WALKING WITH JESUS THROUGH HOLY (PASSION) WEEK

Saturday: John 12:1-8 – When I really thought about this gathering what struck me was that Simon the leper (this probably means a former leper whom Jesus had healed) and Lazarus, a dead man Jesus had raised, were both gathered in Simon’s house  (Matt 26:6)– no longer an outcast. Just imagine the joy and thanksgiving that filled that room! Both of these healings were off the chart, supernatural, miracles. “A dinner was given in Jesus' honor.” (John 12:2) No wonder they honored Jesus. Should not our gatherings do likewise? Scripture says we were unclean in our sin and separated from God – spiritual lepers (Isa. 59:2); and dead in our trespasses (Eph. 2:1). For sure the greatest miracle is to be washed clean from all our sins and raised from the dead spiritually to new and everlasting life. So at our gatherings for meals and fellowship may Jesus, “in all things have the preeminence.” (See Col. 1:13-22) May we be like Mary in our worship and pour out extravagant love on Him.                                                                                                                                           

Sunday: Matt. 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; John 12:12-18 – I meditated on Jesus’ Triumphal Entry where the crowds so highly praised Him on Sunday only to turn against Him on Friday when He didn’t prove to be the conquering Messiah they had wanted to deliver them from Roman oppression and be their bread king (John 6:26) and healer. They preferred deliverance from oppression, sickness and poverty – material, temporal needs, more than deliverance from personal sin, spiritual and eternal needs. No, Jesus came the first time to deliver us from a far greater ill than oppressive government or poverty and sickness. He came to deliver us from our sin that keeps us in bondage and separates us from Him in this life and for all eternity. So let us take up the songs and praise they sang on Sunday for now and eternity: Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the Lord!!! Hosanna means, “God save us” and as Christians we can now say, Thank you Jesus that you did save us on that Good Friday 2000 years ago. Bless the Lord O my soul!                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Monday:  Matt. 21:18-22; Mark 11:12-14 – Jesus cursing the fig tree on the way to Jerusalem. The leafy fig tree (which was a sign of early buds which were eaten by the common folks) but nonetheless barren and fruitless is a parable showing how Israel and Judaism which God birthed to be His choice vine (Isa. 5:1-7) was impressive and showy outwardly (leafy) in appearance but in fact was spiritually barren. The cursing of the fig tree is a sign of Jesus’ judgment on their fruitless religion which happened a few decades later when Rome destroyed the temple and killed most of the Jews in Jerusalem. Likewise, Jesus calls for spiritual fruit from our lives:  “I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last.” (John 15:16) In John 15 Jesus says God wants “fruit, more fruit” (v.2) and “much fruit” (vv. 5, 8) so the Father will be glorified.” (v. 8) “If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned.” (John 15:6) This is speaking of dead works that Jesus will judge at the judgment seat of Christ when works done for our own selfish and temporal gain will cost us our reward. (1 Cor. 3 10-15)

Matt. 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17 – Clearing the temple.  “Zeal for your house consumes me, and the insults of those who insult you fall on me.” (Psalm 69:9)  “My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations." (Isa. 56:7) Jesus was jealous for God’s glory for all nations.  He wanted all people to worship and glorify His Father. The commercialism in the temple area was in the Gentile court area and the Jews, who were to be a light to all nations (Isa. 60:3), were robbing the very people they were supposed to be leading to the Lord. Jesus –  “gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds..” (Titus 2:14); zealous for God’s glory.                                                                                   

Tuesday: Matt. 24:1-25:46; Mark 13:1-37 – Eschatological (end times) Discourse on the Mount of Olives on the return to Bethany. “As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. For in the days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day Noah entered the ark; and they knew nothing about what would happen until the flood came and took them all away. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.” (Matt. 24:37-39) “Because the sentence against evil deeds is so long in coming, people in general think they can get by with murder.” (Eccl. 8:11 Msg.) Noah preached repentance for 120 years and only his family listened to him. The prophets warned Israel that God’s judgment was coming year after year but few listened. Here Jesus warns us to be watching and waiting for we don’t know when He will return to judge us.  A major reason for spiritual apathy is we simply don’t fear the Lord and His judgment. We focus almost entirely on His love, mercy and grace and ignore the passages about judgment. But God’s Word says this: “So then, each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (Romans 14:12) Remember Greg Miller’s testimony, the man dying of cancer. He repented of all known sin and witnessed to everything that moved. He died a happy man. He was ready and he knew it.  

Saturday – In the tomb. Time doesn’t permit me to talk about the two days beginning Thursday night and going on all night into Friday and then the cross; from the close, intimate time with his very best friends in the upper room to betrayal, denial, beatings, false accusations, illegal trials, scourging and then crucified naked between two thieves. But let me close with a thought from Max Lucado. It is about John – the beloved disciple and what he did (or didn’t) do on Saturday. He too didn’t understand that Jesus would rise. (John 20:9) How is it that he alone of all the disciples was at the cross that Friday and the first man to see the empty tomb on Sunday?  What was he doing on Saturday? Was he taking care of Mary, Jesus’ mother? Why didn’t he run for fear they would crucify him too?  John had developed a habit of staying very close to Jesus. Like leaning on His breast closeness.  Like being at Gethsemane closeness. Like being at the cross closeness. So he hung around that Saturday close to where it all happened and thus was close by when Mary said, “He is risen” and he outran Peter to the tomb. When it’s “Saturday” in your relationship with the Lord, when your hopes are dashed, and your pain is deep and He is “in the tomb” and not there for you, do you leave God? Like John if we stay close on “Saturday” we will be around on Sunday to see a miracle. Though we may not feel His Presence at times, Jesus promised us that He would never leave us or forsake us. (Matt. 28:20; Hebrews 13:5)  Maybe like John we could say the same to Jesus.

"For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance, that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born."    (1 Corinthians 15: 3-8)