Holy Week

I’ll never forget a conference I attended years back. One of the speakers talked about the crucifixion of Jesus with tears streaming down her face. It stood out to me because I didn’t understand her emotion. I’d read the Gospel accounts of Holy Week and the death of Jesus many times in my life, but I never felt impacted.

During Holy Week of that year, I committed to reading the Gospel accounts of Jesus’s last days again.

Slowly.

Prayerfully.

And for the first time in my life, I read about the scourging with tears in my eyes. I felt emotions when I pictured the nails (more like stakes) hammered into his hands and feet. I envisioned him the cross, mustering the strength to look at the cheering crowd and forgive them.

What love and mercy.

Sometimes we read these accounts like we would any other book. Sure, it’s nonfiction, but it doesn’t affect our lives. I think the move away from conviction and more to comfort at churches plays a role in the lack of emotional connection to Jesus. We don’t want to acknowledge it was our sin nailing him to the cross. We don’t want to admit our transgressions played any part in Jesus’s death. We live on this side of the cross, where it’s all grace upon grace.

We can’t connect emotionally when we don’t recognize our role.

My pride, anger, discouraging words, gossip, and negative thoughts about others drove those nails. When Jesus looked out at the crowd and asked for their forgiveness, he looked into the future and into my eyes. He sought forgiveness for me. He knew all the sins I’d commit in my whole life and willingly bore them on the cross so I can be reconciled to God because there is nothing in the world I could do to save myself. My good works are nothing but filthy rags to the holy Lord (Isaiah 64:6).

But God.

Did you know those are two of the greatest words in the Bible?

But God so loved the world, that He sent His One and Only Son to save us. Not to judge us, but to redeem us by paying the debt we owe (John 3:16-17). Sinless Jesus, the unblemished lamb, bore the weight of our transgressions.

I don’t weep every time I read these accounts. But when I slow down and really process it, as I’ve done writing this, I can’t hold tears back. I encourage you this week to read through Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John’s accounts of Holy Week.

Slowly.

Prayerfully.

Blessings,

From God Not Her

*I’d also encourage you to check out Psalm 22 (I’ll post a short video about this Psalm) and Isaiah 53.