Good Friday, we know. And Easter most certainly. But what is Maundy Thursday? Maundy Thursday is the Thursday before Easter, believed to be the day when Jesus celebrated his final Passover with His disciples. Most notably, that Passover meal was when Jesus washed the feet of His disciples in an extraordinary display of humility. He then commanded them to do the same for each other. What does Maundy Thursday Mean? Christ‘s “mandate” is commemorated on Maundy Thursday—“maundy” being a shortened form of mandatum (Latin), which means “command.” It was on the Thursday of Christ’s final week before being crucified and resurrected that He said these words to his disciples: “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just...

Later, knowing that everything had now been finished, and so that Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.” With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit. (John 19:28-30)   Meaning of “It is finished” as Tetelestai “It is finished” is the English translation of the Greek word Tetelestai, which was the last thing Jesus’ said before dying on the cross. Tetelestai comes from the verb teleo, which means “to bring to an end, to complete, to accomplish.” It’s a crucial word because it signifies the successful end to a partic...

During the Passion Week, the crowd in Jerusalem seems to have had a major swing in opinion. Jesus entered the city to praise and adoration but, by the end of the week, faced a crowd shouting “Crucify Him!” demanding for his crucifixion. Can such a change really happen so quickly? Why Did the Crowd Turn on Jesus and Yell “Crucify Him”? We must consider first that the people shouting “Hosanna” when Christ arrived were not the residents of Jerusalem. Instead, He rode in the company of pilgrims coming to the city for Passover. Because of the news about Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead and hopes that the Messianic Kingdom would soon begin, these pilgrims took to shouting and praising in their enthusiasm. Singing on the road to Jerusalem was not uncommon, a...

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Christmas is December 25; Valentine’s Day is February 14; Halloween is October 31 – but when is Easter? Each year we have to look at a calendar to find out the date of this major Christian holiday because this moveable feast can occur any time from March 22 to April 25. Why is this so? Why isn’t Easter the same day every year like other holidays? The yearly celebration of Jesus’ resurrection is the oldest feast of the Christian Church, and the resurrection has been a central belief of the Christian faith from its beginning. As Paul said, if Christ is not risen, our preaching is in vain and we are a people most miserable (1 Corinthians 15:12-14). Of course, every Sunday’s worship is a celebration of the risen Lord, but a special day for the resurrection has been part of th...

Luke describes the arrival of Jesus in Jerusalem at the beginning of that last week of his earthly life: As he was drawing near, at the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen, saying, “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest! (Luke 19:37, 38) Palm Sunday: Today and To Come There is no doubt what was in the disciples’ minds. This was the fulfillment of Zechariah’s prophecy given centuries earlier: Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Lo, your king comes to you; triumphant and victorious is he, humble and riding on an ass, on a colt, the foal of an ass. I will...

Hosanna is often translated “Please Save Us.”  It is a Greek word “ὡσαννά” that most scholars believe is the transliteration of two Hebrew words- יָשַׁע- “yasha” which means “to save or deliver” and אָנּאָ – “anna” which means “please, I beseech.” Other scholars believe its Hebrew roots come from a different verb tense of “yasha” הוֹשַׁ֣ע which means to cause or to bring about salvation. In this tense, hosanna becomes a command to bring about or cause salvation. Where is Hosanna in the Bible? Hosanna occurs in the New Testament 6 times. Matthew, Mark, and John mention that the people called out “Hosanna” in praise and celebration during Jesus’ Triumphal Entry to Jerusalem during the week before Passover. “So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, crying out, ‘Hosan...

Every year, my calendar reminds me that it is almost Palm Sunday. For many people, this day is the unofficial beginning of Spring Break, but it has a deeper significance for Christians.     What is Palm Sunday? On Palm Sunday, Christian churches often give the congregation palm branches to re-create the celebration of Christ’s final arrival in Jerusalem because his followers used palm branches to honor him as King and Messiah. When is Palm Sunday? Palm Sunday is the last Sunday in Lent and the Sunday before Easter. It’s the beginning of Holy Week, the most important week of the year for Christians. The date changes every year because the date of Easter changes in relation to the Jewish holiday of Passover. 2019: April 14 2020: April 5 2021: March 28 The Story of Palm Sunday ...

We know from John 3 that Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a member of the Jewish ruling council, who came to Jesus at night with a question. He received an answer that generations of Christians would hide in their hearts. Nicodemus’ Secret Conversation with Jesus In John 3, Nicodemus concedes that God must have sent Jesus because of all the miraculous signs he performed. Jesus gets to the heart of the matter by responding with firm truth: “…no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again” (John 3:3). Nicodemus, thinking literally and physically, asks how anyone can be born twice (John 3:4). Jesus continues the conversation teaching Nicodemus about the need to be born of the Spirit (John 3:5-8). Then Nicodemus simply asks, “How can this be?” (John 3:9). Jesus laments that Nicodemus ca...