Jesus is still rock-star famous: that splashy entrance into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey signals that something BIG is about to happen. The inner circle knows it, the followers know it, the casual observers know it, and what’s more–his enemies know it. You can almost sympathize with them, at least looking at it from their point of view. To them it looks like the relative political stability that allows their Roman overlords to leave them in peace is about to be overturned, with serious consequences not only for them, but for the nation. (Think of the opposition party’s response to the election of 2016 and you may get an idea of what that felt like.) Personal animus aside (of which they had plenty), for the good of the nation, the man must be stopped.
But when the ruling class and the crowds expected Jesus to upset the political order, they were thinking way too small. He was out to upset the cosmic order, and by Thursday night there would be no turning back.
For a one-page printable of this week’s challenge, including scripture passages to read, questions to think about, and activities for the family, click below:
(This is a continuation of a series of posts about the “whole story” of the Bible. I plan to run one every week, on Tuesdays, with a printable PDF. The printable includes a brief 2-3 paragraph introduction, Bible passages to read, a key verse, 5-7 thought/discussion questions, and 2-3 activities for the kids. Here’s the Overview of the entire Bible series.)
Previous: Week 39: The Road to Jerusalem
Next: Week 41: The Lamb of God