The Bible tells us that Jesus had many friends. They liked to be with Him, and He taught them many things. Yet, the time came for Him to suffer and die to pay for the sins of the whole world…this is called His “Passion.” That’s what Holy Week (between Palm Sunday and Easter) is all about.
On Sunday of Holy Week Jesus entered Jerusalem. Like all of the other Jews, Jesus had come to Jerusalem with His disciples to celebrate feasts for the Passover—the Jewish holiday that commemorates the exodus of the Jews from slavery in Egypt.
Crowds of people laid down their cloaks to make a road for Jesus. This was an ancient expression of honor and submission. They also cut branches from palm trees and spread them before Him. Jesus rode on a donkey as He solemnly entered the city. Traditionally, entering the city on a donkey symbolized arrival in peace, rather than as a war-waging king arriving on a horse. The people shouted, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest heaven!” (Matthew 21:9b NIV).
Then Jesus went to the Temple. When He got there, He became angry when He saw people at tables selling animals for use in the temple and exchanging money. Jesus reminded them that “The Scriptures declare, ‘My Temple will be called a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a den of thieves!” (Matthew 21:13 NLT ).
The next few days Jesus continued to teach both His friends and the crowds who came to listen. He spoke against the wrongs people did. Many of the religious leaders didn’t like what Jesus said, as they felt He was talking about them. They decided to find a way to kill Him.
Jesus knew He would soon die, so on Thursday evening He shared a special meal with His friends. Christians call this meal The Lord’s Supper. The Bible records what occurred during the meal… “As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.” And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.” (Matthew 26:26-28 NLT).
Then Jesus went with His friends and followers to the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked His disciples to pray and stay awake as He prayed to God the Father. He asked the Father if there was any other way to save sinners besides His dying sacrifice on the cross. Yet, Jesus ended His prayer with, “... let Your will be done rather than Mine.” (Matthew 26:39).
He prayed this prayer three times. After each time He went back to see His friends, but they had fallen asleep! When He came back the third time, He woke them up and said, “Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners.” (Matthew 26:45B NASB)
It was then that Judas, one of Jesus’ followers who betrayed Him, arrived with a crowd and Temple guards of the Sanhedrin (the Jewish court system). Judas came up to Jesus and kissed Him on the cheek. This was a sign to tell the guards who they were to arrest. As they arrested Jesus, all of His followers ran away in fear. Jesus was taken to stand trial held by the Jewish religious leaders. People who testified told lies about Him. They finally said He should die because He claimed to be “the Messiah, the Son of God”. And the high priest said to Him, “I place You under oath by the living God, to tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” (Matthew 26:63-65 NASB)
The next day Jesus was taken to appear before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. They told Pilate that Jesus should die. Pilate reluctantly agreed to appease the crowds. After the soldiers flogged, ridiculed, and mocked Jesus, they led Him to Golgotha, the hill of execution located outside the city walls of Jerusalem. That’s where Jesus was crucified.
They hung Jesus on the cross with nails pounded through His hands and feet. A criminal hung on a cross on each side of Him. Jesus suffered terribly for over three hours on the cross. Many people made fun of Him. Finally Jesus cried out, “It is finished!” You might think that meant He was about to die. But it meant more than that. It meant that right then Jesus had paid off the debt of all our sin. That’s why He had to die on the cross—to pay for all our sins. You see, we are responsible for His death. Jesus allowed Himself to be captured, tried, and crucified so He could suffer the punishment that should be ours.
They took Jesus down from the cross. Two of Jesus’ friends took Him to a tomb provided by Joseph of Arimathea. They buried Him there. His friends were very sad…they didn’t know what was going to happen next!
Early on Easter Sunday morning some of the women who were Jesus’ friends went to the tomb. Since He had died late the previous Friday afternoon, they hadn’t finished all the burial preparations. They had to wait until after the Jewish Sabbath (our Saturday) to complete them according to their customs. When the women got to the tomb, they saw that the Roman soldiers that Pilate had ordered to guard the tomb were gone. Even the big stone covering the tomb’s entrance had been moved!
Then the women saw an angel who told them the good news: “Do not be afraid; for I know that you are looking for Jesus who has been crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, just as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying. And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has risen from the dead; and behold, He is going ahead of you to Galilee. There you will see Him; behold, I have told you.” (Matthew 28:5-7 NASB)
Jesus’ friends didn’t believe the women at first. Yet that same day Jesus appeared to some of them. Then they, too, came to believe the best news ever: Jesus is alive!
That’s why Easter is so important. Because Jesus died for each of us, arose from the grave and is alive—we know that all our sins are forgiven. That means we can live with God now and forever. What great news!
That’s the story of Holy Week.
You can read the whole story in four different places in the Bible.
Matthew 21:1–28:20 Luke 19:28–24:53
Mark 11:1–16:8 John 12:12–21:25
It’s a true story that shows you that Jesus loves you! He died for you! He wants you to believe in Him as your Lord and Savior so you can live with Him forever in heaven!
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