The Heart of Holy Week

The heart of Holy Week centers on the person of Jesus Christ, more specifically His passion, death and resurrection, which is the core of the Christian faith. It began with Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. The people of Jerusalem welcomed Him by laying palm branches at His feet for they were excited to hail Him as a king.

The excitement of his event would quickly change by Thursday night when Jesus would meet with His disciples and participate with them in the Passover meal. It is here that Jesus institutes the Lord’s Supper by reinterpreting elements of the meal. The bread and wine were used to point to his impending death by referring to His body that would soon be broken and His blood that would be shed. By 9 AM on Friday morning, Jesus would be hanging on the cross in agony as He struggled over the next six hours to breathe. It was then that Jesus cried out, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit,” and died.

While Jesus’s death was similar to all other deaths, namely the ending of a person’s life, his death is also vastly different from any other death in all of human history. Jesus’ death had several monumental outcomes. First, Jesus bore our sins in His body thereby paying the price for our sin, which is death. Second, the curse of sin and death was conquered. Third, by dying as our substitute, Jesus absorbed the wrath of God for our sins. Fourth, Satan was defeated. Fifth, Jesus ushered in the New Covenant that would no longer depend on animal sacrifice. Many more things can be listed here. However, there is one thing that still remains.

At some point early on Sunday morning, Jesus was resurrected from the dead. This is the pinnacle of Holy Week. This is what we refer to as Easter Sunday, or more appropriately, Resurrection Sunday. This is the most important day because it reminds us of the victory of life over death, and the hope of salvation for all who repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Through His death and resurrection, Jesus became the one and only mediator. 1 Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God, and there is one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, Who gave Himself as a ransom for all, which is the testimony given at the proper time.” This is why Jesus is the heart of Holy Week.

So as you prepare for Resurrection Sunday, consider the many things that occurred during Holy Week. Above all, be thankful for Jesus Christ!

“O death, where is your victory? O death, where is your sting? The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. 1 Corinthians 15:55-57

Consider listening to the song “His Heart Beats” as you prepare for Church on Resurrection Sunday morning.