Today marks the beginning of Holy Week.   It is significant to note that one-third of the Gospel of Mark (Chapters 11 through 15) is taken up with the recording of what happened during Holy Week. The focus of Jesus’ earthly ministry was concentrated in this short period of five Chapters.  His primary mission in the world was to procure man’s salvation by His death on the cross.  Here is the heart of Christianity. Come with me as we take a journey through Holy Week.

 

Sunday (Mark 11:1-11)

         

On Palm Sunday, Jesus made the triumphant entry into Jerusalem.  Jesus presented himself to the Jewish nation as her Messiah.    The crowd of Galilean pilgrims accompanied Him down the western slope of the Mount of Olives.  As they walked, they spread garments and palm leaves as a carpet in the street for the donkey on which he rode.

 

 The crowd was excited and their shouts of praise showed that they expected Jesus to enter the Holy City in triumph and set up his messianic kingdom on earth.  But, we learn from the other Gospels that the Jewish leaders rejected Jesus, and so, the “triumphal entry” ended in tears.  Luke 19:41 says,

 “And when we was come near, he beheld the City and wept over it.” This was Israel’s last opportunity to accept Jesus of Nazareth as her Messiah and they rejected him big time!

 

 That was Palm Sunday, now let’s look at Monday.

 

Monday (Mark 11:12-19)

 

Monday was, what I call a “double C” day! A day of Cursing and Cleansing!

 

 

On the way back into Jerusalem from Bethany, Jesus saw a fig tree with leaves on it.  Since fig trees normally have fruit before leaves, He naturally expected to find some ripe figs waiting for him.  When he found no fruit, Jesus CURSED, the tree.

 

Now, history says that some have criticized the Master for cursing the tree.  But there is a lesson here, God doesn’t like hypocrites – You know the kind, looking holy and full of hell.  So, the tree was perpetrating as a fig tree – it had leaves, but no fruit. So, when Jesus “cursed” the tree – that was the first “C.”

 

 And, I need to tell you right now, there’s a difference between “Cussing” the tree and “cursing” the tree.  Jesus did not use profane language and “Cuss” the tree out.  He simply put a “curse” on the tree, saying –

                  

“Let no one ever again eat fruit from you.” (Mark 11:14)

 

Now, the second “C” was Cleansing the Temple.

 

Jesus went into the Temple and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple.  He overthrew the tables of the Money Changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  Not only that, he would not allow that any man should carry any vessel through the Temple.   Mark Chapter 11, verse 17, tells us,

 

17   And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer? but ye have made it a den of thieves.”

 

There is no doubt about it.  Jesus cleaned house!  And, when he finished, he left and went back to Bethany.  Now, we’re ready for Tuesday.

 

Tuesday

 

• Mark lets us know that Tuesday was the busiest day of Holy Week. 

• This Tuesday was the last day of Jesus’ public ministry.

• Mark recorded some 13 events as taking place on Tuesday.

 

And, even though 13 events are recorded, the event that took “center stage” was the questioning of Jesus’ authority.

 

On Tuesday, when Jesus went back into Jerusalem, he came to the same Temple that he had cleansed the day before.  And, as he began teaching the priests, scribes and elders began to question Him,

 

          “By what authority and who’s authority do you do thee things?”

 

• In other words, who gave you the authority to cleanse the Temple?

• By what authority do you cut out our profits?

• Who told you to mess with our money changing and selling?

• Who gave you the power to come into the temple that we had built and stop our selling?

         

Jesus said, “I will answer all of your questions if you will just answer one for me.  Where did John get his authority? 

 

Obviously, the answer to both questions was the same; but the Jewish leaders refused to commit themselves because they didn’t want to look bad.  They wanted Jesus to look bad.  So, they said, “We cannot tell.”  Hearing their response, Jesus refused to answer their question.

 

Wednesday

 

After a very busy Tuesday, there is no record of any activity on Wednesday.  We conclude that it was a “quiet” Wednesday!

 

I personally believe that, although it may have been quiet, Jesus was busy communing with the Father because the next day he communed with THE 12.

 

Thursday – The Last Supper and the Institution of the Lord’s Supper

 

The Last Supper

 

 Mark writes in Chapter 14 that Jesus ate the Passover meal with His disciples and, while they were eating, Jesus told them – “One of you will betray me.”  The scripture goes on to say,

 

“And they began to be sorrowful and say unto Him – one by one – “Is it I?”  And another said, Is it I?  And, he answered and said unto them, ‘it is one of the twelve that dippeth with me in the dish’.”

 

Now listen to what Matthew 26:25 says happened.

 

  “Then Judas, which betrayed him answered and said, Master is it I?”  He said unto him, Thou hast said.”

 

The Lord’s Supper

 

 And, as they were eating,

 

• Jesus took bread and blessed it and brake it and gave it to his disciples and said – take, eat – this is my body.

•  And, he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying, “drink ye all of it.  For this is my blood of the New Testament which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

 

It was on this occasion that Jesus instituted the Lord’s Supper – Holy Communion.  And, after they finished supper a lot happened –

 

• They went out to the Mount of Olives!

• He predicted Peter’s denial.

• Jesus prayed in Gethsemane, ‘til sweat dropped like blood from his brow.

• They arrested Jesus and took Him to Caiaphas the High Priest where the scribes and elders were assembled.

• After much debate, Matthew 26:66 says the High Priest asked, “What think ye?”  And, they answered and said, “He is guilty of death.”

 

A Bad Friday

         

When Jesus was sentenced to death, it was surely a bad Friday (or a GOOD FRIDAY) depending on how you look at it.  If you had been there and had little faith, it was a bad Friday.  But,  if you really got to know Jesus, then it was a Good Friday!

 

 In Matthew 27 it says that “early the next morning – Friday morning --  Pilate questioned Jesus.

 

 Now Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent of the charges brought by the multitude.  Remember in Luke 23, they had accused him of “perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King.” And, it was here that Pilate quoted these famous words, “ . . . I have found no fault in this man. . . .” (Luke 23:14)

         

But, because the crowd wanted Jesus crucified, Pilate wasn’t strong enough to follow his conscience.  So, he turned Jesus over to the soldiers.

 

• They stripped him,

• Put a purple robe on him,

• Made him a crown of thorns and placed it on his head,

• And, they mocked him, spit on him, beat him;

 

Yet, he never said a word!

• They put a cross on his back.

• They led him to Calvary, and they made a black man named Simon carry his cross.

• And, when they got to Calvary – or Golgotha’s Hill, the place of the Skull – they hung Jesus between two thieves and crucified him.

 

Thank God, the WEEK OR THE WORD doesn’t end there!

 

Saturday, Matthew 27:63

 

Matthew says that on the next day – Saturday – the chief priest and Pharisees went to Pilate saying,

 “We remember that deceiver saying on the third day he would rise again.  So we need to make sure the tomb is sealed and that guards are there so his disciples can’t come and steal his body and say he rose from the dead!”

 

Amen. 

[This is not how the story ends.  Next Sunday we will see what happened.]