DAY 9: THE GREAT COMMISSION
Scripture Passage: Matthew 28:16-20

 

AFTER HOLY WEEK:

FOLLOWING EASTER SUNDAY:
• JESUS CONFIRMED HIS RESURRECTION TO THOMAS (JOHN 20:24-29).
• HE APPEARED TO SEVEN OF HIS DISCIPLES AS THEY WERE FISHING (JOHN 21:1-14).
• JESUS FORGAVE AND RESTORED PETER (JOHN 21:15-23).
• HE SPENT TIME FURTHER TEACHING HIS DISCIPLES (ACTS 1:3-8).
• JESUS GAVE HIS DISCIPLES THE GREAT COMMISSION (MATTHEW 28:16-20).
• JESUS ASCENDED TO HEAVEN (ACTS 1:9-11).

 

We’re all fans of something: certain movies, types of music, specific sports teams. When we’re a fan, we’ll often share what we’re a fan of with others. We’ll try to get our friends to watch our favorite movie with us. We’ll create and share a playlist of songs inspired by the musical artists we like the most. We’ll post videos of our reactions whenever our team wins.

 

However, some people take their fandom to a whole other level. They become downright fanatical. They love the object of their affection absolutely and are completely devoted to it. These fans will also share what they’re a fan of with others, but it’s different. They want others to be devoted to it as much as they are. If they’re fans of the Marvel cinematic universe, they don’t want people to just watch the movies. They want them to love the movies, talk about how amazing they are, and stay up to date on the latest news and spoilers about the next phase. This kind of fan not only shares what they love with others, but they also do everything they can to make them as passionate about it as they are.

 

Another word for this kind of fan would be “follower” because they follow every bit of detail about the object of their fandom. They learn, share, and celebrate everything they can. And another word for “follower” is “disciple.”

 

Read Matthew 28:16-20. As Jesus was preparing to leave this earth until His promised return, He gathered together His closest followers, the 11 disciples who were left since Judas had hung himself (27:1-10). He had already appeared to them multiple times following His resurrection. They all, even “doubting” Thomas, had seen Him with their own eyes and listened to Him with their own ears and had their faith confirmed and strengthened. There were still others who had followed Him who had not had the same experiences, and they doubted. However, not these 11 men. While they had all fled and abandoned Him in some way before, they never would again. They would follow His lead wherever it took them and obey His commands, whatever it may cost them.

 

What Jesus said to them on that mountain outside Galilee are the last words Matthew records in His Gospel and some of the last ones Jesus ever spoke. So, they’re worth paying attention to. Jesus began by acknowledging His new authority. He had always been fully God and fully human, yet he had limited His divine power in coming to our world as a man. However, following His resurrection, He fully embraced His authority once again.

 

So, what did Jesus do with His authority? He gave His disciples, and in turn, all of His followers, a mission: make disciples. These men weren’t mere fans of Jesus. They loved Him absolutely and were completely devoted to Him. The purpose of their lives, Jesus revealed, was to invite others to become just like them. And how exactly were they supposed to do that? The same way we are today.

 

First, go. Jesus didn’t just mean for them to go to specific places and peoples in various parts of the world, though there are certainly times we need to be intentional about getting to those who need Christ most. But we also need to be aware of who is around us as we go about our lives every day. We’re surrounded at all times by people who, just like us, need to know the redeeming love of Jesus. Second, we baptize. What this means is that we bring people into the family of God, His Church. We don’t just tell others about Jesus to make them disciples. We then invite them to join us so that we can be disciples together. Third, we teach. This doesn’t mean we have to be experts. It just means we take everything we have learned and are learning about Jesus, and we pass it on to others.

 

For sure, this is a daunting task, but it’s the mission to which Jesus called every one of us. And the best news is, we don’t do it alone. We have each other, of course, but even more than that, we still
have Jesus. He may not walk this earth as a man any longer, but He has still promised to be with each of us “to the end of the age.”

 

THINK ABOUT IT:
Who did God use in your own life to make you a disciple?
How can you take steps in fulfilling Jesus’ mission for your life?
What comfort and encouragement do you receive by knowing Jesus is with you all the time?

