sheenawonders

Thinking About Holy Week

Sheena Chen -

This month, the blog post each week will explore a different aspect of the topic 'words'.

When I think about words, what comes to mind is how Jesus is often referred to as 'the Word'. This is what John 1 says about Jesus:

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.
14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

Jesus is the Word that became flesh. God's word and presence on Earth. I can think of no better way to celebrate Him than for us to reflect on his life in the lead-up to his death and resurrection.

I don't know if I was one of those kids who always asked 'why?' growing up, but that period certainly feels like it hasn't passed yet.

As I approached Good Friday this week, I realised there was a lot that I didn't know about the practices and observances of Christianity. I knew certain days were important, but I had never heard of 'Holy Week'.

Whenever I have a question that needs answering, my one-stop shop is Desiring God. They have an extensive catalogue of articles, sermons and books on different topics, so they almost always have something for everyone. One helpful resource that I found was a series of morning and evening meditations for each day of Holy Week.

Holy Week refers to the eight days from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday. It marks the final week of Jesus' life, from the day Jesus openly reveals he is the Messiah to his bloody crucifixion and resurrection.

While Holy Week isn't a mandatory observance for Christians, here are three reasons why people remember it each year.

It is an opportunity to slow down and remember.

Good Friday has caught me off guard too many times. The weeks leading up to it are always a rush to complete assignments and a time to finish off work before the long weekend. I would always wake up bleary-eyed on Good Friday for our morning service, and only then would I begin to reflect on the true meaning of Easter.

For many, Holy Week is an opportunity to slow down and remember. It is an opportunity to walk alongside Jesus in his final week on Earth. As I set time aside to read these meditations, I grew to understand Jesus' heart, how he felt in each moment and his love for those around Him. To some degree, it also filled me with dread and sorrow, knowing what was to come.

It is the climax of the Bible.

We've talked about how the Bible is one continuous story and how each part contributes to the bigger picture. The events in Holy Week - Jesus' entrance into Jerusalem, The Last Supper, his betrayal, crucifixion and his ultimate resurrection - are the climax of this story. They are an unexpected turn of events in the most important week of history.

Jesus, the Messiah, would be at the mercy of his enemies and tortured on a Roman cross. They would gloat at their victory, thinking they had defeated the King of Jews. They didn't realise that this was part of God's plan to save humanity from their sin and give them life. Not only that, but Jesus would not stay dead. He would rise from the dead three days later, victorious and in glory.

While the events in Holy Week may not have been what God's people had expected, they are the climax to the story that God has written for humanity. David Mathis says about this week's importance, 'Indeed, it could even be said that all the Old Testament anticipates this week, and the rest of the New Testament reflects it in theology and practical living.'

We see the extent of God's love for us.

I know how easy it is to question whether God truly loves us. We only have to look to the hardships of our lives or the brokenness and suffering in the world to do so. But when we truly appreciate and understand the sacrifice that Jesus has made for us on the cross, I hope we'll remember his love in those moments of doubt.

The meditations on Thursday or Maundy Thursday illustrate this very point. Jesus, whose very purpose was to save the world, shows us a moment of human weakness as he contemplates what is to come. Mark 14 tells us:

32 They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James and John along with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled. 34 “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death,” he said to them. “Stay here and keep watch.”
35 Going a little farther, he fell to the ground and prayed that if possible the hour might pass from him. 36 “Abba,[f] Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Take this cup from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”

Jesus, fully God and fully man, knows what is to come. The torture, judgement and most importantly, the separation from God. He pleads for another way, for God to change his mind. Yet, he knows it is God's will that this is how God will save the world. In his last line, Jesus prays these beautiful words 'Yet not what I will, but what you will.' Though he is deeply distressed and troubled, he submits himself to God's will and obeys, knowing that it is necessary for him to die so that we might be saved.

Every step that Jesus takes towards his crucifixion on Friday is an act of love. The humiliation, torture he bears and his nail-pierced hands are a reminder of how much he loves us and his willingness to sacrifice himself till death.

Though it may be too late to observe Holy Week this year, I hope these reflections will encourage you to take time this Easter to remember the love that God has shown us in Jesus' death and resurrection. And maybe you'll even consider joining me in observing Holy Week next year!

Let me leave you Romans 5:6-8 to ponder upon:

6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

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