Resurrection Morning (Easter Sunday)

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

When Jesus died, His followers scattered. What else could they do?

They had staked their lives on Jesus, and He was dead. They had buried Him. It was over. They didn't know what to do with themselves, but they likely just wanted to get past this dark time and move on. They were scared—their Friend had just been crucified. What was going to happen to them? Were they going to be next.

But it wasn't over. Read the accounts of that Resurrection Morning in Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; and John 20:1-18.

The tomb is empty. We serve a risen Savior!

Jesus' resurrection gives us life. That's what John wrote in John 20:31. It's what Paul was so passionate about in 1 Corinthians 15. Jesus' resurrection is essential to our faith and guarantees eternal life. Live in the power of that.

And go now, as Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, and make disciples of all nations. He is with you. Always. Even when you're doubtful, fearful, or don't feel close to Him. The God who loves like that doesn't desert His people. The God who bought you back from sin at such great cost to Himself doesn't give up on you.

Jesus loves you is a simple phrase in a simple song we sing as children. But it's true. Believe it today.

Jesus has displayed His love on the world stage in a moment that divides history. He is the Christ, Son of the living God, and He has made a way for you! Live in the power of that today.

Saturday of Holy Week

Today is a silent day in the events surrounding Jesus' last week on earth. The disciples had scattered, possibly hiding in fear they would be next, possibly drawing solace from each other, the only other people who really understood. The crowd at the foot of the cross had dispersed.

It was all over. Jesus, the great leader, was dead and buried. It must have been a terrifying and grief-stricken time for those who had loved Jesus most.

It was also the Sabbath, so the Jews marked the holy day as they generally had. Jesus had been hurriedly buried because of the approaching Sabbath and on the next day, some of the women who had followed Him would go back to the tomb to provide one last act of love for the Master and properly prepare His body for burial.

But all of that would come on Sunday. Saturday was a day of waiting.

It's a day of waiting and silence for believers today, too, but we have the benefit of knowing what happens next. We wait with joy rather than the dread and fear that Jesus' followers probably felt all those years ago.

Spend some time today in prayer and take time to "wait upon the Lord" during that prayer time. Thank Him for the sacrifice of Christ. Thank Him for your salvation. Thank Him for all of who He is, then be silent. Think on these things He has done. Remember. Let Him speak and praise Him for what you learn from Him.

Friday of Holy Week (Good Friday)

Good Friday is a holy day. It isn't a holiday to be celebrated, but rather a day to be remembered with reverence. Good Friday is good for us because it wasn't for Jesus.

On Friday morning, He was brought before Pontious Pilate, the Roman governor, and and Herod Antipas, who held jurisdiction over Galilee, on trumped up charges from the Jewish religious leaders. Read the accounts in Luke 22:47-53,66–23:12; Matthew 26:47-68; 27:1-14; Mark 14:43-65; 15:1-3; and John 18:1-14, 19-24, 28-38.
Pilate admitted that he could find no reason to charge Jesus with anything. But he put the decision to the crowds and when given the choice between releasing Jesus and releasing Barabbas, a prisoner who had led a rebellion that had included murder (Mark 15:7), they chose Barabbas. They cried out for Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged and handed Him over to be crucified, a criminal's death.

The crowds mocked Jesus. Scripture says they scoffed and hurled insults His way. As the Roman soldiers flogged Him, the guards spit on Him, made fun of Him, and smashed a crown of thorns into His temples. As if this terrible anticipation of the pain of the cross wasn't enough, the people seemed dead-set on humiliating Jesus and stripping Him of every ounce of dignity He possessed. Prophecy had said that the Messiah would be humiliated (Isaiah 53); Jesus now had to live through the gut-wrenching reality of it.  Read the accounts in Matthew 27:27-31 and John 19:1-16. Read them aloud, if it helps you to understand what was happening.

Now read Philippians 2:8. Jesus was God, and He didn't have to suffer this indignity, but He did—in obedience to His Father's plan.

He did it for you.

Jesus then carried His own cross down the long road to Golgotha, the hill where He would be crucified. More mocking and screams accompanied Him. Finally, He was placed on a cross between two criminals, one of whom also mocked Him. Soldiers divided Jesus' clothes and cast lots for them. Around noon, darkness came over the “whole land” (Luke 23:44) and around 3 p.m., “the sun's light failed” (Luke 23:45) and the curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom. Jesus cried out, saying “Father, into Your hands I entrusts My spirit.”

