The Last Week
Jesus had been preaching, teaching, and healing for over three years as He finally reached the closing days of His mission as the Jewish Messiah. As we travel together for the six weeks before we celebrate Resurrection Sunday I’ll be interspersing the four gospel accounts in order to understand this mysterious, plan of redemption.
Traveling south through Jericho Jesus continued ministering to the people, however, His ultimate mission for this First Coming was as a Suffering Servant as Isaiah 53 had prophesied:
… and the LORD has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.
… like a lamb that is led to the slaughter …
… by His knowledge shall the Righteous One, My Servant, make many to be accounted righteous, and He shall bear their iniquities.
… because He poured out His soul to death … yet He bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors.
The Father had chosen the Feast of Passover to begin His Son’s last week on earth since people were already arriving from across the region. He stopped with purpose in Bethany, atop the Mount of Olives, where His friends Martha, Mary, and Lazarus lived. That’s where the story of His last week began. As His feet were anointed for burial it was clear that the road He would walk to kingship was to Jerusalem.
People were also flowing in to see Jesus because of His mighty works, the pinnacle being Lazarus, the man Jesus raised from the dead. Little did they know that the Savior of the World would suffer and die in humiliation; it wasn’t how they imagined kingship.
Beginning His trek into Jerusalem on a donkey, not as a king on a white charger, the people threw down their coats and branches crying out:
“Hosanna to the Son of David!”
“Hosanna in the Highest!”
“Blessed is the King, who comes in the name of the Lord!”
“Blessed is the coming Kingdom of our father David!”
“Peace in heaven and glory in the Highest!”
“ … even the King of Israel!”
His followers inherently knew He was the prophesied King of Israel; what they didn’t understand was His arrival as a king would be brutal, not royal.
Hosanna is a Hebrew cry for help, “please save us!” But it’s also an exclamation of praise, “Hooray for salvation! It’s coming! It’s here!” The long-expected Messiah had arrived to usher in His kingdom (Zech. 9:9) but it wouldn’t meet their expectation: He was the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53 not the majestic king of Psalm 45.
Yes, Jesus was the Davidic King everyone was waiting for but as He entered the temple He drove out the buyers and sellers, overturning tables and chairs. This was the King of Israel? This was the Son of David? Not what they expected.
Jesus taught daily in the temple teaching several parables on authority to expose the religious leaders and explaining righteousness in the Kingdom of God; understanding these mysteries will help us find out what was important to Christ in His last week.
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