Words From The Upper Room

The writers of the gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, all record the events of what some today call “Holy Week,” from Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to His resurrection one week later. It seems strange to call this period of time “Holy Week,” because it was, in reality, the most “unholy” week in the history of mankind, as sinful men crucified the perfect, innocent, eternal Son of God in the most cruel way imaginable. We are not starting at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem this morning, but rather at what we might call “the point of no return.” John takes us in his gospel from the upper room to Gethsemane, as Jesus prays and is then arrested by Roman soldiers. What follows is a rather brief description of a horrible series of events where Jesus is verbally and physically abused by sinful men who occupied positions of power in both the religious and secular worlds. Both had this much in common: they refused to acknowledge that Jesus was, in fact, “the King of the Jews!” Because we today who believe in Jesus KNOW He was the “Christ,” God’s anointed King, the fulfillment of all the prophecies of the Old Testament, it is easy for us to read of these events without realizing their significance. The religious leaders of the Jews, the Jewish governor, Herod, and the Roman governor, Pilate, were all looking at THIS world, refusing to believe that the “man” who was standing in front of them was a “King.” How could this man be the Messiah? Yet the accusation the Jews made against Him was that He CLAIMED to be the Christ, God’s anointed King … and He WAS … and IS!!! He COULD have called twelve legions of angels to defend Him in the garden, but He didn’t. His kingdom was not of this world. His power and authority did not come from men, but from God. He did not come this first time to establish His kingdom on the earth, but to bring salvation to all who would believe. “Watch” and listen as Jesus humbly submits to the Father’s will, yet testifies to the TRUTH!!