Reliving the Passion Week

Having entered the Passion Week, with Easter Sunday round the corner, we, as Christians, should deeply meditate on the life of Christ, on His Words of love, on His Words of admonition to Judas to repent and return and on His long and lonely walk culminating in crucifixion and redemption of our sins.

The three years of public ministry of Jesus, which He began at the age of thirty, could be condensed into the last seven days of the life of Jesus – the Passion Week – as we know it.

What is the Passion Week? The Passion Week is the time from Palm Sunday through Easter Sunday (Resurrection Sunday). Passion Week is described in Matthew chapters 21–27; Mark chapters 11–15; Luke chapters 19–23; and John chapters 12–19. Passion Week includes: the triumphal entry on Palm Sunday; Jesus cleansing the temple; Jesus giving His Olivet Discourse on the end times; Jesus' Last Supper with His disciples; Jesus' arrest and trials before the chief priests, Pilate, and Herod; Jesus' scourging at the hands of the Roman soldiers; Jesus' crucifixion; Jesus' death and burial; and gloriously – Jesus' resurrection. It is referred to as "Passion Week" because in that time, Jesus Christ truly revealed His 'passion' for us in what He willingly went through on our behalf. What should our attitude be during Passion Week? To understand this deeply we need to reflect on the heart of Jesus and look deeper into some of the events of primary importance that took place during this week.

The Triumphal Entry of Jesus :–

The Passion Week begins with Palm Sunday which commemorates the triumphal entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. Luke 19 describes the triumphal entry of Jesus, the Son of Man, the King of Kings, who was riding on a donkey. The scene of Jesus riding on a donkey is a poignant one. How can the King of Kings, the Messiah of the Jews, the promised people, the children of God, come to Jerusalem riding on a donkey? To understand this passage, we need to look deeply into it. What kind of a donkey the Lord used? The Lord used a donkey that was tied. The donkey which is used to carry heavy load was tied and the Lord needed it and told His disciples to untie it. This is a very symbolical scene. What does the donkey symbolize? It symbolizes us. There are many burdens of the world that we carry. There are many burdens of the world that we are tied to. These burdens make our hearts, our spirits very empty. How glorious it is when the Lord calls us and tells us, "I need you. I wish to untie you"? How glorious it is when the Lord calls us, comforting our burdened and weary spirits, and opens our eyes to the deep world of His love and allows us to walk the same path of faith, carry the Cross of Love, and build the Kingdom of Heaven together with Him?

Like this donkey, there are many people of this world who are burdened by the worries of the world. But Jesus promised us that Truth will set us free. What is this Truth and how can we be free? Indeed, what is true freedom? What is the freedom the Lord wants to give to us? It is the freedom of the spirit! Look at the apostles. Even though they faced innumerable hardships and sufferings and were persecuted for what they believed and preached, yet, they were free in spirit and not confined by hatred or despair. Remember the Words of Apostle Paul: "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4: 4–7). How does Apostle Paul, who was imprisoned, beaten and persecuted, speak of rejoicing? What is the source of his strength, his hope? It is Christ Jesus. The peace of Christ Jesus. The promise made by Christ Jesus that He will be with us always, "to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20)

Remember: there are two kinds of burdens – burdens of this world and the burden of carrying the Cross of Love together with the Lord. Which one will you choose?

The Withered Fig Tree :–

The incident of the withered fig tree is a strange one. Yet, symbolically, it is a very important one. The coming of Jesus, the birth of Jesus was a fulfillment of the prophecy in the Old Testament. Jesus was the Messiah the Jews were waiting for over 2000 years. Yet, when Jesus was born, Jewish king Herod tried to kill Him, His own people rejected Him and betrayed Him, the Roman soldiers tortured, scourged and crucified Him.

The incident of the withered fig tree is prophetic and ominous for the things that were yet to come. What does the fig tree symbolize? It symbolized the Jews. Who were the Jews? They were the ones who had received the covenant, the promise from God. They were the promised people of God, the ones who were waiting for generations after generations for the coming of the Messiah. They were the ones who had received the laws and the prophesies from God. What should they have done? They should have prepared themselves for the coming of the Messiah, for the coming of Jesus. But they did not do anything. Rather, they rejected, scorned, abused and persecuted the Messiah that was sent to them. They handed Jesus over to the authorities of Rome to be crucified. The high priests, the Jewish religious leaders, the Pharisees symbolized the fig tree. They had the Word of God, they had the covenant of God. But they abused their position and authority and did not prepare themselves for the coming of the Messiah. They were like the fig tree that had many leaves but no fruit.

