“Behold,
the Lamb of God,
who takes away the sin of the world!”
(John 1:29)
This week is Holy Week, the week leading up to Jesus’ death and resurrection. It’s a week to reflect on our need for a Saviour, the depth of our sin, and how God went about saving us - something He was at work doing from the beginning of time; through the whole of history, the Old Testament, He was looking ahead to Jesus, who came, just at the right time, to accomplish salvation for the world…
Holy Monday
Monday. On Palm Sunday, Jesus rode into Jerusalem, finally showing Jerusalem that He is King, the Saviour they long awaited. But over the course of the week, He would be their unexpected Saviour. Mark’s gospel tells us that Jesus rode into Jerusalem, and then went into the temple, looked around at everything there, and being late, he went back out to the village of Bethany, where he was staying, with his disciples (Mark 11:11).
Hailed as Saviour King on Sunday, Jesus proceeded to show His authority on Monday.
We read about that in Mark 11:12-19:
On the following day, when they came from Bethany, he was hungry. And seeing in the distance a fig tree in leaf, he went to see if he could find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. And he said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again.” And his disciples heard it.
And they came to Jerusalem. And he entered the temple and began to drive out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and he overturned the tables of the money-changers and the seats of those who sold pigeons. And he would not allow anyone to carry anything through the temple. And he was teaching them and saying to them, “Is it not written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer for all the nations’? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And the chief priests and the scribes heard it and were seeking a way to destroy him, for they feared him, because all the crowd was astonished at his teaching. And when evening came they went out of the city.
Pastor Russ Ramsey has an excellent meditation about this passage. Click here to read that.
Questions for Thought
-How did Jesus show his authority in cursing the fig tree and overturning the tables in the temple?
-What are the consequences for not bearing fruit as God’s people?
-How might Jesus be looking to overturn the idols in our hearts and cause us to love Him first?
Prayer
Lord Jesus,
We see You, our King, our Saviour. We see Your authority. Sovereign over the world, in control, even over a world in the throes of evil and the grip of a virus. May we see Your authority, and though sin may tug and pull at our hearts, causing us to want to go our own way, help us to see that Yours is the far better way, and help us to obey. Forgive us when we don’t. Turn our hearts back to You - every day.
Lord Jesus, help us to be Your fruitful people here in this place. Even as we are social-distancing, help us to display the fruits of knowing You, having Your Holy Spirit in us, having been brought to life by You. Cultivate our hearts, Lord, to show more of the Fruit of the Spirit, more of Your love.
Lord, may we love You first above all. Do the hard work in our hearts to root out the idols, the things that we may love or find more important than You. Topple them, make them lesser, as You increase in our hearts, so that we love You first above all. Forgive us for making other things more important than You. Come and rule our hearts and become our first love once again; return us back to You, day after day after day.
As You do so, help us to see the wonders of Your love, the peace that comes from being with You, even when other things seem attractive and dangers threaten.
Make us Yours,
We pray, in Your great name,
Amen.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain,
to receive power
and wealth
and wisdom
and might
and honour
and glory
and blessing!
(Revelation 5:12)
We continue to pray for the situation around COVID-19. Click here for specific ways to do so.