TEXT: Matthew 18:21 - Then Peter came to Jesus and asked, "Lord, how many times shall I forgive my brother when he sins against me? Up to seven times?"
In many ways the journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary was about forgiveness. Jesus taught about it. He practiced it. He knew the capacity men and women have for sinning. He knew that all sin was against God and needed forgiving. He was on His way to Mount Calvary to win that forgiveness.
He also knew many sins were against those who were brothers and sisters and these sins caused them great harm. He knew that many people think the best way to settle scores is to "get even" or "take revenge." But He also knew this results in even more pain, a pain that often lasts for a very long time. Regrettably, it is man's natural inclination.
Jesus, however, taught His disciples and us another way throughout His ministry. He was particularly pointed in His teaching on the journey. He gave an excellent model for dealing with someone who sins against us (Matthew 18:15-17), which has been used by the people of God through the ages. Its intended use has resulted in much wonderful reconciliation.
But even this model has been misused. Its misuse has resulted in alienation and division rather than forgiveness and reconciliation. It is another sin for which Christ has won forgiveness. He practiced it from the cross: "Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing" (Luke 23:34b). He would forgive "seventy-seven times" (Matthew 18:22b).
THE PRAYER: Father, as we have been forgiven, so may we forgive. Amen.
TEXT: Mark 10:46 - Then they came to Jericho. As Jesus and His disciples, together with a large crowd, were leaving the city, a blind man, Bartimaeus (that is the son of Timaeus), was sitting by the roadside begging.
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary would take Jesus and His disciples through Jericho. Knowing the mission of His journey, there may well have been discussion of the significance of this city for the people of God. It had been a powerful sign of the power of God. For it was at Jericho the book of Joshua tells us the walls came down. Through what Jesus was about to accomplish on Mount Calvary, greater walls than those of Jericho were about to come tumbling down!
The exchange and healing of Bartimaeus in the city of Jericho was certainly significant for the blind man. He lived with so many walls. He had been living with those walls for a very long time.
Bartimaeus, like those who had marched around Jericho so many years before, trusted God. He trusted Jesus. He believed Jesus could make those walls come down. And when Jesus healed him, he joined all those who would come to know Jesus went to Mount Calvary to break down walls even more significant than those of a city or of blindness. He broke down the walls constructed by sin. He broke down the walls of death.
THE PRAYER: Keep breaking down our walls, Jesus. Amen.
TEXT: John 12:1 - Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary would include a return to Bethany. Jesus' very good friends, Mary and Martha, lived there. He came here often for rest and refreshment. It was here He had raised their brother Lazarus from the dead.
The resurrection of Lazarus had been a most significant event. When Lazarus' sisters had expressed a confidence their brother would rise again on the last day, Jesus had declared that He was the resurrection and the life! All who lived and believe in Him would never die! Then He called for Lazarus to come out of the grave-and he did!
That left a profound impression upon many. For many the impression was positive. When Jesus returned to Bethany, Simon the leper gave a banquet in His honor. And it was at this banquet Jesus was anointed with some very precious perfume. While Judas saw the anointing at cross purposes for his evil intent, Jesus saw it as an act of worship. It anointed His body for the death He was about to experience.
Others became concerned how the resurrection of Lazarus was bringing many people to follow Jesus. The chief priests became so alarmed they decided Jesus and Lazarus must both be murdered.
THE PRAYER: We are grateful, Lord, for Jesus' safe place. Bless our safe places. Amen.
TEXT: Matthew 21:9a - The crowds that went ahead of Him and those that followed shouted, "Hosanna to the Son of David! ..."
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary included the triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It was Passover time. There were people from everywhere. It had been a long time since there had been such excitement in Jerusalem. Everyone knew of the miracles Jesus had done. Many quoted His parables. His example was in high regard. The prophecies were being fulfilled. Expectations of a return to the time of King David were filling people's hearts. This was a time of great hope!
So they sang with all their might: "Hosanna to the Son of David!" It was the title they would give to the Messiah. "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord" (Psalm 118:26a). King David knew his strength was in the Lord. "Hosanna in the highest!" Let heaven join in this act of praise.
It was quite the welcome. This part of the journey was very important. It was a foretaste for all those who will be praising this Son of David eternally. His Kingdom will have no end. The angels, archangels, and all the host of heaven join in this glad song!
