This Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian calendar. Choirs, orchestras and bands across the world have rehearsed special music for months. Churches gear up to receive an influx of visitors. Pastors and priests set their hearts and minds on preparing sermons highlighting the highpoint of the Christian faith: Jesus of Nazareth’s death as the atonement for humanity’s sin and his resurrection on the third day.
Jesus entered Jerusalem that Palm Sunday, fully aware that the event marked the beginning of the days leading to his death.
Fulfilling a 500-year-old prophecy by Zechariah, the Messiah entered the city on a young donkey. Multitudes who had followed him throughout Galilee during his three-year ministry gathered in Jerusalem for the Passover feast. As they watched the Rabbi enter the city, they welcomed him, waving palm branches and spreading their garments on the road — a festive representation of their belief in Jesus’ authority and victory.
I picture the scene in my mind as a time traveler who fully understands the end of the story.
The crowd’s excitement builds. Palm branches wave in anticipation of Jesus’ triumph over Rome. A new king will reign — one with more power than any other. A king of kings.
They follow him because they have witnessed miracles and wonders. Some satiated their hunger near Bethsaida by the Sea of Galilee, where he fed 5,000 hungry followers with two loaves and five fish. Others watched him heal the blind, cleanse lepers, and raise the dead. Yet others sat at his feet as he spoke of a kingdom where the poor are blessed and those who grieve find peace and rest.
“Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” they shouted.
The week continues with many important events. On Monday, Jesus cleanses the temple — a poignant display of righteous indignation against corrupt money changers. He also delivers the Olivet discourse, where he prophesies about the destruction of Jerusalem and the signs of the end of times.
In the background of Jesus’ steps that week, we read the record of the evil swelling up in the hearts of his enemies. Jewish authorities organize an ambush to arrest him for blasphemy and finally find an insider ally, Judas Iscariot.
This time traveler, and you, the reader, most likely know the fast turn of events:
The Passover meal. The washing of the disciples’ feet. The promise of the Holy Spirit. The warnings and encouragement to those who would soon find themselves without their beloved master.
Jesus walks the road to Gethsemane while the crowd on the streets goes to bed, unaware that their king will not pick up his sword. Instead, he will soon lay down his life. He will be beaten beyond recognition and forced to drag a heavy cross from the Praetorium to Golgotha.
I close my eyes and see them as they wake up to the horrors of that Friday. Some of the same faces that carried palm branches on Sunday now follow the bloody figure as he struggles to finish the course. Some laugh. Some scorn him. Others weep quietly.
I want to reach out through time and tell them: “Listen, I know the end of the story! He wins! Do not turn your back on the only one who can save you. Follow him through every doubt and every fear. Follow him to Calvary. His stripes will be your healing. And because he will live again, you too will never die.”
The scene fades, and I find myself in a world that looks at Jesus with the same wide-ranging emotions. I still see hate, scorn, hardened hearts, and disbelief.
Often, even those who love him do not understand. Why is there so much suffering? Why does he not rescue us from pain?
Maybe we forget that he told us we would have trouble in this world. Perhaps we don’t remember that his purpose was not to set us free from trouble but to set us free from sin.
Or it could be that sometimes our hearts forget that even though darkness overwhelmed the atmosphere that Friday afternoon, there is an empty grave somewhere near the holy city where two women found an angel on Sunday morning. He was there to announce that their friend was not inside. He had risen, just as he said he would.
May this holy week fill your heart with gratitude for the gift that entered Jerusalem riding a lowly donkey and rose days later as the eternal, faithful, conquering king.
Patricia Holbrook is a columnist, author, podcaster and international speaker. Visit her new website: www.PatriciaHolbrook.com. For comments and speaking engagements, email patricia@PatriciaHolbrook.com.
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