To better understand how Jesus is trying to prepare us to receive Him, we will travel with Him through Holy Week and examine His words and actions so that we may not fall victim to an imagined Saviour and miss Jesus Christ. We will closely examine scripture as we travel with Jesus through the final week of His life, from state-sponsored execution to miraculous resurrection.
Holy Week. On Palm Sunday, we travel with Jesus as He enters Jerusalem. The crowds worship God while laying down palm branches. The people believe Jesus to be the Messiah. What the first-century Jews did not understand (and, often, us too) is that Jesus is not the Messiah they imagined. To better understand how Jesus is trying to prepare us to receive Him, we will travel with Him through Holy Week and examine His words and actions so that we may not fall victim to an imagined Saviour and miss Jesus Christ. We will closely examine scripture as we travel with Jesus through the final week of His life, from state-sponsored execution to miraculous resurrection.
When they were approaching Jerusalem, staying at Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives, he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately as you enter it, you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden; untie it and bring it. If anyone says to you, ‘Why are you doing this?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it and will send it back here immediately.’” They went away and found a colt tied near a door, outside in the street. As they were untying it, some of the bystanders said to them, “What are you doing, untying the colt?” They told them what Jesus had said; and they allowed them to take it.1
Palm Sunday. Many Israelites undertake their annual pilgrimage to Jerusalem during Passover week. Jesus, aware that the time to inaugurate the Kingdom of God on Earth has arrived, speaks and acts with intention and precision in His words and actions. He sends two disciples ahead of Him to Bethany to secure a donkey that has never been ridden. Jesus is preparing for His entry into Jerusalem. This entry will declare the fulfillment of the prophecy spoken of in Zechariah. Thus begins a series of scenes where Jesus teaches by enacting dramatic prophecy.
Rejoice greatly, O daughter Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on a donkey,
on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
He will cut off the chariot from Ephraim
and the war-horse from Jerusalem;
and the battle bow shall be cut off,
and he shall command peace to the nations; his dominion shall be from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth. 2
Tension and excitement electrify the air. Those gathered believe Jesus is the anointed one, the Messiah, who will save them from captivity. It is a political statement: a new ruler has arrived in Israel. Conquering kings would parade through the streets on war horses and Chariots displaying military might — a show of force that blatantly taunts their would-be adversaries. How easily they could crush their enemies. Jesus, fulfilling scripture, rides into town humbly on the colt of a donkey, declaring to the world His Kingdom will not be the failed way of man’s kingdoms and empires, of military might and captivity. Instead, He will speak peace to the nations.
Then they brought the colt to Jesus and threw their cloaks on it; and he sat on it. Many people spread their cloaks on the road, and others spread leafy branches that they had cut in the fields. Then those who went ahead and those who followed were shouting, “Hosanna!
Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Blessed is the coming kingdom of our ancestor David! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” 3
The crowd is quoting Psalm 118:26. “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Hosanna! Adoration and praise are being offered to Jesus as the Messiah. Palm branches symbolizing victory and triumph wave enthusiastically. The one true King from the house of David will wrench control from Herod and Cesare, restoring Israel! It is a bold and dangerous display. An act of defiance and rebellion that states, “We will fight and die for our King!” The people of Israel believe that the Messiah will be a warrior King. They carry the hope that the day of God’s vengeance is at hand, as prophesied by Isaiah “to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; ...” 4
Jesus already addressed this way of thinking in Nazareth. Reading the scroll, He edited Isaiah, stopping after proclaiming the favorable year of the Lord, with no mention of the verses next words about vengeance. The Messiah would not bring about His Kingdom in the violent ways of the Empire. That edit angered the people so much that they tried to kill Him. The lust for vengeance is ingrained in the heart of the people, even as they shout Hosanna, they crave the bloodshed of revolution.
“Then he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple; and when he had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.” 5
Jesus entered Jerusalem and headed for the temple. He looked around and left because it was late. The Chief Priest and temple guard planned to arrest Jesus. Jesus knew it was not safe to stay in Jerusalem, so he traveled to Bethany for the night, most likely staying with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus.