But for the song to continue for us, the journey to Mount Calvary for Jesus must continue. The Passion is about to begin.
THE PRAYER: O Son of David, bless us as we sing our hosannas. Amen.
TEXT: Luke 19:39-40 - Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher, rebuke Your disciples!" "I tell you," He replied, "if they keep quiet, the stones will cry out."
The part of the journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary that led into Jerusalem was not only met with cheering fans. There were also those who wanted it all to stop. It must have been quite threatening to those Pharisees. A great many people-their people-following this Jesus, who for very good reason was so critical of them.
It is interesting that the Pharisees thought Jesus could have stopped the cheering. Perhaps He could have. What we know for sure is that He could have opened the mouths of the rocks! The Pharisees do not seem to doubt that. The sounds of people rejoicing in their Savior often seem to be joined by all the elements of nature.
As Jesus comes closer to Jerusalem, He is moved with emotion for what this city means and what lies before it. He loves this city. He knows it will not stand. The great stones of the temple, which are admired by so many, will not remain one upon another. They too will open their mouths to bemoan the reluctance of the citizens to recognize the time of God's coming to them.
How magnificent it is when the very stones join us in recognizing the time of the Lord and add to our songs of praise. How difficult if these stones could tell of our failure to honor and recognize the time of our Lord.
THE PRAYER: May even the stones amplify our sounds of praise! Amen.
TEXT: Matthew 21:12a - Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. ...
It is Monday of Holy Week. The parade for the people is over. The echo of all the children singing "Hosanna to the Son of David" has died down. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law remained upset, despite the wonderful healings they saw Jesus do.
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary took Jesus to the temple. He did not approve of what He saw there. He loved that place. He most assuredly had loved it ever since He had spent time there as a 12-year-old with the teachers of the Law.
Now it was disgusting to Him. In the worship area of Herod's Temple, where the animals for the sacrifices were sold at an unfair price, where the money changing took place, where the temple area was treated with no respect, Jesus exercised His cleansing action. He drove out those who were abusing the temple. It was a righteous use of anger.
As we journey to Mount Calvary we examine our bodies, temples of the Holy Spirit. What filth and misuse is to be found there. Some cleansing we can do. Jesus provides the final cleansing; however, not with whips, but with His innocent suffering and death.
THE PRAYER: Lord, cleanse our bodies, our temples of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
TEXT: Matthew 21:23 - Jesus entered the temple courts, and, while He was teaching, the chief priests and the elders of the people came to Him. "By what authority are you doing these things?" they asked. "And who gave You this authority?"
Tuesday of Holy Week is a day of teaching. Jesus continues His journey to Mount Calvary by returning to the temple. He is immediately challenged. The chief priests and the elders wish to know who gave Him authority to cleanse the temple.
We know by what authority Jesus cleansed the temple. It was by the authority of His Heavenly Father. Jesus could have told them that. But they weren't looking for the truth. They were looking for an opportunity to trap Him and to use His words against Him. They would have accused Him again of blasphemy.
So Jesus challenged them by asking about John's baptism. Was it from God or from men? If they answered His question truthfully, they would be ready to hear and honestly evaluate His answer.
But it wasn't that simple for the leaders. They understood no matter how they answered His question, they would turn the crowds against themselves. If they answered, "from God" Jesus would ask why they refused to be baptized by him. If they answered "from men" the crowds they coveted would turn against them because the crowds believed John was a great prophet. So they answered, "We don't know" (Matthew 21:27b).
On our journey to Mount Calvary we affirm again and again that Jesus has the authority to confront us in our sinfulness, to call us to be fruitful, and to declare us the recipients of His love and forgiveness.
THE PRAYER: Bless us as we acknowledge You as having all authority in heaven and in earth. Amen.
TEXT: Mark 12:1a - He (Jesus) then began to speak to them in parables. ...
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary included Jesus telling many parables. The synoptic Gospels place many of them between the triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the events of Maundy Thursday. These parables are so very significant for us. They shape us for our journey to Mount Calvary.
Among the very significant parables are
· the two sons-so critical of those who say "yes" to God but don't mean it.
· the tenants who forgot whose vineyard it was.
· the wedding guests who ignored the king's invitation.
