Passion Week: Thursday

So what happened on Thursday of Passion Week?

1.  Jesus and the Disciples Celebrate Passover

There is a LOT that happens today, so hang on! Here is a brief overview on this first point:

Read Luke 22:7–13 first. Matthew 26:17–19 and Mark 14:12–16 also record the preparations being made for the Passover meal that would take place in the evening this Thursday. The Passover lamb would have been slaughtered over the altar in the Temple this afternoon, taken home, roasted whole, and eaten in the evening as a great meal.

Read Luke 22:14–16 next. Matthew 26:20 and Mark 14:17 both agree with Luke in the way that the Passover meal began with Christ and His twelve apostles reclining at the table.

Read John 13:1–20 after that to see what Christ does first before they partake of their meal. He humbly washes each of their feet to show them the Servant’s love. He did this as an example for them to follow.

Read either Matthew 26:21–25; Mark 14:18–21; Luke 22:21–23; or John 13:21–30 to find out how the betrayer, Judas Iscariot, was identified by Christ. Matthew, Mark, and Luke cover nearly the same events while John records more. Jesus was troubled. The disciples were shocked. Judas was out of there.

Luke 22:24–30 alone records a dispute among the disciples at this point about who was regarded as the greatest. Christ demonstrated and taught that humble servanthood is the path to true greatness in His kingdom.

Next, read John 13:31–38 and then Luke 22:31–38 to hear Jesus warn Peter the first time that he will actually deny Him soon (not much later that night!).

Finally, read Matthew 26:26–29 (Mark 14:22–25; Luke 22:17–20; and surprisingly 1 Corinthians 11:23–26 all say similar things). This is the account of the end of the meal with Christ and His now 11 disciples (Judas had left). And it is the institution of the Lord's Supper, or "Communion," as we practice it. The broken bread symbolized Christ's body that would soon be torn. The poured wine symbolized Christ's blood that would soon be spilt. The blood of Christ would inaugurate the New Covenant between God and man, the promise of eternal life in the Son of God.

2.  Jesus Delivers His Upper Room Discourse

Only John records Jesus’ words to the Twelve in the upper room in Jerusalem after they celebrated the Passover meal. Read John 14:1–17:26 to get an idea of what was discussed.

Topics He addressed with His troubled disciples ranged from His heavenly destination, to His heavenly Father, to His Holy Spirit, to His overwhelming peace from God. He spoke of how He is the True Vine bringing the life of God to every branch that is in Him. Abiding in Christ bears much fruit. He told them that they would receive opposition from this world but that the Holy Spirit would come and minister to each of them. He spoke of the joy that will come after His resurrection. He spoke to them of their prayers being answered so long as they pray in His name, after His will, for His glory. The greatest thing that can be prayed for is peace that comes from what He has spoken. He then prayed for all His disciples and all the other disciples that will be made, up until the end of time (Us! Our children! Etc!). He prayed that we might share in the unity He experiences with His heavenly Father. He prayed for the sanctification that comes from the Word of God. He prayed for their joy to be made complete. He prayed for His glory to be experienced by us as well.

3.  Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane

Read Matthew 26:30–35 (also Mark 14:26–31). Christ and His disciples ended their Passover meal by singing a hymn in the upper room, and then they left to go out to the Mount of Olives later that night. Luke 22:39–40a and John 18:1 both note this but they are more brief. Jesus warned the disciples that they would all fall away when He is struck down. Peter rejected that notion, but Christ told him again that he would actually deny Him three times that very night.

Read Mark 14:32–42, of which Matthew 26:36–46 matches most closely. Luke mentions some of these details of Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane on the west side of the Mount of Olives (one mile away from Jerusalem to the east approx.). At some point late Thursday night, after a eating a big meal and after taking in some important things from Christ, the disciples began to fall asleep in the Garden.

While the disciples folded their hands to rest, Christ folded His hands to pray. He warned them not to fall asleep and not to fall away! He was deeply troubled in His soul but prayed more earnestly than any other human soul could have ever prayed. He prayed for the submission to the Father's will that was necessary to experience the worldwide sin payment. Three times Christ went deeper into the Garden to pray to His Father while three times the disciples fell fast asleep. Little did they know, Christ's betrayer was on his way.

