A Week of Highs and Lows
When He entered Jerusalem on the Sunday before Passover, Jesus was welcomed like a celebrity. The streets were filling with well wishers. Many were waving branches and spreading them in front of Jesus and his disciples as they passed through the streets. Shouts of welcome and praise filled the air.
But the tone quickly changed as Jesus entered the temple. Seeing the money changers, He overturned their tables and drove them out, accusing them of defaming and defiling the house of God. Throughout the week, He taught in the temple, but he was constantly confronted by the Jewish teachers and leaders. Their efforts to disgrace Him or undermine His authority were futile. Soon they were filled with jealousy and rage.
By Thursday, the mood around the Passover table was somber. Then Jesus dropped a bombshell: “One of you will betray me.” The disciples were confused, and they listened in worry and disbelief as Jesus said He would leaving them. When the meal was over, they headed to a nearby garden where Jesus began to pray. Eventually, His prayers were interrupted by torches, swords, and spears as a band of temple guards seized Him and dragged Him before the Jewish high court. In short order, He was condemned to death.
And, so, as the sun began to rise on Friday morning, he was presented to the Roman governor, Pilate. The crowd that had shouted “Hosanna!” a few days earlier now shouted “Crucify!” By 9 a.m. he had been tortured, flogged, and taken to the site of his execution--Golgotha, or the “place of the skull.” For six hours, he endured the pain and humiliation of the cross. With the words, “It is finished,” His early life came to an abrupt end. His followers were devastated. His enemies were convinced that He was no longer a threat.
But then came Sunday!
Early on Sunday morning, a group of women went to the tomb where He was buried. Then an angelic visitor announced the news that would reshape the world for generations to come: “He is not here! He has risen, just as he said!”
Out of defeat, God brought a great victory. Out of death, God brought the promise of eternal life through his son, Jesus. I pray that you would know Jesus for yourself, and that you would join me in celebrating all that He did for us on an old, rugged cross 2,000 years ago. Have a blessed Easter!
Image courtesy of Unsplash.
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