Today is the Thursday before Good Friday, Commonly known as Maundy Thursday. Maundy comes from the Latin word Mandatum, or Mandate. It’s an old word that means “command.”

The command of Maundy Thursday is found in John 13:34. It comes after the disciples had eaten together, and just after Jesus washes his disciple’s feet.

Scripture says, starting in verse 31, “When he” (Judas) “had gone out, Jesus said,

"Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is glorified in him.”

And dropping to verse 34, “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another.  By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another."

It’s a new commandment, to love one another. Is this a new commandment? I can go way back to the time of the Exodus, in Lev 19:18, and find the command, “You shall love your neighbor as yourself: I am the LORD.” In fact, the Old Testament is filled with loving commands about showing mercy, about justice. Are these new?

The apostle John also talks about the Old-New nature of this command in his first epistle. In 1 John 2 John writes,

“Whoever says "I know him" but does not keep his commandments is a liar, and the truth is not in him, but whoever keeps his word, in him truly the love of God is perfected. By this we may know that we are in him: whoever says he abides in him ought to walk in the same way in which he walked.

Beloved, I am writing you no new commandment, but an old commandment that you had from the beginning. The old commandment is the word that you have heard.  At the same time, it is a new commandment that I am writing to you, which is true in him and in you, because the darkness is passing away and the true light is already shining.  Whoever says he is in the light and hates his brother is still in darkness.  Whoever loves his brother abides in the light, and in him there is no cause for stumbling.” 

So, the commandment to love is an old commandment, but it is one made new in the light of the Savior’s love for us. The Savior who is Glorified, and God, who is Glorified in Him, reflecting perfectly the image of God.

This is a love that, though it comes from the One who is God above all, yet he washes the feet of His sinful disciples. Though this love comes from the righteous life giver, yet it comes from him who laid down his life for us, when we were dead in trespass and sin. This love comes from the one who goes to prepare a place for you, though he came to dwell where he had no place to lay his head.

We know what happened next on the cross - that great sacrifice, when Jesus became sin for us so that we might become the righteousness of God. The disciples had no idea yet of the extent of the love Jesus had for them. But they knew Jesus wanted them to love each other, just as He loved them.

So on this Maundy Thursday, we remember the extent of his love, because we too have been given this old commandment made new, to love one another as he loved us.

And as Jesus reclined at table in the house, behold, many tax collectors and sinners came and were reclining with Jesus and his disciples.  And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”  But when he heard it, he said, “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick.  Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice.’ For I came not to call the righteous, but sinners.”                             Matthew 9:10-13 (ESV)

What a great comfort to know that Jesus came for me. While on earth, he invited people just like me and you to hang out with him, to eat with him, even to drink great wine with him. Jesus loves me. Yes, even me. And he loves you too!

The story of the gospel is one of sinners who could not and would not restore their broken relationship with God. So God came to us, to restore his relationship with us. Jesus’ birth as one of us was an amazing act of love as he came to live among us and be one of us. He lived the sinless life we should live. He died the death we should have died because of our sin. He rose from the dead just as we will rise if we are united with him. He ascended to heaven, and sits at the right hand of the Father. He sent the Holy Spirit to comfort and direct us, and intervenes on our behalf. One day He will come again in power, and bring us to his place of perfection forever. 

Jesus is truly a friend of sinners. He molds us and changes us to be like him – to bear the image of God faithfully. He is our Savior. He is worthy of praise!

The Friend of Sinners project emphasizes they we are spiritually NEEDY, that we must be ENGAGED with the church, his body on earth, that we must continually be REPENTANT of our sin and shortcomings, and that we must be SANCTIFIED by his power, and change inside and out.

Now when Job's three friends heard of all this evil that had come upon him, they came each from his own place, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite, and Zophar the Naamathite. They made an appointment together to come to show him sympathy and comfort him. 12 And when they saw him from a distance, they did not recognize him. And they raised their voices and wept, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads toward heaven. 13 And they sat with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his suffering was very great. Job 2:11-13 ESV

There is a scene in the movie As Good As It Gets in which the friends of a horribly assaulted and beaten man come to visit him while he is laying in his hospital bed. They cannot hide their horror as they look at his wounds. The scene is intended to be comical, and indeed it is, however, it also demonstrates how important a good word is as we sit to suffer with our own wounded friends. Job’s three friends grieved with him. That was good. But at some point, a friend must lift the spirit of the wounded. It does not appear Job’s friends knew the cue for when to worship with their wounded friend.

Lord, make my heart sensitive to the prompting of the Spirit. Father, teach me to respond to that call. Jesus, let me heal others as you are healing me.