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, Jesus was hungry. Seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see whether perhaps he would find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it. 6
Monday morning. Jesus and His disciples make their way back to Jerusalem. As they walk along the road, Jesus gets hungry. Walking to a fig tree, He inspects the fruit. Not finding any fruit, Jesus curses the fig tree. This is part 2 of the dramatic prophecy. Jesus knows it is not fruit season but still pokes around the tree, looking for fruit and cursing it when none is found. The disciples are watching and listening, wondering why Jesus is looking for fruit out of season. Jesus does not reveal His actions just yet, allowing the disciples to consider what they have seen and heard.
Then they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who were selling and those who were buying in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves; and he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. He was teaching and saying, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers. ”And when the chief priests and the scribes heard it, they kept looking for a way to kill him; for they were afraid of him, because the whole crowd was spellbound by his teaching. 7
The gospel of John tells us that Jesus made a whip to drive them out, often misinterpreted as if Jesus was whipping people. That is not what is going on. John’s is the only gospel that mentions the whip, along with the presence of sheep and oxen in the temple. Jesus is using the whip to drive the livestock out of the temple. Jesus did not suddenly enter into an uncontrolled rage. He was in the temple less than twenty-four hours earlier and witnessed the sheep, oxen, money changers, and merchandise, but he did not say a word. Jesus states,
“Is it not written My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations? But you have made it a den of robbers.” Quoting from Jeremiah, “Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight?” 8
The full text reads: Here you are, trusting in deceptive words to no avail. Will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely, make offerings to Baal, and go after other gods that you have not known, and then come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say, “We are safe!”—only to go on doing all these abominations? Has this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your sight? You know, I too am watching, says the LORD. 9
Jeremiah spoke this prophecy in the temple six hundred years before Christ. The question will you steal, murder, commit adultery, swear falsely and then go to the temple and think you are protected? The question is relevant today. We Christians go through the week behaving as if there is no God, then go to Mass on Sunday and think we are protected. God sees everything. Jeremiah declared, ”Therefore thus says the Lord God: My anger and my wrath shall be poured out on this place, on human beings and animals, on the trees of the field and the fruit of the ground; it will burn and not be quenched.” 10
Jeremiah is a prophet of the end times. If you do not repent and turn from your ways, this land will be destroyed. The time that is ending is the first temple. In 587 BC the Babylonian Empire destroyed the land and the temple. The people of Israel were taken captive. The Chief Priest and Scribes got the message loud and clear. The annual Passover was a lucrative time where the religious elite would fatten their pockets, profiting off of the marginalized, weak, poor, and desperate. The “den” is where thieves go to hide, to be safe, after having cheated, defrauded, and exploited. The Chief priest and scribes were infuriated. Arresting Jesus was not enough now. They began to seek ways to kill him. His action in the temple was part three of the prophetic drama. He condemned the path of violence, choosing a donkey over a war horse, cursing a fig tree out of season, and now cleansing the temple. In the evening, they left the city to return to Bethany for the night.
In the morning as they passed by, they saw the fig tree withered away to its roots. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.” Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if you say to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and if you do not doubt in your heart, but believe that what you say will come to pass, it will be done for you.11
Tuesday morning. Jesus and His disciples walk to Jerusalem. They pass by the fig tree that Jesus cursed the day before. Peter notices the tree and remarks that the tree he cursed has withered. The fig tree is situated on a hill. As they walk along the road toward Jerusalem, directly in front of them is the Temple Mount, and to the south is the largest mountain in the region, which was man-made by Herod the Great.
Jesus, His prophetic drama played out from the day before, used the fig tree and disruption of ritualistic sacrifice to show that the end of the world, or end of the second temple age had come. During His ministry, Jesus spoke of lives bearing fruit and the consequences of not bearing fruit. He talked about mountains being moved by faith. Ahead, the two mountains are the Temple Mount and the Mountain of Herod. These represent the principalities and powers. The King and Religious leaders were both granted power by the hand of Rome. Within forty years, each will change from prominence to non-existence, destined to be tossed into the sea. Jesus, though, continues to the Temple to teach. Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes will test Jesus with questions. Jesus teaches some parables and then a Scribe asks Him what commandment is first.
