As we start the week of Good Friday, our Lent Devotion also enters the final section: During this week, we will try to walk the final journey on to the cross together with Jesus – the painful, torturous road to crucifixion which Jesus consciously chose because of his love for us about 2,000 years ago. By revisiting what Jesus saw, what he did, and what he said during his last week in Jerusalem, hopefully we’ll feel closer to Jesus.
Let’s get started with the scripture today, when after a long, tiring, but amazing 3-years missionary journey Jesus finally enters the final stop – the city of Jerusalem. The old, holy city where Jesus will give up his life …
Scripture Reading: Mark 11:8-11,15-18
8 Many people spread their cloaks on the road, while others spread branches they had cut in the fields. 9 Those who went ahead and those who followed shouted,
“Hosanna![a]”
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”[b]
10 “Blessed is the coming kingdom of our father David!”
“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”
11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the temple courts. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.
15 On reaching Jerusalem, Jesus entered the temple courts and began driving out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves, 16 and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the temple courts. 17 And as he taught them, he said, “Is it not written: ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all nations’[a]? But you have made it ‘a den of robbers.’[b]”
18 The chief priests and the teachers of the law heard this and began looking for a way to kill him, for they feared him, because the whole crowd was amazed at his teaching.
Devotion Questions:
- Throughout his 3 years of ministry on earth, Jesus has performed many miracles, healed, fed preached to many people. Thus Jesus receives a glorious reception when he entered the ancient city of Jerusalem. Yet as Jesus has told his disciples many times, he knows he comes back to this city to be crucified. Imagine the city gate into Jerusalem, the busy crowd going to the Holy city to observe Passover, the horses and donkeys, the noises … and people chanting “Hosanna” when Jesus riding on his colt enters the city. Imagine the scene, and how Jesus may feel knowing in his heart the most painful death awaits him in this city.
- Apostle John said “(Jesus) Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end.” (John 13:1). Reflect on ‘to the end’, and how deep is Jesus’s love for us. In response, how is our love for Jesus?
- Gospel of Mark records upon entering the busy city of Jerusalem, the first thing Jesus did was to enter God’s temple, and Jesus was absolutely angered by the all the buying and selling in the temple. Jesus called them ‘robbers’. Today in our lives have we maintained ‘worshiping God’ as the corner stone of our lives? Or have we allowed all the buying and selling, all the money and finance matters to take priority in our lives?
- Pray to our Lord with this prayer “Dear Lord, I thank you for entering Jerusalem despite you knew what awaited you in that city was pain, torture, shame, and ultimately crucifixion. Let your love for me be a motivation for me as I try to serve you and others. Let me feel you anger for those doing trades at God’s temple, so that in my heart I can have the same longing for justice and righteousness, and same hatred towards greed. And Jesus, please let me feel how you felt in this Good Friday week, as I try to revisit your path in the journey towards the cross, because only then I can understand how your love for us really has no end. In Jesus’s name I pray, Amen.”