Holy Week Devotional – Page 3

Mourning into Joy | Holy Monday: Tough Love | Holy Week | Devotional Series | Part 3 of 10

Love is not always meek. My mother loves me a lot. I know this, not only because she is good to me. But because she scolds me, and corrects me when I need correcting. Christ demonstrated this bolder side of love, post His meek entrance into Jerusalem. He cursed a healthy-looking fig tree. And raged through the various vendors at the temple. Because the Israelites had lost the plot. They were more concern with being religious superficially, than knowing God authentically. Obedience is better than sacrifice. (1 Sam 15:22) If the Israelites really cared, they would have known what their patriarch David himself wrote: “you do not desire a sacrifice (oh! LORD), or I would offer one”. (Ps 51:16) But the whole pretext of littering the temple with various vendors was to facilitate the ease of offering sacrifices; as Israelites came from various different places – travelling long distances. From that perspective, what a reasonably noble thing those vendors were doing. But that’s not what YHWH desires. But beyond that, the superficial religiosity was keeping foreigners away from God. Jonathan Parnell wrote:

“The great sadness of this scene wasn’t so much the rows of product and price-gouging, but that all this left no room for the Gentiles and outcasts to come to God.” (Pg. 27)

This scene was sad, because according to Isaiah’s vision foreigners and outcasts were to gather with His people. (Isa 56:4-8) Do you understand now, why Christ did, what He did? He cleansed the temple – because He loved us. He corrected the Israelites because He loved them; and most importantly, He loved us – foreigners and outcast, who without Christ’s intervention would have remained outside of His covenant.

So – dear reader, do you understand, Christ’s bold move wasn’t a reaction against an unexpected sight – seeing corrupt money lenders in the temple. No. He is sovereign, and omniscient. He knew it already.

This was a lesson He wanted His disciples to learn, and for us to know. It is not a bloated religiosity that He wants. A fig tree no matter how healthy, without good fruits, is only destined for condemnation. What Christ wants – what YHWH wants is our hearts. And no one, absolutely no one can bear good fruits, until He is planted in the one who says:

“I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.” (Jn 15:5, ESV)

So dear readers, this is why Christ cleansed the temple. So that we could be gathered into Him; so that we could abide in Him, and bear good fruits. Let us take comfort in knowing that this same Christ, is willing to clean our hearts and make us a temple that glorifies His name. Because nothing, absolutely nothing can separate us from God’s love, that is manifested through Christ for us. (Rom 8:38-39) To God be the Glory.

Series Index: (1) Introduction: Why Observe the Holy Week (2) Palm Sunday: Sovereign Mercy

Pages: 12

Mourning into Joy | Palm Sunday: Sovereign Mercy | Holy Week | Devotional Series | Part 2 of 10

Nothing demonstrates the compassionate omniscience of Christ as the minutes detailing His entrance into Jerusalem. Knowing everything is one thing, but choosing to have compassion over it, is something altogether wonderful and strange. Christ being truly God knew what lie ahead as He walked into Jerusalem. He knew that He will be rejected. He knew that He was going to be crucified by the same people who were cheering for Him. Yet He welcome it all. He healed them. He taught them. He did everything despite knowing quite well that His actions and His words were falling on blind and deft ears. He knew that the people who came to Him, came merely because they want to be healed and to be free from the Roman rule. They did not want Christ, they only wanted to use Him. And that is a disappointment that even I can attest and relate. I have walked out of many situations, relationships, and social arrangements where I have felt that I was merely being used. And if I, with my own limited knowledge could feel utterly bad for not being wanted for who I am (but only for my benefit), I cannot even begin to imagine how a sovereign God must’ve felt. But Christ’s disappointment was far greater than mine, because His concern wasn’t limited to personal rejection. The Apostles say, Christ wept over Jerusalem because they had rejected salvation itself. (Matt 23:37-39, Luke 19:41-44) Most of us would walk away, as I mentioned. But Christ, a Sovereign God – on whose will the world functions, neither abandoned nor annihilate those people – yet chose to have compassion. And that is quite a contradicting quality, but the beauty of Christ is that – He unites this all-powerful control with great compassion and mercy.