It was over. He was dead.

The disciples dispersed, probably feeling like fools. The Teacher they'd followed was gone. What else could they do? He was dead. They'd failed. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

A few followers took Jesus off the cross and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. They were stunned. They felt fear, despair, anguish, that strange hollow feeling you get when everything falls apart and everything you thought was true seems so messed up.

They didn't understand. Their grief overshadowed Christ's own reminder that He would rise on the third day.

The disciples understood one thing correctly that fateful day: nothing was ever going to be the same again.Understand Christ's sacrifice for you. Know that we do not have salvation without that sacrifice. But don't “grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Turn your thoughts toward Easter. Turn your heart toward Christ, our risen Hope.

Thursday of Holy Week

Read John 13:1-20 and think through these questions:
• What does verse 1 teach you about Jesus and what was going to happen next?
• Why is it important that Jesus washed the disciples' feet?
• How is washing the disciples' feet an act of service?
• Why did Peter react the way he did?
• What does Jesus tell the disciples to do in verse 14? What does that mean?


On the day before the crucifixion, Jesus took the time to celebrate the Passover meal with His disciples. They'd gathered in an upper room, and Jesus Himself took on the role of the lowest servant and washed His friends' feet. Picture the scene in these verses: loud, boisterous Peter subdued by the Messiah's act of service. John allowing God Himself to wash the dust from his feet. Jesus, kneeling in front of men who didn't understand what was going to happen, loving them to the very last, knowing they would disappoint Him and let fear, doubt, and despair control their lives, but loving them just the same.

Then, Jesus and His disciples ate together. The friends listened as Jesus presented the bread and wine and gave new symbolic meaning to both. This is the moment we remember every time we take the Lord's Supper. It's why we call a memorial meal; it's all about remembering the God who was willing to sacrifice Himself so that we might have abundant life. Remember that this week as you take the Lord's Supper, an important part of many Thursday and Good Friday services.

After the meal, Jesus and His disciples went to a garden to pray. Read Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46. Jesus then invited three of them—Peter, James, and John—to come with Him. He asked them to pray and He went even further into the garden to pray alone. There was Jesus, crying out to God, praying for the strength to complete the task the Father had set before Him, and His closest friends fell asleep.

That moment breaks my heart, because I know how often I have been asleep in my faith instead of striving to be the person God wants me to be. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human and in that moment, I can't help but feel his utter despair and loneliness. The people He loved didn't get what He was trying to tell them. He knew what was coming, and He couldn't make them understand. And in the one moment that He needed them to just be there for Him, they fell asleep! How lonely He must have been!

Before long, a mob, led by Judas, another of Jesus' disciples, showed up at the garden. Jesus was arrested; His disciples fled; it all seemed to be coming to an end. Jesus was tried by the religious leaders in the middle of the night and accused of blasphemy. As the sun rose, Peter, who had said he'd never deny Christ, had done just that.

There's a lot of emotion in the events of this sad day during Holy Week. Peter who has done the one thing he said he would never do. Jesus who has grieved and anguished in the garden, praying for strength and rising from His conversation with God with His face set toward the cross. This moment makes me sad because I know where it leads. But I also know that Jesus is my only hope and this sacrifice had to happen so that I could have that hope.

It's easy to look at Jesus and say this was easy for Him. He was God, you know. But Scripture tells us He was also human. Here, we see a Man here who needs His friends to understand, to just be with Him. A Man who cries out to God in utter despair and honesty. A Man who understands your pain, doubts, and fears because He's been there. Jesus is the Man who fulfilled all prophecy and laid down His life for yours. That's the lesson of today. Remember it. Think on it. Thank Jesus for it, even through your tears.

Read:
• John 13:34-35. Could Jesus' command be used to describe you? Why or why not? 
• John 17: Jesus' prayer in the garden. How does it make you feel to realize that Jesus prayed for you (vv. 20-26) before His crucifixion?

Wednesday of Holy Week

Passover began last night at sundown. Jews around the world will gather to remember how God had worked in their history to rescue them from slavery in Egypt. They'll call to mind the plagues, eat symbolic foods, and look forward to a Messiah they believe has yet to arrive.
What do you know about the Passover? Read Exodus 12:1-28 and think through these questions:
• Why did God institute the Passover?
• What does it commemorate?
• Why did the people have to eat the meal while dressed to leave?
• What does the Passover have to do with Easter?


