A few years back I began a Holy Week tradition that seems to have caught on a bit. Each year, I now post my blogs, or daily devos if you will, that allow you to walk with and follow Jesus during his final days on planet earth. I hope you’ll share these with a friend, and make them part of a conversation or two as we journey our way to Resurrection Day. If anything, use them as your morning devotional perhaps. Enjoy!
The beginning of the end.
Holy Week:
It may be somewhat new to you,
but celebrating Holy Week is actually a very old tradition.
Holy Week follows the last 7 days that Jesus walked on the earth.
Where He went. What He did. You get the idea. We’ll follow his steps every day for the next week. So come back each morning, or evening if you like, and join us here.
DAY 1 – FRIDAY:
For Jesus and His disciples it was time to make the trek toward Jerusalem to celebrate Passover Feast week. Remember: Jesus was Jewish. And, on this particular night (Fri.), he would celebrate one last Sabbath. (which was from sundown Friday to sunset Saturday—if you’re Jewish).
TRIVIA:
The Sabbath has “rules.”
One of the rules is how far a person can walk!
According to the Mitzvah, you can’t walk a straight line more than .598 miles (3161.74 ft.) in any direction outside your city limits.
On this Friday before Good Friday, Jesus was heading to Bethany. He needed to get to where He was going by sunset (before Sabbath began). With the average adult walking pace at about 3-4 mph, a day’s journey (about 12 miles) would realistically take about 5-6 hours.
Bethany was home to Mary, Martha and Lazarus. Yes, the very Lazarus He had just raised from the dead earlier that same week. Talk about a foreshadowing! (Jesus would raise Himself a few days from now!) Bethany was dangerously close to Jerusalem (about 2 miles outside) and to those that wanted Jesus dead. But Jesus knew what he was doing.
Martha had a big dinner planned, but Mary interrupted the evening, broke a bottle of precious ointment, showered Jesus with tears of affection and anointed His feet with her hair.
Moment to Catch
This act foreshadowed his coming burial. Back then you only anointed the feet of a corpse! You anointed the head of a live person. Pretty amazing stuff.
There’s lots more to come. C U tomorrow.
– Stephanie
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