Happy Holy Week!
From the shouts of “Hosanna” to the shouts of “Crucify Him!” we are reminded of the tremendous price paid for our forgiveness, for our sins. In a week, He went from hero and a king to rescue the Jews from Rome, to someone who was both feared and hated.
Sometimes, I look around at many people who see Easter as just another holiday where they might get a 3 day weekend, when in reality it’s a 3 day period that Jesus spent in the grave.
As we celebrate this holiday with our churches, friends and families, may we remember the price paid for it. Even more though, remember what else it paid for, the gift of eternal life for each of us, if only we will choose to receive it.
Pray Unceasingly!!
Lois
The complete article ( https://www.biblestudytools.com/bible-study/topical-studies/holy-week-timeline.html) tells of what each day stands for in different denominations.
Excerpts From Holy Week Timeline for 2022
| Contributing Writer
“Every spring, Christians around the world celebrate Holy Week, commemorating the last eight days of Jesus’ life on earth. The time is a sacred one—an opportunity to reflect on and express gratitude to God for the most important events in the history of the world. The week begins on Palm Sunday and ends on Easter Sunday, each day set apart by a variety of special services, readings, songs, and events.
Palm Sunday honors the day when Jesus humbly rode into Israel’s capital city, cheered as the new King of the Jews—and as the Son of God who would usher in an eternal kingdom. A handful of days later, many who misinterpreted His mission called for His death. Jesus was sent to die by crucifixion on Friday and, through His sacrificial death, paid the price for the sins of humanity. On Sunday, He resurrected to new life, proving His claim as the Savior of the world who had the power to defeat death. Since that day, those who believe that He came for that purpose are welcomed as children of God into eternal life.
Palm Sunday
Jesus had been teaching about the kingdom of God and His identity as the Jewish Messiah for about three years when the time came for Him to formally, publicly make that claim in Israel’s capital of Jerusalem (John 12:12-15). When He arrived, people greeted Him with a famous ancient symbol of victory—palm branches. The thousands of Jews carrying the branches had heard Jesus’s teaching about God’s kingdom and had been beneficiaries of his miracles. Many believed that He came to usher in the new kingdom promised in the Old Testament. They had waited 400 years to hear from God. Now, here was who seemed to be the Son of God, claiming that He was the king of Israel.
But even Jesus’ mode of transportation into the city—a lowly donkey rather than a majestic warhorse—revealed the Jews’ misaligned expectations. Centuries of prophecies had suggested the Messiah would come and overthrow the Roman government and bring Israel back to the glory it enjoyed under King David (Psalm 110, Isaiah 2:2, Isaiah 11:12, Ezekiel 37:24). But the kingdom God was introducing was an eternal, universal kingdom, not a local, political movement. Just as Jesus’ birth was marked by unadorned humility, so would be the rest of His short time on earth.
During Palm Sunday services, churches across the world gather to wave palm branches as a nod to Jesus’ triumphal entry. The leaves can also be dried and woven into small, handheld crosses. More traditional churches might sing noted Palm Sunday hymns such as “All Glory Laud and Honor.”
Jesus had spent the evening of Palm Sunday out of the city, and upon return the next day, he taught in the temple of Jerusalem. He shared parables that used simple imagery to explain the kingdom of God. The Jewish leaders thought he was being blasphemous by doing so and questioned him (Matthew 21:23). Later, as he walked through the temple, Jesus became angry that the holy place of worship had become a place for buying and selling—and taking advantage of the poor. In his zeal, he overturned tables, enraging the vendors (Matthew 21:12-16). Then he spent the evening with his friends Lazarus, Mary, and Martha (Matthew 21:17).
It is here, at the beginning of the week, that Jesus increases and intensifies His public messages. The Gospels record the outrage of the leaders of the day, and we are meant to recognize that Jesus’ death on Good Friday will not be accidental or unexpected. Instead, Jesus deliberately stirs up the anger of those who wish to kill Him because He fully understands His mission as a sacrifice for the sins of the world.
The magnitude of Jesus’ messages contrasts with His decision to reconnect with several close friends. This was doubtless an encouragement to the three siblings in question and Jesus Himself as He processed what lay ahead of Him. Jesus had declared Himself to be “the resurrection and the life” shortly before raising Lazarus from the dead—a clear foreshadowing of His own death and resurrection.”