Yet during Holy Week, it's important to remember that all those years ago, Jesus, the Messiah, sat down to eat the Passover meal with His disciples. Read Luke 22:7-13 today and consider Jesus' instructions to the disciples as they set out to find a place to have this special meal together. Then read what Matthew and Mark had to say in their Gospels about this preparation in Matthew 26:17-19 and Mark 14:12-16.

The Passover meal the disciples worked so hard to prepare for is significant. What they didn't understand was that it would be their final Passover with Jesus. He was their friend, their Teacher, the one they had seen do nothing short of miracles. Shortly after eating the meal, He would be betrayed, tried, and on Friday, crucified. They thought they were preparing to celebrate an important Jewish holiday, which they did, but at that Last Supper, Jesus would explain again that He was going to die and detail the significance of His death. He would institute a new practice, what we call the Lord's Supper, with the bread and drink symbolizing His broken body and spilled blood—the sacrifice He gave so that we might live abundant life.

At Passover, Jews offered a sacrifice at the temple. At this last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus explained that He was going to be the sacrifice that would end the need for further sacrifices at the temple. Jesus alone—fully God and fully man, sinless—could offer Himself as a sacrifice that would cover all sin.

Dwell on that thought today. And like Jesus instructed the disciples, start preparing for Easter. What does it mean to you that Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for your sin? What things are you letting get in the way of truly experiencing the truth and joy of that this Easter?

Other Scripture:
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-11 (the woman who anoints Jesus which He says is in preparation for His burial).
What praise can you bring to Jesus today? 

Tuesday of Holy Week

Read John 12:20-36 and Mark 12 today.

The Gospel of John records that not long after Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, He began to talk to His followers about His coming crucifixion. Read John 12:20-36 today. Jesus is a Man embroiled in turmoil in these verses. He knows what is coming; the crucifixion is near. Read His words in John 12:27-28: “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”

Jesus knew His march toward the cross was coming to an end. He knew the sacrifice He would have to make so that we could live in relationship with God. It was the reason He had come to earth in the first place. He knew that He would be "lifted up” on a cross, that His death would draw all people to Himself (John 12:32). He knew that His sacrifice—His suffering, His death—was the one and only way to everlasting life and salvation for us.

So there Jesus was, sitting with His disciples and followers, trying to explain that He would only be with them like this a little while longer. I think these moments were bittersweet for Jesus. Like any of us, His human desire was to savor these last moments with the people He loved, yet His reason for being here called Him to action. He desperately wanted these people to understand what He was telling them, and for the most part, they didn't.

It must have been a lonely time for Jesus. He knew what was going to happen in the coming days. And the people closest to Him didn't get it. Scripture says He "went away from them and hid from them" (John 12:36). He just wanted to be alone with His thoughts, with His turmoil. Have you ever felt that way? Why? Why is it important to know that Jesus felt the same way?

Meanwhile, the religious leaders began making plans to get rid of Jesus, who they had begun to see as a problem who was disrupting their way of life. They wanted Him to say something they could use against Him. They questioned His authority. Read Mark 12 and consider the things Jesus was teaching in these final moments. He knew what was coming, and He still wanted the world to hear His truth. He wanted us to understand who He was, but He still took the time to answer questions about taxes and to exhort us to live like the widow who gave an offering of all she had. He wanted us to understand that what He was talking about wasn't religion ruled by rules and acts. It was relationship. It was admitting we need God and giving every bit of ourselves to Him.

The week before the crucifixion wasn't an easy one for Jesus. It was an emotional roller coaster. He had been welcomed like a hero and cleansed the temple. Now He predicted His death, and no one really understood. Dwell on those emotions Jesus felt this week: disappointment, fear, righteous anger, sorrow. Understand the sacrifice He made for you. Spend time praying about it. Let God help you see Easter and Christ's sacrifice in a new light this year.

If you'd like to do some additional reading this Easter, read That's Why We Call Him Savior by Max Lucado this week.

Monday of Holy Week

Yesterday was Palm Sunday, a moment in history your church probably celebrated. Palm Sunday marks the moment Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey (fulfilling prophecy) during the last week of His life on earth, joining the Jewish people as they prepared to celebrate the Passover.

