Holy Week: A Walk Through Jesus' Final DaysSample

Holy Wednesday

Not many specifics are known about the Wednesday of Holy Week. Every other day of this week has details and time markers about what Jesus did, but not this one. It’s possible that Jesus’ anointing at Bethany (Matt. 26:6-13) and Judas’ agreement to betray Jesus (Matt. 26:14-16) happened on this day. It’s also possible that Jesus just spent the day resting in Bethany at Lazarus’ house with His disciples. The events of Sunday-Tuesday would have been exhausting and the days after Wednesday were only filled with pain. When we go through difficult weeks, we need time to rest and Jesus was no different. His humanity should never be forgotten as we observe His final week. He felt tired; He felt pain; He experienced emotion. Everything we experience as humans, He experienced too. There is no doubt this week of his life was more difficult than most of us can imagine.

“Jesus understands what you’re going through” isn’t just a cliche. When God created the world, His most important creation was humans. He created us because He wanted to be in a relationship with us. And when we severed that relationship through sin, He didn’t give up on us. He set a plan in motion, a plan to make things right and to restore our relationship with Him. He loved us enough to enter into our brokenness and sin. The Creator of the world humbled Himself and became a man to live like one of us. At the midway point of Holy Week, Jesus stopped and rested on this day and it is good for us to do the same. Let us reflect on how much He loves us and how comforting it is to know that He not only hears our prayers but has lived through them.

Reflection/Prayer

Have you ever stopped to think about how the final week of Jesus’ life affected Him physically, emotionally, and spiritually? Spend some time reflecting on all He experienced- the joy of the triumphal entry, the anger in the temple, saying goodbye to His friends at the Last Supper, the pain of Judas’ betrayal, the agony of the cross. Reflect on any pain that you feel in your life right now. How does it make you feel to know that Jesus understands what you’re going through?