This week, Rick and I have been reading about all that Jesus did in the days leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection. How Jesus spent His time, what He did. One of the things that is important to remember about Jesus is that, as God in the flesh (in other words, Jesus was God on earth as a man) Jesus knew all the thoughts of everyone He met, everyone He talked to. And, He knew the future…including what the coming days held in store. He knew God’s plan—that He, Jesus, would die to pay the penalty for the sins of the world. Bottom line: Jesus knew this was the week of His death. For a mere human, this would have been an horrific situation. How could anyone knowingly walk into the city where people are plotting Your death AND also know that these killers would succeed? However, please also keep in mind Jesus never sinned—He always obeyed God the Father. Only Jesus, God in the flesh, could do this. Only Jesus could know what was ahead and remain obedient. He would pay an excruciating price for others out of His great love for those lost sinners. That was Gods’ plan and Jesus is obedient to God—all the way to the point of death. Wow.
Jesus arrived in a little village near Jerusalem and, there, His friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus had a dinner for Him (John 12:1-2). The next morning, He went into Jerusalem, and the people were so excited to see Him! They greeted Him as He came into town riding on a donkey (just as the Old Testament had prophesied in Zechariah 9:9), and it was like a parade. They waved palm branches in the air and shouted their joy at seeing Him. They welcomed Jesus, even calling Him the King of Israel (John 12:12-15). Jesus went straight to the temple. It was a disaster—the leaders had set up shop again and were selling animals and exchanging money in the temple courtyard! Jesus threw them all out—He cleansed the temple (Matthew 21:12-13).
The next day, Jesus spent the entire day teaching in the temple. He was confronted by the Jewish leaders who were trying to trap Him so they could kill Him (Matthew 21:23-27). He taught the people. He called out the hypocrisy of the Jewish leaders (Matthew 23:1-36). Amazing—He knew His death was just days away, and He kept on teaching. He kept telling the people the truth of who He was. Plus, He still had a lot that He needed to teach His disciples. So after a long day at the temple, that night, they walked out to the Mount of Olives, a mountainside just outside the city. Jesus sat down and told the disciples what would happen in the future: Jerusalem would be destroyed (Matthew 24:1-2), and it was in 70 AD. Jesus told them about the end times—the final judgment when all the world would be judged (Matthew 25:31-46).
Well, Judas decided enough was enough. He got together with the Jewish leaders and agreed to betray Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16). Jesus knew this too. He knew His betrayer was right there among them, and He still remained obedient to God’s plan. And so, the next day, after the first Lord’s Supper (what we now call Communion), Jesus was betrayed and arrested. There was a hurry-up trial, and Jesus was sentenced to death even though the Roman governor (Pontius Pilate) and the Jewish king (Herod Antipas) found Jesus innocent. The people—the same ones who had welcomed Him with a parade and called Him King of Israel—screamed for His death. All of this was God’s plan. So that Jesus, His beloved Son, His sinless Son, could do what only Jesus could do: die for the sins of the world, so that those who believe in Him could have eternal life (John 3:16). Jesus willingly gave His life for me and for you—if you’ll believe. I pray you’ll believe In the Lord Jesus. If you need prayer or a Bible, let me know.
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