This Palm Sunday, I wish to focus on that – mercy, or more precisely – Sovereign Mercy. Because I don’t know about you dear reader, but I seem to need more and more. I don’t want to focus on what Christ can do for me. I want to focus on what He has done. Because I have always been selfish. I am no better than the people of Jerusalem who rejected Him. I have only come to Him when my health fails, or when my career is waning. I am quick to forget about the price He paid to satisfy the wrath of God – so that we can enjoy His mercy. I am quick to forget that He chose to die despite knowing well we would reject Him and continue to live in ways that dishonors Him. But my dear readers, if He can walk into Jerusalem. He can walk into our lives too. If He can make stones shout out His praises. (Lk 19:40) He can surely turn our stone-cold hearts into God-honoring flesh. (Eze 36:26, Heb 8:10) So, let us focus on His mercy this Sunday. And let us not forget how privilege we are, that we are protected in His love, compassion, and mercy. To God be the Glory.

Wishing you and your family, a very blessed Palm Sunday. Hopefully, you’ll be back tomorrow. And we’ll meet again. Until then, Shalom!

Series Index: (1) Introduction: Why Observe the Holy Week

Pages: 12

Mourning into Joy | Introduction: Why Observe the Holy Week | Holy Week | Devotional Series | Part 1 of 10

Observing the Holy Week has always been a polarizing ritual for me. Because, I’ve always felt it to be a virtue-signing act. Perhaps that is my own inner crookedness, that I cannot accept that anyone could even observe this ritual genuinely. Secondly, and this used to be my go-to excuse – (that) the scriptures never made it mandatory. But as I grow older, and as I learn to spend more time meditating in the scriptures – I find that it is not I but Christ that leads me into discipline and obedience towards holiness. (Matt 19:26) In other words, it is not by our strength, but by the virtue of God’s grace that we can genuinely observe the Holy Week to its full effect.

Though it is also true that the scripture does not make it an obligation to observe the Holy Week, but it sure does – undeniably builds us up towards it. The Old Testaments swells up to this point. This is the week, when the promise of salvation was about to be materialized. The Devil was to use all its might, the saints were to see the last of the trying times as sinners-unrepentant, and Christ – God, Christ was to lead us through this darkness – like YHWH led the Israelites through the parted Red Sea. The Holy Week, this ordinary week, may not mean much to the world, but for the believer it is nothing less than historic. Apparently, that’s why, all the four Apostles dedicated a major part of the Gospel to this week (alone). Because it was during the course of this week – that Christ changed our fate. He suffered everything we were meant to suffer. And showed us what obedience and perseverance meant. He took the wrath of God for us, and showed us – it is He – who was to come – and paid the full payment of our sins. And most importantly, it was during this week – He demonstrated the Father’s love for us – and bought us the prerequisite holiness to be united with God.

But beyond these reasons – that are grounded in the Biblical past, there is one that I find absolutely convincing. The reason why we should observe the Holy Week is because this is a wonderful opportunity for us to walk with Ekklesia – the body of Christ. David Mathis explains this better. He writes,

“Marking Holy Week is not an obligation, but it is an opportunity. It is a chance to walk with the church, throughout time and through the world, as she walks with her Bridegroom through the most important week in the history of the world. It is a chance to focus our minds on, and seek to intensify our affections for, the most important and timeless realities.” (Pg. 1)

How wonderful that is. I hope dear reader, that you’ll join me in relishing this wonderful opportunity – in walking with Christ and His Church, this Holy Week. Blessed Greetings.

NOTE: Daily Devotions will start from Palm Sunday i.e. 5th April ’20, 9 AM (IST). And end on Easter Sunday i.e. 12th April ’20. You can also subscribe the blog via email to receive the devotionals directly in your inbox.

Pages: 12