As I stated in my earlier post regarding the Passion Week, this week is the time of year, when we in the West, celebrate Christ's death and resurrection. That is the sole purpose of this week. It is not to hunt "Easter eggs" and wait for the "Easter bunny." These things have nothing to do with the reason for the season. Christ's death and resurrection, and the salvation of us all, is the reason for this season.
So what happened next, in the week? I left you with thoughts of Thursday. Let's continue from there. Many things happened on Thursday. One was the last supper, in which Jesus foretells of His betrayal. During the last supper, some of the disciples fought amongst themselves, as to who would be the greatest among them. Jesus explained to them that in order for them to be considered great in any capacity they had to be servants. (Remember, it was during this supper that Jesus washed the feet of each of the disciples, as a servant would. This was to remind us that we are to be servants to all, and not think highly of ourselves.) It was also during this supper that Jesus foretold of Simon Peter's disavowing of Jesus three times, but that when all was said and done, that he would be the strongest of the disciples in the faith. Lastly, during this supper, Jesus prays for His disciples, and certainly for all believers that came after them, that God would "not take them out of this world, but deliver them from evil." John 17:15
Later, we learn that Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemene and prays. As He prays, an angel of the Lord comes to strengthen Him. He is so distraught, that He sweats blood, and asks God that if it be possible, that the events that would shortly take place would not, but He says "Not my will but thine be done." To have such courage and conviction! To be able to say with such meaning, "Though I don't want it, I will take it"!!! I pray for such faith each day, that my desires are in line with God's and that if they aren't, I can still remain faithful to God's will in my life!
After Jesus finishes praying, and finds the three that were to be praying and keeping watch for Him, asleep for the third time, He tells them that the hour has come. He is completely at peace about it!!! He knows what is to come, and He knows it will be painful, and humiliating, but He does it anyway, nor does He fight it at all!!! Judas betrays Him to the Jewish leaders, for 30 pieces of silver. One whom He had trusted and loved as a member of His family! Can you imagine the heartache that would have caused in one of us??!!
Jesus then endures hours of kangaroo court trials, going back and forth between the leaders of the Jewish faith, Pontius Pilate, and Herod. The Jewish people even preferred the release of a murderer, above Him!! This a man whom Pilate could find no guilt in. Jesus is severely beaten, in the Roman method, with a whip that had pieces of bone and metal spikes on it. He was not only beaten the 39 times prescribed by Jewish law, but was beaten by a paid executioner, because any other man would have died from such a beating! After the beating, He is mocked by the centurion guards, and has a crown of thorns placed on His head. The same head that had been hit and spit upon! Oh how that must have hurt!! He is then required to carry His own cross to the place of the Skull, that is Golgotha. However, He is so drained of energy, and blood that He cannot do it on His own, and repeatedly falls down in agony, and lack of energy due to the loss of blood. He is not even allowed a drink of water from those that would give it to Him!
By this time, it is Friday morning, and Jesus is nailed to the cross between to thieves. A sign is placed above His head to mock Him, that said "Jesus King of the Jews". The crowd mocks Him, the soldiers gamble for His clothing, right at the base of the cross He was nailed to. He is given vinegar on a sponge to drink. This out of swollen bleeding lips!!! At about the sixth hour (which was probably about 12:00 in the afternoon) the sky turned dark as night!! It stayed that way for 3 hours!!! In the middle of the day!! At the end of those three hours, Jesus asks that God forgive those that hurt Him and mocked Him, because they knew not what they did. He asks for forgiveness for others at His moment of deepest agony!! To live that example!!!
Before the sunset, Jesus' followers and the women too, asked for Jesus body to be buried, so that it would not hang during Passover. Jesus was buried in the tomb of a wealthy merchant named Joseph of Arimathea. (Joseph, himself was a follower of Jesus, and he was the one that actually asked Pilate for the body of Jesus to be buried.) The stone was rolled into place, and guards placed outside, so that none could take the body. At dawn on Sunday, Mary went to the tomb, to anoint the body, as was the custom of the Jews, since there had not been time before His body was placed inside. When she got there, the tomb was open and empty!!! An angel of the Lord sat upon the rock and told her that Jesus was not there, but that He had risen, just as He said!! She was so confused, that she saw a man walking in the Garden, and thought he was the gardener. She asked him where he had taken the body, so that she could go and get it. Can you imagine her surprise and delight to find that it was not a gardener, but Jesus Himself alive again??!!
Because of what Jesus did for us, not only dying, but rising again, in the body, not just the Spirit, we are all granted the same, if we will but accept Him as our Savior and Lord of our lives. There are some that do not believe this story, and I will admit, to human logic, it seems rather far fetched. But what if it's true??? I for one, believe it, because I have faith that it is true. Even if I were to find out that it wasn't, I have lost nothing by believing. I have only gained everything, even if only in this world. As I said, I DO believe everything I read in my Bible, however I didn't always. I can attest to the changes my life has gone through, here on earth, so even if it's not true, I am thankful for what I believe happened. I urge anyone that questions what I have said (and I acknowledge that I did not give every detail) please read the book of John in the bible. If even half of what is written in that book is true, then I would imagine that many would want to evaluate where they stand.
Just think: What If???? Blessings to you all, this season! I pray blessings and peace to each and every one of you. I also pray that those that do not believe would open their hearts to the possibility that they will lose nothing, and gain everything, simply by accepting what He did.
There is no "MORE" to this post.
Photo courtesy of Tantegert
