OK, this is what #EasterLive is suggesting for Maundy Thursday: Passover Preparations. Washing disciples feet. Peter’s denial predicted. Jesus predicts his betrayal. The Last Supper. Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus betrayal and arrest. Jesus before Caiaphas. Jesus before Pilate.

Feet Washing

With so much to look at, I thought I’d take a look at what Bryony had written (she always writes thoughtful stuff!), and I don’t know why, but that triggered me off to think about foot washing…

¹ It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.

² The evening meal was in progress, and the devil had already prompted Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, to betray Jesus. ³ Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; ⁴ so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. ⁵ After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples’ feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.

⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”

⁷ Jesus replied, “You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.”

⁸ “No,” said Peter, “you shall never wash my feet.”

Jesus answered, “Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.”

⁹ “Then, Lord,” Simon Peter replied, “not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!”

¹⁰ Jesus answered, “Those who have had a bath need only to wash their feet; their whole body is clean. And you are clean, though not every one of you.” ¹¹ For he knew who was going to betray him, and that was why he said not every one was clean.

¹² When he had finished washing their feet, he put on his clothes and returned to his place. “Do you understand what I have done for you?” he asked them. ¹³ “You call me ‘Teacher’ and ‘Lord,’ and rightly so, for that is what I am. ¹⁴ Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you. ¹⁶ Very truly I tell you, no servant is greater than his master, nor is a messenger greater than the one who sent him. (John 13:1-16, New International Version, ©2011)

I searched for the term on YouTube, and came up with brilliant example of contemporary practice (not just symbolic): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maundy_Thursday

Maundy Thursday

I then thought, well, I’m not really sure what Maundy Thursday is (aside from the day when the Queen gives out bags of coins, and the older she gets, the more money you get…), so thank you Wikipedia for always being a great FIRST stop!

There has been a lot of debate this year re: whether the date of The Last Supper was actually Wednesday or Thursday, with a possible solution given by Colin Humphries (read more about the debate).

The Garden of Gethsemane

Take a virtual visit to the Garden of Gethsemane “Not my will, but yours”:

The Passion

In looking for Jesus brought before Pilate… it reminded me of the Manchester Passion 2006 (I was there, in the crowd… would we have been when Jesus was brought in front of Pilate?), see the Last Supper:

Of course there’s always Mel Gibson’s film, but local Passion plays, to be held tomorrow, give a chance to be a part of something on Good Friday. The closest one to me is in Southampton 7.30pm tomorrow (see @sotonpassion)….  anyone want to come with me? I missed the one in Winchester in 2008, but there’s plenty of others round the UK.