Holy Week

Growing up, Holy week was an interesting time for me. I always thought of it with very happy thoughts. It is almost as if I would skip from Palm Sunday straight through Easter without giving much thought to the other events of the week.

As I have aged, my perspective has changed just a bit. Not to come into this week with somber thoughts necessarily, but to come into it with more reflection and even respect for the events of the week.

So, today, I thought it would be appropriate to look at these events and see what we can drawl from them.

So, we begin our week with:

Palm Sunday

Jesus is on His way to Jerusalem, where He is going to be crucified.

He is on His way to the cross.

As He comes towards the city, He hangs out at the Mount of Olives and sends two disciples to go into town where there will be a donkey tied up.

Grab it and bring it out to me.

If anyones asks, tell them that the Lord needs it.

This is to happen to fill Zechariah’s prophecy in 9:9

Zechariah 9:9 NIV

9 Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion! Shout, Daughter Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

So, Jesus is going to begin this week with fulfilling a prophecy.

I wonder if the people there made this connection.

Jesus’ justification for the donkey was “that the Lord needs them”

And then He is clearly fulfilling this Old Testament prophecy.

He comes riding in on a donkey.

It is apparent that the people acknowledged who Jesus is at this time as they modeled the disciple’s example by laying their coats on the ground. This is as if they are giving Him the “red carpet” treatment.

The people laid palm branches on the road and waved them as Jesus passed by.

And they would exclaim:

Matthew 21:9 NIV

9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

Hosanna which means to save, but had become a broader meaning of celebration.

“Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord” which is Psalm 118, and, according to one commentary, is

Matthew (A. The King Enters His City with Triumph and Meekness (21:1–11))

“psalm of ascent,” sung as the people ascended toward the temple in Jerusalem for worship, inviting others “with boughs in hand” to “join in the festal procession”

Here we have this image of the coming King, riding on a donkey that was prophesied before where they people are giving praise and quoting the Psalm that was customary for the entrance into the temple for worship.

And, this is the image of Holy Week that has always been in my mind, but then we take a quick turn in a different direction....

Jesus gets into Jerusalem and goes to the temple

Jesus Clears the Temple

As He goes into the temple he sees money changers buying and selling doves and other animals.

Now, buying and selling animals wasn’t really out of the norm as often times the leaders in the church would sell doves for the poor people and lambs for the wealthier people to sacrifice.

It would be easier for those that traveled a distance to make their sacrifices for them to carry money on the journey, than to carry animals.

But, there was a couple issues here.

They didn’t need to be doing this in the temple as they could do it outside

They were clearly being unfair and making a pretty profit off of it as Jesus refers to them as “a den of robbers” hinting that they were being unfair in what they were making.

I’d also like to note that the benches that He turned over were those of the ones selling doves…remember, the doves were for the poor people who couldn’t afford the larger animals.

It is possible that part of the reason He was upset is that they were taking advantage of the poor?

So Jesus is upset as they were using the house of Lord for their own selfish gain.

Now, I am not sure that the events of Holy Week are a prescription for how we are to go to the cross and ultimately the resurrection, but if I might say, I’d say that there is some things we can learn.

The first being that this week may we

Examine our Hearts

Are we like the people in the streets praising Jesus, or are we like the robbers in the temple courts being selfish?

Are we exploiting what God wants from us for our own personal gain?

In verse 15 we see an interesting contracts in two hearts

Matthew 21:15 NIV

15 But when the chief priests and the teachers of the law saw the wonderful things he did and the children shouting in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they were indignant.

Matthew 21:16 NIV

16 “Do you hear what these children are saying?” they asked him. “Yes,” replied Jesus, “have you never read, “ ‘From the lips of children and infants you, Lord, have called forth your praise’?”

So, we have the religious leaders in the temple tying to make a dollar and then we have the children in the streets praising Jesus

In Mark’s version it’s clear the leaders were not happy

Mark 11:18 NIV

18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.

So, here we have the leaders so upset at Jesus that they are trying to find a way to kill Him, but we have crowd who was amazed at Him.

Jesus is going to indirectly address the religious leaders with what happens next.

Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

We are reading in Matthew and in his versions he puts the whole story of the fig tree together, but in Mark’s version Jesus curses the fig tree on His way to Jerusalem and then returns the next day and it’s withered.

So, basically what happens is Jesus is hungry and walks by the tree, it had no fruit so Jesus curses it and it withers.

Matthew 21:20 NIV

20 When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked.

Matthew 21:21–22 NIV

21 Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. 22 If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”

Here we see this indirect comparison between the church leaders and the fig tree.

It is possible that the pressure of the cross is getting to Jesus in this moment as this is the only destructive miracle that we see of him.

So, was he reacting in the flesh to also teach a lesson? Interesting.

Regardless, the comparison is the religious elites who don’t get who Jesus is.

They are like the fig tree who don’t bear fruit.

They fail to believe in who Jesus is and will not bear fruit.

On the contrast, those who have faith and believe in Jesus, can pray for mountains to be moved and they will.

Or, said another way, those who are concerned with their own gains and “looking the part” will not bare fruit, but those who have faith and believe in Jesus will bear fruit.

Jesus Questioned

Jesus then enters the temple courts and is questioned as they were trying to trap Him.

Like always, He counters their questions to which they have no answer.

Parables

Now, Jesus is going to start really ticking the leaders off.

He starts with the parable of the two sons

The father tells them to go work in the vineyard

The one said he wouldn’t but later changes his mind and goes and works

The second says that he would, but doesn’t go to work

Jesus sums it up by saying

Matthew 21:31–32 NIV

31 “Which of the two did what his father wanted?” “The first,” they answered. Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. 32 For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him.

So, he tells the religious leaders that the tax collectors and prostitutes would enter heaven before the leaders, why? Because they proclaim the coming messiah, but reject Him when He has come.

Whereas the sinners accept Him.

Then the parable of the tenants where basically Jesus is pointing out again how the leaders reject Him and they will be judged for it.

So, Jesus has basically ticked of the religious leaders and this goes on for another couple of days.

In Matthew 24 we get to the big passage about the destruction of the temple and end times prophecies.

In 26, the final straw has been laid and they are going to arrest Jesus, but not during the passover.

Jesus is then anointed by Mary in Bethany, which is a crazy awesome fortelling of who Jesus is and what He is about to do.

And now, we are at:

The Passover Meal

Communion

Washing the disciples feet

High priestly prayer

Then Jesus goes to the garden. He takes His disciples with Him to pray.

They fall asleep.

Jesus asks the Father to take this cup from Him

Jesus is arrested.

Peter denies.

Jesus is accused.

He is sentenced.

The crowd who shouted Hosana - save us! Now shouts, crucify Him!

He is beaten.

He is tortured.

And He is hung on a cross.

He says “father forgive them, for they know not what they are doing.”

He dies.

As I think about Holy Week, I think a little differently than I used to.

What starts out as a happy praise worthy time, ends in a dark and sad time.

And I think this week is a time for reflection.

And so, I encourage you this week to think about your heart and where it is at.

Are you like the pharisees who are self-righteous, but lack in belief?

Are you doing things for your own gain?

Or are you like the crown shouting Hosana! You are excited for our king and savior.

As we prepare for good Friday and Easter, I encourage you to spend time this week thinking about where your heart is at.

Are you ready to celebrate the resurrection next week?