Nothing happened on this day. There was silence.

Go throughout your day in holy silence remembering how hopeless and helpless you would be had Jesus not resurrected. Come ready to celebrate the Living God; Jesus Christ.

See all the Passion Week Devotionals.

What? How could death ever lead to life? But that is exactly what it was; Jesus laid down his life and died taking all death on him. In doing so it gave new life to us who bear the name of Christ and stand under His death. We live because he died!

Surrendered to Death - He voluntarily gave up His life. “Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” And having said this he breathed his last.

Sacrificed to Death - He experienced the unfathomable horror of separation from God, who cannot look on sin. Jesus sacrificed in our place. Jesus who knew no sin took our sin.

Suffered to Death - He was flogged (whipping done with club or whip with leather tips laced with bone fragments and metal). Crown of thorns forcibly driven into his head. They struck him with their hands, then after carrying the cross beam through the streets being spit on and mocked they pierced his wrists and ankles with long metal spikes, tacking him to a criminals cross. He died a slow death of blood filling his lungs and finally was pierced in the side to prove he was dead.

Ask yourself one question:

Confess Christ. Repent to Christ. Believe in Christ. Remember what was paid for your life.

See all the Passion Week Devotionals.

The institution of Lords Supper was happening during the Passover and this particular day in which Jesus was giving us the sacrament of Lord’s Supper, which also happen to be, not by accident, the first day of Feast of the Unleavened Bread. On the first day of that festival they would sacrifice the Passover lambs, so in the process of bringing us to the Table, Jesus was once again pointing to the Cross where he would lay his life down for us.

So the next time you come forward to the Lord’s Table come with a Holy reverence. Come knowing that this is a big deal, a holy and righteous perfect God is inviting you to a table that you do not deserve to be at and could never justify being there on your own accord. But because of his service (notice he is doing all the work), his sacrifice (he lays his life down), and his suffering (his body is broken and poured out) you get to come and participate. Come Ready!

Questions to ask yourself today:

Confess. Repent. Believe.

See all the Passion Week Devotionals.

Imagine this scene: Jesus in the Temple teaching and preaching and he goes with this illustration of a vineyard and its workers. Saying in essence that God has tried over and over to send servants (prophets & leaders) to share the message to you church, but time after time you just keep rejecting. God has tried over and over to honor the covenant he made with his people, but in selfishness and idolatry you have rejected it over and over. Even when the master sent his only beloved son who would one day inherit this world you killed him too. Jesus then asks that wicked crowd, “What do you think that master would do when he returns to those tenants?”  And they actually answer with, “death to all of those people,” which in fact is them. Wow! In the words of Will Ferrell, “That just happened!” Jesus is saying it’s you, you are the wicked tenants!

Questions to ask yourself today:

Confess. Repent. Believe. Be a servant who is always ready to give God what is his; his glory, your life, and the advancement of his kingdom.

See all the Passion Week Devotionals.

Show me the Fruit!  First off Jesus is angry, why, because he sees no faith. He was in the city yesterday and now he is headed there again and he has given this city 3 years to show faith but all they have ever shown him is leaves. But no fruit! The tree in their day is the nation of Israel, but today the tree is you, me, and the church. They talked a good game of faith but when it came to true, authentic, rubber meets the road faith is was absent. It is easy to come across Godly (read 2 Timothy 3:5), but never bear any fruit. Sadly enough many will attend church and sing the songs but in the end the only fruit they will bear from that is Christ himself saying, “Depart from me…” What Jesus wanted to see was a people who believed by faith, an active faith. A faith that would call us out to do things we know we could and would never do on our own. Forget the leaves, bring the fruit!  In your meditation in God’s Word it has been revealed to you today if you look good on the outside but have no faith.

Questions to ask yourself today: 

See all the Passion Week Devotionals.

Jesus had arrived to clean house. This was not the first time for Jesus to come to the temple and clean the temple (John 2 1st time). What he was bringing attention to was that inward sin at the heart of ministry that was resulting in lack of fruit. Christians had got so far off in their sin that they were making money off of people’s sin. When people would come in to get right with God through sacrifice the leaders would say the society’s money was no good, they would have to get an unfair money exchange then they would jack up the prices for animals to be sacrificed and make a killing. The sad part was the high priest (what we would call the Lead pastor), was overseeing the whole thing. 

Questions to ask yourself today: 

See all the Passion Week Devotionals.