Would you believe that almost half of the Gospel of John in the Bible deals with the final week of Jesus' life? Each of the other gospels—Matthew, Mark, and Luke—set aside about a third of their chapters for this as well.
Pretty significant? What biography that you've read spends this much time on the last week of its subject's life? Not even Martin Luther King Jr.'s biography does that, and he died a violent and meaningful death.
No wonder we call this week "holy," a word meaning "special" or "set apart for a sacred purpose." Something special is happening this week.
Only two of the gospels mention the events of Jesus' birth but all four slow down as they recount the days and hours of Jesus' last week. The days of Holy Week are often called:
Palm Sunday. Angry Monday. Busy Tuesday. Silent Wednesday. Maundy Thursday. Good Friday. Holy Saturday. Easter Sunday (historically Holy Week was the preparation for Easter and didn't include Easter itself).
Often times when broadcasting sport events, commentators will use slow motion video to review a critical call by an official, or highlight a spectacular play. This week, the Bible is using slow motion. So take your time. Study, meditate and pray. Learn a bit more about Holy Week. Follow Jesus more closely. Observe him more carefully.
Stay tuned to CrossWords as we unfold the days of Holy Week in meditations to come.
Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, "We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again" (Luke 18:31-33).
PRAYER: During this Holy Week, Jesus, let me follow you more closely, observe you more carefully, and live for you more willingly. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION:
- Go to your Bible and check out the actual chapters of each gospel that account for Holy Week, including Easter. Just scan through them, especially the early chapters noting Palm Sunday and Angry Monday. Note how these Holy Week chapters proportionally relate to the total chapters in each gospel. For example of the 21 chapters in John, 11 chapters tell us about Holy Week. Here is a breakdown: Matthew 21-28, Mark 11-16, Luke 19 (v. 29)-24, and John 11( v. 55)-20.
- Watch this video explaining Palm Sunday https://www.facebook.com/timeofgrace/videos/10157012816258006/UzpfSTE4NjMyMzMyMzAwNTpWSzoyNjMyNDE2NjQ2Nzg2NzQ4/.
Daron Lindemann
No comments:
Post a Comment