A Maundy Thursday Reflection

On Maundy Thursday, we remember one of the most intimate and powerful evenings in the life of Jesus. Gathered in an upper room with his disciples, just hours before his betrayal, Jesus told them, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another” (John 13:34).

Love is action-oriented. Stephen Covey contended, “Love is a verb. Love—the feeling—is a fruit of love, the verb.”

It’s one thing to talk about love. It’s another to live it. Jesus didn’t just tell his disciples to love one another—He showed them. He got down on his knees and washed their feet. He broke bread and shared wine. He spoke tenderly of what was to come, even as he prepared to endure suffering on behalf of the very ones seated at the table.

Love Is Humble

The Son of God, the one through whom all things were made, picked up a towel and served. In a culture where washing feet was the job of the lowest servant, Jesus flipped the script. He demonstrated that love doesn’t seek status or recognition. It stoops. It serves. It sees others as worthy of our time, our care, and our compassion.

Love Is Faithful

Jesus knew that Judas would betray him. He knew Peter would deny Him. He knew the others would scatter in fear. Still, he broke the bread. Still, he offered the cup. Still, he washed their feet. His love didn’t waver based on how others treated him. His love remained faithful, even in the face of betrayal and abandonment.

Love Is Sacrificial

As the shadows grew longer that night, Jesus set His eyes on the cross. Not because he was powerless to avoid it, but because he was committed to a love that would redeem the world. Paul David Tripp proposes, “Love is willing self-sacrifice for the good of another that does not require reciprocation or that the person being loved is deserving.” Maundy Thursday reminds us that love costs something. It’s not always easy or convenient. The mandate Jesus gave is action-oriented. In the gospel Jesus preached, love is a verb.

Love Is Commanded

“Maundy” comes from the Latin mandatum, meaning “commandment.” It points to Jesus’ words in John 13:34: “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” This wasn’t a gentle suggestion—it was a divine directive. It is easy to love God. It is often difficult to love others. Yet one is a reflection of the other. If we call ourselves his followers, then love must be our way of life. Not just love in theory, but love in action.

Love Is a Verb

It’s not just how we feel—it’s what we do. On Maundy Thursday, we’re invited to remember that love is meant to be lived. Whether we are washing feet, sharing a meal, forgiving a wrong, or standing beside someone in their pain, we are called to be people who love with hands and feet, with humility and courage, with grace and truth.

So on this Maundy Thursday, may we do more than recall a sacred meal or a basin and towel. May we recommit ourselves to the path Jesus walked—the path of servant-hearted, sacrificial, unwavering love.

Because love is more than a word.
Love is a verb.