Monday, March 30, 2026

             Palm Sunday is a significant day in the life of Christians.  This day is the beginning of Holy Week—a walk through the last days of Jesus’ life before the cross on Good Friday.  Of course, Good Friday is preceded by Maundy Thursday.  The names of these three days are important and teach us some important truths about these days.  The names of these can be faith-building opportunities in us.  For example, Palm Sunday reminds us that many people in the crowd that welcomed Jesus to Jerusalem placed branches on the road upon which Jesus traveled.  These branches were a way of honoring Jesus.  This practice was often performed to honor dignitaries or royalty as they entered a city.  The crowd that lined the street into Jerusalem wisely and properly honored Jesus as King.  Christ is the King of kings.  Their actions teach us today the importance of declaring Christ as our King—today and always. 
            Jesus is the only one worthy to sit on the throne of the universe and the only one who should sit upon the throne of your heart or mine.  Reading the story of Jesus’ Palm Sunday entrance into Jerusalem should cause us to examine our hearts to see if the throne belongs to Christ or something lesser than him.  We can easily enthrone our feelings, opinions, ideas and biases while thinking we have put Christ on the throne.  It can be easy to confuse our thoughts and ways with His.  But His thoughts and ways are not yours or mine by nature.  Coming to Christ, when we are drawn by the Holy Spirit, means we are trading our ways for His.
            Maundy Thursday reminds us of a great mandate or dictum.  We are commanded or mandated by Christ to remember the cross and His death.  We often use the Lord’s Supper as a way to do this.  The bread and cup remind us of Jesus’ body and blood—broken and shed for us.  In addition, we remember the cross when we read the Bible or pray.  Worship takes us to the cross to remember the tremendous price that was paid for our salvation. Maundy Thursday also shows us that we need a Savior to die for us and to give us His righteousness.  Apart from this gracious gift, we are hopelessly lost and dead in our sins.
            Good Friday may seem like a misnomer given what happened on that day.  Let’s be clear and honest, WE are responsible for the death of Jesus.  Our sins led to His cross.  We can blame the Romans or the religious leaders of Israel but the suspects most responsible for Jesus’ death on the cross are the people we see in the mirror—YOU and ME.  That’s had to believe and accept.  It hurts.  But the good we received on that Friday came from Jesus doing everything He needed to do to save us and set us right with the Father.  Jesus died the death we should have died and paid a debt we should have paid.  We received forgiveness and new life and a new heart while He gave His life on the cross.  It is GOOD that Jesus did this for us. 
            As you work your way through the days of Holy Week, let the names themselves remind you of what they mean and the blessings we receive from these days.  Isaiah the prophet wrote hundreds of years before Jesus died, “Surely, he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.  But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.  We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:4-6).  May the Lord give us eyes to see, ears to hear and hearts to receive what He has done.  Have a good Monday!