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Happy Easter!
I want to start this post in an unlikely place… a garden. More specifically, we find ourselves in the Garden of Eden. It is where this whole week gets its meaning and significance. Without the events of this garden, today means very little because it is in this garden we lost our relationship with God. It is also in this garden where God speaks to Adam and Eve and says, “I am going to send a boy. He is going to restore this relationship you just broke. Be on the lookout for Him.”
Divine Poetry: How poetic is it that the hardest words ever spoken (Eden) most beautiful words ever spoken (at the empty tomb) were in gardens? The parallelism here is breathtaking to me. In a garden, we were separated from God and introduced to death. In a garden, we are brought back into a relationship with God and introduced to life! Angels present at both. There is Adam, the original gardener. And there is Jesus, posing as a gardener. First Adam… and Last Adam (1 Cor 15:45). The fulfillment stands for all time.
“Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Cor 15:55-57
“He is risen! Praise God!”
NOTE: Thank you for sharing the Holy Week Experience with me this week. I hope you had as much fun as I did. Your comments are appreciated as this is my first time to blog like this. Have a great day! Don’t forget to subscribe: RSS version or EMAIL version!
Holy Saturday is a relatively quiet day.
The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
“Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
Point 1: I am not really sure how someone can read this (especially with the extra-Biblical evidence) and not see some real irony here in the conspiracy theories. Even on Saturday his body was still there. If I were a Roman soldier and I were given a task and the guy wasn’t there… I would be screaming bloody murder! But the record shows that no stink is raised. The guards went. And from that point they were standing guard. We are talking trained killers. World conquerors at the foot of the tomb. Think about that.
Point 2: (Landon’s ratting out the Jews!!!) This always cracks me up. These Pharisees, these people of God, these law-keepers to the extreme… are they doing work on the Sabbath by concerning themselves with all this and striking deals with the Roman government???? (Please read all the sarcasm you want into that last comment… I meant it.)
Good Friday is widely recognized as the day Jesus died. Many of you know the story. We have some good narrative to cover today, so please take your time and reflect on it.
Early in the AM: Jesus is taken to the Sanhedrin for trial. It is a well-known and documented fact that they wanted him dead, but the tricky part of the situation is that Jerusalem was under Roman authority… and by Roman law no one could be executed outside the jurisdiction of the Roman government. They charged Jesus with blasphemy yet sent him to the Roman authorities under the trespass of trying to overthrow Roman rule. The charges didn’t exactly match up.
Pilate - Herod - Pilate: They took him to Pilate early in the morning as soon as they could. Pilate had already been in tension with the higher ups in the Roman Empire and if an uprising would have started on his watch… well, he would have been relieved of his position. So he sends Jesus, or pawns the situation off, to Herod (the governor if you will) in hopes that he will not be liable. Herod, who could see a job opportunity opening up shared the same disdain for the situation and makes a political move of his own and sends Jesus back. At this, Pilate’s hand is forced when the crowd threatens to riot.
The Crowd (part A): Do you ever wonder where these people came from this early in the morning. How did they know where to go? How did they turn on Jesus from Sunday to Friday? Quick thought: Where would you find a crowd like this to convene so quickly? Possible Answer: There are a lot of people who serve at the temple. A lot of people depend on the pay from the temple to put food on the table. If your leaders request your presence (rather strongly), do you think it would be possible to get a crowd like this? Possibly. Jesus is sentenced to die at the hand of the Romans. Religious crimes. Governmental execution.
The Most Overlooked Verse in the Bible: Where are the Hosanna people from Sunday? I think you will find this interesting. The most overlooked verse in the Bible… Luke 23:27, “A large number of people followed him (The Crowd: Part B), including women who mourned and wailed for him.“ They were there! This following… these people shouting to Jesus on Sunday, “SAVE US!” And now they are wailing as their hopes quickly fade with every step that comes closer to Golgotha. I wonder if they knew about the trial taking place in the Roman courts just hours before.
Seven Sayings From the Cross:
- Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.
- And Jesus said unto him, Truly I say to you, Today you will be with me in paradise.
- Woman, behold your son! Then he said to the disciple,
Behold your mother! - And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? (Quoting Psalm 22. If you don’t do anything else today, read it… it is eerie.)
- After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, said, I thirst.
- When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
- And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.
Earthquake. Temple Curtain torn in two from top-to-bottom.
Quick Burial: Because it is almost the Sabbath when Jesus dies, he has to have a quick burial before sundown. This explains the reason the women and disciples went to the tomb on Sunday morning first thing. He was not given the proper treatment that any person would receive on Friday. No ritual washing. No Jewish Tachrichim (custom of death wrapping). All that put on hold for the Sabbath. Interesting, isn’t it?
