EASTER SUNDAY

Journey to the Cross: Day 45

GOOD FRIDAY

It's been 45 days since we began this journey.
We've journeyed to a better country;
a place where we can stand before a blood-soaked cross.
It's a monument that explains our guilt.
And a promise of our righteousness in Christ.
Today, we worship and think on the ultimate sacrifice of Jesus Christ for us.


WATCH




It's Friday from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.



Who Is Jesus? from Granger Community on Vimeo.




READ

Entermission Blog

O Sacred Head Now Wounded


LISTEN

Vintage Jesus: What Did Jesus Accomplish on the Cross?

The Burial of Jesus: Luke 23:50-56

Journey to the Cross: Day 44

Happy Maundy Thursday! Say what? Yeah - the day before Jesus' death is called "Maundy Thursday." Here's an explanation before we begin...

"Maundy Thursday honors the memory of the final Passover Jesus celebrated as His Last Supper with His disciples. Maundy Thursday gets its name from a Latin church anthem, the first line of which reads, “Mandatum novum do vobis,” or “a new commandment I give to you” (John 13:34)." expert taken from "The Reformed Evangelist"

By that night, Jesus had spent every day of his life for the last three years with his disciples. They ate together, lodged together, experienced life together. And with the weight of his death looming over him, Jesus understands the power of this night - his last one before his death.

So scripture records he did something special for His disciples. John 13:1 says, "It was just before the Passover Feast. Jesus knew that the time had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved his own who were in the world, he now showed them the full extent of his love."

What Jesus did was wash His disciples feet, a true act of humility. And that's who Jesus was. He wasn't a criminal. He wasn't an insurrectionist. He didn't have a political ax to grind.

"He was in the world, and through the world was made through him, the world did not recgonize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him." ~ John 1:10, 11

"...the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many." ~ Matthew 20:28

"And being found in the appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death - even death on a cross!" ~ Philippians 2:8

Maundy Thursday from Wooster Grace Students on Vimeo.

Journey to the Cross: Day 43

The 12 disciples weren't the only people to follow Jesus in his ministry. There were also key women who stuck by him and learned from him as he did his ministry. Today, since she has a role in Passion week, we will look briefly at Mary of Bethany. Who is she and why is she significant?

Mary of Bethany

Mary of Bethany was sister to Martha and was known for sitting at Jesus' feet to listen to his teaching (while her poor sister did all the work). The truth is that Mary knew which was better. While doing stuff for Christ is great, stopping to spend time with Jesus is even better. How have you stopped "doing" for Jesus this week and just spent time with him? If you haven't, we suggest you stop reading now and spend time with Jesus. Go on a walk with Him and talk with God. That's what Mary of Bethany would have done.

Mary also had a key role the week of Jesus' death. While Jesus was relaxing at a friends house with his disciples, Mary burst into the room. She had a mission and regardless of what others thought, she had to do it. She took a bottle of expensive perfume (about a year's wages), poured the contents all over Jesus feet, and started drying His feet with her hair. Is that wasteful? Jesus didn't think so. He said:

"She has done a beautiful thing to me...She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her." ~ Mark 14:6, 8, 9.

Wow, powerful words from Jesus. We're not sure how much Mary knew about Jesus' fate on the cross at that moment, but we do know this: She understood that life is too short not to worship God for all that He is.

So how about you? Have you failed to give God all of your worship? Take this challenge this today:

1) Read Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 14:1-11; and John 12:1-11

2) Go on a walk and talk with God about who He is and why you love Him.

Journey to the Cross: Day 42

The final week of Jesus' life wasn't just a bunch of events. The gospels also record Jesus teaching the disciples often throughout the final week. Since Jesus' time with them was short, he was giving them the final pieces of his heart as he approached his death.

On Tuesday of the week, Jesus was relaxing up on the Mount of Olives with a few of His disciples ( Peter, James, John, and Andrew) and the four of them asked him about the end of the temple. Jesus had made it clear earlier that it would be destroyed. Naturally that was a big claim, so any young jew would be curious for some clarification.

Why don't you read Mark 13:1-37.

Then when you're finished, listen to this.

Journey to the Cross: Day 41

"On Reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple area and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, and would not allow anoyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. And as he taught them, he said, "Is it not written:

'My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations?'

"But you have made it a 'den of robbers.'

"The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching." ~ Mark 11:15-18

Want to find out more about this event? Visit wikipedia's article on "Herod's Temple" to learn more about the setting where Jesus drove out the money changers. Be sure to look for the heading "Life in and around the temple" and also the sub-heading under that "The Court of the Gentiles."

Journey to the Cross: Day 40

Welcome to Palm Sunday. This is the Sunday before Easter and we call it Palm Sunday because the Sunday before Jesus rose from the dead, he rode through the streets of Jerusalem on a donkey and people proclaimed him king by waiving palm branches.

Palm Sunday is also the start of the Passion Week. Passion week is the last week of Jesus's life before he died. This final week of "Journey to the Cross," we will walking with Jesus through his last days. We're getting closer and closer to His death.

As we embark in the last stretch of our journey, why don't you take the time to watch this video about Jesus and his time here on earth. This will get us oriented and on the same track to experience Jesus for the rest of the week.