DAY 8: THE RESURRECTION
Scripture Passage: Mark 16:1-8

 

HOLY WEEK TIMELINE:

ON EASTER SUNDAY:
• JESUS ROSE FROM THE DEAD (MATTHEW 28:1-8).
• HE APPEARED TO MARY MAGDALENE (JOHN 20:11-18).
• HE JOURNEYED WITH SOME FOLLOWERS ON THE ROAD TO EMMAUS (LUKE 24:13-35).
• HE APPEARED TO HIS DISCIPLES (JOHN 20:19-23)

 

There’s a trend on YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram of making prank videos. You’ll find people pulling pranks on their friends, parents, spouses, and even their children. You’ve probably seen some of these. A guy dressed up as a plant out on the street jumps out at people as they walk by. A girl who keeps throwing ping pong balls off her boyfriend’s head, trying to make them bounce into a cup until she finally throws an egg, which breaks all over his face. A dad who shaves off his beard and jumps out at his daughter, who’s never seen him without it before. A husband who fills his house with clowns knowing those are his wife’s greatest fear. The list could go on.

 

While the style of the videos and the pranks themselves are different in each one, there’s one thing they all have in common. That’s the reaction of the person being pranked. Usually, there’s an initial shock, which includes a physical jump as they react in surprise. They often clutch their chest and sometimes even scream. Then they usually devolve into a fit of nervous laughter once they realize there’s no real danger, and everything’s meant to be one big joke.

 

If you’ve ever been the subject of a prank yourself, then you most likely have experienced that same shock and surprise for yourself. Now, imagine you go to visit a loved one at the graveyard only to find them up and walking around as if nothing ever happened.

 

Read Mark 16:1-8. Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome had been followers of Jesus for some time. They had come with Him and His disciples when they came to Jerusalem. They were present at the crucifixion. They witnessed Jesus’ death on the cross, and at least two of them, the two Mary’s, saw where Jesus’ body was laid in the tomb and that a stone had been rolled against the entrance.

 

So, on Sunday, the third day after Jesus’ death, they came back to His tomb with spices to anoint His body. This was something that Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus had already done. So, why would they come to do it themselves? Perhaps they were so lost in their grief they didn’t know what else to do. After all, that’s the only reason they had come, to grieve. They weren’t expecting anything else. They certainly weren’t expecting the resurrection.

 

However, when they arrived, they found the stone over the entrance rolled away and soon went inside to find that Jesus’ body was no longer there. Mark wrote that they were “alarmed.” The Greek word used to describe the women’s reaction is used by Mark two other times in his Gospel. The first is when Jesus returned from His transfiguration (Mark 9:15). When the people saw Him following Mark wrote they were “overwhelmed with wonder.” The second time Mark used the word was when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Mark described Him as being “deeply distressed and troubled.” These other two instances help give us a better idea of what these women were feeling. There was a sense of wonder and amazement, but also trouble and distress. That’s what it meant for them to be “alarmed.” In other words, they were shocked and surprised.

 

Adding to their alarm, the angel not only told them that Jesus wasn’t there because He had risen, but he also told them to go and tell Peter and the other disciples. Yet when they left, Mark wrote they didn’t say anything to anyone because of how afraid they were.

 

Well, they certainly had reason to be afraid. After all, it was fear that had caused the other disciples to flee or deny Jesus. Just a couple of days before this, the whole city was chanting to crucify Jesus. Who knew what they might want to do to His followers now? But that wasn’t the only reason for their shock and surprise. You see, in the resurrection, they were witnesses to possibly the greatest display of God’s overwhelming power. If we’re not careful, we can miss that. We’ve all heard this story so many times that we unintentionally sanitize the awesome display of God’s complete dominion that is shown in His raising of Jesus from the dead.

 

It was this power, God’s power, that produced the trembling, astonishment, and fear in these women. But they didn’t stay afraid. Eventually, their shock gave way to joy, and we know from the other Gospels that they did go and tell the disciples, and their telling of this good news spread throughout Jesus’ followers. But it didn’t stop there. The good news spread through them throughout the world and on down through the ages to us. And now that good news continues today as we tell of it to others!

 

THINK ABOUT IT:
What is so shocking and surprising about Jesus’ resurrection?
Why do you think it produced fear in both the Mary’s and Salome?
How can we work to stay more aware of God’s power at work in the world around us and our own lives?