You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these. 12
In His reply, Jesus reveals the two sins from which every other sin proceeds — Idolatry and Injustice, both manifestations of Pride. Anytime we place something above God, we commit idolatry, and when we treat others, even in our thoughts, with less dignity than we want to be treated with, we commit the sin of Injustice. Be it thoughts, words, deeds, or the absence of those. After this, one of the disciples admires the temple architecture, and Jesus, who before acted out a prophetic drama depicting the end of the Temple age, directly tells of its destruction.
Jesus finished teaching in the temple for the day and headed up the Mount of Olives. Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked about the fall of Jerusalem and the end of the second temple age. We read about this in the Olivet Discourse found in Matthew 24, Mark 14, and Luke 21. The gospel of Luke grants us the most information out of these three. The Olivet Discourse is another often misinterpreted portion of scripture talking about earthquakes, plagues, signs, wars, false messiahs, Jerusalem surrounded by armies, death, and destruction.
Yesterday, Jesus cursed a tree and disrupted temple rituals. Today, Jesus stated that the temple will be destroyed. The disciples seek details. Often, the Olivet Discourse is misinterpreted in relation to current end-time theology, but this merely highlights the sins of modern Christians. It was undoubtedly an end-of-the-world prophecy, not referring to our world today but to the end of animal sacrifice, temple exclusivity, and temple worship. It genuinely marked the end of the world as the Jewish people understood it.
To further understand the devastation Jesus foretells, look to 66-70AD and the first Jewish revolt. It was led by “messiahs” who claimed God was on their side and would deliver Israel from their oppressors. There was a brief success in 66 AD when Rome was expelled from Jerusalem. However, Romes responded by sending Titus and the 10th legion to crush the rebellion. The legion surrounded the city, and Titus gave the order — if you want to leave, leave now. Those who remembered the words of Jesus left. By 70 AD, The people who stayed would see five hundred crucifixions per day. Nearly one million Jews died, many at the hands of other Jews, and 97,000 were taken into captivity.
Before all of this there was famine in Syria 46-47AD, earthquakes that destroyed Pompeii 62AD, Roman conquest of Britain 43-77AD. Armenian War 58-63AD, and Boudicca'’s War 60-61AD. In 70AD the infighting along with the Roman army destroyed much of Jerusalem and the temple, this event is still mourned by the Jewish people. To this day there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. The prophetic drama surrounding the donkey, the fig tree, iinterruption of sacrificial offerings, and the Olivet Discourse all pointed to one thing, the destruction that will come in merely 40 years. Thus ends Tuesday. 13
It was two days before the Passover and the festival of Unleavened Bread. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him; for they said, “Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people.” While he was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he sat at the table, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment of nard, and she broke open the jar and poured the ointment on his head. But some were there who said to one another in anger, “Why was the ointment wasted in this way? For this ointment could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. But Jesus said, “Let her alone; why do you trouble her? She has performed a good service for me. For you always have the poor with you, and you can show kindness to them whenever you wish; but you will not always have me. She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for its burial. Truly I tell you, wherever the good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her.” 14
Wednesday. Jesus is at the home of Simon the Leper. It is safe to assume Simon had been a leper and Jesus healed him. A woman came in. The Gospel of John tells us it is Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus. Mary takes out an expensive jar of oil and anoints Jesus’ head.
Some self-righteous present were indignant. The oil was worth 300 Denarii. In our current economy, that’s roughly $30,000. Mary might have been thinking it was time to get things started. The custom in Israel when anointing a new King was to pour a horn of oil over their head, causing some grumbling. Jesus shut them down, saying they should leave Mary alone. Jesus reminds us that the love of our neighbor comes second to worshiping God. It is only when we are formed by God that we can partner with Him and be effective in our works for His Kingdom and glory. We transition to Wednesday night.
Now the festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near. The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they were afraid of the people. Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve; he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money. So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present. 15
Throughout the week, Jesus taught in the Temple by day and returned to Bethany by night. The religious elite wanted to arrest Jesus. That elevated to killing Jesus. They had strategically waited for the right moment so as not to cause a riot. Earlier in the day, Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, poured $30,000 worth of oil on Jesus. For Judas, this was the breaking point.
