Holy Week – Easter – Page 5

Matthew 21:23-46 – Jesus Faces the Religious Leaders

Jesus faces the religious leaders in the temple

As we walk through Holy Week together with Jesus, today we meet up with him in the Temple. Our last reading shared about the triumphant entry into Jerusalem followed by his outburst in the temple overturning money changers. It’s a rare moment when we see Jesus display his humanity with such anger. The leading priests and leaders are curious and call Jesus out on such behavior.

Jesus handles the confrontation well. He could have been annoyed that his teaching was interrupted. After all, he knew that his days were few. Yet, in the few verses we read today, we see how Jesus stays poised and very effective in his communication. Jesus used this opportunity as a teachable moment and started telling stories.

Matthew 21:1-12 – Hosanna!

Read Matthew 21:1-12

When you think of Palm Sunday, what is the first memory that comes to your mind? Please share in the comments. I’m expecting that waving palm fronds and processionals in church come to mind. These are precious memories that help us remember a special day!

I had the honor and privilege to teach Mexican children about Palm Sunday this year. While we have plenty of palm trees in our neighborhood, I wasn’t keen on climbing them to pull down some palm leaves, so we used balloons for our praise and adoration time. To see the delight on the children’s faces and imagine that it was seeing Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem with that much joy was very moving.

He Is Risen: “I Have Seen The Lord!”

Read John 20:1-18

He is risen with the fish symbol overlaying blurred out picture of 3 empty crosses

How wonderful, how glorious! Mary Magdalene didn’t know that’s how her morning was going to play out! Can you imagine Mary’s surprise when she saw the stone was moved away from the opening.

When the unexpected happens, we often freeze. But Mary immediately ran to find help. I can almost picture what happened when she found Peter and the other disciple. She was out of breath, trying to get each word out amidst her confusion and fear. She blurted out, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”

Psalm 42 – Now What?

Read Psalm 42

man looking up to the light with arms reaching out open to receive

Despair. Grief. Fear. The disciples and followers of Jesus were feeling all of these things and more. Jesus had been put into the tomb. He was dead. That was the end of a good run. The people were wondering to themselves, “now what?” Their life had meaning when Jesus was alive. They followed him. They listened to him. They watched him do great things. And now he’s gone.

I wanted to imagine their feelings of lament. They hadn’t understood what he had said about the whole three day thing. It didn’t make sense in their context, so it was simply put out of mind. How would they find comfort? In each other? I’m sure they were all afraid for their own lives. After all, they were Jesus’ closest friends. Would they be next? Were they ready to die, too?

Mark 15:21-47 – The Death of Jesus

Read Mark 15:21-47

How can we even imagine what Jesus went through in these final hours. Pilate tried to set him free, but Jesus’ destiny had been set. You can read the whole chapter of Mark 15 for more of those details. It used to shock me how the people turned on Jesus. And while it is still shocking, I can see how God had to cloud their minds so that the cries of “crucify him” would be more than Pilate could bear. These outlandish charges would not warrant a death sentence.

But imagine how Jesus, that is God, felt hearing the angry cries, the chants calling for his death. Even though he expected to die, it had to be difficult to hear coming from the people who days before had been shouting, “Hosanna!” These were the very people he loved so much and would be giving his life for. The inner turmoil must have been agonizing. He couldn’t just blink his eyes and have it over with. He had to endure the cruelty of the cross for us.