What Happened on Wednesday?
I have been following Justin Taylor’s blog this week as he writes about the harmony/chronology of Holy Week. He has credited the ESV Study Bible to break down what happens each day. Since I have the ESV Study Bible, I wanted to share today what happened on Wednesday according to the Holy Week chart. This chart is located in the ESV Study Bible. (You can also read the entire series at Justin Taylor’s blog here.)
On Wednesday of Holy week, Jesus continues teaching daily in the temples:
And every day he was teaching in the temple, but at night he went out and lodged on the mount called Olivet. And early in the morning all the people came to him in the temple to hear him. Luke 21:37-38 ESV
On Wednesday, The Sanhedrin plots to kill Jesus:
Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and plotted together in order to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uproar among the people.” Matthew 26:3-5
On Wednesday, preparations for the Passover begin:
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where will you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover. Matthew 26:17-19
I have enjoyed following the events of Holy Week and thinking each day about what Jesus went through. I am humbled to study it knowing now that Jesus knew then he would be crucified at the end of the week. He knew he would bear the burden of all our sins. I am amazed that the Lord of all the Earth would send Jesus to take my place on the cross. How can I do anything else but serve Him?
As part of God’s redemptive plan, the crucifixion was not the end. As the Scriptures say, Jesus rose on the 3rd day defeating sin, death, Satan and evil. Jesus did all the work on the cross and because of his sacrifice we can live and enjoy salvation. I love this time of year – remembering the sacrifice of Christ and celebrating the resurrection with the utmost thanksgiving and gratefulness. I pray you all enjoy the remainder of this week and celebrate with great joy what our Lord and Savior did for us!
For those of you with children, I found this wonderful craft from Desiring God to do with the kids. It is creating a tomb with homemade play dough and creates such a beautiful illustration of what Jesus did for us. You can find the craft here.
Read MoreFeeling Fenced In?
(pic taken at my kids’ school)
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SO SORRY ABOUT THE LATE POST. I WAS SCHEDULED FOR MONDAY. DIDN’T READ NEW SCHEDULE YET. THANKS TO IRIS FOR EMAILING A FRIENDLY REMINDER! Sharing a post from my blog.
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Sometimes I feel fenced in, like I’m in some tall, invisible cage. I want out! I can’t explain it well, but there’s a sense that I’m being held back from the greater things of life.
Are you there? Do you feel fenced in?
If so, you are not alone. I understand the battle all too well, and I believe God does too.
There are times when being confined is good for our souls. There behind the fence, we wrestle out our emotions and hand over our dreams to the One who created us. In that small space, God reveals Himself to us in a deeper way. We learn to be content in Him all over again. We feel His compassion and love. It’s a good thing.
Other times, the fence need to be knocked down and destroyed. The fence is only in our minds and it stops us from experiencing joy. We doubt we have permission to live differently. We feel unworthy of more. We question what life would be like outside our fence. And if we were honest, we’d have to admit we fear what’s on the other side.
The truth is God is calling us to live life to the full. Today! Read John 10:10. Which means all make-believe fences must go. We have full permission to open His gate of grace and walk out.
Take comfort in these words from the Apostle Paul. If I read this correctly, this means no more fences. Starting now!
You are free, friend. It’s time to walk. . .He’s got you.
Dear, dear Corinthians, I can’t tell you how much I long for you to enter this wide-open, spacious life. We didn’t fence you in. The smallness you feel comes from within you. Your lives aren’t small, but you’re living them in a small way. I’m speaking as plainly as I can and with great affection. Open up your lives. Live openly and expansively! 2 Corinthians 6:11-13 (MSG).
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GOD BLESS YOU ALL!
Tiffany @ Tea with Tiffany
From Celebration to Crucifixion
“The next day the large crowd that had come to the feast heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, “Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord, even the King of Israel!” ~ John 12:12-13 (ESV)
Sometimes I wonder if the crowds that hailed Jesus on the way to Jerusalem “King of Israel” were the same people who shouted “crucify him” just a week later. My theology professor said “maybe or maybe not”. I wish I could have been there when Jesus rode into Jerusalem; celebrating His arrival in the holy city.
But then again, I think that we have a great advantage to the people of Jesus’ day: we know the rest of the story. I think that the crowd celebrating Jesus on the way to Jerusalem believed that He was their savior; just not in the sense of THE Savior, the Messiah (that is my personal opinion as a layman). Their hope was that Jesus would finally get rid off the Romans that occupied their holy city; that He would be their new king reigning here on earth.
