Easter Week - Sunday/Monday

Yesterday began what Christians around the world celebrate as Holy Week... Jesus’ final week on planet Earth BEFORE His resurrection from the grave. As we prepare our hearts for this upcoming Easter weekend, I thought it would be great to explore each of the days leading up to Easter... what happened in Christ’s life, what it meant, and how it all led to his crucifixion and ultimate victory over death and the cross. The Bible doesn’t specifically list these events chronologically, but scholars have pieced together what they believe to be an accurate timeline. Let’s take a brief look at yesterday (Sunday) and into Monday.

PALM SUNDAY

Jesus sends two disciples to secure a donkey and a colt for His entry into Jerusalem

“As Jesus and the disciples approached Jerusalem, they came to the town of Bethphage on the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of them on ahead. 2 “Go into the village over there,” he said. “As soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there, with its colt beside it. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone asks what you are doing, just say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will immediately let you take them.”
This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said,

“Tell the people of Jerusalem, ‘Look, your King is coming to you.He is humble, riding on a donkey— riding on a donkey’s colt.’”
The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. They brought the donkey and the colt to him and threw their garments over the colt, and he sat on it.
Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9 Jesus was in the center of the procession, and the people all around him were shouting,
“Praise God for the Son of David! Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Praise God in highest heaven!”
The entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar as he entered. “Who is this?” they asked.
And the crowds replied, “It’s Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”

Matthew 21:1-11

Jesus entered the city of Jerusalem as a hero! People cheered, shouted praise, and placed palm branches down in the streets as a sign of worship and respect. As we move on throughout the week... don’t forget the reception Christ received during His entrance. The feeling of goodwill and reverence would soon give way to violent outrage and disgust. Why did the people turn on Christ? Did they really feel inside like they were acting on the outside? Let’s keep looking ahead.

MONDAY

Christian scholars have surmised through archaeology, context, and significant study of the ancient texts, that Jesus did two things on the final Monday of His pre-resurrention life.

#1: “In the morning, as he was returning to the city, he became hungry And seeing a fig tree by the wayside, he went to it and found nothing on it but only leaves. And he said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again!” And the fig tree withered at once.” - Matthew 21:18-19

#2: And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them,“Is it not written, My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” - Mark 11:15-17

At first glance, these verses may seem disconnected. Jesus starts His morning cursing a tree and continues it by tossing some tables over. However, both acts were intentionally done by Christ to show the decay that had come over the nation of Israel. He knew the true hearts of the people... those same people that just 12 hours prior were singing His praises.

In the first case, the fig tree was often symbolically used to represent the nation of Israel. Jesus comes to it... sees leaves but no figs... and curses it for it’s lack of fruit. Here was a tree with potential for wonderful produce... but instead sat unprepared, unready, and disconnected from it’s purpose. The tree sat barren... just like the hearts of those Israelites that claimed to love Jesus. Their purpose was to bear fruit as believers...but, instead, they had turned to religion and legalism. Jesus wants us to fulfill our purpose, bear fruit, and reach the potential for which we were created.

The second passage demonstrates again how the Israelites’ hearts had become hardened to their real purpose. Here they were selling items inside the very place that they were supposed to be praising Christ. Jesus knew that He had to set things straight and reminded those causing the trouble that the church was a place for prayer and worship only. This wasn’t sinful anger... but righteous discipline.

These two Monday events foreshadow what Christ would face on Friday of this week... The smiles that He walked past on Sunday were barely hiding the contempt and lack of respect the people of Jerusalem had for the Son of God. Unfortunately, It would get worse... and then infinitely better!

There are just a few days left until we kick off our Easter services! See you there!

Good Friday

The day had finally come.  Friday.  Just five days after Jesus entered the streets of a cheering Jerusalem, He faced the covert plan of His betrayer:

“While he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying,
“The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.”
And he came up to Jesus at once and said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!” And he kissed him. Jesus said to him,
“Friend, do what you came to do.” -  Matthew 26:47-50

Jesus knew Judas would come.  You can imagine that Christ had played this scene in His mind a few times... that kiss from the lips of the traitor against His cheek... the sounds of the swords clanging together from those that came to capture Him... All of the unnecessary drama from a group of people who had no clue what they were doing.  Jesus would go willingly.  He had been planning on it since the day He was sent to Earth.

Jesus was led away by those He had created.  The beginning of the end...  The end of the beginning...

Scripture tells us that Christ would go through a “trial.”  He was brought before the high priest Annas, Caiaphas, Herod Antipas, and a man by the name of Pontius Pilate.  None of them could pin anything on Him...none of them bold enough to condemn Him to die...that is until Pilate lets the people choose.  Pontius would release one man... a murderer named Barabbas or Jesus.

The people chose the murderer over the Creator.

The King of Kings and Lord or Lords would face the most severe form of torture ever devised by the hands of man...before or since... the cross.  And He would do so without ever thinking a sinful thought.

He would go through it for us.

By this time, Judas Escariot realized he has made a terrible mistake...tried to give the silver back... but eventually gave in to his overwhelming sense of grief.  He knew he had caused the death of an innocent man... and it would cost him his own life by his own hand.

9AM - Noon on Good Friday.  Three hours when the world held its breath, Satan snickered, and eleven scared students of Jesus went into hiding.

And the soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the governor’s headquarters), and they called together the whole battalion.

And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on him.  And they began to salute him, “Hail, King of the Jews!”

And they were striking his head with a reed and spitting on him and kneeling down in homage to him.  And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. And they compelled a passerby, Simon of Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. And they brought him to the place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull). And they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it. And they crucified him and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take.  And it was the third hour when they crucified him.
And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.”

And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left.

And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads and saying,

“Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”  So also the chief priests with the scribes mocked him to one another, saying, “He saved others; he cannot save himself.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those who were crucified with him also reviled him.  And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour.  And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” And some of the bystanders hearing it said,  “Behold, he is calling Elijah.”  And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to take him down.” And Jesus uttered a loud cry and breathed his last.  And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom.  And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that in this way he breathed his last, he said,  “Truly this man was the Son of God!”  -  Mark 15:16-39

And they would take Him down.
And they would put Him in a tomb.
And they would wait.

Was Jesus telling the truth when He said He was coming back?

Oh, yes.... He was coming back.   THAT’S what we’re celebrating this Sunday.

Jesus keeps His promises.  The tomb was empty and our eternity was forever changed.

I pray that you and your family/friends will join us this Easter weekend as we celebrate that empty tomb...

Keep inviting people to join us at Potential Church...  It will be a weekend that could change someone's forever.

Blessings to you and yours during this beautiful and holy time of year.