Jesus' arrival caused a huge stir. People lined the streets, cheering and shouting exclamations of praise as He passed by. The people admired Jesus so much that they laid their coats and palm leaves they had gathered on the ground for the donkey to walk on. It was a joyous celebration, full of people who seemed to recognize the importance of the moment, who seemed to know that Jesus was important.

Soon after the Triumphal Entry, Scripture tells us that Jesus went into the temple complex and threw out the people who were buying and selling there. Jesus banished all the things that cheapened the worship. He overturned tables, drove out buyers and sellers, and displayed a righteous anger. God had called His people to be pure and holy, and they weren't. More than that, they were doing their buying and selling in the Court of the Gentiles and because of it, the Gentiles couldn't even worship! The people's sin was greater than the sacrifices they brought (or bought). By the end of the week, Jesus would lay down His own life as the sacrifice, ending the need for the Jewish sacrificial system.

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. By Friday, Jesus would be dying a criminal's death on a cross, bearing all of our sin. So while I love the joy of Palm Sunday, it also makes me a little sad. Because I know what has to happen next. I know what Jesus setting His face toward Jerusalem sets into motion. I know that Jesus, who was and is sinless, would have to take on my sin and die painfully on a cross He didn't deserve. The cross humbles me; the crucifixion bothers me. Because it isn't fair; it isn't right; and it was my fault. Yet, Jesus still said that I—and you—were worth it and submitted to His Father's plan of redemption. Know the truth of this: Jesus loves you—and He loved you even while He was on the cross.

This week between Palm Sunday and Easter is important for Christians, because without Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, we would have no hope—of glory, of relationship with the Father, of living life to its fullest.

So take some time each day this week to read about the events of Jesus' week in Jerusalem. Read Matthew 11:1-11 and Luke 19:18-40 today. Check out the prophecy His Triumphal Entry fulfills in Zechariah 9:9. Read about the God who desired followers with pure hearts and worship when He cleared the temple of money changers in Matthew 11:15-19 and Luke 19:45-48.

Think about your life today. What do you need to let God clean out of your life? What things need to be overturned and removed? What sins are you holding on to? How has your worship become less than pure? How are you trying to earn God's approval rather than accept His grace?

Resurrection Morning!

He is risen! He is risen, indeed!

When Jesus died, His followers scattered. What could they do? They had staked their lives on Jesus, and He was dead. They had buried Him. It was over. They didn't know what to do with themselves, but they likely just wanted to get past this dark time and move on. They were scared—their Friend had just been crucified. What was going to happen to them?

But it wasn't over. Read the accounts of that Resurrection Morning in Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; and John 20:1-18.

The tomb is empty. We serve a risen Savior!

Jesus' resurrection gives us life. That's what John wrote in John 20:31. It's what Paul was so passionate about in 1 Corinthians 15. Jesus' resurrection is essential to our faith and guarantees eternal life. Live in the power of that.

And go now, as Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, and make disciples of all nations. He is with you. Always. Even when you're doubtful, fearful, or don't feel close to Him. The God who loves like that doesn't desert His people.

Jesus loves you is a simple phrase in a simple song we sing as children. But it's true. And Jesus has displayed His love on the world stage in a moment that divides history. He is the Christ, Son of the living God, and He has made a way for you! Live in the power of that today.

Good Friday Thoughts

Good Friday is a holy day. It isn't a holiday to be celebrated, but rather a day to be remembered with reverence. Good Friday is good for us because it wasn't for Jesus.

On Friday morning, He was brought before Pontious Pilate, the Roman governor, and and Herod Antipas, who held jurisdiction over Galilee, on trumped up charges from the Jewish religious leaders. Read the accounts in Luke 22:47-53,66–23:12; Matthew 26:47-68; 27:1-14; Mark 14:43-65; 15:1-3; and John 18:1-14, 19-24, 28-38.

Pilate admitted that he could find no reason to charge Jesus with anything. But he put the decision to the crowds and when given the choice between releasing Jesus and releasing Barabbas, a prisoner who had led a rebellion that had included murder (Mark 15:7), they chose Barabbas. They cried out for Jesus to be crucified. So Pilate ordered Jesus to be flogged and handed Him over to be crucified, a criminal's death.