Disillusioned and disheartened by what he thought the Messiah should be, Judas gave way to Satan, the accuser, and Satan entered him. Judas sneaked out of the house in Bethany and made his way to Jerusalem. He found the Chief Priest and officers and agreed to hand over Jesus. From that moment, Judas looked for the opportunity to betray Jesus.
Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed. So Jesus sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.”They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?” “Listen,” he said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples? ”’He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.”So they went and found everything as he had told them; and they prepared the Passover meal. 16
Thursday. The time for the Passover has come — the annual celebration of the liberation of Israel from the bondage of Egypt. Jesus wanted to celebrate the Passover in Jerusalem, so he sent Peter and John to prepare things for the Passover meal. The Upper Room, also known as the Cenacle, is located in the southern part of the Old City of Jerusalem on Mount Zion. Jesus and the disciples sat around the table. We do not know everyone's exact seating arrangement. We do know that Judas was on His right, John most likely on His left, and Peter opposite of Jesus in the serving seat.
Only Jesus understands what is going on with the last meal. “He said to them, “I have eagerly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; for I tell you, I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” 17 The disciples might have assumed Jesus was in a mood, brushing off His comment about suffering and not eating again until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. Part of the suffering, the passion of Christ, is that at this moment He is alone. Even those closest to Him do not grasp what is happening. As far as human emotional support goes, Jesus is alone.
Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and divide it among yourselves; for I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes. ”Then he took a loaf of bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me. ”And he did the same with the cup after supper, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But see, the one who betrays me is with me, and his hand is on the table. For the Son of Man is going as it has been determined, but woe to that one by whom he is betrayed!” Then they began to ask one another which one of them it could be who would do this. 18
Christianity is not just a philosophical religion. It is sacramental and full of sacred mysteries. Christians should confess more than they can explain. Holding on to the sacred mysteries and our confession is essential when cultivating a strong faith. Communion, or common union, the bread and the wine, is our integration into the body and blood of Christ. There are three different meanings when we say the body of Christ. Firstly, it is presented as Jesus’ physical body. Secondly, the bread that becomes the body of Christ in the Eucharist. Lastly, it is the Church. The physical body of Jesus and the church body are connected in and through the participation of the Eucharist. As we partake in the body and the blood we become a part of the flesh and blood presence of Jesus Christ in the world.
“You are those who have stood by me in my trials; and I confer on you, just as my Father has conferred on me, a kingdom, so that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. 19
All week, Jesus prophesied about the temple age coming to an end. Under the temple system, there were levels of access to draw close to God. The holy land of Judea was first, followed by the holy city of Jerusalem, and finally, the temple itself. Likewise, the temple had levels of access and restriction. Gentiles could enter to a point, but past that point they would be put to death. Jewish women could go further than gentiles and Jewish men further than the women. The priest went further still until the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest was permitted, and that took place just once a year.
Jesus, through the establishment of the Eucharist, is showing God’s design to transform the temple into a table. It is the table of the Lord, not of the church. The Lord Himself invites all to dine with Him. The table where the bread and the wine become the body and blood of our Lord Jesus Christ, and where we become one in Christ. Jesus then tells His disciples they will sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. The Apostolic authority of the Bible remains the standard that judges us as Christians.
Little children, I am with you only a little longer. You will look for me; and as I said to the Jews so now I say to you, ‘Where I am going, you cannot come.’ I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” 20
Jesus is going to die. He tells His disciples they cannot go where He is about to go. That is to say, Jesus is about to enter into death. We all enter into death, but not in the same way as Jesus. When Jesus entered into death, death itself was transformed. From that moment, when we now die, we enter into a place filled with Christ. To die is to encounter Christ, and this is the hope of the Gospel.
Thursday of Holy Week is also called Maundy Thursday or Mandate Thursday. It is the day that Jesus gives us His command, His mandate, Love one another. The pinnacle of fulfilling our Christian vocation on Earth is measured in our ability to Love one another as Christ first loved us. If a stranger who knew nothing about Christianity, the Bible, or Jesus were to ask who we are, the world’s response should be those are the people who love one another, care for the poor and needy, take a stand for the marginalized, and downtrodden, and walk in the path of righteousness.