DAY 7: JESUS’ BURIAL
Scripture Passage: John 19:38-42

 

HOLY WEEK TIMELINE:

ON SATURDAY:
• PILATE ORDERED GUARDS POSTED AT THE TOMB (MATTHEW 27:62-66).

 

Have you ever lost something so important to you would have done anything just to get it back? The blanket or stuffed animal you carried with you everywhere you went when you were a child? A piece of jewelry someone special gave to you? A family heirloom that might not look like much but means the world to you? Your phone?

 

Remember how desperate you were to find it? Normally whenever we lose something like that, we experience a range of thoughts and feelings. We try to convince ourselves it’s not lost at all as we diligently search for it everywhere
we can think to look. When our searching proves fruitless, we get more and more frustrated, even angry at our lack of success. We try to make deals with anyone around us who might help. We might even try to make a bargain with God if somehow what we’re looking for will all of a sudden reappear. We get sad and upset, and perhaps we cry or sit around moping, not knowing what to do next. At some point, we resign ourselves to the fact that what we seek is lost to us, quite possibly forever, and we’re left wondering just how to move on.

 

All those thoughts and feelings? That’s what we call grief. The more important something is to us, or the more we love it, the deeper we feel grief. That becomes even more true when what we’ve lost is something, or rather someone, we love. A pet. A friend. A family member.

 

Whenever we experience a loss like that, we come to intimately know the feeling that takes up residence deep down in our hearts, a feeling that is both empty and heavy. When we step out our doors, that feeling leaves us dumbstruck that the world around us still spins on its axis, and people can still go about their everyday lives.

 

That’s the same feeling Jesus’ followers woke up with the day after Jesus’ death.

 

Read John 19:38-42. That evening before, Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate, the Roman governor, and asked if he could bury Jesus’ body. Joseph was part of the group of religious leaders who had brought Jesus to trial, but he was secretly a follower of Christ and didn’t agree with what they were doing to Him. He was joined by Nicodemus, another religious leader who had visited Jesus earlier in His ministry. They packed Jesus’ body with ointments and spices in honor and to fight the indignities of decomposition. They then wrapped the body and placed it in a tomb in a garden where no other body had been laid. They had to do this fairly quickly because the Jewish Sabbath began at sundown on Friday, and burials were forbidden on the Sabbath.

 

Imagine, then, what it was like for them that next day, the Sabbath, a day of rest. It brings to mind everyone staying in their homes, lounging about, perhaps spending some time in quiet prayer. We might picture empty streets and shuttered shops. But that wasn’t the case.

 

Remember, that day was no ordinary Sabbath. It was the one following the Passover, the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and the city of Jerusalem was bursting at the seams with people in town for the celebration.

 

On that Sabbath day, many of them would have gone to the Temple to worship. There would have been a hustle and bustle about the streets. A constant din of noise would have been heard throughout the city, drowning out any hope for quiet. There would have been songs. There would have been laughter. There would have been children playing. And through this all, Jesus’ followers would have been grieving, wondering how the world could go on when its creator lay in His grave.

 

For any who would have managed to overcome their grief or even seek some relief from it by visiting the Temple for themselves, they would have been greeted by another sound: the bleating of lambs offered for sacrifice. That must have robbed them of any relief since they alone knew that the true Lamb of God had already been sacrificed just hours before, and there was no longer any need for others.

 

On that Saturday, they must not have been able to know any joy during their grief, but that would have been the last Saturday after Good Friday for that to be true. On the very next day, they’d know joy like never before, and it’s the same joy we all can know today.

 

THINK ABOUT IT:
As a follower of Jesus, how do you think you would have felt on the Saturday after Jesus’ death while He lay buried in the tomb?
What does it mean for Jesus to be the perfect sacrifice?
How does our faith in Jesus enable us to have joy at all times, even during deep grief?

