passion week

how has your monday been? – some weeks it's tough getting started – looking ahead and knowing all that you have to get done the next 5 days – but you've never had a monday like the last one Jesus had!

yesterday was palm sunday – the beginning of what we call “passion week” – the last week of Jesus’ life on earth – the week His passion for us resulted in His death on the cross

did you ever think about what happened that monday? – what Jesus was thinking? – He knew what the week held for Him – He had been telling the disciples for weeks about it – it must have been hard – i mean knowing what He knew – so what did He choose to do on that last monday?

Jesus spent sunday night in bethany – about 1½ miles outside of jerusalem – He returned to jerusalem the next morning – He went to the temple and ran a lot of people out of it – they were selling animals for sacrificial purposes – and they were price-gouging the purchasers – right inside the temple! – just like when you go to a theme park – or a sports arena – they can charge you whatever they want because you have no other options

Jesus quotes isaiah 56:7 and jeremiah 7:11 – He reminds them the temple is a house of prayer – not a den of thieves

but something very interesting to me is when Jesus chose to do this – mark wrote that Jesus went into the temple on sunday – he surveyed everything – but since it was already late in the day He went on to bethany for the night

Jesus knew “thieves” were there on sunday – but He waited until monday – He also knew they were there before sunday – He had been to the temple before – many times – but He chose to wait until the last week of His life to challenge them – to refocus their attention on it being God’s house – to remind them it was a place of prayer

monday – a great day to refocus – passion monday – an even greater day – remember what Jesus said to you yesterday – in church – in your devotion – your prayer time – and respond – act accordingly

also think about what Jesus was doing this same week nearly 2,000 years ago – focus – remember – this week isn’t about our petty wants – or our wish lists – it is about our sin – about God who became man to pay for those sins – it is about our Savior – about His grace that forgives us – about His love for us – His passion

this is passion week – act accordingly