On this mountain the LORD of hosts will make for all peoples
a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines,
of rich food filled with marrow, of well-aged wines strained clear.
And he will destroy on this mountain
the shroud that is cast over all peoples,
the sheet that is spread over all nations;
he will swallow up death forever.
Then the Lord GOD will wipe away the tears from all faces,
and the disgrace of his people he will take away from all the earth,
for the LORD has spoken.
It will be said on that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, so that he might save us.
This is the LORD for whom we have waited; ... 21
Isaiah poetically prophesies this moment with Jesus. The veil covers all the people of the earth, a burial shroud covering all of humanity. Jesus turns this funeral into a feast. His body becomes the table; the burial cloth has become a tablecloth; His Body and Blood the rich food and aged wine, our sustenance for His service. On Mount Zion, there is a feast that will undo death itself. Jesus is the Messiah the world has been waiting for.
Friday begins in Lamentations. Good Friday is good in the light of Easter Sunday, but we haven’t made it to Easter, and so we lament. We express our grief, sorrow, and weeping. In our day and age, it seems we have lost the ability to lament. We are addicted to happiness in an unhealthy way. We have somehow confused happiness with holiness. When we cannot find happiness, we trade it for the distraction of entertainment. Lamentations give us the ability to give form to our suffering and express the pain, sorrow, and isolation we feel so that the suffering does not deform our soul. The call of Christ is co-suffering love.
How lonely sits the city
that once was full of people!
How like a widow she has become,
she that was great among the nations!
She that was a princess among the provinces has become a vassal.
She weeps bitterly in the night,
with tears on her cheeks;
among all her lovers
she has no one to comfort her;
all her friends have dealt treacherously with her,
they have become her enemies. 22
Jeremiah is lamented over the fall of Israel. Once again, this happened to Israel only 40 years following the death of Christ. The isolation and desolation to come. It is here we hear the last words of Christ echoed in time “My God, My God why have you forsaken me?”
My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?....You who fear the Lord, praise him!...For he did not despise or abhor the affliction of the afflicted; he did not hide his face from me, but heard when I cried to him....They will come and will declare His righteousness To a people who will be born, that He has performed it. 23
Jesus was on the cross, nearing the end of His life. His last thoughts were praying Psalm 22. Jesus cried out being forsaken and ended with it is finished, and it is consummated. He has performed it. Jesus fully entered into the human expression of feeling forsaken. While we all experience, at times, the feeling of being forsaken, we are never truly forsaken by God. We have the picture of Jesus feeling forsaken, giving form to His suffering, and surrendering it to God. Entering into the whole human experience, Jesus taught us how to escape from being forsaken to the realization that God has not forsaken us. The ability to lament allows us to give form to suffering and relinquish it to God so that we can worship Him.
When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad, for he had been wanting to see him for a long time, because he had heard about him and was hoping to see him perform some sign. He questioned him at some length, but Jesus gave him no answer. The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. Even Herod with his soldiers treated him with contempt and mocked him; then he put an elegant robe on him, and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends with each other; before this they had been enemies.24
Jesus was betrayed and arrested, sent before the Sanhedrin, taken before Pilate for the first time, and then went to Herod. Herod heard about Jesus and wanted Jesus to perform a sign, He wanted to be entertained. When Jesus refused to answer any questions or perform for Herod, He was mocked and dressed in a robe. While this was intended to degrade, the elegant robe, praise by insult, crown of thorns, and throne which is the cross all became the true coronation of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Jesus then returned to Pilate.
Then they all shouted out together, “Away with this fellow! Release Barabbas for us!” (This was a man who had been put in prison for an insurrection that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) Pilate, wanting to release Jesus, addressed them again; but they kept shouting, “Crucify, crucify him!” A third time he said to them, “Why, what evil has he done? I have found in him no ground for the sentence of death; I will therefore have him flogged and then release him.” But they kept urgently demanding with loud shouts that he should be crucified; and their voices prevailed. So Pilate gave his verdict that their demand should be granted. He released the man they asked for, the one who had been put in prison for insurrection and murder, and he handed Jesus over as they wished. 25
Barabbas was imprisoned for insurrection and murder. Barabbas was not a serial killer, he was a political hero, a revolutionary. Terrorist to the Romans and freedom fighter to the Jews. Barabbas led an uprising against the Romans that resulted in the death of either a Roman soldier or Jewish sympathizer. Essentially Barabbas was a patriotic hero whose name was Jesus Bar Abbas, Jesus son of the Father.