Thinking about this whole scenario, I believe that some people who hailed Jesus as king were shouting “crucify him” a week later (again, my personal opinion). Maybe they were disappointed when they realized that He did not take the throne as their ruler. I wonder how I would have felt. Disappointed? Angry? Would I have joined in with the crowd “crucify him”. Like I said before: we know the rest of the story…
Let me share a quote I read last week that kept me thinking…
“In the events of this dark day [Good Friday], with whom do you most identify? …But let me tell you who I identify with. I identify most with the angry mob screaming, “Crucify Him!” That’s who we should all identify with…” ~ C.J. Mahaney ‘Living the Cross Centered Life’
What a powerful statement. I have to agree with C.J. Mahaney. You see, everything that had happened, from celebration to crucifixion was orchestrated by God. Jesus, His one and only Son was the willing vessel. Jesus knew what was coming, but He went through with it anyway…And I am thankful for His amazing grace that was extend to me.
“Lord of Heaven and Earth. Thank You for Your amazing grace. Thank You Jesus for taking the journey to the cross on our behalf. Lord, help us to never forget how hard this journey was for You. You went through with it because of obedience to Your Father; because of your incredible love for us. Hosanna! Blessed indeed are You oh Lord. In Your precious name we pray ~ Amen.”
Sweet sisters – thank you for stopping by today. May the celebration of Holy week draw you closer to Him and a cross-centered life.
Empty Sidewalks
As my son was recovering from pneumonia on his spring break, I thought he was ready for some sunshine after several days indoors on the couch. What better activity than a little bit of drawing with chalk on our sidewalk! We had a great time creating a big map together. I drew the roads as he directed me around the driveway telling me the names of various cities. We added houses, bridges, stores, and a tree to our map. Practically our entire driveway was filled by the time we were finished. For the next couple of days we would walk on the chalk-drawn road to get in our car to go somewhere.
Later in the week we woke up in the middle of the night to a thunderstorm. The next day when he went outside, Caleb immediately noticed our clean, empty sidewalk. All our work was washed away. Only a small reminder of our afternoon art fun was left under the porch awning.
Our clean sidewalk is similar to what God gives us each day. Every single day we get a fresh start. Maybe yesterday wasn’t so great and you wish you’d handled some situations differently. Maybe you spoke harsh words to your children or ignored your husband or got yelled at by your boss. Today is new! No matter how bad yesterday was, this morning remember this…
Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. Lamentations 3:23-25
Our God is so loving and faithful. Enjoy this new day He has given.
And if you have a moment, grab some sidewalk chalk and enjoy the sunshine.
Have a day of blessings!
I’d love for you to visit me at Raindrops & Rainbows.
(Photo above taken of some of our sidewalk chalk map!)
A Needy Heart
My five year old came home from church this week explaining to me all about heaven. “There’s no more bad guys there and no one will be sad or scared anymore. Nobody will need a doctor anymore because we won’t get sick or hurt. I can’t wait to go there!” His enthusiasm for heaven had me contemplating my own longing for that day, when we will be perfect with God. I can’t wait - why can’t it be like that now?
When I came to Christ many years ago, I imagined that all of my weaknesses would be wiped out and that my imperfections would be filled in as God fixed up my broken heart. My heart is broken in all the usual ways - unmet needs, sins that linger, impure thoughts, stumbling blocks and the like. And the truth is, He has healed me from my sinful nature and He has delivered me from the power of sin, but I still struggle with daily challenges, making mistakes time and time again and feeling a deep emptiness inside.
If I could name my greatest desire, it would be this: a perfectly healed heart with pure motives, right thinking and complete fulfillment in God. I ache with the knowledge that there is something more for me, that my experience in this life is incomplete and marred because of sin. I want God to take away that ache, to make it all better - and I know He will, just not quite yet.
When I wonder about His timing in bringing complete healing, complete freedom from sin, and complete oneness with His heart, I’m reminded of an expression someone once told me. He said, “thank God for your burdens, because they cause you to lean on Him.” It’s a simple sentence and yet one that transforms my heart when I feel heavy with burdens and the fallen nature of this world. It’s at that moment when I am weakest, when I am the neediest, that I sense my need for God the most. That’s when I turn to Him, when I rely on Him and lean hard on Him because I know I could not manage without Him.
Perhaps what God really wants from me and in me is not so much a perfect heart as a needy heart. He said blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness for they shall be filled. My heart is hungry and thirsty these days, and so I thank God for that, for the hunger that causes me to turn to Him and feast on His Word and the thirst that draws me into His presence regularly.
What burdens can you thank God for today? What challenges are you facing that are causing you to rely on Him?
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