Remember: there is a time for everything. We have to be prepared and ready for the coming of the Lord. The Lord will not wait for us. We should be prepared and ready and wait for Him. We should not be the ones who are cursed or judged by the Lord. We should not be the ones who only cry out "Lord, Lord" and not prepare ourselves for the Lord. We should not be the one who look towards heaven for the coming of the Lord but fail to recognize Him when He comes to us. Like the Jews, we should not reject the Lord when He comes to us and condemn Him and crucify Him. Walking together with the Lord means knowing the deep heart of Lord Jesus and obeying the will of Father in heaven above.

The Clearing of the Temple :–

Like the incident of the withered fig tree, the clearing of the temple by Jesus is a very significant event. This is perhaps the first instance we see of Jesus revealing his righteous anger. The corruption, the evils of the Jewish society, which failed to recognize and receive the Messiah, can be seen through the eyes of Jesus as He cleared the temple.

Why was Jesus exasperated when He entered the temple courts? Why did he overturn the "tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves" (Mark 11:15) and "would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts" (Mark 11:16)?

What is wrong in buying and selling things in the temple area? After all, were not the people trying to earn a simple living? To understand the indignation of Jesus, we have to understand what the temple meant for the Jews. Since the exodus from Egypt, the Jews were carrying the holy tabernacle, which housed the Covenant of God, with them wherever they went. Finally, when they reached and settled down in the Canaan land, they built a permanent temple for their God. To the Jews, who had the promise of God, the temple was everything. They preserved it with their lives and fought and died to defend it from the marauding invaders who tried to inject paganism in the Jewish society.

But, over time, the Jews began to lose their reverence for the temple. The temple that the Jews themselves, were once willing to protect and defend with their lives, now began to be used as a market place, losing its sanctity. Jesus, the embodiment of God's love, showed his anger as He never thought that the temple, the House of God, would become a place for mundane buying and selling. Jesus could not remain silent when He saw the evil being committed in the temple, in the House of God and in the name of God. Which God is this? This is the Living God Who delivered the Jews from all evil and persecution and led them as they wandered in search of the Promised Land. This is the same God Who told Moses, "Do not come any closer. Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground" (Exodus 3:5). This is the same God Who told Joshua, "I will be with you; I will never leave you nor forsake you" (Joshua 1:5). And, the very same Jews, the promised children of God, were the ones who, forgetting the holiness of the Holy of all Holies, were trading in His House. And, what is more sad is that the chief temple priests, the ones who should have protected the sanctity of the temple turned a blind eye to it as they also profited from the trade. Truly, why should Jesus not be angry looking at the evil and the darkness of their corrupted hearts? The event of clearing of the temple is so significant that Apostle John has recorded it early in his Gospel. Indeed, what is clearing of the temple? It is clearing the insides of our hearts. Like the Jews, it is not important how long we have been Christians or how long we have been walking this path of faith. What is important is whether, as Christians, our hearts are clean and pure so that the Lord can reside in us. We are the living temples (1 Corinthians 3:16–17) of God. If we do not clean our hearts, spirits and minds and let evilness and corruption pervade, the Living God can never enter into us. It is important how clean our hearts are and whether we have borne any fruit for the Lord.

We are the temples for Father God, the Holy Spirit and Lord Jesus. We are the living body of Christ. If we do not sanctify our hearts and spirits, how can Jesus enter us? If there is anything dirty or sinful inside of us, we should clear it just as Jesus cleared the temple. And, if we are too weak to clear it, we should invite Jesus to clear it. Jesus is always knocking at the doors of our hearts, waiting for us to invite Him so that He can clean our hearts, spread His love and light inside of us and reside in us.

There are many people of this world who are choosing the desires of the world over Jesus. But they are the ones who are seeking for peace and love the most. Remember, you can never find true peace, love or joy till you love, accept and embrace Jesus, till you allow Jesus to enter your hearts.

