Jesus' Holy Week

In the hustle and bustle of daily life this year it almost escaped my attention that this week was “Holy Week”, the week culminating in Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Some of my “stuff” was of some definite significance; some was just the stuff of daily life, lived and forgotten a month or a year later; some was what is sometimes called, “First World Problems”.

Jesus death and resurrection are the culmination and the radiating point for God's love for mankind, for me. And I got to thinking … what was Jesus' “Holy Week” like … what was some of the “stuff” He experienced and did for me?

Triumphal entry – much of the same crowd would be howling for His crucifixion later in the week

Entered the temple – had to clear out the corrupt hucksters cheating honest people who wanted to worship God

Left the temple, his disciples pointing out its magnificence – Jesus had to tell them of the doom that would come on Jerusalem and the temple

Week-long verbal traps and running verbal battles with the Jewish religious leaders who should have been the first to recognize and honor Him

Celebrated Passover with his disciples – knowing this was His last meal with them ... knowing one of those disciples would betray him

Gethsemane – the hours of mental anguish of knowing the physical agony what was coming … and being betrayed after His time of prayer

“Trial” before the Sanhedrin – knowing his disciples had fled, and that at that moment Peter was denying even knowing Him

Roman “justice” and torture – arbitrary, intentionally sadistic

Crucifixion – the most prolonged agony mankind then knew how to extract

Bearing the burden of, being separated from the Father because of, the world's sin ... my sin