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the last week.

While most people spend this week - Holy Week - looking at the events that unfold around Jesus, I want us to see Holy Week as an invitation.


"To what," you ask?


This week is an invitation to journey alongside Jesus as His Holiness is made ours, and in doing so, His acts of worship inform ours.


This final week of Jesus' life has the power to bring us to our knees, posturing our hearts like the heart of Jesus.

Holy Week is not just about physical events - it's about a spiritual reality we are called to drink freely from everyday.

This week is a precious gift tied with celebration and sorrow and wrapped in love for you.


This week is about worship.


O Lord, I will honor and praise Your Name, for You are my God. You do such wonderful things! You planned them long ago, and now You have accomplished them.


Passover

The story of Jesus' last week is intimately rooted in a miracle that took place in the 13th century B.C.


"I will pass through the land of Egypt on that night and strike every firstborn male in the land of Egypt, both people and animals. I am the Lord; I will execute judgements against all the gods of Egypt. The blood on the houses where you are staying will be a distinguishing mark for you; when I see the blood, I will pass over you. No plague will be among you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt.


This day is to be a memorial for you, and you must celebrate it as a festival to the Lord. You are to celebrate it throughout your generations as a permanent statute."


This festival in remembrance of that day, known as "Passover," is what brought Jesus and His disciples to Jerusalem in 33 A.D. They came to observe Passover and celebrate the Feast of Unleavened Bread.


Jesus knew, though, that this was not the only reason He was to be in Jerusalem...


"See, we are going up to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn Him to death. Then they will hand Him over to the Gentiles, and they will mock Him, spit on Him, flog Him, and kill Him, and He will rise after three days."


Jesus knew what awaited Him, and yet, He went willingly. This is part of what worship looks like.


Send a ransom, a perfect Son
Remedy the curse by His precious blood
And the Lamb that will come,
His Cross will be our doorway
And the red of His blood will make us white.

Caroline Cobb - The Passover Song

The Hebrew and Greek words for "worship" describe the actual act of worship - kneeling, bowing, lying prostrate, bringing oneself low. Our English word defines the reason we do these - to acknowledge our Lord and Maker's glory and authority.


One primary way we do both of these - acknowledge God's authority and bow down - is through our obedience to Him.


Palm Sunday

In [roughly] 520 B.C., the prophet Zechariah spoke:


"Rejoice, O people of Zion!

Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem!

Look, your king is coming to you.

He is righteous and victorious,

yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—

riding on a donkey’s colt."


553 years later, in A.D. 33, Jesus entered Jerusalem exactly as God ordained so long ago.


They brought the donkey and the colt; then they laid their clothes on them, and He sat on them. A very large crowd spread their clothes on the road; others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. Then the crowds who went ahead of Him and those who followed shouted:

Hosanna to the Son of David!

Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!


The Jewish people thought Jesus was there to rescue them from the oppressive Roman rule and restore them to prosperity and greatness.


Monday

Jesus and His disciples walked back into Jerusalem and along the way, Jesus cursed a fig tree. He was making a comment about the heart that worships.

Genuine faith is more than outward religiosity - true and living faith must bear spiritual faith.

Let the word of Christ dwell richly among you, in all wisdom teaching and admonishing one another through psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him.

And then, without hesitation, Jesus walks into the Temple, into the midst of religious teachers, theology experts, and righteous adherers of the Word and destroys their systems, traditions, and regulations.

When Jesus overturned those tables, He upended a dead religion.

His love for us no longer accepted withered rituals as relationship, and He would no longer tolerate legalistic self-righteous men dictating His covenant.


The fruit of a dead religion is not worship, but rather a hinderance of the presence and and revelation of God.


The Jewish believers could not worship without haggling, purchasing, grumbling, and negotiating. The Gentile believers had no place to worship and pray in the Temple.


Jesus' primary issue was not the greed nor the theft of the money-changers.

No, He was angry that they were preventing people from coming to Him.


Come, everyone who is thirsty, come to the water; and you without silver, come, buy, and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without silver and without cost! Pay attention and come to me; Listen, so that you will live.

Come, everyone who is thirsty.


And perhaps that is the truest definition of worship we can find: being with Jesus. After all, in the Garden, this was how humanity existed in perfection - with God.


Tuesday

Jesus began teaching the crowds for the final time, and this, too, is an act of worship.

The Greek root is "aletheia" meaning "that which is done in truth."


Jesus told [Philip], "I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No one comes to the Father except through Me."


And Jesus does not hide the Truth. He does not hide Himself from us.


"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be with you forever. He is the Spirit of Truth...you do know Him because He remains with you and will be in you."

