John 13:1
Verse 1 It was just before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father. Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.
We are at another moment of jumping through time to our next scene. While John hints at the second Passover of Jesus’ ministry in John 6, the beloved disciple doesn’t give details about the journey to, time celebrating or even a time spent in Jerusalem. It is interesting how he does spend the majority of the chapter talking about Jesus being the bread of life. In fact there is a lot of discussion about bread in that chapter as Jesus fed 5000 and talked with His disciples about the symbolism of bread including the God-given manna of the wilderness.
Now as they journeyed towards the third Passover of Jesus’ ministry the mood changed. Jesus knew His time was short. The Jewish leaders had been thinking about ways to kill Him for at least a year and He knew being in town for the festival will give them all the time and opportunities they needed to do what they wanted to do. The raising of Lazarus had really gotten the leaders upset and their hate of Jesus was ready to boil over.
Then there was the anointing with the expensive perfume. Jesus said it was preparation for His death, an event that was coming much sooner than His disciples and other followers imagined. A day or two after the anointing Jesus rode into Jerusalem among the palm branches.
Each of these events leading up to His final Passover activities were preparing Jesus and His disciples for what was coming. He knew what was ahead but the men and women with Him didn’t yet understand He was going to be the Passover lamb that year. When they went into the city the Monday after His triumphant entry He once again found the Temple being used as a market and He once again called them out on it.
He entered the Temple that Monday alongside others who were there to choose their Passover lamb all the while knowing He was the ultimate Passover lamb. Once again He was confronting the leaders and their love of money and power with the knowledge He was preparing to pay the price of sins once and for all, smashing the power of the enemy to use death as a weapon. An ordinary day of preparation for the festival was setting the stage for the greatest Passover of all time.
Making It Personal
During this time of lent how are you preparing your heart to celebrate Christ’s sacrifice? Do you think about the various ways Good Friday and Easter reveal Jesus? How has He changed your life?
Making It Personal Kids
Do your favorite holidays reveal anything about Jesus? Why do they make you think about Him? How has Jesus changed your life?
Closing Prayer
Father, You planned each detail of Christ’s life so many years in advance and placed hints of what was to come throughout the generations. Help us be on the lookout for evidence of You in our daily life so we can help others see You too. In Jesus’ name, amen.
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