Like the Jews, we profess to know the Word of God, we profess to have the promise of God. But are we truly following Jesus? Are our lives resembling the image of Christ? If not, let us not delay but turn back today to the Lord. Let us clear our hearts, our minds and our spirits and follow Jesus. Let us be the ones who can sanctify ourselves every moment in our walk of faith so that we can offer ourselves as 'living sacrifices,' holy, pleasing and acceptable to the Lord, and so that He will enter our hearts and reside in us and reveal His glory through us.

Washing of the Feet of the Disciples :–

Washing of the feet of the disciples by Jesus, according to me, is perhaps the most touching scene during the Last Supper. Apostle John, who was with Jesus from the beginning of His public ministry and was with Him throughout till the time of His crucifixion, says that Jesus "showed the full extent of His love" (John 13:1) during this time. John, known as the apostle of love, while writing this passage, must have deeply meditated on the entire life and love of Jesus – He, Who gave up everything for them, for us, including His very own life. Why is this event called the Last Supper? It is because it is the 'last meal' Jesus had with His disciples, before He was arrested, condemned and crucified.

This Last Supper is a very significant scene because it is the last meal Jesus shared with His 12 disciples, including Judas Iscariot, who would betray Him. The Last Supper is like a last meal a father is having with his children, the last admonitions and Words of love, a father is giving to his children before he dies.

What was the heart of Jesus during this time? Only Jesus knew that this was the last meal He would be sharing with the disciples He loved. Imagine the deep and solemn heart of a father, who, knowing that he is about to die, spends the last moments of his life with his family. The heart of Jesus was like that. But, sadly, the disciples could not share the same heart. They did not know that it was the last meal they would ever have with the Lord.

Why did Jesus wash the feet of His disciples during the Last Supper? To understand this, we have to understand the hearts of the disciples. Although they were always with Jesus, although Jesus poured out all His love to them, yet, they could still not understand the true meaning of love and sacrifice. So much so, during the Last Supper, the disciples were even arguing amongst themselves as to which of them was considered to be the greatest (Luke 22:24). Even though Jesus explained to them about the Passover meal, they did not understand its significance. They did not understand the deep heart of love and sacrifice of Jesus who was about to leave them and be crucified. They were all seeking glory, being together with the Lord. But during the Last Supper, Jesus washed their feet. How surprised or shocked His disciples must have been? In the days of Jesus, only the servants washed the feet of the masters or the guests of the house. But here we see Jesus washing the feet of His disciples. Is this right? Rather, should the disciples not have washed the feet of Jesus? Why could the disciples not wash the feet of Jesus? It is because even at that time, they did not serve each other with the heart of love. They even quarreled amongst themselves as to who is the greatest amongst them. They did not have the heart of lowering themselves or serving. If the disciples had lowered themselves and served one another then Jesus would not need to have washed their feet.

Jesus, by washing the feet of the disciples, served His disciples as servants would have served them. By washing their feet, Jesus is explaining to them the true meaning of serving. Truly, we cannot serve each other unless we have the heart of love. If we serve each other with the heart of love like Jesus, we may not only avoid committing sin but also we will dwell in the love of the Lord forever.

True serving, true lowering comes from true love. A mother can lower herself to her children and serve them because of her pure, true and unconditional love towards them. By washing the feet of the disciples, Jesus wanted them to do what He, their Master and their Lord, did. Jesus wants us to do what He did. If, as our Master and Lord, Jesus could lower Himself to the position of a servant, how much more we, His followers, should lower ourselves?

Sometimes, like the disciples of Jesus, we, Christians, too take the love of Jesus for granted. We think that we deserve His love. Did the disciples of Jesus deserve His love? Did they deserve to be served by Jesus? The answer is no. Yet, Jesus poured out all His love to them and served them like a servant would have served the master. Like the disciples of Jesus, we should not take the love of God for granted. Though God is the God of love and He has poured down grace on us, we should not be the ones who take His love lightly or recklessly and trample on it. Jesus is not only washing the feet of His disciples. He is washing our feet everyday so that we do not sin, so that we always remember His admonition of love and sacrifice and like Him, lower and serve one another and love each other so that the Kingdom of Heaven, which God has promised to us, is fulfilled through us.