It is here we are faced with the choice every person who would follow God has had to make from the time of Jesus to now. 2000 years later Jesus Barabbas is still the attractive choice. He is a Jesus who will fight with us, be on our side, and make our enemies his enemies. However, Jesus of Nazareth calls us to love our enemies, bless those who curse us. He is the Jesus who would rather reveal His love by dying for His enemies over killing them. History shows that in the end, the Jewish people got the messiah they wanted. Jesus Barabbas and his movement led Jerusalem to Hell in 70 AD.
We face this alternative today. We have a choice but must choose wisely. A Jesus who will fight our battles and hate those who hate us is to choose a false messiah. The way that leads to a self-inflicted Gehenna. A self-inflicted path to Hell. Or a Jesus who will love and die for His enemies and call us to do the same.
When Jesus had received the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. 26
It is in the crucifixion we see that Jesus forgives. Jesus reveals to us the Father as they are one. Jesus only does what the Father is doing, only says what the Father is saying. It is from the vantage point of the cross that, for the first time, God is truly revealed to humankind. Jesus is not acting as an agent that changes God. It is not chemical reaction where two separate substances combine to create a new substance. He is Jesus and He is God, Consubstantial. When Jesus says “Father forgive them,” it isn't a plea for God to forgive for the sake of Jesus. It is Jesus expressing God’s will to forgive. God is like Jesus because Jesus has always been like God, there was never a time when God wasn’t like Jesus. God is fully revealed through Jesus on the cross. It is finished. God is revealed to the world through Jesus Christ.
Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” Supposing him to be the gardener, she said to him, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will take him away.”Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew,“Rabbouni!” (which means Teacher). Jesus said to her, “Do not hold on to me, because I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”Mary Magdalene went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord” 27 27
I have seen the Lord. This is one of the most powerful statements in the history of language.
“O blessed night, only you were given to know the time and hour Christ rose from hell. It was written that this night would shine like day, and become the source of light for your joy. The holy mystery of this night defeats evil, washes away guilt, and restores innocence to sinners and joy to the sorrowing. It dispels hatred, bends the rigidness of the powerful, and promotes harmony and peace. Oh truly glorious night, you reunite earth with heaven, and men and women with their creator!” 28
This brings us to you. What will you chose? He knows you by name and invites you to share in the Kingdom of God, where His Father becomes your Father. Will you accept this invitation? Will your day-to-day life be a reflection of Jesus? The time is now.
The Easter Vigil is the “mother of all vigils”! Keeping the vigil means staying awake, ready, and alert; keeping the vigil is preparing your heart for sacrifice with the certainty of receiving an incredible gift; keeping vigil is praying while abandoning yourself and the time that passes by; keeping the vigil is renewing the experience of the tomb, which becomes empty by the Resurrection of Christ; keeping the vigil is foretasting an endless vigil. 29
Christ is risen! He is risen, indeed!"
Christus resurrexit! Resurrexit vere! (Latin)
Christòs anésti! Alithós anésti! (Greek)
Mark 11:1-6
Zechariah 9:9-10
Mark 11:7-10
Isaiah 61:2
Mark 11:11
Mark 11:12-14
Mark 11:15-18
Jeremiah 7:11
Jeremiah 7:8-11
Jeremiah 7:20
Mark 11:20-23
Mark 12:30-31
Luke 21:7-33 Olivet Discourse
Mark 14:1-9
Luke 22:1-6
Luke 22:7-13
Luke 22:15-16
Luke 22:17-23
Luke 22:28-30
John 13:33-35
Isaiah 25:6-9
Lamentations 1:1-2
Psalm 22:1,24,31
Luke 23:8-12
Luke 23:18-25
John 19:30
John 20:15-18
St. Augustine Sermon Guelpherbytanus 5
St. Augustine Sermon Guelpherbytanus 5
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