The crowds mocked Jesus. Scripture says they scoffed and hurled insults His way. As the Roman soldiers flogged Him, the guards spit on Him, made fun of Him, and smashed a crown of thorns into His temples. As if this terrible anticipation of the pain of the cross wasn't enough, the people seemed dead-set on humiliating Jesus and stripping Him of every ounce of dignity He possessed. Prophecy had said that the Messiah would be humiliated (Isaiah 53); Jesus now had to live through the gut-wrenching reality of it.  Read the accounts in Matthew 27:27-31 and John 19:1-16.

Now read Philippians 2:8. Jesus was God, and He didn't have to suffer this indignity, but He did—in obedience to His Father's plan.

He did it for you.

Jesus then carried His own cross down the long road to Golgotha, the hill where He would be crucified. More mocking and screams accompanied Him. Finally, He was placed on a cross between two criminals, one of whom also mocked Him. Soldiers divided Jesus' clothes and cast lots for them. Around noon, darkness came over the “whole land” (Luke 23:44) and around 3 p.m., “the sun's light failed” (Luke 23:45) and the curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom. Jesus cried out, saying “Father, into Your hands I entrusts My spirit.”

It was over. He was dead.

The disciples dispersed, probably feeling like fools. The Teacher they'd followed was gone. What else could they do? He was dead. They'd failed. Nothing was ever going to be the same again.

A few followers took Jesus off the cross and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. They were stunned. They felt fear, despair, anguish, that strange hollow feeling you get when everything falls apart and everything you thought was true seems so messed up.

They didn't understand. Their grief overshadowed Christ's own reminder that He would rise on the third day.

The disciples understood one thing correctly that fateful day: nothing was ever going to be the same again.Understand Christ's sacrifice for you. Know that we do not have salvation without that sacrifice. But don't “grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Turn your thoughts toward Easter. Turn your heart toward Christ, our risen Hope.

Thursday of Holy Week

On the day before the crucifixion, Jesus took the time to celebrate the Passover meal with His disciples. They'd gathered in an upper room, and Jesus Himself took on the role of the lowest servant and washed His friends' feet. Read about that in John 13:1-20. Then think about. Picture it: loud, boisterous Peter subdued by the Messiah's act of service. John allowing God Himself to wash the dust from his feet. Jesus, kneeling in front of men who didn't understand what was going to happen, loving them to the very last, knowing they would disappoint Him and let fear, doubt, and despair control their lives, but loving them just the same.

Then, Jesus and His disciples ate together. The friends listened as Jesus presented the bread and wine and gave new symbolic meaning to both. This is the moment we remember every time we take the Lord's Supper. It's why we call a memorial meal; it's all about remembering the God who was willing to sacrifice Himself so that we might have abundant life.

After the meal, Jesus and His disciples went to a garden to pray. Read Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46. Jesus then invited three of them—Peter, James, and John—to come with Him. He asked them to pray and He went even further into the garden to pray alone. There was Jesus, crying out to God, praying for the strength to complete the task the Father had set before Him, and His closest friends fell asleep.

That moment breaks my heart, because I know how often I have been asleep in my faith instead of striving to be the person God wants me to be. Jesus was fully God, but He was also fully human and in that moment, I can't help but feel his utter despair and loneliness. The people He loved didn't get what He was trying to tell them. He knew what was coming, and He couldn't make them understand. And in the one moment that He needed them to just be there for Him, they fell asleep!

Before long, a mob, led by Judas, another of Jesus' disciples, showed up at the garden. Jesus was arrested; His disciples fled; it all seemed to be coming to an end. Jesus was tried by the religious leaders in the middle of the night and accused of blasphemy. As the sun rose, Peter, who had said he'd never deny Christ, had done just that.

There's a lot of emotion in the events of this sad day during Holy Week. Peter who has done the one thing he said he would never do. Jesus who has grieved and anguished in the garden, praying for strength and rising from His conversation with God with His face set toward the cross. This moment makes me sad because I know where it leads. But I also know that Jesus is my only hope and this sacrifice had to happen so that I could have that hope.

It's easy to look at Jesus and say this was easy for Him. He was God, you know. But Scripture tells us He was also human. Here, we see a Man here who needs His friends to understand, to just be with Him. A Man who cries out to God in utter despair and honesty. A Man who understands your pain, doubts, and fears because He's been there. Jesus is the Man who fulfilled all prophecy and laid down His life for yours. That's the lesson of today. Remember it. Think on it. Thank Jesus for it, even through your tears.

