Eight Days!
8 Days
that Changed the World Eternity!
On March 31st, we will
celebrate the Resurrection of Jesus Christ on the day that we call Easter. Over 2000 years ago, that blessed day was the
culmination of 8 days of ups and downs, a seeming roller coaster ride of emotions
for anyone who knew or followed Jesus.
Over the next 4 weeks, on my regular
blog days (Tuesday and Friday), I want to invite you to join me as we examine
the Gospel accounts of those days. I want
to look at each of those fateful days to get to know Jesus better and to
understand the emotions that had to be intense for all involved. I hope you will join me as we examine the 8
days that changed all of eternity.
Day 1: Sunday
The fateful week began on a Sunday,
the day after the Sabbath. That day is
best known as the day of the Triumphal Entry, or what we refer to today as Palm
Sunday. People were already arriving in
Jerusalem in preparation for the Passover and Feast of Unleavened Bread that
would occur later in the week, so the city was probably more crowded than
normal.
We see the day, much like many of
the people probably did, as a day of excitement and celebration. From the Gospel accounts, it is apparent that
the people were welcoming someone important, maybe even a king who would
deliver them from the oppression of Roman rule.
There was speculation all morning as to whether Jesus would come to
Jerusalem for the Passover,[1] and when news came that He
was on His way, the crowds took palm branches and laid them on the road. Some even took off their cloaks and laid
those down.[2] Their shouts and excitement indicate that they
believed they were welcoming their deliverer, a king who would free them from
Rome’s grip. As good Jews, many of them
probably knew the prophecy concerning the arrival of the king on the colt of a
donkey. [3] For them, this was a day of celebration.
Today, we fall into that same celebratory
mood on Palm Sunday, but have you ever stopped to consider what Jesus or His
disciples were thinking as they rode into Jerusalem that day? Jesus was aware of the plot against Him, and
for that reason, He had purposely stayed away from Jerusalem until God’s timing
was right.[4] When that time came, He told His disciples
that He was going there to die. [5] We know the sorrow that He
experienced in the Garden the night before His death, so I think He must have
experienced a feeling of sorrow and doom as He rode into the city that
day. Did He know that the crowd that
greeted Him so royally would shout “Crucify him” only 5 days later?
I can’t help but wonder what Jesus’
followers and disciples were thinking.
Jesus had told them of His impending death on several occasions, but the
words never seemed to register. Yet, Mark
tells us that some of them expressed fear when Jesus said they were returning
to Jerusalem.[6] They
knew about the plot against Him, so there had to be some measure of dread even
as they heard the shouts of “Hosanna”. I
can almost see Peter scanning the crowd, with his hand on his sword, ready to
stop anyone who might attack his Rabbi.
Jesus ended that day weeping over
the city of Jerusalem[7] and then just looking at
the Temple. [8]
We know the sorrow that He felt for the Jews, His Father’s chosen people, who
would soon reject Him. We don’t know His
thoughts as He looked around the temple.
Was He thinking about the next few days that would bring an end to all
the Temple represented? Was He considering
all the ways that God had revealed Himself to the people and how the people had
rejected Him over and over again? I can’t
help but think that His heart was heavy as He considered both the past and the
future.
Palm Sunday is a day to rejoice as
the future King arrives to carry out God’s plan that changed all eternity for
each of us. However, I think it’s also a
day of reflection. It wasn’t the Jews or
the Romans that put Christ to death. It
was the sins of each one of us that nailed Him to that cross. As our King, He is more than entitled to all
our “Hosanna’s” and to be treated as royalty, but He is also entitled to our
recognition of the pain and sorrow that He endured to make us righteous. That pain and sorrow began on Palm Sunday. Praise God that the victory was only seven
days away!
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