A New Mandate

“For I have given you an example...” Isaiah 13:15

Jesus gave us the supreme example by becoming a servant of servants. We are but His servants, and yet He became one of us, and died so we might live. During the last supper he had with His disciples, He washed the disciples’ feet. Simon Peter protested, but Jesus told him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance from me, you won’t belong to me.” 

I think if we were there, we would be exactly like Peter. We would balk at Jesus’ washing our feet! It’s such a lowly service, but here was Jesus insisting He do it. The King of Kings!!!! He was willing to do everything, up to the last requirement, so that each of us would not lose our heavenly inheritance. 

Today, Holy Thursday, we commemorate the Maundy, or the foot washing done by Jesus to the disciples. Maundy is from the word “mandate”, and from the first few words of “Mandatum novum do vobis ut diligatis invicem sicut dilexi vos". Jesus said this to His disciples after supper in John 13:34: "I give you a new commandment, That you love one another as I have loved you.” Jesus is LOVE. Our mandate, our command, instruction, commission, from Jesus is to love others as He loves us.