Passion Week: Tuesday

These all describe what Jesus revealed to us on Tuesday of Holy Week.  As you recall, Jesus had his triumphant entry just two days prior on Palm Sunday and went straight to work the following Monday… teaching, preaching, and boldly proclaiming his messages as the Messiah.

Tuesday morning, Jesus and his disciples awoke in the small town of Bethany, just a brisk 2 mile walk(or run) from the city of Jerusalem.  I imagine the disciples had no idea that Jesus would reveal such valuable lessons and messages to them (and all of us) on that Tuesday of Holy Week.

As Jesus and his disciples began their brisk walk(or run) into the bustling city of Jerusalem, they passed the fig tree that Jesus had cursed the prior day… the disciples noticed it had withered and died..

Early in the morning, as they were passing by, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. Then Peter remembered and said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that you cursed has withered.

Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for — believe that you have received it and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, so that your Father in heaven will also forgive you your wrongdoing.”
(Mark 11:20-25)

As the day continued, Jesus and his disciples entered the city of Jerusalem.  Jesus continued to teach and preach boldly to everyone.  His authority was challenged by religious leaders, teachers and priests…

When he entered the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority?"

Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did John’s baptism come from heaven, or was it of human origin? ”

They discussed it among themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him? ’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we’re afraid of the crowd, because everyone considers John to be a prophet.” So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”

And he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
(Matthew 21:23-27)

As the day progressed, he continued to teach in parables about evil farmers (Mark 12:1-12), taxes for Caesar (Mark 12:13-17) and TRUTH regarding the resurrection (Mark 12:18-27).  

Out of God’s grace and humility… one of the greatest messages Jesus has ever revealed to us came on this Tuesday of Holy Week… The Most Important Commandment:

“Teacher, which command in the law is the greatest?”

He said to him, “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and most important command. The second is like it: Love your neighbor as yourself. All the Law and the Prophets depend on these two commands.”
(Matthew 22:36-40)

The crowds were amazed and HOPEFUL of Jesus’s teachings and proclaiming of the good news.  That same HOPE holds strong and true to us today.  Our hearts are moved as we study and learn about these events revealed to us in scripture.  On that Tuesday of Holy Week, the soft hearts heard the TRUTH and were drawn into their savior Jesus… likewise, the hard hearts continued to reject Jesus’s message, would not repent, continued in denial, and plotted to have him killed.