THE STORY OF HOLY WEEK

Throughout this booklet you’ll see several opportunities to celebrate Easter with us. We hope you’ll join us for

these events as we celebrate our ressurected King. See the full schedule of events at uhbc.net/easter.

Beginning Palm Sunday and ending Resurrection Sunday, Holy Week represents the eight most significant days in the history of the world and is the most important time of year in the life of the church. We want to help you take advantage of every day this week to reflect on the life of Christ, remember his death, and celebrate his resurrection.

Join the members of University Heights and Christians around the world as we make a conscious effort to remind ourselves of a plan as old as the world itself—a plan to give God’s people the king they’ve always needed. In Holy Week, we see Jesus announce his kingdom, show us what it looks like, and inaugurate it with the most astounding act of sacrificial love the world has ever known.

This week, remember that the observance of Holy Week is an opportunity, not an obligation. We pray that your walk through this story is filled with joy. We hope you can take advantage of this devotional’s contents in a way that you and those nearest you are drawn to the supreme worth of Jesus Christ.

If you have a family with young kids or a small group of friends that you’ll be reading this with, pick up a copy of the supplemental questions and activities that accompany it. You can find copies in the Welcome Center or the church office. We believe they will help you lead others in celebrating King Jesus.

We look forward to worshiping with you on Resurrection Sunday.

PREPARE YOUR HEART TOCELEBRATE THE KING

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READ MATTHEW 21:1-11

Long ago, God promised a king unlike any other. This king

would rule justly and make it possible for his people to live in perfect

peace.

For centuries, the people of Israel waited on this king, but

generations came and went with no sign of the one God promised.

Prophets encouraged people to endure the wait by assuring them he

would certainly come (Zechariah 9:9-10).

In Matthew 21, Jesus sets the stage for a direct fulfillment of that

prophecy from Zechariah. The better king was ready to make good on

the promises of the Father and ensure that God’s people dwell in peace.

The rescuer was at hand, and the people of God could hardly contain

their excitement.

“Save us, Son of David!” Young and old alike celebrate Jesus as he

makes the journey down a crowded, dusty road into the city of David.

A long-oppressed people plea to be delivered from the hand of their

enemies.

But Jesus doesn’t do what they expect. He doesn’t ascend the

throne, vanquish the Romans by the sword, or reestablish the physical

kingdom in the land promised to Abraham.

He does something far more astounding.

Jesus knew that God’s people had an enemy much stronger than

Rome. They had an oppressor more powerful than Caesar. And they

owed a debt far greater than any tax demanded by the empire.

The enemy to be conquered wasn’t outside but inside. It wasn’t a

return to the good ol’ days of David that was needed. It was instead a

return to right standing with God that Adam broke in the garden.

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Any visions of grandeur quickly come to an end over the next

week. Before long, the disciples abandon him and the shouts of joy are

replaced by screams of, “Crucify him!” The people want nothing do to

with this king.

But rejection doesn’t change the Father’s plan or shake the Son’s

willingness to complete it. The peace of God’s people would be secured

by violence, but it wouldn’t come from the king. It would be suffered by

him.

As he rode into Jerusalem on a wave of praise, he looked each

welcomer in the eye. He knew what their sin would require of him. And

yet, he came in full humility with a willingness to suffer on behalf of men

for the glory of God.

Even when it doesn’t look like what we expect, Jesus is the perfect

king we need. He offers us something far greater than any praise we will

ever give him. This week, celebrate life in the eternal kingdom of a king

who suffered on your behalf.

PRAY

God, thank you for keeping your promises in spite of my sinful rebellion. Thank you that your plan for salvation is far greater than anything I ever imagined. Help me see all that Jesus has done on my behalf and praise him for it.

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READ MATTHEW 22:41-46

They watched his hero’s reception and immediately began

preparing to crush his growing movement. Jesus’ enemies now converge

to stop the king.

In Jesus, the Pharisees and Sadducees find a common foe. He is not

the Messiah they wanted. Matthew tells the story of their arguments

with Jesus as they search for a way to condemn him. Jesus answers each

question with force and poses one of his own. It is an odd question to

say the least.

What is the relationship of David to the Christ?

This question about God’s family tree seems out of place, but the

Pharisees know where he’s headed. They answer just as they have been

taught by saying that the Christ is the son of David. The deliverer of

God’s people must come from the royal line. And on this point, Jesus

agrees with his enemies.

We need a deliverer.