Note: If the story ended here, Jesus would simply be a martyr.
Maundy Thursday is also known as Easter Triduum (3 days before Easter). This is a rather eventful day in the life of Christ… and therefore the life of the Church. Maundy comes from the Old English vernacular (latin = mandatum) and is taken from John 13, “A new commandment (instruction/teaching) I give unto you, That you love one another; as I have loved you.”
Big comment: Not even Moses made commandments. He delivered them from YHWH. I don’t think people really realize the magnitude of this statement Jesus makes. It’s not just about the command, but that He has the authority to command.
Lord’s Supper: In the evening on Thursday we come to the Passover meal. Many people already know the significance of the Passover meal in rememberance of the exodus from slavery. What I find interesting about this meal is that Jesus takes it and draws the connection in such a way that sounds like this: (from Landon’s Free Translation) “There was a night you remember. It was the night when I rescued you from slavery, and I made death pass over you because of my strong love (KESED) for you. I recognized the sacrifice and brought you into a new life that you had never known. I ultimately made you into my people… and today you still remember that great act of love. Tonight I fulfill that great act which point to this moment in time for all these years… only this time the sacrifice will stand forever. By taking part in this, you are connected to me and to each other as my people.”
Washing of the Feet: Feet are dirty and cleaning other people’s feet makes most people shiver. Congrats if you don’t share this feeling. You are rare. Between the Lord’s Supper and the Foot Washing, we see a servant Christ that doesn’t look anything like the militant Messiah expected. Expectations can be so misleading, can’t they? What a parallel to Mary, who washed and annointed Jesus’ feet just hours/days prior. I wonder how the disciples accepted Mary’s servant act (good form) and if they felt awkward that theor leader just sis the same thing. Was Jesus annointing their ministry (most martyrs) as well?
Garden of Gethsemene (“Oil Press”): After the upper room, Jesus retreats to the garden. This was a regular prayer place for the group. Jesus prays, sweats, bleeds… not my will, but yours. The disciples nod off. Judas kisse. The narrative picks up speed very quickly. See you tomorrow.
Today in Holy Week we come to what is known as Spy Wednesday… or the day of the betrayal by Judas for 30 pieces of silver. It is also the day Mary brings perfume and pours it over Jesus’ feet.
Matthew 26: 6-11 - While Jesus was in Bethany in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, which she poured on his head as he was reclining at the table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant. “Why this waste?” they asked. “This perfume could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor.” Aware of this, Jesus said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing to me. …”
Matthew 26:14-16 - Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty silver coins. From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
Point of Interest: The woman brings a bottle of perfume worth one year’s wages and uses it to anoint Jesus’ feet. She weeps tears on His feet and then washes them with her hair. Judas is appalled. Meanwhile Judas betrays Jesus for a tenth of what the perfume was worth, only to seal the deal with a kiss of death later in the week. Interesting how the sinful woman and the (supposedly) faithful disciple have switched roles in what it should be like.
I find it intriguing how there are so many things in the Gospels that simply turn the typical actions of everyday life up on end. There is a beauty to the role reversals in the lives surrounding Jesus. The religious people don’t get it. The commoners who have nothing to hold on to… well, they do get it.
Questions to Think About:
- Do you get it?
- Why is it that people who have nothing to hold on to seem to respond in a way that the Gospel writers mark as a beautiful event?
- Why is it that people who think they have it figured out always seem to screw up when approaching Jesus?
- What might you be holding on to that prevents you from ‘getting it’ when embracing the message of Jesus?
Plot Thickening Tuesday. Today Jesus gets in a scuffle with the Pharisees. They are trying to trap Him because he is shaking up their religious world. He has already won the hearts of the people and cleared the temple of the moneychangers and their share of the market. They are not happy because naturally they get a cut of the profits sold in the temple areas. Bet you didn’t think of that one yesterday, did ya! Neither did I. I was reading today and stumbled across this thought = I had an ‘AHA! moment’.
Soon after Jesus stumps the Pharisees, He begins to teach what is known as the Mount Olivet Discourse - engaging the ‘end time’ teachings we read about in Matthew. Click here to read the text
So to recap: Jesus win the hearts to the people on Sunday; clears the temple and makes the religious leaders mad on Monday; lays some harsh words down on the religious leaders again and talks about the end times heavily on Tuesday.
Questions to Think About:
- Have you ever tried to paint God into a corner (argue your case or justify your actions) because it interfered with what you had going on?
- Has He ever called you out to readjust your perspective?
- What are your interpretations of the end times in light of what Jesus says in the text in this post?
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