As I write this, we are in the middle of what many people call “Holy Week.” It is the week between Palm Sunday and Easter Sunday. It is a tradition with its beginning traced back to the latter part of the 3rd century. It is closely observed by the Catholic Church. There are four main days in Holy Week, the first being Palm Sunday, the day Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the colt of a donkey. The second is Spy Wednesday, believed to be the day that Judas agreed to betray Jesus. The third is Maundy Thursday, commemorating the establishment of the Lord’s Supper and Jesus giving His “new commandment” to “love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34, 35). The fourth is Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified. It is considered good because that is the day that Jesus showed His great love for man and purchased each soul with His blood.
From the biblical text, Jesus went from being the toast of the town to dying on a cross in matter of 5 days. Not that He was unpopular among the people, he just offended the wrong people! Notice some of the things that happened during this particular week of Jesus’ life. He cursed a fig tree, not a notable event in itself, however, it impressed the disciples of His power. He cleared the Temple. His authority was challenged by the Pharisees. He taught in parables. He was anointed at Bethany, He told of signs of the end of the age. He established the Lord’s Supper and predicted Peter’s denial, just to mention a few things that went on. All in all, it was a busy week for Jesus.
I bring this up because it reminds me of how fickle people can be. How many jokes have Christians heard or made about the church building being full on Easter and Christmas? How many times in times of disaster do people turn to God only to turn away again once they feel comforted?
I like to believe that we should make every week “Holy Week” in our lives. We should be completely focused on God and put our faith in Him every week. We should celebrate His love and blessings every day. There should not be a day go by that we do not spend some alone time with God and His word. I know, as God’s children, we strive to live a God-centered life. Satan does whatever he can to distract us, and frankly, sometimes he is successful. Praise be to God that He is faithful and forgives us of our sins.
God gave His best for us, His one and only Son, Jesus. When we consciously decide every day to thank God for His blessings and recognize what Jesus did for us on the cross, we will be making every week of our life a holy week!
Read John 3:16-21