" 'Holy Week' "

April 2, 2012

“‘Holy Week’”

Blessings Folk

This is the week that the organizational-christian-church celebrates the death, burial and resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

I am definitely a “esteemeth every day alike” guy…

Romans 14
5 One man esteemeth one day above another: another esteemeth every day alike. Let every man be fully persuaded in his own mind.
 6 He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.
 7 For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth to himself.
 8 For whether we live, we live unto the Lord; and whether we die, we die unto the Lord: whether we live therefore, or die, we are the Lord's.
 9 For to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be Lord both of the dead and living.

In the life of the true Believer every day is a celebration of the resurrection.

There is nothing inherently wrong in given special emphasis on a particular day, but we would do well to remember that no where in Scripture are we instructed to “celebrate”….

  • “Easter”
  • “Good Friday”
  • “Maundy Thursday”
  • “Christmas”

Now that I’ve been mutually offensive...LOL...think on these things.

Consider “Good Friday.”

The Word is clear.
Jesus was not crucified on Friday.

Why does that sound so heretical? Happy

The truth is that for centuries the Truth has been denied, though it is clear in the Scripture.

Here is the pivotal passage that clarifies.

Jesus, in response to the demand that He produce “a sign” said…

Matthew 12

38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master, we would see a sign from thee.
 39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas:
 40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

Jesus said that He would be 3 days and 3 nights in the heart of the earth.
Not part of 3 days and part of 3 nights.
3 days
3 nights

A Friday death does not allow for this.

“But,” it is rebutted, “the next day was the Sabbath”!

True.
But not the weekly Sabbath.

Jesus died on Nisan 14th as the sacrificial Lamb.
He was/is the Passover Lamb.
Nisan 15th was the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread, a Holy Convocation (Sabbath) as directed by Scripture.
The Sabbath referenced is not the weekly Sabbath, but the Holy Convocatin of Nisan 15.

Leviticus 23
5 In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is the LORD's passover.
 6 And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto the LORD: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.
 7 In the first day ye shall have an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.
 8 But ye shall offer an offering made by fire unto the LORD seven days: in the seventh day is an holy convocation: ye shall do no servile work therein.


Now, hear me carefully…

There is nothing wrong with a “Good Friday” service and the like...we do well to remember and reflect upon what the Lord did for us.

But, we do wrong in not accurately handling the Word of Truth.

2 Timothy 2
15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.


We do wrong in communicating something that is not true - such as “wise men at the manger” in a creche scene - when we know otherwise.

So, when did Jesus die?

At 3 p.m on Nisan 14th - Wednesday afternoon.

Another element.

Jesus did not observe the “Passover” meal at the “Last Supper.”

Huh?

We call it the “Last Supper” because it was His last meal on earth.

Reason with me.

The Hebrew day begins at sunset.

The disciples had asked the Lord what the plans were related to the Passover.
Jesus told them how to find a room.
They did.

They were gathered in that room on the evening of Nisan 14th...the “day of preparation”...later in the day the Passover lamb would be prepared...at 3 p.m. it would be killed, “between the evenings”. Then the meal prepared. At sunset, the beginning of Nisan 15th they would sit for a meal.

The meal that Jesus had with His disciples was simply a meal.
He did establish/initiate a “new covenant”.
But, it was not Passover proper.
It did have “passover” elements.
Jesus told His disciples that He wanted to share this Passover with them, but it was not Passover proper because the Lord would be the Lamb.
Jesus did not “do it early” as some commentators state.

We also see that the religious accusers did not want to enter the pagan court…

John 18
28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.


Jesus was arrested in custody.
Yet Passover was yet to come.

All these things are questions that many have had for years, yet were “fearful” of asking.

I’ve gone too long...so…

Jesus died at 3 p.m., Nisan 14th, our Wednesday afternoon.
Night/Day - Thursday
Night/Day - Friday
Night/Day - Saturday

3 Days/3 Nights

At sundown Saturday it became Sunday.

I believe that at some point shortly after sundown on Sunday the Lord was resurrected.

Later, hours later, the women came to the tomb just before daylight.

They found the stone rolled away.

Some would object and say that the stone had just been rolled away.

True.

But, the stone was not rolled away so that Jesus could get out.
The stone was rolled away that we could see that the tomb was empty.

Do not let all this distract you.
Do let it drive you to know the Truth that the Lord has revealed in His Word.

Then, determine to simply rejoice in and speak of the resurrection.

It is the power of God unto salvation!

Philippians 3
8 Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ,
 9 And be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith:
 10 That I may know him, and the power of his resurrection, and the fellowship of his sufferings, being made conformable unto his death;
 11 If by any means I might attain unto the resurrection of the dead.