I’m sitting here today reflecting on exactly what this week means and has meant for the past 2000 or so years. Many years ago, Jesus spent His last week before His death purposefully engaging in important activities. Interestingly, Jesus knew He was going to die within the week, so I’m sure He was extremely intentional about His activities. I wonder what things I might plan for myself if I knew I was going to die in 6 days. Have you ever thought about it? What intentional moves would you make? What broken relationship would you seek to heal? How many people would you finally forgive? How would you treat your wife and family differently? If you only had 6 days, how would you live differently? Jesus had a laser focus on the cross and us that final week. As the day of His impending death approached, He remained focused on doing His Father’s will, focused on our sins, focused on His obedience, and focused on the cross. I’m not even sure I can adequately describe my emotions as I think through how unfocused I am at times. Or, maybe I’m just focused on the wrong things. I pray that God would continue to give me a heart of gratitude for Jesus and His focused obedience to even His death on the cross. I pray that for you also.
Yesterday, Sunday of Passion week, marked Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem. This was a day of seeming excitement and public acknowledgment that Jesus was indeed someone very special. In fact, the scene was surreal. As Jesus rode a colt into Jerusalem,
“a great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. 9Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Matthew 21:8-9)
Their clothes on the ground? Really? This was an amazing act of respect and admiration. Jesus was treated as a king. He was treated as royalty. He was grand, and at the same time, facing a horrific death in less than a week. He did not bask in the celebrity status, but was humble and contrite.
Hosanna is an interesting word and only occurs once in the Old Testament in Psalm 118:25, where the meaning is “save us.” Basically, when you read, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” it is translated, as “Jesus is the one who saves.” It is recognition that Jesus is the Savior. I can imagine those who were lining the roadside to catch a glimpse of Jesus. Their cheers and shouts of exclamation……”Jesus! Save Us.” Maybe some were caught in the hype and pressure of others cheering, but I can’t help but think that many were authentically shouting praise to Jesus. Who would have imagined that those shouts of praise would turn silent and dark as people turned their backs on the Savior of the world? No more clothes on the ground…..no more branches waved in celebration of a Savior. Only cries for His very life……
We read further in Matthew 21:10, “all the city was moved (stirred), saying, ‘Who is this?’ 11”So the multitudes said, ‘This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth of Galilee.’” There is no doubt that Jesus had celebrity status in Jerusalem. But that would quickly change. The shadowy clouds of His impending death rolled into Jerusalem as Sunday evening came and Monday quickly approached.
After spending the night in Bethany, Monday brought its own set of challenges as Jesus made His way to the city.
“Now the next day, when they had come out of Bethany, He was hungry. 13And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it. When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14In response Jesus said to it, ‘Let no one eat fruit from you ever again.’ And His disciples heard it.” (Mark 11:12-14)
This has always been a curious story for me. I mean, what does a fig tree have to do with Jesus’ death? Basically, the fig tree represented Israel and the fact that Israel would no longer be the means by which God accomplished His purpose. It was a picture of Israel no longer bearing fruit. This was a significant prophecy from Jesus and again part of moving toward His impending suffering and death.
Following the fig tree experience, Jesus then moved again toward Jerusalem and could see the city from a distance. I remember spending time in Paripe, Brazil a few years ago. We were across the bay from Salvador in a mountainous region. As I looked many miles across the bay at the outline of the city, I couldn’t help but think that this was something like what Jesus saw. As He looked at the silhouette of the city, He must have felt great pain for those who lived there. Scripture tells us that Jesus saw the city, wept over it, and said,
If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation. (Luke 19:42-44)
He wept because He knew the things to come. The pain, the struggle, the hurt over people who just didn’t get it. We live in a world just like that today. People coming and going and doing their own things. People are not interested in the things of God, but in man. People who replaced truth with a lie. I pray we have not failed to recognize Jesus and what He did for us on the Cross.
The final thing Jesus did on Monday was to visit the temple, where He cleansed it for the second time during His ministry. Scripture tells us that Jesus, “began to drive out those who bought and sold in it (temple), 46saying to them, ‘It is written, My house is a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’” (Luke 19:45-46) Jesus was passionate about His house. Jesus said that His house had become a refuge for the dishonest. It had become a place of refuge for those who just wanted to ceremoniously go through the routine religious practice. He was passionate about seeking and saving those who were lost. He was, is, and always will be passionate about us. There are times in our lives when we need a little introspection. In light of this passage, I wonder what would Jesus would clean out in our lives. What have we allowed to take up residence in our hearts? I wonder what things He would drive out? I wonder what things in our own lives cause Him to weep? Do the things that cause Him to weep cause us to weep? Are we as passionate about Jesus as He is about us?
Monday was a very emotional day for Jesus as He interacted with His disciples, those in Jerusalem, and those in the temple. As frustrating and emotional as it must have been, He was still laser-focused on the cross and our sins. His love for us trumped any other emotion He may have experienced. Scripture finally tells us,
“He (Jesus) was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 48 and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him.” (Luke 19:47-48)
Jesus’ taught with great authority and understood that His death was quickly approaching. If you knew you were going to die in a few days, what would you want people to know?
As emotional as Monday was, Tuesday was going to be even more difficult……
Jesus is on His journey toward the cross.