Have you ever noticed how much the gospels slow down as they approach Jesus’ death & resurrection?
The gospels begin with Jesus’ birth. (Except Mark which begins much more quickly!) They then march along, gaining speed. Jesus makes repeated stops. He calls disciples. He preaches constantly. He heals blind, deaf, paralyzed, demon-possessed people. At every stop. He can hardly rest.
This pace continues & gains steam.
But, as he enters Jerusalem, everything slows down dramatically. Much as a train slows as it approaches its destination, so the gospels slow down as Jesus reaches his destination, death on a cross.
Consider this. In the gospel of Matthew—of 28 total chapters—eight are devoted to the final week of Jesus’ ministry.
This week has historically been called “holy week.” It is simply a designation used to capture all that happened in the final days & week of Jesus’ ministry. It begins with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and ends with his resurrection day.
This is what the gospel slow down to consider.
And so should we.
With celebrating Easter on April 4, I want to encourage you to take a few moments individually or as a family to consider this important week and its all-too-important climax in Jesus’ death and resurrection.
A FEW SUGGESTIONS
Read through the gospel accounts of each day of Holy Week. I find this chart very helpful. It organizes all that occurred each day of Holy Week, beginning with the day before his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on the Sunday before Easter. Take a few minutes to talk through this as a family each day.
Watch these brief video of about the final days of Jesus. I love learning from the smart guys! These videos are concise interviews with some of the world’s best scholars to go along with readings for each day of Holy Week.
Rejoice in the wonderful truths of the gospel. To name a few:
We are reconciled to God—Ephesians 2:11-22
We are forgiven of our sins, as the debt has been cancelled—Colossians 2:14, Isaiah 53:6
We are counted righteous in Christ—2 Corinthians 5:21, Romans 3:23-26
We are adopted as sons and daughters—Romans 8:15-17, Gal 4:4-7
We are born again, becoming new creations in Christ—John 3, 2 Corinthians 5:17
We are kept in the love of God, which nothing can disrupt—Romans 8:28-39, Jude 1
We are look to the hope of heaven—Romans 8:24-25, 1 Peter 1:3-5