Read:
• John 13:34-35. Could Jesus' command be used to describe you? Why or why not? 
• John 17: Jesus' prayer in the garden. How does it make you feel to realize that Jesus prayed for you (vv. 20-26) before His crucifixion?

Wednesday of Holy Week

Passover begins at sundown tonight. Jews around the world will gather to remember how God had worked in their history to rescue them from slavery in Egypt. They'll call to mind the plagues, eat symbolic foods, and look forward to a Messiah they believe has yet to arrive.

Yet all those years ago, Jesus, the Messiah, sat down to eat the Passover meal with His disciples. Read Luke 22:7-13 today and consider Jesus' instructions to the disciples as they set out to find a place to have this special meal together. Then read what Matthew and Mark had to say in their Gospels about this preparation in Matthew 26:17-19 and Mark 14:12-16.

The Passover meal the disciples worked so hard to prepare for is significant. What they didn't understand was that it would be their final Passover with Jesus. He was their friend, their Teacher, the one they had seen do nothing short of miracles. Shortly after eating the meal, He would be betrayed, tried, and on Friday, crucified. They thought they were preparing to celebrate an important Jewish holiday, which they did, but at that Last Supper, Jesus would explain again that He was going to die and detail the significance of His death. He would institute a new practice, what we call the Lord's Supper, with the bread and drink symbolizing His broken body and spilled blood—the sacrifice He gave so that we might live abundant life.

At Passover, Jews offered a sacrifice at the temple. At this last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus explained that He was going to be the sacrifice that would end the need for further sacrifices at the temple. Jesus alone—fully God and fully man, sinless—could offer Himself as a sacrifice that would cover all sin.

Dwell on that thought today. And like Jesus instructed the disciples, start preparing for Easter. What does it mean to you that Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for your sin? What things are you letting get in the way of truly experiencing the truth and joy of that this Easter?

Other Scripture:
Philippians 2:5-11
Mark 14:1-11 (the woman who annoints Jesus which He says is in preparation for His burial). What praise can you bring to Jesus today?

Tuesday of Holy Week

The Gospel of John records that not long after Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus began to talk to His followers about His coming crucifixion. Read John 12:20-36 today. Jesus is a Man embroiled in turmoil in these verses. He knows what is coming; the crucifixion is near. Read His words in John 12:27-28: “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”

Jesus knew His march toward the cross was coming to an end. He knew the sacrifice He would have to make so that we could live in relationship with God. It was the reason He had come to earth in the first place. He knew that He would be "lifted up” on a cross, that His death would draw all people to Himself (John 12:32). He knew that His sacrifice—His suffering, His death—was the one and only way to life.

So there Jesus was, sitting with His disciples and followers, trying to explain that He would only be with them like this a little while longer. I think these moments were bittersweet for Jesus. Like any of us, His human desire was to savor these last moments with the people He loved, yet His reason for being here called Him to action. He desperately wanted these people to understand what He was telling them, and for the most part, they didn't.

It must have been a lonely time for Jesus. He knew what was going to happen in the coming days. And the people closest to Him didn't get it. Scripture says He "went away from them and hid from them" (John 12:36). He just wanted to be alone with His thoughts, with His turmoil.

Meanwhile, the religious leaders began making plans to get rid of Jesus, who they had begun to see as a problem who was disrupting their way of life. They wanted Him to say something they could use against Him. They questioned His authority. Read Mark 12 and consider the things Jesus was teaching in these final moments. He knew what was coming, and He still wanted the world to hear His truth. He wanted us to understand who He was, but He still took the time to answer questions about taxes and to exhort us to live like the widow who gave an offering of all she had. He wanted us to understand that what He was talking about wasn't religion ruled by rules and acts. It was relationship. It was admitting we need God and we need to give every bit of ourselves to Him.

The week before the crucifixion wasn't an easy one for Jesus. It was an emotional roller coaster. He had been welcomed like a hero and cleansed the temple. Now He predicted His death, and no one really understood. Dwell on those emotions Jesus felt this week: disappointment, fear, righteous anger, sorrow. Understand the sacrifice He made for you. Spend time praying about it. Let God help you see Easter and Christ's sacrifice in a new light this year.