Thursday's Prayer:

"Lord, You loved Your own until the end. We were/are so unworthy, yet You continued to pour out Your life for us. While we were yet sinners, You died for us. Forgive us our sins. Allow us by Your empowering grace to serve others like You. May our every act of service be an extension of Your hands. And as we serve You, may we always remember Your body and Your blood and their immense significance.

Lord, many times we can be troubled and afraid. Comfort us not with the change of circumstances, but with Your unchanging character, promises, and provisions. May we abide in the True Vine, never quenching Your Holy Spirit, always bearing more fruit. Take us to glory to be with You, but until then let us be sanctified by Your Word, strengthened in the unity found in Your holy trinity, and filled with peace that comes only from You.

Lord, You prayed a lot in Your last hours of life and service and obedience. You prayed upstairs. You prayed outside in the Garden. You prayed. You cried out for help to Your heavenly Father. He was not even 12 hours away from crushing You under His wrath, but You withstood the weight of it all. Teach us the value of seeking Your will in earnest, heart-felt, regular prayer."

Passion Week: Wednesday

What happened during Christ's Passion Week on Wednesday?

First of all, let's summarize what has just happened Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday.

On Sunday morning Jesus presented Himself as Israel's King and Messiah by entering into Jerusalem riding on a donkey according to the Scriptures. Several Jews gave Him praise as they cried out, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" As He approached Jerusalem, He stopped and wept over the city of God because they did not recognize the time of their visitation. When He entered Jerusalem, He went directly to the Temple, looked around, and left to go back to Bethany where they were staying for Passover.

On the next day (Monday), Christ cursed a fig tree alongside their path because He was hungry but it had no fruit. This was an illustration of the condition of Israel's spiritually. They re-entered the Temple and Jesus cast everyone out who was buying and selling for business. He flipped over the money-changers' tables, chased away people who were using the Temple as a short-cut across town, and began to teach them what was wrong with this situation. Namely, people were not using the Temple as a house of prayer for the nations to come to their heavenly Father. The multitudes were astonished and the religious leaders were outraged at His teaching.

Tuesday, when they were walking from Bethany on the Mount of Olives back into Jerusalem, the disciples saw the fig tree that was cursed the day before and it was completely withered. Jesus took the opportunity to teach His disciples what it means to have a living faith in God. The rest of this day had to do with lengthy, heated confrontations between Christ and the scribes and Pharisees (Jewish leaders). Jesus not only strictly warned the religious leaders of their hypocrisy and messed up religion, but He also lamented over Jerusalem again because He knew their destruction was coming. He took His disciples out of Jerusalem and taught them on the Mount of Olives that the time that the Kingdom will be restored to Israel will not be until the Tribulation Period. Before the Son of Man returns in glory, Israel will be saved and will finally (nationally) receive Him as their Messiah and King. Until then, they must all be ready.

WEDNESDAY:

1. Jesus Continued to Teach Daily in the Temple

Luke 21:37–38 alone tells us that every day Jesus was teaching in the Temple, but that at night He would leave with His disciples and go back to where they lodged in Bethany (only about 2 miles away). Early in the morning all the people would come to hear Him teach in the Temple, while the religious leaders of Israel boiled with hatred that He was stealing the people away from them.

2. Arrangements are Made for Jesus' Betrayal

Read Matthew 26:1–5 first because it covers the most on the arrangements that the Sanhedrin (the Jewish "council") made to arrest and kill Jesus. Mark 14:1–2 and Luke 22:1–2 also record this account. John is silent on the matter.

Since it is Wednesday and Matthew said that it was two days before Passover, then that makes Passover land on Friday of Passion Week. That was the day the Son of Man was to be delivered up as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

The chief priests and the scribes were gathered at the court of the high priest named Caiaphas. At this meeting, the religious leaders of Israel were plotting how to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. The only reason they did not act right away was because nearly all of Israel had gathered for the Passover feast and ceremonies in Jerusalem and they did not want a riot on their hands. They were afraid of the people, desiring their approval, but at the same time scheming about how to put to death the Messiah whom so many had come to put their faith in. They had already reached their verdict: the death penalty. They only needed to figure out how to do it that would not make them look bad.

3. Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus

Matthew 26:14–16, Mark 14:10–11, and Luke 22:3–6 all account for Judas' actions. Again, John is silent on these matters.

According to Luke, Satan himself entered into Judas (similar to how we have the Holy Spirit controlling/influencing us). Whatever it was that motivated Judas to pull away from the Twelve Disciples, he found himself before the blood-thirsty spiritual leaders who were willing to pay him Temple money to do their dirty work. Judas made his intentions clear when he approached them; he wanted to betray Jesus. They were filled with gladness because now they had an insider, a mole. They paid Judas 30 pieces of silver, which is the amount the Old Testament Law set as the price of buying a slave. He gladly took the blood money and began looking for the next opportunity to betray Jesus when He was apart from the multitudes.

Although Satan was having his way with Judas, Judas was entirely responsible for his actions. In fact, none of Judas' life was spent in actual obedience to Jesus Christ. He followed Jesus with the other disciples and blended in with them just fine, but it was all a show. The moment of his condemnation was fast approaching as he willingly gave himself not to the Lordship of Christ but to Satan.

Wednesday's Prayer:
"Lord, be our Teacher, our Master, and our Guide into all truth. Teach us through your Word with Your Holy Spirit despite the many unbelievers around us in life. Teach us because false teachers fill our world. Show us the truth that has set us free. Keep us in Your truth by Your Spirit.

Warn us as to the corruption of false teachers. Help us to discern truth from error. Lead us in the way of everlasting life and keep our foot from turning to the left or to the right after ear-tickling teachers who only condone hypocrisy. Convict us of any hypocrisy in our lives that we might confess and turn humbly to You. May we feel very comfortable with admitting we are not perfect. We are not righteous in Your eyes. Our self-righteousness is a disease to the pure righteousness of Christ given to us. If we are honest, we will tell others that we have areas of inconsistency, but that we are broken by our short-comings. We need mending. We need you Jesus.

We give our lives to Your service. Your work of building Your church must prevail, against Satan's defenses! No matter what amount of effort Satan exerts and what he accomplishes, he has never taken one step outside of Your ultimate and sovereign will. He does not have control of our lives, you do. Thank you for conquering Satan through our Messiah, removing his power of death and his work of deception. Thank you for filling us with Your Holy Spirit so that we might resist Satan and that he must flee from us. Your promises are true and can never be thwarted or overturned. Thank you, Lord!"

Passion Week: Tuesday

So what happened on Tuesday of Passion Week?

1. Jesus Taught the Disciples a Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree

Read Mark 11:20–25 to get the most detailed chronological account. Matthew 21:20–22 treats the two events around the fig tree as one because of his topical approach. Luke and John are silent on this account.

Tuesday morning, the disciples pass by the fruitless fig tree, that Christ had just cursed the day before, and it was already withered to its roots! Peter, representing the Twelve, remembers and bursts out with observation. Jesus takes a teachable moment here, not just to speak of how the Temple worship system was corrupt and coming to a close, but that the thing that they need to learn is this: "have faith in God." Israel lacked faith in God.

Faith, when it is not mingled with doubt, accomplishes much. This kind of bold, expectant faith must be present in the disciples' prayers. And when they stand praying in faith, they should be forgiving others if they have anything against anyone. This kind of willingness to forgive others their offenses is proof that God has forgiven them of their own offenses.

2. The Jewish Leaders Confront Jesus

Mark 11:27–12:44 accounts for these tense confrontations in the Temple between Christ and the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Council. Matthew 21:23–23:39 also captures these Temple exchanges. Unique portions to Matthew, that are not found in Mark, are the Parable of the Two Sons (21:28–32), the Parable of the Tenants (21:33–45), the Parable of the Wedding Feast (22:1–14), and the seven woes pronounced by Christ on the scribes and Pharisees (23:1–36). Luke 20:1–21:4 generally captures the essence of what Matthew and Mark record, with few additions and omissions.

