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Monday, April 6
After Jesus entered Jerusalem in fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies (Psalm 118:25-26; Zechariah 9:9), the crowds which were gathering for the Passover exuberantly celebrated because they concluded Jesus was the promised Messiah (Mark 11:1-10). What dimensions of the Messiah’s role caused them to be so excited? What part of the Messiah’s mission did the crowd neglect (1 Peter 1:10-11)? What do you learn from Luke 19:41-44 about Jesus’ response to the adulation of the crowd? Take a few moments and meditate on the necessity of Jesus’ suffering and the anticipation of His glory.

Tuesday, April 7
As Jesus completed the two-mile journey from Bethany into Jerusalem, He became hungry. He saw a fig tree (often used as an illustration for Israel in the Old Testament) in the distance that was fully leafed, although it was not yet the season for figs (Mark 11:12-14). It gave the appearance of being fruitful, but the appearance was deceptive. How is the story about the fig tree connected to the story that follows (Mark 11:15-19; Matthew 21:12-17). In what ways can spiritual “busyness” create an illusion of spirituality in your own life?

Wednesday, April 8
The disciples were unable to get the cursed fig tree out of their minds, and as they passed by it again the next morning on their way back to Jerusalem they realized it had withered (Mark 11:20-21). Jesus used their curiosity to teach them about prayer (Mark 11:22-25). How does Jesus’ instruction about unwavering faith contrast with the behavior of the Jewish leaders (Mark 11:27-33)? The unbelief of the leaders led Jesus to begin speaking in parables (Mark 12:1-40), and to pronounce judgment on them (23:1-39). Then, Jesus began to prepare His disciples for a time of ultimate judgment on Israel that would precede His second coming (Matthew 24:1-25:46). Spend some time today reflecting on Matthew 26:1-2, Jesus statement that follows this long day of work. How do Jesus’ words help us see where His focus was? How do they put the sin of the Pharisees and the unbelief of the Pharisees in perspective? Judas witnessed all of this, but at the end of the day it made no lasting impact (Matthew 26:14-16). What impact should it make in our lives?

Thursday, April 9
Jesus and His disciples had traveled to Jerusalem so that they could celebrate the Passover there. What does Jesus’ knowledge of what the disciples would find (Mark 14:12-16), and His knowledge of a coming betrayal (Mark 14:17-21) tell us about His knowledge about exactly what would take place in the coming few days? How does that make His actions during the Passover meal (John 13:1-20) even more astounding? After Jesus took some time to encourage the disciples (John 14:1-31), and then prayed for Himself, the disciples, and all believers of all time (John 17:1-26). How does Jesus’ prayer reveal what, or rather who, was on His mind? Following Jesus’ prayer, Jesus and His disciples left the upper room and went to an olive grove, a common meeting place for the men. There, Jesus was arrested and taken away, but not before demonstrating once again who He is in word (John 18:6) and deed (Luke 22:51). How could the soldiers have continued with the arrest after what they heard and saw? Are there areas where God is at work in your life that you have missed up to this point?

Friday, April 10
Of course, Friday was the longest day of Passion Week. Before dawn Jesus endured three illegal Jewish Trials, climaxing in a death sentence from the Sanhedrin that the Sanhedrin was not authorized to implement (John 18:12-23; Luke 22:67-71). Meanwhile, Peter denied Jesus three times (John 18:15-18) and Judas took his own life (Matthew 27:3-10). By 6 a.m. Jesus stood before Pilate, who gave in to the mob and ordered that Jesus be crucified (John 18:39-19:16). Tortured, scourged, and mocked, by 9 a.m., Jesus was hanging on a cross between two criminals (John 19:18). At noon, darkness fell on the land for three hours (Mark 15:33). Around 3 p.m., Jesus cried out to God and gave up His spirit as He died (Mark 15:34-37). Spend some time reflecting on Jesus’ response to His crucifiers (Luke 19:34) and the thief on the cross (Luke 23:39-43), as well as the lessons Jesus has been teaching His disciples about servant-hearted leadership over their last two weeks together. Jesus’ death was the ultimate payment for sin, but also provided the ultimate example for life. As Jesus’ died, the veil of the Temple was torn from top to bottom (Luke 23:45), and various other things happened that signaled something of ultimate significance had happened (Luke 23:47-49). What is the significance of those particular signs? Following Jesus’ death, His side was pierced (Zechariah 12:10; John 19:34) to ensure He was dead, and He was buried in a new tomb with the permission of the Roman government (Luke 23:50-56), and the tomb was sealed. A guard was stationed outside the tomb by Pilate as requested by the religious leaders, and nothing else of significance happened… until Sunday.

Saturday, April 11
Saturday must have been a relatively quiet day around Jerusalem. As the Jewish leaders recovered from the Passover celebration, and the Roman government went about its business, the disciples tried to figure out what they would do now that their Leader had been crucified. Reflect back on Jesus’ words in Matthew 26:31. Then look at the words of the prophets in Psalm 22, Isaiah 53, and Psalm 16:10. In what way should Jesus’ words on the cross have pointed the disciples to the hope Sunday would bring? As you prepare for Sunday today, thank God that He was able to foresee hundreds of years earlier what the disciples missed on the Saturday before the event. Thank Him for ultimate sacrifice and ultimate victory over mankind’s greatest enemy.