DAY 6: THE CRUCIFIXION
Scripture Passage: Mark 15:6-39

 

HOLY WEEK TIMELINE:

ON GOOD FRIDAY:
• THE SANHEDRIN PUT JESUS ON TRIAL (LUKE 22:66-71).
• PETER DENIED CHRIST (MATTHEW 26:69-75).
• PILATE SENT JESUS TO HEROD (LUKE 23:1-12).
• THE CROWD CHOSE TO FREE BARABBAS (MATTHEW 27:15-23).
• PILATE DELIVERED JESUS TO BE CRUCIFIED (JOHN 19:1-16).
• THE SOLDIERS CRUCIFIED JESUS (LUKE 23:32-38).
• JESUS DIED (MATTHEW 27:45-56).
• JESUS WAS BURIED IN THE TOMB (JOHN 19:38-42).

 

Chances are you have a cross somewhere nearby right now. It might be hanging on the wall or sitting on a bookshelf. Maybe it’s in a picture or painting or a piece of jewelry you’re wearing. If you can see it right now, I want you to look at it for a moment; if you can’t see one, close your eyes and picture a cross.

 

For the vast majority of us, the cross we’re looking at or picturing has one thing in common: Jesus isn’t there. We don’t see Him on the cross. And rightfully so. The cross wasn’t the end of the story. As we like to say, “Sunday’s coming.”

 

But for six hours on the Friday that we call good, Jesus was there, on a very real cross, and what He experienced were agony and anguish. It was suffering. Only, His suffering began before He even got there.

 

Read Mark 15:6-39. After Pontius Pilate gave the people a choice between releasing Jesus and the murderous rebel Barabbas, they chose Barabbas. So, then, Pilate, mister “I wash my hands of this,” decided crucifixion wasn’t going to be enough; he needed to have Jesus scourged first. And this “scourging” wasn’t some slap on the wrist. It wasn’t a spanking. It was a beating with a whip that would often end up killing the person before any other type of punishment could be carried out.

 

But it didn’t stop there for Jesus. Pay attention to what follows. A whole company, about 600 hardened Roman soldiers, stripped Jesus of His clothes and paraded Him around in fake royal garments. They forced a crown of thorns on His head. They mocked Him. They beat Him with a stick. They spit on Him. They ridiculed Him. They forced Him to carry His cross until He physically couldn’t any longer.

 

Only then did they crucify Jesus. They drove nails through His hands and feet and raised Him between two criminals. And after all this, everyone who was there, even some of those dying beside Him, continued to mock, insult, and make fun of Him.

 

Yes, Jesus suffered. But He didn’t just experience physical suffering and emotional suffering. The greatest pain He suffered was spiritual.

 

Throughout all of the abuse Jesus endured, neither Mark nor any of the other Gospel writers recorded one moment of Him screaming in agony or cursing those who tortured Him. But, after He hung there on that cross for six hours, enduring excruciating pain and struggling for every breath, Jesus finally broke His silence.

 

Christ cried out, quoting Psalm 22, “my God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” If you read the rest of that psalm, you’ll notice that like the psalmist, Jesus was also surrounded by mocking enemies and facing certain death. Like the psalmist, Jesus was abandoned by His friends, family, and in Jesus’ case, His followers. To make things worse, Jesus was even abandoned by the Father. At that moment, Jesus was completely and utterly alone.

 

But it had to be this way.

 

Jesus alone is God who took on flesh. Jesus alone faced every temptation and trouble in this world, yet knew no sin. Jesus alone could bear our sin, every wrong thing you’ve ever done, every wrong thought I’ve ever conceived, every disobedience and rebellion committed throughout all time. He alone could suffer in our place. He alone could pay the penalty we owed. He alone could die for us.

 

Why in this moment alone did Jesus cry out “my God” instead of “Father”? Because at that moment, God the Son had become the sinner’s sacrifice. In turn, God the Father saw not His Son but the sin of the world – my sin and your sin – and in His holiness, He turned away and left Him to die.

 

Jesus died alone on that cross so you and I might live together with God in fellowship with Him. He suffered so we may be saved. And that’s what makes this Friday so good.

 

THINK ABOUT IT:
Jesus is often referred to as a “man of sorrows” (Isaiah 53:3). How does it affect your understanding of who He is to also see Him as a man of suffering?

 

Read Psalm 22. In what ways do you see Christ reflected in the verses of this psalm?

 

Though perhaps not to the same extent, we also know what it’s like to suffer or feel like we’re surrounded by trouble. How does it help you to face those situations knowing Jesus is intimately familiar with the same things?