The Jewish leaders asked Christ who had returned to the Temple that He had cleansed the day before, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?" He answered that the Source of His authority comes from heaven.

He shared with the religious leaders a Parable of the Tenants that they perceived was being told against them. From that point they sought to arrest Him, but because of their fear of the masses of people around them at this time (Passover), they retreated until another time.

The Sanhedrin began to send experts in certain fields to try to trap Christ up in His talk. They asked a hard question about allegiances, about marriage and heaven, and about the most important commandment. With each answer and interaction, Christ handled Himself with Spirit-filled composure and divinely-enabled wisdom and power. After He alluded these traps, Christ engaged them all about the identity of the Messiah being David's son and his Lord and how that was possible.

Finally, Jesus accused them of stealing from widows, binding heavy burdens on others, performing all their righteous deeds to be seen by others, leading people away from the kingdom of God rather than towards it, stoning the prophets sent to them, and neglecting the weightier matters of the Law. For these reasons, and so many more, Jesus lamented deeply over Jerusalem. They were not willing to gather under God. For this, there house would be left to them desolate.

3. Jesus Delivers His Olivet Discourse

The Olivet Discourse is found at greatest length in Matthew 24:1–25:46. Mark 13:1–37 and Luke 21:5–36 is also an account of this lengthy message given on the disciples' way out of Jerusalem and up the Mount of Olives.

As Jesus sat down opposite the Temple, He spoke to the disciples of the timing of the close of the age. Before Jesus will set up His kingdom in Jerusalem, before peace is restored to Israel as a nation, before Jesus will be worshiped as King on the earth, there will be unmistakable signs. These signs will be seen most evidently in the second half of the Tribulation Period. The earth will go through excruciating, rhythmic labor pains culminating in the arrival of the long-awaited kingdom of God. And because no one knows the day or the hour of the beginning of the end of time, Christ's disciples must be ready!

Christ gave two parables to the disciples to illustrate that there will be some people who will be ready and some who will not. Whether they are ready or not, Judgment Day will come with the Return of Jesus Christ. Those who are alive during the Tribulation who believe in the Gospel and follow Christ through persecution will enter into the Millennial Kingdom on earth and those who did not believe in the Gospel will be cast away into eternal punishment.

Tuesday's Prayer:
"Lord, we pray, increase our faith. Help our unbelief. May our faith be our filled with expectation that You will answer our prayers, so long as we pray according to your will. Please forgive us our sins and please forgive those who have sinned against us. Let the forgiveness that You have shown to us be shown in and through us.

We are in awe of your unparalleled authority. You speak Truth and no one can mess with You. You have come down from heaven to earth in order to accomplish Your heavenly Father's mission and to give Your life as a ransom for many. We love You, Lord. With all of our heart, soul, mind and strength, we love You. Unlike the religious leaders in that day, make us doers of your Word. Keep us humble. May our lives be examples to others.

Lord, make us a people who are ready. Ready to receive Jesus as the Christ. Ready to trust in Jesus as Savior and Lord. Ready to worship Jesus as King over all. Ready to face You in the end with the assurance of our salvation. Allow us to stake away spiritually so we are not caught off guard. Come soon, Lord Jesus! Restore your Kingdom to the earth soon! Rescue us from our various trials and tribulations!"

Passion Week: Monday

The "Passion" of Christ is a reference to the Latin word (passio) which means "suffering." Suffering was no doubt the culminating characteristic of the final week of Christ's earthly ministry. Since the four Gospel writers (Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John) have all devoted so much material to the Passion Week, we have decided to look at the events of each day. So what happened on Monday?

