Passion Week: Monday - Wednesday
Walking with Jesus through Passion Week
March 27, 2024 — Allen Hood
On Palm Sunday, Jesus came into Jerusalem hailed as king, but on Wednesday, He was seen as a threat in need of death. The children in Jerusalem understood who He was, singing “Hosanna to the Son of David”, yet the religious leaders continued in their unbelief. Even if the religious leaders’ attempt to stop the proclamation was successful, His messianic identity would still have been proclaimed, for the rocks would have cried out had the children not. The Messiah had entered Jerusalem before, but this time there was an ominous and foreboding sense of judgment headed toward the House of Israel for their unbelief. Thus, even from the beginning, we can see that what began in a glorious, kingly processional ended three days later in a conspiracy to execute.
As Jesus walked on Monday morning, He approached the fig tree and cursed it (Matt. 21:18-19). This seemingly simple and intense action was similar to when He removed and drove out the money changers. They were in the court of the Gentiles, and yet they had kept the Gentiles out of the very place that was designed for them to seek Yahweh. According to Isaiah, it was supposed to be a house of prayer for all nations (Isaiah 56:7), but it had become a den of thieves (Matt. 21:12-14). The very religious establishment that had been tasked with keeping the worship of Yahweh, to draw the nations unto Yahweh, had become the very thing that hindered the nations from rightly seeing God’s way. So, when Jesus cursed the fig tree, it reflected a deeper truth: He did not find what He was looking for. The people who were supposed to reflect Yahweh did not. Thus, the first wave of judgment on Israel and the temple was about to begin.
After Jesus cursed the fig tree on Monday, He began to teach the crowds on Tuesday. He starts by telling three parables that indicted Israel for their disobedience: the parable of the two sons, the parable of the wicked vinedressers, and the parable of the wedding feast (Matt. 21:28-22:14).
After the three parables, the religious leaders realized Jesus had brought judgment and indictment upon them. So, they began to test Him back. The Pharisees asked Him about paying taxes to Rome, the Sadducees tested Him on the resurrection, and the Scribes tested Him on what the greatest commandment was. In response to their testing, Jesus asked them a question: In Psalm 110, who was Messiah, and whose son was he (Matt. 22:41-42)? Thinking they had answered easily, Jesus points out their ignorance and says, “How then does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying: ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool?’” Meaning, why did David under the anointing of the Spirit — if he was David's Son – call him Adonai (Matt. 22:43-45)?
This mystery quieted the crowd, and then, Jesus focused in on the Pharisees, leveling His famous “Woes” to them. The religious leaders had missed their hour of visitation; what would have brought them peace, they rejected. What began on Sunday with palm branches ended with Jesus pronouncing judgment on the religious leaders, and now, they will not see Jesus again until they say, “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.”
As He walked out of the temple and over to the Mount of Olives, He stopped and looked at the buildings. The disciples were enamored by them, and in their minds, Jesus had just successfully challenged the religious leaders. However, they did not understand that the axe had just fallen to the root. The decisive moment had come, and Israel had rejected their king. Jesus looked at them and said, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone shall be left upon another, that shall not be thrown down” (Mark 13:1-2). Though His Father was with Him, in that moment, He alone knew what had just happened. What began with the shouts of Hosanna to the Son of David ended with the rejection of the religious leaders, beginning the arrangement of His execution.
The religious leaders, who sat in the seat of Moses, loved the best seats, loved to be called “rabbi”, and loved adoration. They put yolks on people who could not bear them, and they did not lift one finger to help them. And while Monday through Wednesday is filled with ominous judgment, the beautiful thing about these three days before the Last Supper was that Jesus did not settle for what the religious leaders settled for: power, prestige, and honor from others. Instead, Jesus moved toward the cross to please His Father, with love as His chief motivation.
