed and truth…1 John 3:18.

This is his commandment that we believe in the name of
His Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, just as he commanded us…1 John 3:21

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God;
and everyone who loves is born of God and knows God.  The one who does not love does not know God, for God is
love… (1 John 4:7-8)

On this day, the Thursday of Commandment, let us all take
heart to the message Jesus exemplified for us.  In spite of our differences.  In spite of our convictions.  In lieu of our Lord’s commandment…Let us LOVE, even while
drawing a line.  Let love be
without hypocrisy.  Let love be
gentle.  Let love be kind.  Let love be patient.  Let love be good.  And may our love lead to the purpose
Jesus died…reconciliation to the Father. 
May we all be ministers of reconciliation first and foremost.  This is our call.

And not only this, but we also exult in God
through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the
reconciliation (Ro. 5:11)

Now all these things are from God, who
reconciled us to Himself through Christ, and gave us the ministry of
reconciliation (2 Cor. 5:18).