Monday of Holy Week

Yesterday, your church likely celebrated Palm Sunday. The day marks the moment Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey (fulfilling prophecy!), joining the Jewish people as they prepared to celebrate the Passover. Jesus' arrival caused a huge stir. People lined the streets, cheering and shouting exclamations of praise as He passed by. The people admired Jesus so much that they laid their coats and palm leaves they had gathered on the ground for the donkey to walk on. It was a joyous celebration, full of people who seemed to recognize the importance of the moment, who seemed to know that Jesus was important.

Soon after the Triumphal Entry, Scripture tells us that Jesus went into the temple complex and threw out the people who were buying and selling there. Jesus banished all the things that cheapened the worship. He overturned tables, drove out buyers and sellers, and displayed a righteous anger. God had called His people to be pure and holy, and they weren't. Their sin was greater than the sacrifices they brought (or bought). By the end of the week, Jesus would lay down His own life as the sacrifice, ending the need for the Jewish sacrificial system.

Palm Sunday celebrates Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover with His disciples. By Friday, Jesus would be dying a criminal's death on a cross, bearing all of our sin. So while I love the joy of Palm Sunday, it also makes me a little sad. Because I know what has to happen next. I know what that moment sets into motion. I know that Jesus, who was and is sinless, would have to take on my sin and die painfully on a cross He didn't deserve. The cross humbles me; the crucifixion bothers me. Because it isn't fair; it isn't right; and it was my fault. Yet, Jesus still said that I—and you—were worth it and submitted to His Father's plan of redemption.

This week between Palm Sunday and Easter is important for Christians, because without Christ's sacrifice and resurrection, we would have no hope—of glory, of relationship with the Father, of living life to its fullest.

So take some time each day this week to read about the events of Jesus' week in Jerusalem. Read Matthew 11:1-11 and Luke 19:18-40. Check out the prophecy His Triumphal Entry fulfills in Zechariah 9:9. Read about the God who desired followers with pure hearts and worship when He cleared the temple of money changers in Matthew 11:15-19 and Luke 19:45-48.

Think about your life today. What do you need to let God clean out of your life? What things need to be overturned and removed? What sins are you holding on to? How has your worship become less than pure? How are you trying to earn God's approval rather than accept His grace?

He Is Risen!

He is risen, indeed!

When Jesus died, His followers likely scattered. What could they do? They had staked their lives on Jesus, and He was dead. They had buried Him. It was over.

But it wasn't. Read the accounts of that Resurrection Morning in Matthew 28:1-10; Mark 16:1-8; Luke 24:1-12; and John 20:1-18. The tomb is empty. We serve a risen Savior!

Jesus' resurrection gives us life. That's what John wrote in John 20:31. It's what Paul was so passionate about in 1 Corinthians 15. Jesus' resurrection is essential to our faith and guarantees eternal life. Live in the power of that.

And go now, as Christ commanded in Matthew 28:19-20, and make disciples of all nations. He is with you. Always.

Good Friday

Yesterday's post ended with Jesus praying and agonizing in the garden. Sometime shortly after, Judas and a mob arrived. Judas kissed Jesus, his sign that this was the One they were after. The betrayal was complete. Jesus was arrested and taken away to face the Sanhedrin, a court of Jewish officials, then dragged before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, and Herod Antipas, who held jurisdiction over Galilee. Read the accounts in Luke 22:47-53,66–23:12; Matthew 26:47-68; 27:1-14; Mark 14:43-65; 15:1-3; and John 18:1-14, 19-24, 28-38.

When given a choice between releasing Jesus, who Pilate could find no reason to charge with anything, and Barabbas, a prisoner who had led a rebellion that had included murder (Mark 15:7). The crowds cried out for Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion. Pilate ordered that Jesus be flogged and handed Him over to die a criminal's death.

The crowds mocked Jesus. As they flogged Him, laying open His skin, the guards spit on Him, made fun of Him, and smashed a crown of thorns into His temples. As if this terrible anticipation of the pain of the cross wasn't enough, the people seemed dead-set on humiliating Jesus and stripping Him of every once of dignity He possessed. Read the accounts in Matthew 27:27-31 and John 19:1-16. Now read Philippians 2:8. Jesus was God, and He didn't have to suffer this indignity, but He did—in obedience to His Father's plan.

He did it for you.

