Maundy Thursday (also known as Holy Thursday and Green Thursday) remembers the night before Jesus died. These events are best described in Mathew 26:20-30, Mark 14:17-26, Luke 22:14-35 and John 13-17, and Luke focus on the institution of the Lord’s Supper and the eating of the Passover meal. John focuses on the words of Jesus and His washing of the disciples’ feet.
The name “Maundy” comes from the words of Jesus, “Mandatum Novum” (a new commandment,” John 13:34). From the Fourth century on, Maundy Thursday was viewed as the last day of the Lenten fast and also as the day of reconciliation.
Since it was on this night that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper, that sacred meal has often been the chief emphasis of Maundy Thursday. The Lord’s Supper is celebrated and often its meaning is rehearsed. At the end of the service, the altar is stripped, in preparation for Good Friday. This symbolizes Christ being stripped by the Roman soldiers prior to His crucifixion. Psalm 22, a Messianic psalm which clearly prophesies the Messiah’s death, is read while the altar is stripped.
From ancient times the Church in various places has also observed a ceremony of foot washing, in memory of our Lord washing His disciples’ feet in this night. The liturgy of foot washing came to be called mandatum.
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