Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

The events of Holy Week are familiar to us. We know what takes. We know the characters involved. Each of the detail our Lord's suffering and dying is well-known. But who would have suspected that things would turn out this way; especially since this Holy Week starts out on such a high note. As Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the spirits of the people and his disciples are soaring. Thousands of pilgrims line the route into the city. There are palm branches strewn in his way. People take off their outer cloaks and lay them before Jesus. A loud crescendo builds; louder and louder as Jesus nears the gate of the city. Matthew writes in the 21st chapter of his Gospel: "The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!"

            But there is something about the scene that doesn't make sense. Look at how Jesus enters the city of Jerusalem. There is no regal chariot. There is no white charger. There are no soldiers decked out in battle fatigues. There are only the disciples; humble and poor. And look at Jesus himself. As Jesus comes into the city, he comes "gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." There is no pomp or circumstance here. There are no trumpets blowing. No banners leading his way. There is no arrogance here as we often see in the powerful of this world. This is not about earthly kingdoms or earthly power. Instead as the Prophet Zechariah tells us in our Old Testament Lesson, Jesus comes "righteous and having salvation." Jesus doesn't enter Jerusalem looking to expand his kingdom by the force of arms. Instead he comes with a very simple message... Zechariah says that he comes "proclaiming peace to the nations."                      

            That peace is purchased by all that happens to our Lord Jesus at the end of this week, and with the first day of the next week. The crowds that welcome our Lord with Hosannas on Palm Sunday, are crying out "Crucify Him, Crucify Him!" on Friday morning. It's quite a turn of events. It's quite a swing in the opinion polls. In five days from Palm Sunday to Good Friday Jesus' popularity has fallen from all time highs to near zero.

The cause of that is not our Lord Jesus. The problem lies within the broken lives of those around Jesus. Evidence of that brokenness can be seen in the religious leaders who arrest Jesus and condemn him. God had made them the keepers of the temple. They were the ones called to lead the people in God's ways. But listen to what Jesus calls them a bit earlier in the week. As Jesus mourns over the city of Jerusalem, his harshest words are for the religious leaders. In Matthew 23 Jesus says, "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean." Evidence of the brokenness of sin can be seen in how the crowds choose Barabbas over our Lord Jesus. They ask that a murderer be released instead of someone who had raised their dead.

            But it's not just the Jewish religious leaders; and it's not just Pontius Pilate. It would be easy to lay the blame at their feet. But take measure of the three fingers point back at you and me. It's us. We are the reason for our Lord's terrible suffering. We are the ones responsible. We and our sins are the ones who cause our Lord's back to be torn open by the Roman whip. Because we want to be the kings and queens on our own lives, our Lord Jesus wears that awful crown of thorns. Because we wanted to walk our own way and take things for ourselves, Jesus' hands and Jesus' feet are nailed to the cross. Jesus is condemned to death on the cross because of us. This is the wages of our sin.

            One of our hymns reads, "You who think of sin but lightly Nor suppose the evil great Here may view its nature rightly, Here its guilt may estimate. Mark the sacrifice appointed; See who bears the awful load; It's the Word, the Lord's Anointed. Son of God and Son of man." Jesus is suffers because we are the sinners. Jesus is condemned because we cannot pay for our sin. Jesus is condemned for us, to buy us back from the curse of sin. St. Paul tells the Galatian believers, "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: "Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree." The Prophet Isaiah writes, "We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all."

            Behold, how He love us! "Thousand, thousand, thanks are due, dearest Jesus unto Thee".

May our Lord bless your Holy Week!

Rev. John C. Wille

SWD president