Friday, March 22, 2024

This coming Sunday is Palm Sunday and begins what many Christians observe as Holy Week. You may have even observed it as a child without completely understanding what it was all about.

What is Holy Week and why do Christians celebrate it? Just as Christmas is a celebration of Christ’s birth, Holy Week is observed by Christians because it is also a significant time in the life of Christ. It marks the week leading up to the death and resurrection of Jesus. This is why it is sometimes referred to as Passion Week, after the Greek word pascho, meaning “to suffer,” or passio in Latin which means “to endure suffering.”

Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem and includes Maundy Thursday (when the disciples partook in the Last Supper) and Good Friday (when Jesus is crucified). It is following this passion week that we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection on Easter Sunday.

The four Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—provide great detail and insight into Jesus’ life during this significant week. Jesus knew his time had come, and he spent a great deal of his last days preaching and teaching to the people, performing miracles, and preparing his disciples to carry on his work once he was gone.

Holy Week is pivotal in its significance to the Christian faith. These events give insight about who Jesus really is and how perfectly he executed the mission of God’s plan so we could be saved from sin and have the promise of eternal life with him.

During this time, Jesus demonstrated his love for all people, even in the midst of disdain from the Pharisees and Jewish leaders. From delivering parables to the people, saving an adulterous woman from being stoned, healing a man who was blind from birth, and raising Lazarus from the dead—all while being hunted and falsely accused of crimes by the Pharisees and teachers of religious law—Jesus demonstrated he truly is the one and only Son of God, the great I Am, the light of the world.

John 8:12
Jesus spoke to the people once more and said, “I am the light of the world. If you follow me, you won’t have to walk in darkness, because you will have the light that leads to life.”

Even though Jesus knew a terribly brutal death soon awaited him, he never stopped loving people and teaching the message God sent him to deliver. He set the perfect example for us to follow as Christians. That is why Holy Week is so important and so highly celebrated.

This article was adapted from a post written by Ned Miller as a post for the LivingItOut Devotional.