Christian Living

Embracing Passion Week

by Walter Kahler 
04/08/23
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It’s in this week of Jesus’ life where He dies for the forgiveness of sin and carries out God’s final covenant with humanity (John 3:16 Luke 22:20).

Palm Sunday

Christ’s final entrance into Jerusalem begins passion week. As He made His triumph entryway into the Holy City, a crowd lay down their coats and leafy branches (Mark 11:8). They began shouting praise to Him on the road leading to Jerusalem.

Christ heard them say:

And those who went in front and those who followed were shouting:

 “Hosanna!
Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord;
 Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David;
Hosanna in the highest!”

(Mark 11:9-10, NASB)

We see them embracing Christ with glory. They understood God sent Him and wanted to voice their faith in Him.

I believe it’s significant to gain knowledge behind these two scriptures. So here’s a link that explains the Hebrew meaning of Hosanna and why they included David https://www.gotquestions.org/hosanna.html

Palm Sunday is a time to embrace Christ’s unimaginable preparation for His death and resurrection. It’s a day for me to meditate on Him and why He came to Jerusalem, focusing on His impending death and resurrection.

Holy Thursday

Holy Thursday is a significant embracement of Jesus’s last meal (Luke 22:16) with His Disciples. He gathered around the table with them to eat the Passover meal (Luke 22:15).

Christ unveiled an everlasting command where eating bread and drinking from a cup represents His body and bloodshed for humanity’s redemption. This symbolic revelation of communion uncovers God’s final covenant with humanity.

It was at this meal that Jesus exposed Judas Iscariot as His betrayer (John 13:26-27). Judas handed Christ over to His executioners (Matthew 26:49-50) for thirty pieces of silver (Matthew 26:15). Because of his betrayal, Judas committed suicide (Matthew 27:3-5).

Christ’s Death

Embracing Christ’s death is believing to my innermost self that Jesus died for the forgiveness of sin (Romans 5:8). I must, without reservations, accept Christ as God’s sacrifice for humanity’s salvation (Romans 10:9-10). To deny Jesus’s death, the Lord’s gift of heaven stays elusive.

Christ foretold His death to His Disciples (Matthew 16:21). They didn’t want to believe Jesus’s fate, and Peter confronted Him (Matthew 16:22). Christ corrected Peter by showing him the condition of his heart (Matthew 16:23).

It’s hard to fathom that God would put to death His Son. He did and displayed His incredible compassion for His forgiveness of sin. How great is God’s love? Here we embrace God’s affection.

Christ’s crucifixion was a torturous and horrifying death. No other execution comes close to what the Romans did to kill Jesus. They nailed Him to a cross, mocked, and tormented Him.

When Jesus died (Matthew 27:50), the temple’s veil tore apart, and an earthquake emerged (Matthew 27:51). Then the tombs of the saints opened, and they arose (Matthew 27:52-53). This unimaginable event profoundly affected the Roman centurion and his squad of soldiers. Fearful, they confessed Christ as God’s Son (Matthew 27:54). See how Jesus’s death influenced those who witnessed it.

As shown above, Christ’s death is an excellent way to embrace God’s mercy and forgiveness. Indeed, Jesus’s crucifixion is the reason for our redemption.

Jesus’s Resurrection

Jesus’s resurrection is a powerful revelation of God’s omnipotence. This unbelievable event baffled those who first discovered the empty tomb. Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James, were the first to arrive (Mark 16:1-4). These two women saw the tomb open and absent Christ’s body (Luke 24:3-4).

Jesus first appeared to Mary Magdalene, and she became overjoyed (John 20:16). Christ commanded her to tell His disciples of His resurrection, and when she did so, they did not believe (Mark 16:10-11).

Then He greeted ten of His apostles and showed them His wounds (John 20:19-20). But Thomas wasn’t with them and doubted the other’s testimony. And when Jesus returned, He proved His resurrection to Thomas (John 20:27). From this point onward, His disciples believed.

Faith in God’s salvation plan is embracing Christ’s resurrection. Even though His apostles witnessed this by sight, they also placed faith in His promise of rising from the dead. We, too, must trust Jesus’s resurrection. Remember, we live by faith, not seeing (2 Corinthians 5:7).

Final Thoughts

As noted above, embracing passion week means remembering Christ’s last week of His ministry. This unique and undeniable revelation of Jesus’s suffering, death, and resurrection shows God’s holy sovereignty. Through God’s grace, the Holy Spirit discloses the wisdom behind the passion week and allows us the full knowledge of salvation.

How do you embrace passion week?