First of all, let's summarize the important events that transpired the day before, on "Palm Sunday":

In Sunday school, we started by reading through Matthew 21:1–11; Mark 11:11; Luke 19:37-44; and John 12:16-19 to paint as much of the picture as possible of the Triumphal Entry of Christ into Jerusalem. Essentially, Sunday morning Jesus presented Himself as King to Israel. Christ demonstrated masterful knowledge and power, He fulfilled prophecy with uncanny precision, and He caught the attention of the Jewish leaders who were filled with fury. Many in the crowd from Galilee realized Jesus as their King and Messiah while others asked, "Who is this?”

Secondly, we considered John 20:22–26 which is the account of some Greeks that sought Jesus. These inquiring believers said to Philip, "Sir, we wish to see Jesus." Their request would be granted as Christ would make His way to the cross to be "glorified."

Thirdly, Jesus wept over Jerusalem with a deep, gut-felt compassion, according to Luke 19:41. He had pity on them because He knew they were not ready to receive Him as their king. And because they did not know the time of their visitation, judgment was coming on them as a nation.

Fourthly, to end the day somewhat anti-climacticly, Christ enters Jerusalem and went into the temple just to look around at everything and then return to Bethany.

MONDAY:

1. Jesus Curses the Fig Tree

Start by reading Mark 11:12-14. Matthew 21:12-13 sheds a tad more light on the fig tree cursing. Luke and John do not mention it in their accounts.

The fig tree the disciples passed by had nothing on it but leafs. This frustrated Christ because He was hungry. Even though it was not expected to bear fruit until another month or so, Jesus saw it as an opportunity to refer to this leafy fruitless fig tree as emblematic of the nation of Israel that was not bearing fruit spiritually in a time when it was needed. It looked like a fig tree but it had no real usefulness. So Christ angrily cursed the fig tree, no doubt having in mind the corruption and hypocrisy of Israel.


2. Jesus Cleanses the Temple a Second Time

Again, start by reading Mark 11:15-17. Matthew 21:12-13 and Luke 19:45-46 are nearly identical accounts as well. The first time Jesus had cleansed the Temple was back in John 2:14-16.

After the disciples' trip back into Jerusalem, Jesus enters the Temple where God was to be worshipped, sought in prayer, accessed by converted Gentiles, and attended to by qualified priests. Jesus could not tolerate the corruption of His Father's house, so He drove everyone out who had set up their personal business kiosks. He also would not permit anyone to cross through the Temple Mount as a convenient short cut from one place to another. He addressed everyone, who's attention He surely had caught, and told them forcefully, "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." He quoted Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11 with these words.

3. Jesus Returns to Bethany with the Twelve

Mark 11:19 alone points out that the disciples returned to Mary and Martha's house in Bethany to lodge at the end of the day. It was only 2 miles away from Jerusalem, across the Kidron Valley, and over the Mount of Olives to the East.

Monday's Prayer:
"Lord Jesus, forgive our fruitlessness. Forgive us for quenching and grieving Your Holy Spirit in our sin. We give ourselves up to You, Lord, that you might cause us to bear much fruit. Teach us the severity of the judgment for constant fruitlessness so that we may appreciate You more.

We pray that our religion is not useless to You. We seek to worship You in the splendor of Your holiness and not to let our self-worship contaminate our spiritual lives. Keep us far from arrogant, self-righteousness that can bring down the greatest. May our righteousness be Christ's. May our very lives be daily sacrifices given up to You in light of your great mercy.

May we too burn with heavenly zeal for the purity of worship in Your house, Father. Give us eyes to see what doesn't belong in our lives and help us to desire your will to be done here on earth in our lives as it is in heaven. We are astonished by you, Lord. Let us grow in our submission to Your authority and let us grow in our satisfaction of the Person and work of Christ, our Lord and our God."

Augustine on Christmas

One church father named Augustine spoke such eloquent words about the glory of this time of year:

"The Maker of man became man that He, Ruler of the stars, might be [weaned as an infant]; that He, the Bread, might be hungry; that He, the Fountain, might thirst; that He, the Light, might sleep; that He, the Way, might be wearied by the journey; that He, the Truth, might be accused by false witnesses; that He, the Judge of the living and the dead, might be brought to trial by a mortal judge; that He, Justice, might be condemned by the unjust; that He, Discipline, might be scourged with whips; that He, the Foundation, might be suspended upon a cross; . . . that [He, the] Life might die."

