This Sunday is Palm Sunday, the historical and traditional celebration of Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem the week He was executed by the Jews and the Romans. It represents the beginning of the historical and traditional celebration of Holy Week, a commemoration of the events that led to Jesus’ death and resurrection.
A celebration, you might ask? How can anyone celebrate someone’s death? Well, Christians celebrate Jesus’ death because, without it, there would be no forgiveness of sins. Jesus’ death was the atonement for all of mankind’s sins, from the first one of Adam and Eve to the ones we commit right now.
Holy Week gives us an opportunity to reflect on Jesus’ life and His death, a death that happened not because of the will of political leaders or because of some cruel twist of fate, but because God had ordained that the payment for sin was death and isolation from Him. In this week, we can dwell for a moment on the terrible consequence of sin and the beautiful salvation God wrought on our behalf.
Holy Week sets the stage for the greatest celebration of all, the resurrection of Jesus from the dead as the fulfillment of God’s promise to us. Through Jesus death, our debt of sin is paid for, and through Jesus’ resurrection that payment becomes our guarantee of eternity in Heaven. Jesus is the firstfruit of what we will become by grace through faith when we reach Heaven.
This week, this weblog will concentrate on the days of Holy Week, concentrating on the Biblical events of each day and their significance to us as modern believers. Through this focus, I pray that your heart, mind, and spirit will be reminded of the meaning and depth of your faith by concentrating fully on the sacrifice and promise that was made on your behalf.