· signs of the end times.
· the ten virgins, the talents, and the sheep and the goats.
We do well to listen to our Lord's teachings. They remind us how easy it is to stop looking to our Lord, His love for us, His expectations of us, and His future for us. We, too, are capable of saying "yes" and then forgetting whose servants we are, of rejecting the king's invitation, of being unprepared, unresponsive, and of missing our opportunities to serve.
May the parables of our Lord shape us as His people, on the way to Mount Calvary.
THE PRAYER: We love Your parables, Lord. Bless us as we read and reflect on them. Amen.
TEXT: Matthew 26:3-4 - Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas, and they plotted to arrest Jesus in some sly way and kill Him.
Jesus had predicted many times the journey beginning at the Mount of Transfiguration would end with His being handed over to the authorities. He would suffer. He would be crucified. On the third day He would rise again.
Those who would carry out the plan were the religious leaders of the time. Their understanding of when the Messiah would come and what He would do did not include Jesus. They saw Jesus as anyone but the Promised One.
Their hope to be able to do the arrest on the sly was unexpectedly made possible through the agreement with Judas. For 30 pieces of silver he would facilitate the arrest. The journey that had been delayed while Jesus was in Jerusalem was suddenly put on "fast forward."
Many have raised questions about how these people could want to do something so secretive and sinister. We wonder how a disciple could betray his rabbi. We wonder until we reflect on our own "sly" plans. Then we humbly praise our Lord for His journey to Calvary and the gift of His forgiveness.
THE PRAYER: Forgive us, Lord, for our sly plans. Amen.
TEXT: Matthew 26:17 - On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to make preparations for You to eat the Passover?"
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary would take Jesus and His disciples to an upper room. There they would prepare to eat the Passover. The Passover meal was a most significant event. The ritual foods would be eaten. The traditional rehearsing of the mighty acts of God was shared. The narrative centered on the Angel of Death "passing over" the homes of those who had painted the blood of the lamb on their door posts, and visiting the homes of those who had not. Those homes visited by this angel experienced the death of their first-born child, according to Exodus 12.
The disciples did not fully comprehend what this Passover would mean for them, and for the whole people of God. Jesus has come as the Lamb of God. It will be His blood that is drawn as He is put to death. Like the lambs in Egypt, He, too, is innocent and undeserving of death.
Jesus understood what lay before Him. The Passover meal was a joyous occasion, celebrating God delivering His people from the slavery of the Egyptians. While the disciples were celebrating this glorious deliverance of their ancestors, Jesus understood that by His suffering and death, He would be delivering all people from the slavery of sin, its consequences and eternal death. Preparing for the Passover was important to Jesus, His disciples, and for us.
THE PRAYER: Bless us Lord, as we prepare for and observe the Passover. Amen.
TEXT: John 13:1b - ... Having loved His own who were in the world, He now showed them the full extent of His love.
The time in the upper room on the way to Mount Calvary is significant for many reasons. One of them is the new command that is given by Jesus. The new command is to "love one another as I have loved you."
The new command is not so much taught by words, but by action. The account of Jesus washing the disciples feet is very powerful. It was a task for a menial servant. There was nothing honorable about the task. It was doing what needed to be done. Jesus was doing this task for His disciples.
Peter objected. We might object too. Jesus is quick to point out this task is not beneath Him. Jesus also pointed out that Peter needed Jesus to wash him as a symbol of the whole cleansing that He alone could do.
Jesus is telling His disciples to love as He has loved them. The full extent of His love will soon be evident to all. On Mount Calvary He will do so much more than wash feet. He will wash sinners of their every sin.
This is a new command for us. As we have been loved, so are we to love. Loving like that is a blessed opportunity and privilege!
THE PRAYER: Free us, Lord, to love as we have been loved! Amen.
TEXT: Mark 14:22-23 - While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to His disciples saying, "Take it; this is my body." Then He took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, and they all drank from it.
To make the journey to Mount Calvary will require significant nourishment. It is the night before Jesus' crucifixion. For the Children of Israel, their journey out of Egypt required significant nourishment too. God made provision for them to receive the sustenance they needed for their trek in the wilderness. They would receive this food until they entered the Promised Land. Jesus made sure we too would have the food we needed as we pass through this life before reaching the Promised Land as well.
