Sacred meals have always been important in the Bible. For the Israelites, Passover symbolized their deliverance from Egypt and God's provident care. For the followers of Jesus, it signalled a deliverance from sin and a new way of life. Gathering around the table of the Lord was a public commitment to discipleship and following in the footsteps of the Lord. It was not a private and personal devotion but a communal celebration in which believers committed their lives to the Lord and one another.

John's gospel contains a wonderful story not told in the other three gospels. Jesus took the job of the lowest slave in the house and washed the feet of his disciples. They were shocked and stunned. Peter wanted no part of it, but Jesus told him that this is what it meant to be his follower. Afterwards, he told them that this was the model of godly living from then on: humble and loving service. If he as Lord and Master was willing to do this, how much more they should! We don't usually wash the feet of others, but any act of humble service or kindness to another is the same thing. Immediately afterwards, Jesus gave them the commandment to love one another, and love is always expressed in deeds. This is the meaning of Holy Thursday: we are equally brothers and sisters of Jesus, and we willingly and joyfully serve one another. No one is greater than another. When we forget this, we have wandered away from Jesus.