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Holy Week: A 4-Week Course

Week 1 · Preparation at Bethany

John 11 · John 12:1-8

Just before entering Jerusalem, Jesus stays in Bethany. There he calls Lazarus, four days dead, out of the tomb, declaring, "I am the resurrection, and the life" — announcing in advance who he is, on the eve of his own death and resurrection. Also in Bethany, Mary pours out very costly perfume on Jesus; some call it wasteful, but Jesus receives it as preparation for his burial. Both the raising of Lazarus and Mary's devotion are a prelude pointing toward the death and resurrection soon to come.

Discuss together

Mary's devotion looked like a 'waste' to others. How do we respond when our devotion to God looks inefficient by the world's standards?

Quiz and explanations

Who did Jesus call out of the tomb at Bethany?

Lazarus
Jairus' daughter
The widow's son
The centurion's servant

Check order

1. Jesus called Lazarus, four days dead, out of the tomb (John 11).

What did Mary pour out on Jesus?

Water
Costly perfume
Wine
Flour

Check order

2. Mary poured very costly perfume on Jesus, which he received as preparation for his burial (John 12:3-7).

1. Week 1 · Preparation at Bethany

John 11 · John 12:1-8

Mary's devotion looked like a 'waste' to others. How do we respond when our devotion to God looks inefficient by the world's standards?

Bethany

2. Week 2 · Entry into Jerusalem and Cleansing the Temple

Matthew 21:1-13

Jesus enters Jerusalem riding on a donkey. Choosing a donkey rather than a conqueror's warhorse was itself a symbolic act, showing in advance that the kingdom he was establishing would be one of humility and peace, not military force. The crowds welcome him, crying "Hosanna to the Son of David," but that same cheering crowd will, only days later, cry "Crucify him." Jesus then enters the temple and drives out those buying and selling, declaring, "My house shall be called the house of prayer" — a decisive judgment on the way the center of worship had been twisted into a place of commerce and self-interest.

Within days, the crowd went from shouting 'Hosanna' to shouting 'Crucify him.' Does our own zeal for faith shift just as easily depending on circumstances?

Jerusalem

3. Week 3 · The Prayer at Gethsemane

Matthew 26:36-56

After the Last Supper with his disciples, Jesus goes to the garden of Gethsemane to pray. The prayer is agonizing enough that he says, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death." And yet he prays, "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt." At the point where his own will and the Father's will collide, Jesus does not hide his human fear, yet in the end chooses obedience. Soon after, he is arrested through Judas' betrayal.

Jesus prayed honestly, without hiding his fear, and still chose obedience in the end. Do we tend to suppress our emotions when facing a hard prayer? How can honest prayer and obedience go together?

Gethsemane

4. Week 4 · From Golgotha to the Resurrection

Matthew 27:32-61 · Matthew 28

At Golgotha, Jesus is crucified and dies, and is laid in a tomb. The moment that must have looked to the disciples like the end of everything turns out to be the true turning point of the whole biblical story. On the morning of the third day, an angel tells the women who came to the tomb, "He is not here: for he is risen, as he said." If the cross is the place where the wages of sin were paid, the resurrection is God's declaration that death does not have the final word. Jesus goes on to appear to his disciples several times afterward, restoring the ones who had scattered in fear.

To the disciples, the cross looked like the end, but it was actually the turning point. Has there been a moment in your life that felt like an ending, but turned out to be God's new beginning?

Golgotha → Jerusalem

Rebuild the journey

Choose the places in journey order to reconstruct the route.