We have been walking with Jesus this week. Up to this point it has been a leisurely stroll. But today, that stroll begins to get more hurried, the intensity picks up. Passion Week is about to come to a crescendo. It is my prayer that by “participating in” the life of Jesus this week your heart is being renewed by the Holy Spirit.

Today is Maundy (Latin: mandatum, which means command. Thursday, the day that Jesus sits down with His guys for one final meal together, the Last Supper, at which He introduces a new covenant, a new commandment, and also shows great humility by washing his disciples feet. The gospels tell us that Jesus wanted to find a place away from the hustle and bustle of busy Jerusalem, full of people for the Passover, to have dinner with His twelve, soon to be eleven, closest buddies. According to Luke (22:7-13), the location of this meal was in the upper room of a guest house (Greek: kataluma). Today’s midday post will look at the significance of this Greek word.

Where do you go, away from the busyness of life, to spend one-on-one time with Jesus? Today, in His final hours, Jesus invites you to share a quiet moment with Him? Will you accept His offer?

After finishing up dinner, Jesus and His guys begin singing (Matthew 26:30, Mark 14:26) and then go to the Garden of Gethsemane (literally, “oil press”), near the foot of the Mount of Olives, where Jesus agonizes over what He knows will occur over the next 12-18 hours. The text tells us that Jesus is sorrowful and troubled (Matthew 26:37-38) and that He cries out in prayer to His Father (Matthew 26:39, 42). We are told that during this time, it is getting close to midnight, Jesus’s disciples are falling asleep. What would you be doing? Right now, imagine yourself walking over to Jesus, it is just the two of you, in this quiet and peaceful garden, telling each other how much love you have for one another! Wow, what a tender moment, one to cherish forever.

It is in the garden that that Judas Iscariot betrays Jesus by bringing the Temple guards of the Sanhedrin to Jesus, where He is away from the crowd, just as he had promised to do. (See yesterday’s post.) Jesus allows Himself to be arrested and taken to the house of the high priest. The ever-impulsive Peter cuts off the ear of a soldier and is rebuked by Jesus. To read the gospel accounts of the betrayal – Matthew 26:47-56, Mark 14:43-50, Luke 22:47-53, John 18:1-11.

Will you agonize with Jesus today? Are you living your life in such a fashion that Jesus knows that what He is about to suffer is all worth it?

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As you journey through the week with Jesus, today is a good day just to hang out with Him. Unlike the other days, there is no mention of what He did today. I am pretty sure that in addition to healing the sick, casting out demons, raising the dead, preaching good news, Jesus also enjoyed kicking back and having fun. If you were with Jesus and His group of friends today, what would you like to do? Play a round of golf, deep sea fishing, day at the beach, or maybe hit the mall looking for the latest sales?

Mark records that Jesus was lounging around in Bethany at the home of Simon the Leper (14:3). John gives us a little more insight. A dinner was being held for Jesus by His good friends, Mary and Martha. In John 12:1-8 we are told that Mary poured perfume on Jesus’s feet. (Both Matthew and Mark’s versions tell us that she poured it over His head – Matthew 26:12, Mark 14:3-4). Perfume is costly; today what can you offer to Jesus that is of great value? How about a committed life, an obedient life?

The gospels tell us that the chief priests and leaders were determined to find the right moment to arrest Jesus. They wanted to secretly do it, not when He was in the crowd, because that would cause the people to revolt. (Mark 14:1-2)

In some church traditions today is called Spy Wednesday. One of Jesus’s closest guys, Judas Iscariot, breaks rank today (Matthew 26:14-16, Mark 14:10-11, Luke 22:3-6). Since he is part of Jesus’s inner circle, he tells the chief priests that he can hand Jesus over to them when Jesus is away from the crowd. The chief priests agree to compensate Judas for betraying Jesus.

Think over the past week, where have you turned your back on Jesus? Right now, pray and repent of that sin, and in doing so, receive His forgiveness and grace.

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Today I continue in our series of posts to give you things to “participate in” during Holy Week, hopefully allowing you to take part in all that Jesus said and did leading up to His death on the cross.