Jesus then carried His own cross down the long road to Golgotha, the hill where He would be crucified. More mocking and screams accompanied Him. Finally, He was placed on a cross between two criminals, one of whom also mocked Him. Soldiers divided Jesus' clothes and cast lots for them. Around noon, darkness came over the “whole land” (Luke 23:44) and around 3 p.m., “the sun's light failed” (Luke 23:45) and the curtain in the temple tore from top to bottom. Jesus cried out, saying “Father, into Your hands I entrusts My spirit.” And then He died.

It was over. He was dead.

The disciples dispersed, probably feeling like fools. The Teacher they'd followed was gone. What else could they do? It was all over.

A few followers took Jesus off the cross and buried Him in a borrowed tomb. They were stunned. They felt fear, despair, anguish, that strange hollow feeling you get when everything falls apart and everything you thought was true seems so messed up.

They didn't understand. Their grief overshadowed Christ's own reminder that He would rise on the third day.

Understand Christ's sacrifice for you today. Know that we do not have salvation without that sacrifice. But don't “grieve like the rest, who have no hope” (1 Thess. 4:13). Turn your thoughts toward Easter. Turn your heart toward Christ, our risen Hope.

Wednesday of Holy Week

Jesus and His disciples came to Jerusalem that fateful week to celebrate the Passover, a Jewish holiday that commemorates the Exodus and the Israelites freedom from the Egyptians. Read Luke 22:7-13 today and consider Jesus' instructions to the disciples as they set out to find a place to have this special meal together. Then read what Matthew and Mark had to say in their Gospels about this preparation in Matthew 26:17-19 and Mark 14:12-16.

The Passover meal the disciples worked so hard to prepare for is significant. What they didn't understand was that it would be their final Passover with Jesus. Shortly after eating the meal, He would be betrayed, tried, and on Friday, crucified. They thought they were preparing to celebrate an important Jewish holiday, which they did, but at that Last Supper, Jesus would explain again that He was going to die and detail the significance of His death. He would institute a new practice, what we call the Lord's Supper, with the bread and drink symbolizing His broken body and spilled blood.

At Passover, Jews offered a sacrifice at the temple. At this last Passover meal with His disciples, Jesus explained that He was going to be the sacrifice that would end the need for further sacrifices at the temple. Jesus alone—fully God and fully man, sinless—could offer Himself as a sacrifice that would cover all sin.

Dwell on that thought today. And like Jesus instructed the disciples, start preparing for Easter. What does it mean to you that Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for your sin? What things are you letting get in the way of truly experiencing the truth and joy of that this Easter?

Other Scripture: Philippians 2:5-11
Listen: “Behold the Lamb of God” or “How Deep the Father's Love for Us” by Stuart Townend. If you don't listen to it, at least read the lyrics. Also check out “Behold the Lamb of God” by Andrew Peterson.

Tuesday of Holy Week

The Gospel of John records that not long after Jesus' triumphant arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus began to talk to His followers about His coming crucifixion. Read John 12:20-36 today. Jesus is a Man embroiled in turmoil in these verses. He knows what is coming; the crucifixion is near. Read His words in John 12:27-28: “Now My soul is troubled. What should I say—Father, save Me from this hour? But that is why I came to this hour. Father, glorify Your name!”

Jesus knew His march toward the cross was coming to an end. He knew the sacrifice He would have to make so that we could live in relationship with God. It was the reason He had come to earth in the first place. He knew that He would be "lifted up” on a cross, that His death would draw all people to Himself (John 12:32). He knew that His sacrifice—His suffering, His death—was the one and only way to life.

So there Jesus was, sitting with His disciples and followers, trying to explain that He would only be with them like this a little while longer. I think these moments were bittersweet for Jesus. Like any of us, His human desire was to savor these last moments with the people He loved, yet His reason for being here called Him to action. He desperately wanted these people to understand what He was telling them, and for the most part, they didn't.

It must have been a lonely time for Jesus. He knew what was going to happen in the coming days. And the people closest to Him didn't get it. Scripture says He "went away from them and hid from them" (John 12:36). He just wanted to be alone with His thoughts, with His turmoil.

The week before the crucifixion wasn't an easy one for Jesus. It was an emotional roller coaster. He had been welcomed like a hero and cleansed the temple. Now He predicted His death, and no one really understood. Dwell on those emotions Jesus felt this week: disappointment, fear, righteous anger, sorrow. Understand the sacrifice He made for you. And spend time praying about it. Let God help you see Easter and Christ's sacrifice in a new light this year.