One Thing

Our Winter Camp topic this year is "One Thing." Consider for a moment:

What is the one thing you seek in life?
What is the one thing you desire above all others?
What is the one thing you are after?
What is the one thing you won't stop until you get?
What is the one thing that controls your affections?
What is the one thing you feel most passionately about?
What is the one thing that gives you satisfaction?
What is the one thing that completes you?
What is the one thing you believe is worth dying for?
What is the one thing that defines who you are?
What is the one thing you speak most about?
What is the one thing that brings you the most joy?
What is the one thing you think most about?
What is the one thing you treasure above all else?
What is the one thing you want to experience?
What is the one thing you are most concerned about in life?
What is the one thing for which you live your life?
What is the one thing you hope will come after this life?
What is the one thing you desire most for others to know?
What is the one thing that you want to see?
What is the one thing that drives you each day?
What is the one thing you would receive from the Lord?
What is that one thing?

Our answers to questions like these may range from things as small as our new smartphone to things as seismic as the God of Creation Himself. That is because the human heart is deceitful above all things and desperately wicked (Jer 17:9). No man can know his heart like the Lord (17:10). And there is no more important thing to guard than the heart (Prov 4:23). Above all other commandments, we are commanded to love the Lord our God with all our heart (Deut 6:5; Matt 22:37). So questions like these above can tell us a lot about where our heart is, where it has been, what it is after, what it prizes, what it protects, what it desires, what it seeks.

This winter, the College and Career groups will spend precious time pouring over one verse:

Psalms 27:4    One thing have I asked of the LORD,

that will I seek after:

that I may  dwell in the house of the LORD

all the days of my life,

to gaze upon  the beauty of the LORD

and to inquire  in his temple. 

Lord willing, our generation of young adults will stand as one in the grace and glory of Jesus Christ who Himself has brought to us the dwelling place of God. Please begin to pray with us now that God will unite our hearts to engage in the highest activity of the human soul, which is, coming into the presence of the Holy, living, triune God.

How Long, O Simple Ones?

The Hebrew word for "the simple" (Proverbs 1:4, 22, 32) is peti. Peti, according to Derek Kidner in his Proverbs commentary, means 'to fool' or to deceive or seduce. It literally means 'open,' which interestingly enough refers to the simple's mentality in life, open. He is open to what anyone tells him. He is open to good and open to evil. Open to the what might be the right way and open to harm's way. He is dangerously open-minded (not a positive quality here). It captures the sense of the one who is gullible, easily led, naive, and irresponsible.

Some might laugh at the thought of being gullible or having a friend who is easy to joke around with and take advantage of (by the way, the word 'gullible' was recently taken out of the dictionary). But the sad thing is, "the simple acquire folly" (Prov 14:18). If the simple does not turn at wisdom's reproof and heed her counsel, then he graduates to a more serious condition. Again, Kidner: "a man who is emptyheaded will end up wrongheaded."

College can be a time when you don't really have an aim in life, you don't have a whole lot of experience being a believer, and the drift towards temptation seems so easy. Well, there is a hope and a warning for such a one. Hope: turn, and wisdom will pour out her spirit to you (1:23). Warning: the simple are killed by their turning away (1:32). 

It's all in how you turn (Heb suv). God is loud and clear through His Word: turn away from sin and turn toward Wisdom (aka Christ, "in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge" Col 2:3) alone for salvation.

Psalm 19:7 "The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple (peti)."

2 Timothy 3:15 "and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus."

Don't delay another day. Go to God in prayer. Confess your love for being simple. Acknowledge that you've been in the wrong and He has been right all along. Pray for a healthy fear of God to guide you along in life (1:7; 9:10). Commit your life to a consistently biblical worldview that will bring honor and glory to God.

Delay another day, however, in your simple ways and you may lose the chance to call out to God for life. "For the simple are killed by their turning away, the complacency of fools destroys them; but whoever listens to me will dwell secure and will be at ease, without dread of disaster" (Prov 1:32, 33).