Jesus again returns to Jerusalem after spending the night in Bethany. At the temple Jesus is questioned by the chief priests and elders about where His authority comes from, trying to trap Jesus and cause His popularity to wane, clearing the way for them to arrest Him. On the Mount of Olives Jesus teaches using many parables. He warned the people against the scribes (Pharisees) and also predicted the destruction of the temple, saying “there will not be left one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.” (Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2, Luke 21:6) The temple was destroyed in 70 AD with not one stone left standing.

He gives the fearful prophecy about the destruction of Jerusalem (Luke 21: 20-24). Jesus rebukes the Sadducees who question, and even doubt, the resurrection. He tells his disciples about future events, even telling them of His own return in Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-28.

Picture yourself in the audience. Would you be listening attentively or allowing Jesus’s words to go in one ear and out the other while checking your social media accounts or texting a friend about the evening’s dinner plans? Will you listen carefully to what Jesus might be saying to you today?

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This morning’s Holy Week “participation” post was about Jesus cleansing the temple during the last week of His earthly life.

Did you know that Jesus cleansed the temple twice during his ministry years, once near the beginning and then again near the end?

John 2:13-20 records Jesus first cleansing the temple, soon after His first miracle of turning water into wine. According to the text this miracle occurred shortly before the Passover. John tells us so – with words like “after this,” “stayed for a few days” and “when it was almost time.” He travels from Cana to Capernaum then to Jerusalem for the Passover. The synoptics do not mention this first cleansing, only the second one during Passion Week, while John only mentions the first.

I encourage you to read all of the second chapter of John’s gospel. John steps away from his story in vv.21-22 to give his readers insight into the meaning of the previous text. He then gets back to telling to story in v.23 through the end of the chapter.

Why does he step away? Because I believe that he wants his readers to see clearly the implicit (implied) meaning of what Jesus just said in v.19. By their response in v.20 it is clear that Jesus’s listeners missed His meaning, but it is so important that John does not want us to miss it. John regularly does this throughout his gospel.

Think about what John was emphasizing in vv. 21-22 — from the very beginning of His earthly ministry, Jesus had the end in view. Jesus gave pointers (often missed by his followers) all along the way — the temple of His body (John 2:22), elevation on a cross (John 3:14), giving of His flesh for the world (John 6:51), His burial (John 12:7), even announcing to the disciples his betrayal and death (John 13:19, 21). Tonight, as you hang out with Jesus, let His love for you seep into every nook and cranny of your soul. Tell Him how much you appreciate that great sacrificial love.

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According to Mark 11:15-19 (also Matthew 21:12-17 and Luke 19:47-48) Jesus returns to Jerusalem today and as He enters the Temple He finds the money-changers extorting money from those who had come to the temple for the Passover. Here is the context- it was easier for those who came to offer a sacrifice to purchase an animal (to sacrifice) at the temple than to bring one with them and then have to get it inspected to see if it met the kosher laws. The pilgrim’s money first had to be exchanged into the local currency, since law required the temple tax to be paid in that local form of currency. The money changers were charging exorbitant prices for the exchange of “pagan” money into Jewish coins. This infuriated Jesus and the text tells us that He cleared the temple and overturned their tables. (This was a direct challenge to the high priest, because the money-changers were there by his authorization.)

Matthew’s gospel tells us that Jesus returned once again to Bethany that evening.

Look at your own life and see where you might be defiling the temple (yourself; see 1 Corinthians 6:19) and pray with Jesus as He is desires to purify you.

Now read Malachi 3:1-4. The cleansing of the temple (both the building in this story and now you, the living temple) fulfills the prophecy found in these Malachi verses.

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Tonight, I continue in my series of offering you things to “participate in” as you walk with Jesus this Holy Week.

After His triumphal entry, Jesus entered the city (Jerusalem) and went to the temple area. Since it was late in the day, and the crowd had left, He and his disciples withdrew to Bethany for the night, possibly staying with Jesus’s good friends Mary, Martha and Lazarus. We read this in Mark 11:11 – “And he entered Jerusalem and went into the temple. And when he… had looked around at everything, as it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.”

Just imagine yourself with a group of friends, enjoying a quiet evening at home, sharing stories, sharing life together.

Tonight, pray with Jesus as He contemplates the difficult week ahead of Him.

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