[0:00]What is Holy Week? Holy Week? Is it really significant today? A long weekend, holiday for others, or is it just a tradition we all do every year? And what made Holy Week holy? Is it because of what people do during this week? What should we do to keep it holy? Let's find out more and get to know the Jesus of the Bible through the facts of the Holy Week. Welcome to This Is Jesus, The Truth We All Need.
[0:43]The Holy Week, also known as Passion Week, is a significant time in the Christian calendar that commemorates the final week of Jesus Christ's life on Earth. This is where we'll see events like Palm Sunday, the cleansing of the temple, the Last Supper, all the way to Jesus's crucifixion and resurrection. The events of the Holy Week are based on the accounts found in the four Gospels of the Bible, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. And we will share with you some details as to what happened during that week. So let's begin with Palm Sunday. The Holy Week as we know begins with Palm Sunday, which marks Jesus' triumphant entry into Jerusalem. As Jesus entered Jerusalem on a borrowed donkey, the crowds welcomed him by waving palm branches and laying them on the road, shouting, "Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" Now, why were they waving palm branches? The crowds used palm branches as a symbolic gesture of honor and celebration at the arrival of Jesus, the King. What? Jesus is King! Yes, you heard it right. Here's the first truth we all need: The Palm Sunday is the fulfillment of an Old Testament prophecy. It was like the great reveal for Jesus. His purpose was to make public his claim to be Messiah and King of Israel. Unfortunately, many Jews of Jesus' time had a different expectation of what a Messiah should be. The Jewish concept of the Messiah was often associated with a powerful, kingly figure who would lead them in a revolt against Rome and one who will establish a kingdom of peace and prosperity. But who is Jesus really? Is that what Jesus really came for? Make sure you catch this.
[2:28]This is Jesus, He is Our Savior and Eternal King (Palm Sunday) Jesus is the savior, but he didn't just want to save the Jews from the tyranny of Rome, he came to save us all! I'll say that again, save us all from our biggest problem: sin. Jesus is not just the king of the Jews, but also the King of all. Jesus's reign is not a temporal earthly kingdom, he came to establish God's kingdom, an eternal one to reign in the lives of his people and satisfy their deepest needs and longings. If your heart is left unsatisfied by anything this world offers and if you have tried your best to fulfill that gap yourself, but nothing really happens, then let Jesus reign in your heart and life. Hosanna! Jesus is our King who comes in the name of the Lord. Okay, next. Holy Monday and Holy Tuesday. On these days, we find Jesus in the temple. Upon seeing the state of the temple with merchants and money changers, Jesus was filled with righteous anger, overturning the tables of the money changers and those selling animals for sacrifice. He declared, catch this, that the temple should be a house of prayer, but had been turned into a den of thieves. This was a demonstration of Jesus's holiness and his righteousness. Jesus spends these days, in fact, teaching in the temple, sharing his knowledge and wisdom, engaging in debates with religious leaders and exposing their hypocrisy with the use of parables. He also discussed here the signs of the end times through his teaching at the Mount of Olives. We see here that Jesus simply knows. He knows everything. He knows the true state of our hearts. He even knows what will happen in the end and warns us of the judgment that is to come. Here it comes, the truth we all need: Jesus is generous when it comes to sharing knowledge, wisdom, and truth to those who seek it. We all know that Jesus is loving and compassionate, but at the same time, according to the Bible, this is Jesus, Righteous and True (Holy Monday and Tuesday) Jesus reflected his anger during the cleansing of the temple. He challenged corruption and called for genuine worship, so this means that as we walk with Jesus, he will show us our true state, parts of our life that are not pleasing to him. And just like what he did in the temple, he will do His transforming work in our lives. He will do His transforming work in our lives. Why? Stay tuned, guys, Holy Wednesday, or Spy Wednesday. On this day, we find Jesus at a house in Bethany, when a woman came up to him and poured a bottle of expensive oil on his head and his feet. The disciples were looking and frowned and said that they thought it was a waste, but Jesus, knowing what was in their heart, rebuked them, saying that she actually did a beautiful thing. And that was to prepare him for his burial. After that, Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus's disciples, conspires with the religious leaders to betray him for 30 