Today is known as Holy or 'Maundy' Thursday to most Christians around the world, commemorating events in Jesus' life like the Last Supper, Jesus' agony in the garden of Gethsemane, his betrayal by Judas, and trial and arrest. Special events occur on Holy Thursday night, like reenactments of the Last Supper and the washing of feet. Here are 5 surprising facts about Holy Thursday you might not know.

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    The Last Supper Menu

    Historians don't agree on what Jesus and his friends ate at their Last Supper together before Jesus was arrested and crucified. Some believe lamb wouldn't have been available yet, which was an important part of the Passover meal.

    Most scholars believe, however, that the diet could have consisted of a bean stew, lamb, olives, bitter herbs, fish sauce, unleavened bread, dates and  wine.

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    Why 'Maundy Thursday?'

    In some denominations of Christianity, Holy Thursday is known as 'Maundy Thursday.' 'Maundy' is a derivation of the Latin term 'mandatum,' meaning 'commandment.'

    After Jesus washed the feet of his friends, he told them that he was giving them a new commandment: 'I give you a new commandment:* love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another.'-John 13:34.

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    3

    Why The Washing Of Feet?

    The idea of washing another person's feet might seem strange to us today, even if we're Christians who have grown up reading that Jesus did this on Holy Thursday and have maybe done it ourselves or had our own feet washed.

    Jesus' main purpose in washing the feet of his friends was to give them an active and shocking reminder that they would never forget about being humble and serving others. In Jesus' time, everyone wore sandals or open footwear and most people walked. The roads were made of dirt and people also walked through desert sand and other rough terrain.

    Because of this, a person's feet would become filthy, and the act of washing someone's gross feet was the job of a slave. The reason Peter initially refuses to let Jesus wash his feet is because Peter couldn't believe his friend, who Peter also saw as a rabbi and was beginning to believe was also the Son of God, was about to wash his nasty feet.

    Jesus washed his friends' feet before telling them to love each other and other people as he loved them. In other words, though it will be hard, nasty, and maybe even gross like washing feet, love people anyway.

    Foot washing has since been a ritual carried out on Holy Thursday among many Christian denominations, and Pope Francis made headlines a few years ago by washing the feet of prisoners. This year, he's controversially washing the feet of refugees, some of whom are Muslim.

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    Did Jesus Really Sweat Blood?

    Only Luke's gospel mentions that Jesus 'sweat blood:'

    'He was in such agony and he prayed so fervently that his sweat became like drops of blood falling on the ground.' - Luke 22: 44.

    It turns out that such a thing is not something that only Jesus could do; it's an actual medical condition known by many names: 'Hematidrosis, hemidrosis and hematidrosis, is a condition in which capillary blood vessels that feed the sweat glands rupture, causing them to exude blood, occurring under conditions of extreme physical or emotional stress.'

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    5

    Jesus Spent A Night In Jail

    According to all 4 gospel accounts, Jesus was taken before the chief priests of the Jewish people after being betrayed by Judas and arrested. He was questioned, ridiculed, and roughed up by members of the council, and even blindfolded and beaten.

    'The men who held Jesus in custody were ridiculing and beating him. They blindfolded him and questioned him, saying, “Prophesy! Who is it that struck you?” And they reviled him in saying many other things against him.' - Luke 22: 64-65.

    Each gospel account mentions that Jesus was taken before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, the next morning. This means that Jesus spent a night in captivity before the events of Good Friday.

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