Jesus is Truth - He defines the standard for it, the parameters of it, and the meaning within it. Truth is an act of worship.

Even as Judas Iscariot negotiated with the religious authorities seeking His death, Jesus pursued Truth over all else. He oriented His time and talents and energy to pursue that which His Father pursued and embodied - Truth.


Wednesday

The Bible is quiet about Wednesday. Scholars speculate Jesus remained in Bethany to prepare for Passover.


I believer this pause in the narrative is intentional...


Rest is a form of worship.


On the seventh day, God had completed His work that He had done, and He rested...God blessed the seventh day and declared it holy, for on it He rested from all His work of creation.


In Hebrew, this word is "sabat," a primitive of "Sabbath." It means "to cease, put an end to labor, put away, desist from exertion, be still." In one usage, it also means "celebrate."


In Exodus, rest is connected to being refreshed. The Hebrew translates literally as "take breath" or "be breathed upon." This is the same word that describes how God gave Adam life in Genesis 2.7.


How fitting for Jesus to begin the end of His life with this intentional and purposeful practice of worship...

Thursday

In the same way that Jesus subverted the practice of animal sacrifice on Monday, He did the same with the Passover Feast on Thursday, only instead of throwing it out altogether, He re-wrote it, giving it new meaning and re-establishing it under the New Covenant.


As they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take and eat it; this is my body." Then He took a cup, and after giving thanks, He gave it to them and said, "Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins."


Communion. A physical reminder of a spiritual reality. Layered deeply with many emotions, this profound expression of reverence postures our hearts to worship.


The Greek word for "praise" is "aines," and it literally translates to "sing in honor of God; a story of praise." Communion is a heart song rooted in repentance and sorrow, bridged with acceptance of His forgiveness and our unworthiness, and chorusing together remembrance of what He's done for us.


Lord, we remember You. And remembrance leads us to worship. And as we worship You Our worship leads to communion. We respond to Your invitation. We remember You.


Gethsemane has become synonymous with anxiety, oppression, depression, anguish, and dread for modern Christians. The phrase "a personal Gethsemane" is commonplace.

In reality, it was just an olive grove where Jesus prayed, worshipped, and met with His Father.


He began to be deeply distressed and troubled. He fell to the ground, and prayed, Abba, Father! All things are possible for You. Take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will."


Three times, Jesus prayed this.


Then an angel from Heaven appeared to Him, strengthening Him. Being in anguish, He prayed more fervently, and His sweat became like drops of blood falling to the ground.


Part of being made in the image of God is our capacity to feel, deeply experiencing our emotions. While our responses and expressions of emotion are individual and varied, they all still fall into one of two categories - Godly or ungodly.

When we allow our emotions to turn our hearts and gaze towards God, we engage in a form of worship Jesus modeled for us in the Garden of Gethsemane - suffering and worship occurring together.

I called to the Lord in distress; the Lord answered me with freedom. The Lord is for me; I will not be afraid. What can a mere mortal do to me? The Lord is my Helper; therefore, I will look in triumph on those who hate me. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in humanity. It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in nobles.


Betrayed by a friend, taken before the high priest, and abandoned by a close confident, Jesus did not sleep.


Friday

By 9 A.M., Jesus had been falsely accused, condemned, mocked, beaten, forsaken, stood trial unlawfully six times, and sentenced to death by cruxifiction.


Pilate asked them again, "Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?"


Again they shouted, "Crucify Him!"


Pilate said to them, "Why? What has He done wrong?"


But they shouted all the more, "Crucify Him!"


Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas [a murderer] to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed Him over to be crucified.


The word for "worship" in Isaiah 10.4 is rooted in the Hebrew "kara'" to mean "bring low." Written during a period in Israel's history where they wanted to be independent of God, refusing to rely on Him, this word is the kind of worship that occurs when God has withdrawn His protection.


It's a bowing down in humiliation. It's a worship born out of suffering we have brought upon ourselves. It's the posture we take when we are brought low before our enemies. There is not a greater picture of this than Jesus Christ dying in the most horrible and humiliating way possible between two criminals while being ridiculed, spat upon, and taunted.

The difference is Jesus did not bring this upon Himself - we did.


The King, He was mocked and He was scorned
As they set into His head a crown of thorns.
Betrayed by the ones who did not know
That every stripe upon His skin would make them whole.

Love has a name, Love has a face. His wild eyes like fire blaze
Love hung for me, torn on a tree. By this love I am redeemed.

Eliza King - How Deep

At 3 P.M., just as the Temple Lambs were being slaughtered, Jesus took His final breath, crying out:


"'Eloi, Eloi, lemá sabachtháni?' which is translated, 'My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?'”


