The practice of foot-washing that Jesus commands in John 13 is remembered with a church service the day before Jesus’ crucifixion—and that means on Thursday. Since it’s there in Scripture, and since Jesus tells us to do it, we do it.

‘Maundy Thursday’ names the day that Jesus washed the disciples feet the day before the authorities crucified him. And the church throughout history has remembered that day and what Jesus did, and followed Jesus’ command to wash one another’s feet: “I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you” (John 13:15). So, we find the practice in Scripture, and we even find Jesus commanding us to participate in it.

We do it on Thursday because that’s when Jesus did it—the day before he was crucified (Good Friday). Sure, we should probably do it more often. But if we celebrate Easter, the day of Jesus’ resurrection, we should prepare for that day the way Jesus prepared us for it—with foot washing on Thursday.

Now, about the word ‘Maundy.’ It’s a word from the Bible—John 13:34: “A new command I give to you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” The Greek word we find in our New Testament for ‘command’ is entolen (but obviously that’s a transliteration, not the actual Greek word which we find in the text—I just don’t know how to write in Greek fonts on this blog). When the church spoke Latin, they had to translate the Greek into a language they could read. And the Latin word for ‘entolen is mandatum. So, the first two words of John 13:34 in Latin read: “Mandatum novum…” Do you hear how the first part of “manda-tum” sounds like “maundy”? Well, a while ago (in more recent history), when the church in England spoke and wrote in what we now call “Middle English,” they translated the Greek word entolen as something like “mande” (I guess it’s also similar to the Old French word as well). As you can see, the word “Maundy” is a cognate word from the Latin and Middle English and Old French translation of the Greek word “entolen.”

Since this new “command” (i.e., maundy) to love one another like Jesus loves his disciples is given by Jesus after he washed his disciples feet, the church has come to see the practice of Jesus’ foot-washing as the concrete practice that shows how we love one another. And the church, desiring to obey Jesus, decided to practice foot-washing. And when Easter comes, they remember the specific day that Jesus washed feet by getting together and washing one another’s feet as Jesus commanded. And, literally, “maundy” is the command to do this.

Does that make more sense?

Maundy Thursday is how the church has remembered the command of Jesus to love one another and serve one another, like he showed us by washing the disciples’ feet (John 13).