When attending a parade, people look for the float carrying the celebrated guest of honor, such as the mayor. No doubt they are riding the most expensive means of transportation available. Israel had heard that Jesus was coming; they called Him the King of Israel. Yet His transportation was not an elaborate ride…arriving on a donkey? Some of those who witnessed Jesus arrive in Jerusalem on Palm Sunday soon decided to reject Him as King because He was not the kind of king they were looking for.

The crowd initially welcomed Jesus as a political deliverer – one who would throw off the shackles of Rome! For thousands of years, the Jewish people had been looking for a Messiah. They were expecting a great military leader, one who would overthrow all of their enemies and restore Israel to its former greatness and glory.

What they did not expect was that their King would appear as the son of a carpenter. That when He appeared, He would not possess any weapons, army or political power. And they certainly never expected that He would end up crucified as a common criminal. This, however, was God’s eternal plan. That this King would not carry a sword, but a cross.

Reflection Question

• What kind of king is Jesus to you?

Once again, Jesus flipped the script on His disciples. They had gathered together for a meal with their teacher, their master, their Lord, and He grabbed a water basin and towel and began washing their feet. It’s interesting that our idea of a leader has not changed in over 2,000 years, isn’t it?

Still today, in most cases, we view leadership as those who are elevated in position over us, who typically tell us what to do or how to live our lives. We have an expectation that we are to serve our leaders. But Jesus modeled servant leadership. No matter what our station in life, we are called to serve one another…and not just serve, but humbly serve. Jesus didn’t just pass out food to the disciples…no, He got down on His knees and washed the dirt off their feet. A selfless act.

On the other side, Peter displayed a response that many of us can relate to. Sometimes it’s hard to be on the receiving end of a selfless act of service. We feel undeserving or unworthy. Yet Jesus made it clear that no one is greater or less than another. In this simple act of servanthood, He united us!

Reflection Question

• Can you think of a time when you “lowered yourself” to serve someone else?

These verses tell us about the last supper between Jesus and His disciples. It gives us perspective of Jesus’ love and sacrifice for us! In the passage, Jesus asked Peter and John to make preparations for the upcoming meal. When they asked questions, Jesus gave them a detailed response, thus revealing His knowledge of the room and His control over this important meal. His knowledge and control alluded to the future…Jesus knew what was going to happen and was still in complete control.

As the passage continues, Jesus took the elements of bread and wine and described them as His body and His blood – which soon would be broken and poured out for all the world. Once again, Jesus foreshadowed what was to come. Understanding the last supper helps us know how much we are loved and the great lengths Jesus would go for you and me to live with Him.

Taking part in communion should not be contained just to a church setting, but rather be brought into our daily lives as a practice. I encourage you to take a moment to pause and reflect on what Jesus has done for you.

Reflection Question

• This week, how can you live in remembrance?

In these verses, we get to listen in on Jesus having a time of deep personal prayer. Jesus is merely a few hours away from being arrested in the garden, His mockery of a trial and then His crucifixion. In this prayer, Jesus allows us to hear His heart and His amazing love for us, as well as the intense importance He places upon the mission (the reason He was sent to us), just moments before the most difficult part of His earthly mission would occur.

As another act of great love – and in full knowledge of what was about to take place – rather than praying for Himself, Jesus placed the focus of His prayer upon the glory of God, the welfare of His disciples and all those (us!) who would believe in Him through God’s Word.

When we join Jesus in His mission of sharing the Word to those around us, we truly exhibit the unfailing love of Christ. The unity that God desires for us will come by submitting to the truth found in His Word, as well as loving each other with the very love that God has for us.

Action Point

• Will you join us in praying that those around us will experience Jesus’ unfailing love?

In this passage, we read about Judas’ crucial, final act of betrayal of Jesus. He brings soldiers to the garden where the disciples are sleeping and Jesus is praying.

If you’re reading this, I believe you have a desire to avoid offending God, hurting the heart of Jesus or stumbling in your walk with Him. While I see several influences in Judas’ life that ultimately led to him betraying Jesus – such as the religious leaders – I want to focus on the one that’s common to all of us. Like Judas, we are ultimately responsible for our own deeds.

Judas’ greed influenced him, and we can see in other places in the Bible that this was an issue for him. Is it for you? For me, I’m quick to answer “of course not!” But, if I have not fully surrendered my resources to Jesus, I’m risking my relationship with Him. Maybe for you, greed is not the problem, but rather another area you’ve tried to hide. Jesus wants us to be honest about those areas so He can gently restore us and destroy the enemy’s plan for our betrayal!

Reflection Question

• Can you identify any shred of betrayal in yourself?

The crucifixion and death of Jesus is never really considered an exciting or joyous event… We think of that day as grueling…filled with intense pain and suffering. Jesus took upon Himself the sins of the world! This historic act had to happen for the resurrection to be possible, but no one has ever referred to the day of Jesus’ death in a celebratory way.

There is one moment, however, that was exciting, and it is recorded in today’s passages. Ironically, these darkest moments of our Savior’s life held within them the most hope-filled news for us. It was when Jesus was about to breathe His final breath that He spoke these three words, “It is finished.” The sacrifice of the Lamb of God was complete, and the new covenant was established. This final act of Jesus’ crucifixion had opened the door for hope! It opened the door for us to experience the peace and power of God’s presence.

He did this for us so we could be forgiven and free, have the hope of eternal life and experience the presence of an almighty God. If we fail to walk through that veil into God’s presence, we are missing a big piece of why Jesus sacrificed everything for us.

Reflection Question

• Are you pushing past that veil and experiencing the full impact of Jesus’ sacrifice? If not, will you push past the distractions to spend time in His presence?

When Joseph went to Pilate for permission to get Jesus’ body, Pilate couldn’t believe that He was already dead. It was not unusual for criminals to hang for days on a cross before they died and, in some cases, they died of starvation rather than their wounds. Today’s verses contain several powerful truths.

First, Jesus died quicker than most facing crucifixion. His brutal beatings were something that most who were crucified did not endure, and the scourging took an incredibly heavy physical toll on His body. Also, Jesus was clearly and legally confirmed dead by those experienced with torture and death, so there was no doubt that He died. Finally, Joseph could not remain a “secret” follower of Jesus and be allowed to pick up His body – Joseph had to request the body from Pilate.

Joseph’s bold action is just one of many examples that show how Jesus' death summoned something deep within people that moved them to honor Him. Joseph stepped out of his routine, did something remarkable and took a risk for Jesus. And it was so worth it!

Reflection Question

• Is God wanting you to take a risk for Him, such as sharing your faith, rearranging your financial priorities to bless others or asking someone for forgiveness?

This is what it’s all about! The most incredible promise Jesus had made to Mary and to His disciples came true… Jesus is alive!

I wonder what the women expected as they travelled to the tomb that day. I’m not sure they had total faith that they would be speaking to a cloth-folding angel. The few words of the angel to Jesus’ mother, Mary, and to the other Mary were simple and direct, “Don’t be afraid.” Because Jesus is alive, we don’t have to be fearful anymore. He has conquered death, hell and the grave – so there’s nothing for us to be afraid of!

Once the angel had proven to them what Jesus had done, the angel commanded them to go and tell the others and meet the Lord in Galilee. This progression is one we should emulate. We see that Jesus is the risen Savior, we put aside our fear and doubt, we share with others this good news and, together, we worship Him. This Easter…TODAY…let’s commit to doing just that! After all, this is what Easter is all about!

Action Point

• Who will you tell about Jesus today?