DAY 5: JESUS’ TRIAL & PETER’S DENIAL
Scripture Passage: Matthew 26:57-75

 

HOLY WEEK TIMELINE:

ON MAUNDY THURSDAY:
• JESUS CELEBRATED PASSOVER WITH HIS DISCIPLES (LUKE 22:7-16).
– He washed His Disciples’ feet (John 13:1-20).
– He foretold His betrayal (Matthew 26:20-25).
– He promised the Holy Spirit (John 14:15-31).
– Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane at the Mount of Olives (Matthew 26:36-46; Luke 22:39-46; John 17:1-26).
•JUDAS BETRAYED JESUS (LUKE 22:47-48).
•THE CHIEF PRIESTS, SCRIBES, AND ELDERS ARRESTED JESUS (MATTHEW 26:47-56).
•THE DISCIPLES FLED (MARK 14:50)

 

“It wasn’t me.” Those three little words have to be one of the earliest excuses we learn to tell. Almost from the moment we can talk, whenever we’re confronted about something wrong we’ve done, we quickly offer up that lie in an attempt to keep ourselves out of trouble. In Matthew 26, we find Peter, one of Jesus’ closest disciples, offering essentially the same excuse he would have made when he was caught causing trouble as a toddler.

 

Read Matthew 26:57-75. After Jesus’ arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane, those who captured Him took Him to Caiaphas, the high priest, to be tried for His supposed crimes. The authorities in this first trial had no real power to carry out any sentencing, but they could determine just what accusations they would be able to bring before those who did.

 

As Jesus was taken away, most of the other disciples scattered to the wind, but not Peter. He went along. Granted, he didn’t stay right by Jesus’ side, but he followed at a distance. At that point, it seems he at least still had some of the guts and grit he showed when he drew his sword in defense of Jesus when they came for Him. Once they arrived at the trial, Peter didn’t go inside even though he wanted to know how things would go. So, he stayed out in the courtyard where he could still hear and observe everything that took place.

 

What happened inside was a joke. The religious leaders, supposed men of God, had done their best to find people to lie about Jesus. Evidently, they found some, but none whose accusations would stick. Two others did come forward with a twisted version of something Jesus had said about rebuilding the temple after three days following its destruction (John 2:19). That was all it took.

 

Throughout it all, Jesus remained silent until directly questioned whether or not He was the Christ, the Son of God. When He confessed that He was, the religious leaders knew they had Him. There was only one conclusion to draw. To claim to be God was to commit blasphemy, an egregious sin, and a curse toward God. The only way He could be innocent would be for Jesus to actually be the Son of God (which, of course, He was even though none of them believed it). So, there was only one possible punishment befitting such a crime: death.

 

Meanwhile, there’s Peter in the courtyard. He’s just heard that very pronouncement for himself. Knowing his Savior was surely to die, it appears some of his bravado left him. We can see this in what happened next. First, a servant girl recognizes Peter as one of Jesus’ followers. Then, another servant girl also accuses him of being someone that was also seen around town with Jesus. Finally, some of the crowd gathered around for the spectacle of the trial heard in Peter’s accent that he was an out-of-towner and came from the same region where Jesus did.

 

Peter gave the same excuse each of the three times, some version of “it wasn’t me.” At first, he simply said he didn’t understand. Then Peter directly denied even knowing Jesus, which he did once again, adding some cursing to boot. At that moment, a rooster crowed, and Peter knew.

 

What did Peter know? He knew he had done what Jesus had warned him he would do. “This very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times” (Matthew 26:34). What could Peter do then except weep over his failure? He’d been caught, and no excuse could make it otherwise.

 

We often like to give Peter a hard time. After all, it seems like throughout the gospel stories, he’s consistently putting his foot in his mouth. However, we need to give Peter a break, not because he was innocent but because he was guilty. He was guilty just as every man, woman, and child that night at that trial were guilty, all but Christ, Himself. They were guilty, just as we all are.

 

The good news is this: though innocent, Jesus’ death made a way for us all to know forgiveness, no matter what we’ve done, no matter how guilty we are.

 

THINK ABOUT IT:
What are ways followers of Jesus continue to deny Him sometimes today?
Why is Jesus’ innocence so significant?
What risk is there for you in confessing your worst sins to Christ and asking for His forgiveness?