pieces of silver. This sets in motion the events leading to Jesus's arrest and crucifixion. This is why Holy Wednesday is also referred to as Spy Wednesday, did you know that? As the events of Holy or Spy Wednesday unfolded, we know that Jesus is fully aware of the suffering and death that awaited him, but still, he remained faithful to God's will. Here's the truth we all need: Despite knowing that Judas would betray him, Jesus continued to show unconditional love and compassion towards Judas. I remember a quote from Tim Keller which says, "To be loved but not known is comforting but superficial. To be known and not loved is our greatest fear. But to be fully known and truly loved is, well, a lot like being loved by God. It is what we need more than anything. It liberates us from pretense, humbles us out of our self-righteousness, and fortifies us for any difficulty life can throw at us." So beautiful. This is Jesus, All Knowing yet Loving (Holy Wednesday) We said earlier that Jesus simply knows, but this brings it to a deeper, deeper personal level. Jesus knows all of our sins, even in secret, but he still loves us. So let's not be afraid to come to him and repent and ask for forgiveness, because he freely offers it. And as he is forgiving, may we also show the same unconditional love and forgiveness even to the people whom we find difficult to love and forgive. Are you guys still with me? We're past Hump Day, next is Maundy Thursday. Now, there are two key events that mark this day: the Last Supper and the washing of the disciples' feet. Jesus, knowing that this will be his last dinner with his disciples, wanted to impart to them his greatest and most important lessons. The term Maundy means command, derived from Latin. Here, among many other important matters, Jesus gave his new commandment, which is to what? Love one another as he has loved them. Here he did not just command them, but also modeled to them, to all of us, what we need to do.
[8:05]His actions and teachings during the Last Supper emphasize the importance of humility, love, and compassion in the Christian faith, not just towards God, but also towards one another. So, wait for it, here's the truth we all need. In a dog-eat-dog world, where people are striving to be the greatest and would exhaust all means to get to the top, Jesus's washing the feet of the disciples demonstrated his love, humility, and servanthood. His love, humility, and servanthood. He's teaching the disciples and all of us the importance of humility and loving and serving others, big words. So this is Jesus, the Humble Servant (Maundy Thursday) Humility is so important in every aspect of our life and Jesus wants us to be humble like him. It is with humility that we can think of others as more important than ourselves and something I've shared many times because God is working in this even in my own life. It takes humility to see the true state of our hearts, and it takes humility to be able to love and serve others the way Jesus did for us. Okay, now we're here at the good part, good, you said it, Good Friday. We all know what happened on Good Friday. So, if Jesus was crucified on Good Friday, then what is the good in Good Friday? On this day, Jesus is arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane, tried before the Jewish authorities and then brought before Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor. Despite finding no fault in Jesus, I'll say that again, no fault in Jesus, Pilate succumbs to the pressure of the crowd and sentences Jesus to be crucified. The people who celebrated the entry of Jesus in Jerusalem are the same people who shouted, "Crucify Him!" Jesus is crucified then at Golgotha or Calvary, on his cross was written, Jesus the Nazarene, King of the Jews. On his head, a crown of thorns and on his body, the sins of all humanity, and then he dies. So what's good in that? The good in Good Friday reflects the profound significance of Jesus's death and the hope it brings to us believers. Romans 5:8 says, "But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us." And 1 Peter 3:18 even echoes this, it says, "For Christ died for sins once for all time, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you and I to God." And this brings us to the truth we all need. Jesus demonstrates his greatest act of love for all of us. He became the ultimate sacrifice for the payment of all of our sins. Jesus's sacrificial death on the cross atones for the sins of all of humanity, offering reconciliation with God and salvation from eternal judgment. So this is Jesus, The Ultimate Sacrifice (Good Friday) There's no other sacrifice that could pay for the penalty of our sins. Jesus's sacrifice is necessary because all of us are sinners and are in need of redemption. This sacrifice made us holy in the eyes of God by his grace, through faith in Jesus Christ. God made this possible because he loves us so much and does not want anyone, any of us to