But unlike the religious leaders, Jesus has a very different kind of

king in mind. This one is not simply a son of David. He is not just an

above-average man of God. Jesus explains why by quoting Psalm 110.

Weird, right? Instead of explaining every mystery of his kingship in

detail, Jesus opens the Psalms. He offers a lesson in genealogy. This is

definitely not what we expect.

How can someone be David’s son and Lord at the same time?

You see, Jesus knows that our belief about the son of David makes all

the difference. Our answer to this question reveals whether we trust him.

Throughout his ministry, Jesus said that he was both the long-

awaited son of David and the one who created David. Both son and

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Lord. Both God and man.

This is where human history divides.

Either we believe him or we don’t. Either Jesus is a man who died like

David or the one who rules forever. Either he is an impostor born into

the right family or the forever king.

Remember what the crowds shouted as he entered the city?

“Hosanna to the Son of David!” Can Jesus bear the weight of their

praises or will he go the way of all other men?

The Pharisees’ silence is telling. Jesus’ question makes no sense to

minds bound by time and human expectation. Answering his question

requires more than logic and learning. It requires a supernatural work of

God in the heart.

To save us, God has to awaken dead hearts and open blind eyes so

we can trust what Jesus said about himself.

If you have the faith to believe what Jesus claimed, then don’t be

silent about it. Proclaim, “Yes. Jesus is Lord, and every knee shall bow

to him!” Go and declare the truth about your king to friends, neighbors,

and coworkers who need to hear and believe.

PRAY

Father, thank you for your great ability to overcome my dead heart and blinded eyes. Thank you for revealing to me the truth of who Jesus is and what he has done. Please give me an opportunity this week to share the hope I have in my king.

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READ JOHN 13:1-17

An already long week is about to get longer. Jesus knows the

end is near, and John tells us about his heart. “Having loved his own who

were in the world, he loved them to the end.”

Imagine what it would be like to share a final meal with someone you

love dearly. What would you say to that person? What would you do

with your last moments together? Perhaps you don’t have to imagine.

Maybe you already know.

Our story brings us to that exact moment for Jesus and his disciples.

With one last chance to leave a mark on the lives of his friends, Jesus

does something unthinkable.

In a task reserved for the lowest slave, he rises after dinner, grabs

a bowl and towel, and begins washing the feet of each friend. Though

foot washing was widely practiced in Israel, it is unimaginable that a

respected teacher (much less a king!) would find himself in this position.

But ours is no ordinary king.

Just days earlier, Jesus entered his city on the back of a donkey—not

a stallion. He spent years among the unacceptable people of Israel—not

princes. He came to serve—not be served.

Ours is an extraordinary king.

Think of the shock each disciple felt as their Rabbi kneels to remove

sandals from their dusty feet. Jesus turns the entire social order of their

world on its head. He scrubs away ethnic and economic hierarchy from

his kingdom. This is a lesson the disciples never forget.

His display of humility is what marks our kingdom. It’s who we must

be. We do just as Christ did because of what Christ did.

In this meal, Jesus demonstrates the gospel to his friends. He shows

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us the glory of God’s eternal plan. The one who cannot be served by

human hands serves the very ones who will betray and desert him.

This week, we take comfort in knowing that our king loves us

perfectly, selflessly, and without end. He loves to the uttermost.

PRAY

God, thank you that your love has no limits. Even when my love for you and others is lacking, you love me still. Give me grace this day to live in the reality that I have a king who loves me unconditionally. Help me to love you and my fellow man with a shadow of that love.

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READ MARK 14:32-42

It’s quiet in the garden, but Jesus is not. Distress, sorrow, and

anguish course through his heart. He enters Gethsemane to pray,

knowing this will be no regular bedtime prayer. Jesus is about to be

betrayed.

The garden is the ultimate test for our king.

As his time on earth races to an end, Jesus falls to the ground to

plead for another way. “Abba! Father!” These are intimate words no

average Jew would dare use with God, but this intimacy is not without

anguish. With loud cries and tears of agony, our king calls out to his

Father for help.

Overwhelmed by grief, Jesus shows us what it looks like to trust the

Father who cares for us.

Jesus knows what awaits him. He knows that the silence will soon be

interrupted by the footsteps of his betrayer. He knows his closest friends

will abandon him. He knows exactly what the cup of suffering will taste

like, and he pleads with the Father to remove it.

Here we see the humanity of Jesus more clearly than ever before.

Our savior king feels deeply the weight of our sin, and it is almost

unbearable. It feels as though the anguish might kill him.

