Articles by Desiring God The Agony of Sin and Love
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Apr 2, 2026 A reflective walk through Maundy Thursday, tracing foot-washing, the new command to love, and what makes Jesus' love unique. It contrasts our attempts to imitate him with the reality of his cross-bearing and Gethsemane's anguish. The narrative points to sin, sacrificial love, and the movement from death to resurrection.
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Maundy Thursday Focuses On Jesus' Love
- Maundy Thursday centers on Jesus' new command to love as he has loved, not primarily on our love.
- David Mathis emphasizes the novelty: God in human flesh will enact a sacrificial love culminating at the cross, redefining the command's meaning.
Jesus' Sacrificial Love Is The New Element
- The unprecedented element is Jesus himself enacting love in human flesh by going to the cross, which foot-washing only anticipates.
- Mathis argues our imitating love comes later after the resurrection and the Spirit renews hearts.
Herbert's Pairing Of Love And Sin
- George Herbert's poem links two vast things at Maundy Thursday: Jesus' love and our sin, echoing Romans 5:8.
- Mathis guides listeners into Gethsemane to see Jesus' agony as caused by our sin, making his love comprehensible.