It must have been a significant moment in the upper room for the disciples. It undoubtedly left them with many things they wondered about. Chief among their questions would have been what this all meant. They would understand later. They would understand the wonder of the physical touch of their Lord and Savior in their lives. They would understand the wonder of His presence and forgiveness. They would understand the majesty of their Lord's presence in their lives as they confronted the challenges and demands of faithful living.
Those things that are wondered about are no different than what we think about. We wonder at the mystery and grace of the meal. We wonder and rejoice at this post-Mount Calvary presence until we are safe in the Promised Land.
THE PRAYER: Bless us, Lord, with Your presence in our post-Calvary presence in the meal. Amen.
TEXT: Mark 14:27 - "You will all fall away," Jesus told them, "for it is written: 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered."
One more thing before the journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary will continue. It is Jesus' disclosure to His disciples that "one of you will betray Me-one who is eating with Me" (Mark 14:18b). Judas denies it. Peter declares he would die before he would deny Jesus. All the disciples pledge their loyalty.
Jesus knew what they would do. We know what they did. It is not surprising that when the report is spreading that Jesus had arisen, there is some fear about how He will receive them. They knew they had all failed-miserably.
Our concern is the same. We have made strong professions of faithfulness with every good intention. But then we get into a situation when it seems too risky or too dangerous to remain faithful to our promises.
The good news is that when the risen Christ did first meet with the disciples He spoke in love. "Peace be with you" were the words He shared with them in the locked room as they eluded the Jews (John 20:19b). It is the same word He speaks to us. His love for us is greater than our cowardice and shrinking hearts of faith.
Jesus knew that soon He would be on His own. There would be none to support Him. Thankfully He stood firm, and when the time came He finished His journey alone.
THE PRAYER: Bless us Lord, that we may be true to our intentions in love for You. Amen.
TEXT: Mark 14:32 - They went to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus said to His disciples, "Sit here while I pray."
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary continues into the Garden of Gethsemane late at night. It was not unusual for Jesus to go to the garden to seek solitude. It was there He prayed.
But the nature of the prayer was most unusual. Showing His true humanity He prays that this "cup" of suffering might be removed. Showing His true obedience to God the Father, He also prays for the Father's will to be done. He does this three times, and an angel comes to minister to Him. He pleads so intently that "being in anguish, He prayed more earnestly, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground" (Luke 22:44).
Jesus understands how difficult this is going to be. He also understands how important it is for Him to be faithful. The full passion of Christ is also seen in John 17 where He prays for Himself, His disciples, and all believers.
The prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane also emphasizes Christ's aloneness. The disciples, despite their best intentions and desires, cannot stay awake. It shouldn't be difficult for us to identify with their behavior. Others have observed that same behavior in us. Our Lord also forgives us of our failed best intentions.
THE PRAYER: Bless us, Lord, so we may watch with You. Amen.
TEXT: Luke 22:47 - While He was still speaking a crowd came up, and the man who was called Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He approached Jesus to kiss Him.
The journey from the Mount of Transfiguration to Mount Calvary included a kiss. It was probably not the only kiss in the journey. Disciples often greeted their Rabbi with a kiss. It was a sign of deep respect. But this was not a kiss of reverence; this was a kiss of betrayal. It was meant to look like a simple gesture of respect, but it was part of a sly and evil plan.
In fact, the kiss was unnecessary, as Jesus had already identified Himself. Jesus was now delivered and Judas could keep the 30 pieces of silver. Everyone in the crowd of armed men and the representatives of the chief priests and elders knew who Jesus was. As Jesus indicated, He was often in the temple teaching. Why didn't they arrest Him there? And when He did identify Himself, the book of John reports they all fell down.
The image of this kiss-this ultimate betrayal-in the disciples' memory must have been one of profound disgust. How could one chosen by Jesus to be among the Twelve do such a heinous thing? Judas, entrusted as treasurer, had seen Jesus' miracles and heard His teachings. How could he use a kiss to point Him out to His enemies?
In the mind of Jesus' enemies, the kiss must have seemed fitting-a mockery of loyalty from one who was at His side.
May our loyalty and trust include no such hypocrisy, particularly to our Lord and Savior!
THE PRAYER: Bless our expressions of our love and trust in You, O Lord. Amen.