perish, but for all of us to come to repentance. So may we see God's heart that he wants us to reconcile our broken relationship with him, by believing in Jesus, making Him our Lord and Savior and following him. Holy Saturday or Black Saturday. People who have lost a loved one, usually wear black clothes or wear a black plate on their chest, this is to signify that they are mourning. That is why Holy Saturday is also referred to as Black Saturday. On this day, Jesus was laid in a tomb and was buried. His disciples were hiding in fear of being arrested, and so this was probably a time of grief, great grief, sorrow, shock, and uncertainty for all the followers of Jesus. Will He rise again as He has promised? Is Jesus really who he says he is? This is a day of solemn reflection and waiting as Jesus's body lies in the tomb. It is a time of mourning and also anticipation of his resurrection. This calls for some self-assessment. The truth we all need here is the truth about ourselves. Let's ask ourselves this question: Who is Jesus really, to me? This is Jesus, The Hope of Our Salvation (Holy Saturday) We're almost at the end of our message, but it is important for us to see Jesus as he really is. See ourselves as we really are and recognize our need for him. And last, but certainly not the least, is Resurrection Sunday. On this day, two women went early to the tomb where Jesus was buried. An angel appeared to them and said, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for he has risen just as he said." Hallelujah! Jesus is alive! This is recorded in all four of the Gospels, the tomb where Jesus was buried was found empty, and he appeared to his disciples and many others, proving his resurrection. Here's the final, most important truth we all need. Through the resurrection, Jesus demonstrated that he has conquered death and won the victory over sin. Jesus affirmed his identity as the Son of God and the true Messiah. The free gift of eternal life that he offers us is real, and not only that, Jesus's resurrection means that he is all he says he is. This is Jesus, The Resurrection and the Life (Resurrection Sunday) So if Jesus is all he says he is, it simply means that everything he said is true. That he loves you and I so much, that he is the way, the truth, the life, and that he paid for our sins and that there is no more condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. The question is, do you now see the real Jesus? He is our Savior, the Eternal King, he is righteous and true, he is all knowing, yet all loving, he is the humble servant, he is the ultimate sacrifice, he's the hope of our salvation and he is the resurrection and the life. Jesus offers hope and salvation to all who put their trust in him. Will you accept Jesus, this Jesus, and proclaim him as your King, the King of your life? Let me pray with you if you want to do that right now. Dear Jesus, it is with all that we come to you and refresh or maybe learn for the first time all that this Holy Week really represents. It seemed so simple for us as we celebrate it every year, but it was so painful for you. It literally cost you your life, and so we come to you now, Lord Jesus. There are some people who are wanting to be able to to accept you and receive you now as they've heard this. And if this is you, you can say these words from your own heart. Dear Jesus, thank you for dying on the cross for my sins. I am so unworthy, and yet because you have done this for me, it will literally change my life forever. And so I with the gratefulness that I have and the humility I have, because of all the sins I've committed. I now ask for forgiveness and I receive what your Son Jesus has done, and I now look forward to what you will do in and through me as I follow you as my Lord and Savior. Will you provide all the tools needed for me to move this forward? Maybe it's friends that I know, who also share this faith. Maybe it's family members, whoever it is, that I might journey with them, that I might journey with your word, studying and learning from you all the days of my life here so that when my time is done, you will say to me, well done, good and faithful servant, and you will welcome me into your presence forever. This is my prayer right now, in Jesus name. Amen and amen.
[17:22]So if you made that prayer right now as I said and as we prayed this Holy Week or this day that you're watching this wherever you are in the world, will never be the same. You will remember this because today is your spiritual birthday. You chose to accept this Jesus, the centerpiece of the Holy Week, and what he has done for you personally. So may the Holy Week be a time of prayer and contemplation for all of us. A time for us to reflect on the unconditional and sacrificial love of Jesus Christ on the cross, the hope of salvation that his resurrection brings and what this ultimately means for all of us. Guys, have a blessed, blessed Holy Week, this is Jesus.