If ever our king was to be defeated, this is the moment.

But Jesus is not defeated. He accepts the response of the Father to

proceed as planned. He perfectly obeys because he knows what lies

ahead will change the world. The one without sin prepares to bear all of

ours.

If Jesus hadn’t obeyed the Father in the garden, he would have been

swallowed up by death forever and there would be no resurrection, no

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salvation, and no future kingdom for you to inherit by faith. If he fails

this test, all hope is lost.

We have life because Jesus didn’t fail.

The one to whom all Scripture has been pointing to as the better

Adam, the better lamb, the better ark, and the better king, bows before

the Father and declares that his way is better.

Be overwhelmed with gratitude at what the obedience of Jesus cost

him. Then, follow his example by doing as he did. Trust the plan of God.

Give your life to him in full assurance that our king is better.

PRAY

God, thank you for Jesus’ obedience. Thank you for his perfectly sinless life and sacrificial death that makes salvation possible for me. I repent of the ways I have not trusted what you say and ask that you help my heart believe that your way is better.

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READ JOHN 18:28-40

If you read the story too quickly, it might feel like Jesus’ last

week on earth is controlled by religious, regional, or mob power. His few

words and apparent willingness to accept what’s next might seem weak

in the face of opposition.

Our king is anything but weak.

When we let the whole Bible speak to what’s going on in the heart

and mind of Jesus, we see nothing of weakness. Instead, we stand

captivated by the authority and control he wields all week long. Just

look at the trial before Pilate.

Convinced of their authority, religious leaders have already

condemned Jesus in a bid to protect themselves. Now, he is handed

over to the political authority; the representative of the most powerful

government in the world.

In the face of forceful questioning by the Romans, Jesus issues a

powerful rebuke, “My kingdom is not of this earth.” This is not a man

weak with fear. Jesus stares down the very power of this world and

declares his supremacy over it.

Our king gives us a glimpse at the extent of his kingdom.

It will outlast the rule of Pilate. It will overcome the persecution of

future rulers. It will endure the fall of the Roman empire. It will stretch to

every corner of the globe and extend into eternity.

Our king is exceedingly strong.

He is superior in power, more vast in perspective, and completely

sovereign in authority. He knit all men together in their mother’s wombs.

And now, he willingly submits to the brutality of hands he designed and

curses of lips he formed.

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He gives himself up for the glory of God in the salvation of men.

Life certainly seems chaotic as Jesus stands bruised and bleeding in

prisoner’s chains. To his followers, the situation appears wildly out of

control as the one who commanded the waves appears to be under the

command of men.

But Jesus is always in control.

Though we plot and rage, he will not be thwarted. When those

nearest him doubt and fret, his confidence is sure. We take great

comfort in the fact that nothing interferes with God’s plan.

In every detail, he perfectly executes the plan for his glory and your

joy.

PRAY

Sovereign God, thank you that I have inherited an unshakable kingdom. I praise you that your loving-kindness overwhelms my rebellion. Thank you for the confidence I can have in your hands. Help me to live as a confident subject of my great king.

JOIN US TONIGHT

Candlelight Communion is tonight at 7pm. This special service of

light and dark is a great way to help you reflect on the life and death of

Jesus Christ. Please consider joining in this time with us tonight.

Visit uhbc.net/events for more details.

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READ LUKE 23:26-49

“Crucify him!” The crowd that shook palm branches is replaced

by one shaking their fists and demanding his death. The human heart is

incredibly fickle, and its darkness is on full display as Jesus of Nazareth

is led to die.

Our king is hung on a criminal’s cross.

This is Good Friday. But why, on Good Friday, do the unjust go free

while the righteous are condemned? Why, on Good Friday, do the

enemies of God hurl insults while the Son fights for each breath?

This is certainly not a kind of good we easily recognize.

The Bible helps us see why a horrific day like this can be called good.

As he hangs on the cross, Jesus’ words show us the goodness he has

planned.

“Father, forgive them.”

This is why Friday is good. The righteous pleads for the pardon of the

unrighteous with words planned from before time, and it is this plea that

makes it possible for us to know God as Father.

The forgiveness Jesus requested wasn’t free. It cost him everything,

and he considered that price as he rode into the city on a donkey. He

thought of it as he bent to wash the disciples’ feet, answered questions

meant to trap him, and prayed for a different way in the garden.

When the crowd challenges Jesus to save himself, he stays so we

might be saved. The king secures our salvation by not saving himself.