The Last Supper :–

The Last Supper is one of the most significant scene or event during the Passion Week. Knowing that this was the last meal He was sharing with His disciples, knowing that He would be betrayed by Judas, persecuted, condemned and crucified, Jesus wanted to pour out all His heart to His disciples. He wanted to explain to them the deep meaning of His death, His crucifixion. Even though the disciples did not understand its significance, Jesus hoped that they would realize the meaning of His death.

The heart of Jesus was so troubled, so sorrowful during the Last Supper that He even spoke to His disciples about the one who would betray Him. Jesus even admonished Judas Iscariot to repent and turn back to Him and accept Him as the Messiah, as the Lord (John 13:18–20). Accepting Jesus means accepting God. Accepting God means accepting Jesus. "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me" (John 14:6). The act of betrayal by Judas can be said to be culmination of the act of rejection of the Messiah by the Jews. All the Jews were supposed to accept Jesus as their Messiah. But they not only rejected and scorned Him but also condemned Him to death. Like Judas who failed to heed the warnings of the Lord, the Jews, though pierced by the words of admonition by Stephen, failed to heed them and instead of repenting, stoned him to death (Acts 7).

Indeed, all the disciples were supposed to accept Jesus as their Lord. How difficult it must have been for Jesus to speak out openly about accepting Him as the Messiah? Actually, acceptance of one as the King or Messiah comes from the heart and it is a matter of one's freedom. But Jesus had no other choice. Through this, He wanted Judas to repent and believe in Him with his heart and accept Him as the Lord and Messiah. This is the last admonition of Christ to Judas to repent and turn back. How much Jesus must have loved Judas that even though He knew that Judas was about to betray Him, He wanted to save Judas from sinning? Jesus wanted Judas to realize what He said, to reflect, repent and overcome. Hence, Jesus spoke everything openly and did not hide anything. Yet, the Words of admonition failed to overturn the darkened heart of Judas. And, when Jesus understood that Judas was set to betray Him and nothing could overturn his heart, Jesus prepared Himself for the way of the Cross and explained the meaning of the Cross and Resurrection – the meaning of love and life – through the breaking of the bread and the sharing of the wine.

What did the breaking of the bread and sharing the wine symbolize? To understand this, we need to understand the origin of the Feast of Passover (Exodus 12:21–23). Through the sacrifice of Jesus, the Lamb of God, the shadow of death passed over our sinful lives. His precious blood redeemed us from eternal death.

What should our attitudes be as we walk this path of faith? Every day, every moment, we should remember the symbolical act of breaking of the bread, the sacrifice of the Passover lamb, the sacrifice of Jesus for the redemption of our sins, and accepting Jesus in our hearts, live resembling the image of love and sacrifice of the Lord.

How sad Jesus must have been when He hoped that His disciples would understand the meaning of breaking of the bread and sharing the wine at the Last Supper but they failed to do so? Nonetheless, Jesus did not turn away from the path of the Cross. Like a true Son of the Living God, He walked the narrow and lonely path, misunderstood and scorned, embracing even death so that through His blood, His disciples, we, may be redeemed from the shadow of death.

Conclusion :–

Now we are passing through the Passion Week. During this time, let us all deeply meditate on the love and sacrifice Jesus has shown to each one of us. During this time, let us all reflect on how our sins nailed our Messiah to the Cross and yet, He forgave us all and prayed for us all so that we may know His Father and have fellowship with Him. Let us be the ones who can accept Jesus with the highest level of spirituality, taking everything of Jesus as our own – making His joy, our joy, making His sorrow, our sorrow, making His passion, our passion. Let us relive the life of Jesus, the passion of Jesus in every moment of our lives. Only when His life becomes ours, can we say that we have accepted Jesus in our lives.

As the disciples of Christ who are participating in the Last Supper, as the ones who are participating in the Holy Communion, let us be the ones who can truly share the passion of the Lord Who came to this world to turn the hearts of men back to Father God, Who came to this world, lowering Himself, making Himself nothing, humbling himself, becoming obedient to death – even death on a Cross – so that by His death, we may live.

As we approach Easter and celebrate the Resurrection of our Living Lord, let us also be the ones who can deeply meditate on the life of Jesus and His crucifixion, remembering His love towards us and His ultimate act of sacrifice for us, taking His last Words of admonition and love as our own, and walk this path of faith knowing that He is always with us "to the very end of the age." Amen.

"I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)

All verses taken from New International Version (NIV) Bible.