Immediately, the veil in the Temple tore in half. An earthquake shook the ground, splitting rocks, and the darkness receded.


Jesus was dead.


Two secret followers of Jesus and members of the Sadducees, Nicodemus and Joseph, took the body of Jesus, wrapped it, and placed it in Joseph's brand new tomb. The Jewish Sabbath was about to fall, and all returned home to observe it.


Saturday

When the Sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James), and Salome went to the tomb with spices to anoint the body of Jesus.


Meanwhile, the chief priests and Pharisees went before Pilate, saying:


"Sir, we remember that while this deceiver was still alive he said, 'After three days I will rise again.' So give orders that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come, steal Him, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception will be worse than the first."


"Take the guards," Pilate told them. "Go and make it as secure as you know how." They went and secured the tomb by setting a seal on the stone and placing the guards.


Sixteen Roman guards stood watch as the followers of Jesus mourned, the disciples of Jesus hid, and very few waited with bated breath for God and Jesus to keep His promises.


Note: The Roman guard stood watch for almost the entire time Jesus was dead. The timing gets confusing because the Jewish days are different than the Gregorian days, and the Biblical accounts use both based on who wrote it.


All the nations surrounded me; in the name of the Lord I destroyed them.


They pushed me hard to make me fall, but the Lord helped me.

The Lord is my strength and my song; He has become my salvation.


I will not die, but I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done.

The Lord disciplined me severely but did not give me over to death.


The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.

This came from the Lord; it is wondrous in our sight.

This is the day the Lord has made; let's rejoice and be glad in it.


Sunday

True worship flows from a heart that follows and obeys Jesus. As He makes His risen Self known, we see Jesus ask this of those He encounters.


The angel told the women, "Don't be afraid, because I know you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here. For He has risen, just as He said. Come and see the place where He lay. Then go quickly and tell His disciples, 'He has risen from the dead and indeed He is going ahead of you to Galilee; you will see Him there.' Listen, I have told you."


So, departing quickly from the tomb with fear and great joy, they ran to tell His disciples the news. Just then Jesus met them and said. "Greetings!" They came up, took hold of His feet, and worshiped Him. Then Jesus told them, "Do not be afraid. Go and tell My brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see Me there."

Matthew 28.5-10, emphasis mine


The Eleven [disciples] obeyed and followed Jesus to Galilee. and like the women, when they saw Him, they worshipped.


Five times, Jesus appeared and five times, those who saw Him were moved to worship.


Hallelujah!

Praise God in His sanctuary.

Praise Him in His mighty expanse.

Praise Him for His powerful acts; Praise Him for His abundant greatness.

Let everything that breathes praise the Lord.

Hallelujah!


Follow. Obey. See Him. Experience His presence. Worship.


Over and over again, Jesus modeled this sequence and as He appeared post-Resurrection, His followers engaged in this same series.


Follow. Obey. See Him. Experience His presence. Worship. It is a progression we are called to this very moment.

In our complex and layered emotion, in our celebration and in our sorrow, worship is the posture of love.


I hear many Christians say that Holy Week is "a week of suffering bookended by worship," and I think that's wrong.

It's a week of worship-saturated suffering.

Christ worshipped in His hurt and suffering and sorrow, and so should we.


Even though the fig trees are destroyed, and there is neither blossom left nor fruit;

Though the olive crops all fail, and the fields lie barren;

Even if the flocks die in the fields and the cattle barns are empty,

I will rejoice in the Lord; I will be joyful in the God of my Salvation!

The Sovereign Lord is my strength! He will bring me safely over the mountains.

Habakkuk 3.17-19, TLB and NLT translation combined by me


Jesus submerged His circumstances and drowned His emotions in worship to the Father He served in each and every part of His final week. This was the pattern of His days, and we see this characterizing His life.


Worship is not just singing "Before the Throne" with your hands raised, the electric guitar blaring, and the praise team tapping their feet. It can be, but that is not all it is.


The truest and purest form of worship comes when we surrender everything at His feet, bowed low in reverence and pleading. The loveliest form of worship comes from the soul that can only offer tears.

The worship God delights in the most is not something we do, but rather how we live. Worship is what we were designed and created to do.

In each moment of each of your days, there is opportunity to worship Him, revel in His glory, run to His feet, and reveal His magnificence to others.


I bless the holy name of God with all my heart. Yes, I will bless the Lord and not forget the glorious things He does for me. He forgives all my sins. He heals me. He ransoms me from hell. He surround me with loving-kindness and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things!


Spend the remainder of Holy Week how Jesus spent this week - worshipping in all circumstances, despite all things, intentionally sitting with the One who loves you 🖤

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