Jesus gave his life so that his plea for our forgiveness could be

answered. As he cried out one final time, the curtain of the temple was

torn in two, and all that kept men from God came to an immediate end.

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Our enemy was crushed.

Our deliverance was secured.

Our life was spared.

Our safety was ensured.

Our place in the kingdom was purchased by the now-lifeless king.

Only Jesus could request our forgiveness and ensure its fulfillment.

Only Jesus could pay the penalty required of us. Only our king could

make this day truly good.

In Christ alone, who took on flesh,

Fullness of God in helpless babe.

This gift of love and righteousness,

Scorned by the ones He came to save.

‘Til on that cross as Jesus died,

The wrath of God was satisfied.

For every sin on Him was laid,

Here in the death of Christ I live.

PRAY

God, there are not enough words to say thank you for all that Jesus did for me on the cross. Help me understand just how much my salvation cost him. And, help me know what it means to live a life of gratitude in return.

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READ LUKE 23:50-56

Saturday is quiet. As tempting as it is to jump from Friday to Sunday,

the gospel writers pause to lead us through the silence and the stillness

of the grave because they know we need it.

We need to feel the reality of death. The silent grave lets us begin to

understand the hopelessness that swept over the disciples as the one in

whom they’d trusted was gone. They looked like fools before the world

as their would-be king lay lifeless.

We need to fully experience the miracle of the resurrection. Jesus

wasn’t simply unconscious for a few hours. He didn’t just faint. The

Romans were far too good at what they did to let that happen. Because

of Saturday, we can know that the death of Jesus was very, very real.

We need to consider the fate that was ours. That cold, silent tomb

was our home. That is where our bodies should rot. That was our destiny

without Jesus.

The silence of Saturday holds out much hope for you. Though

somber, there is reason to rejoice. So, don’t waste this day.

You need it.

Think about the hopeless disciples, and know you will never be

hopeless. Feel the reality of his death, and know you will never feel that

same pain. Consider your fate without Jesus, and know you will never

face it.

Then, prepare your heart to celebrate. Spend time today in prayer. Go

back through this devotional, and thank God for the way he worked on

your behalf through his Son.

Ask him to do a great work tomorrow morning and draw many

people to himself.

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PRAY

Father, thank you for Saturday. Thank you for the hope I have in the middle of hopelessness. Thank you that when all seems lost, I can look to Jesus in full confidence that he will do as he said. Help me to examine my own heart this day and prepare to celebrate your Son tomorrow. Even now, begin calling people from death to life.

JOIN US TOMORROW

Please join us as we celebrate the ressurection of our Lord and

Savior, Jesus Christ! We will hold services at 9:30am and 10:45am.

Visit uhbc.net/events for more details on this special day.

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READ LUKE 24:1-12

Sunrise presented the first opportunity to care for the body.

Carrying jars of spice and linen wrappings, grief-stricken women make

their way through the streets of Jerusalem as the city woke from its

slumber. It had been a long few days for the followers of Jesus as their

festival had become a funeral.

Now it’s time to prepare the king’s body for permanent rest.

As they arrive at the borrowed grave, the soft light of dawn was just

bright enough to see the stone rolled away from the tomb. They stand

stunned in silence as the king’s body is gone.

Shaken and disoriented, they snap back to reality as men in blinding

clothes ask, “Why do you seek the living among the dead?”

The king was alive! On this glorious Sunday morning, the women

stumble on a truth that changed the world. Death was dead—its power

crushed by the Promised One.

Today, as much as any time in history, people seek life in things that

are dead. They search for life in kingdoms of wealth, security, fame, and

pleasure where they won’t find it. These kingdoms are hopeless and

their kings frauds, like a tomb sealed with a heavy stone.

In the resurrection of Jesus, God makes a way for us to know real life.

This is life offered by the one king who was and is and is to come. This is

a kingdom that knows no end, all because Jesus defeated death.

Awake from your slumber and see that King Jesus is alive! He offers

something you will find nowhere else—everlasting life in an eternal

kingdom. So, seek him while he may be found. Taste the life giving water

he offers. Find forgiveness in his blood. Give up everything you have to

go follow him.

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PRAY

Gracious Father, thank you for resurrection! Thank you for the promise of new life. Thank you that the end of this life is just the beginning of it. Thank you for sending your Son to do for me what I could not do for myself. Thank you that he accomplished the plan perfectly and secured my redemption eternally. Help me to walk in a manner worthy of my king.

University Heights Baptist Church2400 Sycamore Avenue

Huntsville, TX 77340