Use these Maundy Thursday prayers to pray on Holy Thursday to recognize when Jesus celebrated his final Passover, the last supper, with His disciples.
What Is Maundy Thursday or Holy Thursday?
The fifth day of Holy Week is known as Maundy Thursday. Though each of the days leading up to Easter Sunday are significant in their own ways, Maundy Thursday surrounds the events that would lead directly to Jesus’ betrayal, arrest, and ultimately, His being put to death the next day on Good Friday.
If you are looking for reflective Maundy Thursday prayers that can be used at church or at home and you want to learn more about the events that encircled the day, I encourage you to read on!
The circumstances surrounding Maundy Thursday can be read in Matthew 26:17-75. The events that unfolded on Maundy Thursday include the Last Supper that Jesus had with His disciples. The betrayal of Jesus by Judas for a measly 30 gold coins.
Their time spent on the Mount of Olives, where Jesus prayed earnestly in the Garden of Gethsemane, and where He was ultimately betrayed with a kiss by Judas who came to seize Him with the temple guards. Peter’s denial of Jesus. During that night, the religious leaders sentenced Jesus to death and took Him to Pilate. Who would put the final sentence on His head in an attempt to please the crowd who shouted “Crucify Him!”
Here is a breakdown and overview of the events of Maundy Thursday based on Matthew 26:17-75.
The Last Supper – Matthew 26:17-19
On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover?”
He replied, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My appointed time is near. I am going to celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.’” So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and prepared the Passover.
Jesus Identifies Judas As The Betrayer – Matthew 26:20-25
When evening came, Jesus was reclining at the table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me.”
They were very sad and began to say to him one after the other, “Surely you don’t mean me, Lord?”
Jesus replied, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely you don’t mean me, Rabbi?”
Jesus answered, “You have said so.”
The First Communion – Matthew 26:26-30
While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink from this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial – Matthew 26:31-35
Then Jesus told them, “This very night you will all fall away on account of me, for it is written:
“‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Peter replied, “Even if all fall away on account of you, I never will.” “Truly I tell you,” Jesus answered, “this very night, before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”
But Peter declared, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.” And all the other disciples said the same.
Jesus’ Prayer In The Garden of Gethsemane
Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
These scriptures describe most of the events of Maundy Thursday, but further reading is encouraged from Matthew 26:36-75 to read on Jesus’ arrest, when He was brought before the Sanhedrin (religious leaders), and the moment Peter denied Him.
Why Is Maundy Thursday important for us today?
Maundy Thursday is important for us for more than one reason. Firstly, it is a part of Holy Week, leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus. But it not only is a turning point in Jesus’ plan for salvation, it also shows the absolute humility, selflessness, and submission of Christ to God the Father, as He prayed earnestly for God’s will to be done, despite being overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death.
Through Maundy Thursday we also have received one of the two ordinances, communion. In these verses, we see Jesus imitating the breaking of bread, and drinking of wine, giving it a new meaning that we as believers are called to do in His honor until we get to do it with Him in His Father’s kingdom. The breaking of bread signifies Jesus’ body broken for us, and the wine, His blood flowing on our behalf, for the forgiveness of sins.
Jesus’ washing of His disciple’s feet serves as an example for us to serve one another. Though He had every right to be served, He taught His disciples that it is greater to serve than to be served. Again, Jesus’ humility and character as our Servant-King shine through.
There is so much to learn from Maundy Thursday, and it provides us with events that truly require deep reflection and gratitude for all that Jesus endured, unjustly, yet obediently for our sake.
Maundy Thursday Prayers
1. A Maundy Thursday Prayer Remembering The Last Supper
Gracious God,
We are grateful for Your love that has been given to us through Christ. Each day of this week has been filled with a deeper understanding of what Christ has done on our part and the sacrifices He made so that we might have eternal life.
As we reflect on the events of Maundy Thursday, we remember the Last Supper Jesus had with His disciples. We thank You for the reminder of His work through the breaking of bread with our fellow believers.
We ask that You continually bring to remembrance the sacrifice of Christ, especially as we join in communion together. May we live lives that are worthy of the cross, and stirred to obedience, repentance, and love by His sufferings on our behalf. In Jesus’ name, amen.
2. A Prayer Recognizing Jesus’ Humility In Washing His Disciples’ Feet
Heavenly Father,
We lift up prayers of thankfulness for the example of humility that Christ has given us, as He washed His disciple’s feet that night. Humbling Himself, and teaching us how to treat one another with the same humility and love.
Your Word says that, though He was God, He did not think of His position as something to be used to His own advantage. Rather, He made Himself nothing by taking on the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness.
What a Lord we have in Jesus, who took on flesh, and became like us, so that He might be able to live the life that we were meant to live, and die the death that was reserved for us. Thank You, Lord for His life. Help us to live as He did, humbly before You and others. In Jesus’ name, amen.
3. A Prayer To Live Sacrificially Like Jesus
Lord,
It is with hearts that are filled with awe that we come to You today. How easy it is for us to live with only ourselves in mind, rather than the sacrificial life that Christ has not only modeled for us but called us to live.
What greater sacrificial example He has shown us than to lay down His life for us. We ask that You transform our hearts, that we might lay down our lives and pick up our cross each day. Help us to follow Christ, and to put the desires of the flesh to death.
Please fill us with Your Spirit, and grant us the kind of love that is not based on circumstance or people, but that is found in Christ. Help us to deny ourselves, and to find our lives in Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
4. A Prayer Of Confession For Forgiveness of Our Sins
Father in Heaven,
We come to You in earnest prayer, aware of the many ways we have fallen short of Your glory. Though sin can seem so tempting, and promising, we know that its ultimate end is death. This Maundy Thursday, we are reminded of Christ’s sacrificial death that has taken us from death to life.
We ask that You grant us hearts that are made of flesh, and not hardened to our sin. Please give us fresh reminders of the work of Christ on the cross and the freedom of sin that He has brought for us. Help us not to live like those who are enslaved to sin, but who are free in Christ.
Please forgive us for the sins we have swept under the rug and those secret sins we have grown comfortable with. We ask for renewed minds, and hearts that seek to do Your will, rather than the will of the flesh. In Jesus’ name, amen.
5. A Prayer Of Gratitude For Jesus’ Sacrifice For Our Salvation
Dear God,
How can we even begin to thank You for the gracious sacrifice of Christ Jesus on the cross? How easy it is for us to forget that it is our bodies that we meant to hang on that cross, yet, He took the punishment for our sins on His shoulders.
We are so thankful for His merciful sacrifice that has brought us close to You. Where sin once separated, Jesus has united, and it is a truth that we can never get enough of.
Please fill our hearts with continued gratitude for Christ and for the gift of salvation. May we not take it for granted, but may we be compelled to live boldly for Christ, just as He died for us. In Jesus’ name, amen.
6. A Prayer To Help Us Love & Serve One Another Well
Lord,
We confess that in our own strength, we can do nothing. We cannot live lives that reflect Christ, because our flesh seeks its own desires. Nor can we live lives of servanthood because the innate desire is to be served. Yet, You have called us to a different path.
We acknowledge that it is only through the example of Christ, and the leading of Your Spirit that we can live true, set-apart, and servant-minded lives. We ask that Your Holy Spirit grants us not only the desire but the strength to love others well.
Help us not only to look out for our own desires but to consider others. May we take the opportunities that You give us each day to serve those around us, and to show them the love of Christ. In Jesus’ name, amen.
More Prayers For Holy Week & Easter:
8 Prayers for Holy Week
6 Prayers for Good Friday
6 Prayers for Easter Dinner
7 Weekly Prayers For Lent
