Maundy Thursday
A pitch-black day for Jesus

Maundy Thursday is a day to remember Jesus' last supper. This day is commemorated by Christians every year. Maundy Thursday falls a few days before Easter. And one day before Jesus' death on Good Friday. He spends his last evening with his friends. They eat together and Jesus makes a number of remarkable statements. Jesus even predicts that someone at the table will betray him. Later that evening he is arrested and abandoned by all his friends.

This is what happened: Jesus and his friends are celebrating. The whole country, in fact. There is bread and wine on the table. You may recognize Leonardo da Vinci's painting: The Last Supper. This is exactly the scene the artist tried to depict. Find out more about his painting and how it inspired others here.

The evening starts out strangely. Normally everyone washes their hands and feet before eating. Now washing feet sounds a bit strange. But back then everyone walked around in sandals or bare feet. And you didn't sit on a chair, but lay at the table. Unwashed feet weren't really fresh then. So if you were invited somewhere, a servant washed your feet.

But this time there is no servant present. Because none of the friends take on this task, Jesus, the leader of the group, decides to wash everyone's feet. Actually the task of a servant, a slave, the helper. One of his friends refuses at first, but Jesus is happy to do this. In this way he wants to show that he is not authoritarian. That he is not a leader who wants to be served. But that he wants to serve people. A completely different view of leadership. Jesus also says that no one is more important than another and that he hopes his friends will remember this.

When he sits down at the table again, Jesus becomes sad. Jesus knows that the leaders of the country are looking for him and would rather get rid of him. “Someone of you is going to betray me.” His friends look at each other and do not understand. Who? Jesus knows exactly: Judas. Judas leaves angrily with doubt, although the rest still do not understand why.

Jesus speaks to his friends. He predicts that he will die, but that this will not be the end. His friends do not understand his strange toast. Jesus says things like: “Love one another as I love you,” and “Where I go, you cannot follow me.” His friend Simon Peter in particular does not understand Jesus’ words. He would go through fire for Jesus. Follow and protect Him everywhere. He thinks. But Jesus knows better. “You too will abandon me. Before the rooster crows three times.”

Jesus explains that they do not have to be afraid of what is to come. That they will not be alone. And that they may experience peace. He talks about his bond with God as a father. But he also warns them. People will not want to believe them. They will have to deal with hatred, even death. But Jesus tries to keep it hopeful. It is a special speech. But do not forget that his friends had no idea what was in store for them. Jesus' death. The resurrection. They found it hard to understand. Read Jesus' entire speech again here.

What turns out? This is the last time all the friends will be together, together with Jesus, before he dies. Jesus ends his speech with a symbolic act. He breaks off a piece of bread and takes a glass of wine. “This bread and wine are symbolic of my body. Eat this and think of me. I will die. For you.” This symbolic act is still done by Christians today. They eat bread and drink wine and thus stand still for a moment to think of Jesus’ death.

How can such a sad day be called white? The color white stands for ‘good’, ‘joyful’ and ‘holy’. This is more of a pitch-black day!

Despite all the misery, Christians still see this day as hopeful. Even though everything seems to go wrong, they believe in a good outcome. You can see this as the meaning of Maundy Thursday. The color white is used symbolically, especially in the Roman Catholic Church. Priests wear a white robe and all crucifixes in the church are covered with a white sheet. In the week before Easter, more symbolic colors are used, namely purple and red. Maundy Thursday is part of the Holy Week, which begins on Palm Sunday and ends with Easter.

What happened on Maundy Thursday during Jesus' last supper and the betrayal of Judas is described in four different books: the first four books of the New Testament in the Bible. The stories were written down about 30-90 years after his death. Super fast for a historical document. Some eyewitnesses were even still alive. That is why these books - the gospels - are considered reliable sources by (also non-Christian!) historians.

What is particularly striking is that all four writers find it necessary to describe this specific evening. That is not always the case with the stories we know about Jesus. The stories have a few small differences in details, but also make the story more complete. According to historians, the fact that the stories agree on the core makes it more likely that this evening took place. Read more about the reliability of the Bible here.

Maundy Thursday is – of course – every year on Thursday, but falls on a different date each year. We know the date so specifically because the story describes how Jesus and his friends celebrate Passover. An ancient Jewish holiday that is still celebrated today. The Jewish holiday lasts a week and ends on the same day that Christians celebrate Easter.

Many churches are open that evening to commemorate Jesus' last supper together. Churchgoers eat a piece of bread and drink a sip of wine together. Just like Jesus did on the very last evening before his death. It is a symbol with which you pause for a moment to reflect on the life and death of Jesus. In one church there is a huge table where you all sit together, in others you get a piece of bread and a sip of wine from the priest or leader or it is distributed.

You can also celebrate Maundy Thursday at home. For example, you can eat a piece of bread and take a sip of wine, alone or with others. A ritual in which you can reflect on the life of Jesus. On the things he said and did.