What are your thoughts as we approach Easter? Do you observe Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Good Friday? If not officially, do you think about the timeline? Do you think about the days leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion? What was He going through?
Some denominations observe the various special days of Holy Week and some don’t. Some people, even if not officially, walk through the sequence of events during the week leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion. Some will read the Scriptures and contemplate the events.
When we read those events closely, we see Jesus experiencing deep sorrow. It starts when He rides into Jerusalem in what we call His triumphal entry. True, He came riding in like a humble king, but He also wept (Luke 19:41). Why was He in such sorrow?
I believe Jesus recognized the sad state of humanity. God had made an effort to give us laws, rules, and principles to live by. Yet, as corrupt humans, we failed to follow His guidance. Jesus was required to come to earth to be our perfect sacrifice to bring us back to God the Father.
Jesus’ heart was breaking because of our lack of discipline and failure to take His Father seriously. He was saddened by our conniving, backstabbing, hatred, anger, sniping, arguing, fighting, worry, anxiousness, and simply failing to rely on God for our provision. Jesus saw our human desire to climb the corporate ladder, putting more stock in physical possessions over our relationship with God, our willingness to step on whomever got in our way, our hard headedness, and our maltreatment of one another. Jesus saw all the horrible behavior and attitudes of all time, and it broke His heart. He was overwhelmed with sorrow.
Unfortunately, we continue to cause Him sorrow. In many ways, our attitudes and behaviors are no better today than those of the Romans and Rabbis of the first century. Rather than helping one another, we look to dominate one another. Rather than lifting one another, we put one another down. Rather than turning to God as our provider, we rely on ourselves. We are selfish, ambitious, and down right mean. Even people we call good fall short of God’s expectations. May we all fall on our knees and beg forgiveness from God, expressing sorrow for our sinful behavior. Personally, my heart breaks as I observer our behavior toward one another.
I pray we all turn to God. I pray we turn from our horrible behavior and attitudes. I pray each one of us begs forgiveness and asks God to change our hearts. Contemplate Jesus’ sorrow. Wake up! Recognize your own failings. Turn to Jesus. Beg for forgiveness. Seek a change of heart.
Matthew 26:38 Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
Marty Pressey 