Hey, it's Holy Week! If you grew up in Christianity, you've probably heard of this annual celebration. Christians from across the Christian tradition set apart this week, in particular, to commemorate the words and actions of Jesus from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday.

If you're new to this concept, allow us to introduce you to Holy Week and its symbolism for us as followers of Jesus.

Palm Sunday

Let's set the scene. We're in Jerusalem. It's five days before Passover, a major Jewish holiday that celebrates the exodus of the Israelites from slavery in Egypt. People in the city heard that Jesus of Nazareth was coming to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and met him, shouting, "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel!"

This was huge. To the people in the streets shouting, "Hosanna!" Jesus was the amalgamation of centuries of waiting and expectation; a prophecy being fulfilled in front of their eyes. We celebrate Palm Sunday by echoing the words of those in the streets that day. "Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Blessed is the king of Israel!" 

Maundy Thursday 

A few days later, Jesus gathers his twelve disciples for a meal. The table is set with bread and wine. There's an empty basin on the floor. 

Jesus proceeds to lay aside his outer garments, taking a towel and tying it around his waist. He then pours water into the basin and begins to wash the disciple's feet. This was a display of Jesus' humility and servanthood. The disciples should be the ones washing Jesus' feet, but in a complete role-reversal, Jesus confirms what he said earlier in his time with them. He came "not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many."

When he finished with the foot washing, he said to his disciples, "If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example, that you also should do just as I have done to you." 

Alright, part two: the supper. Let's let Mark's Gospel do the talking: 

"And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he gave it to them, and they all drank of it. And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many." (Mark 14:22-24)

For Jesus, these two elements weren't just a good addition to a meal with friends. They were representative of his body and blood; the same body that would be broken and the same blood that would be poured out within hours.

On Maundy Thursday, we remember this final meal, along with all its compelling power and significance. 

Good Friday

Two more days. Almost done, we promise. 

Good Friday: the day Jesus was crucified. You may think, "What's so good about a crucifixion? Sounds like a pretty bad Friday to me." 

Yes, there is nothing "good" about a crucifixion. It's the peak of brutality. It took hours for a crucified individual to eventually pass away due to asphyxiation. However, we find something remarkably redemptive in Jesus' death on the cross. A symbol of violence and death in the Roman Empire somehow became the most recognizable symbol for followers of Jesus worldwide. 

2 Corinthians 521 says, "For God made Christ, who never sinned, to be the offering for our sin so that we could be made right with God through Christ." This means that on this monumental Friday, Christ died on the cross in our place so that we can stand before God as blameless. The “good” in Good Friday means that our relationship with God has been reconciled through Christ’s sacrifice on the cross.

Holy Saturday

Welcome to the in-between. The day between death and resurrection. The waiting period.

Holy Saturday is associated with Jesus' triumphant descent into hell. On this day, we remember through Jesus' death on the cross and his descent into hell, he now "holds the keys to Death and Hades" (Revelation 1:18). Fun fact: Holy Saturday has also been known as The Great Sabbath, Hallelujah Saturday (in Portugal and Brazil), Saturday of the Gloria and Black Saturday (in the Philippines), Joyous Saturday, the Saturday of Light, and Mega Sabbatun. 

Easter Sunday

Need we say more? This is the day we celebrate the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. Basically, it's when we feel like Tiger Woods in the GIF above. 

But in all seriousness, Easter Sunday commemorates the morning a few women went to perform traditional burial customs and encountered an angel, who said to them, "Why are you looking among the dead for someone who is alive? He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead!" 

A woman named Mary, too, found the empty tomb and wept, thinking Jesus' body was stolen. A man then approached her. She assumed he was a gardener. She said, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him." Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic, “Rabboni!” which means “Teacher." 

Mary ran back to the disciples, proclaiming, "I have seen the Lord!" As far as we know, she was the first one to proclaim the reality of the resurrection. On Easter Sunday, we do the same. Followers of Jesus proclaim, "He is risen!" And, if you grew up in a Christian space, you may have responded with, "He is risen, indeed!" 

A Holy Week Invitation:

If this is your first Holy Week as a follower of Jesus, or if you've been around for a while, we invite you to make space this week to reflect, meditate, and remember Jesus' last week on earth before his resurrection. We pray the Messiah meets you in that space and reveals Himself and His character in deeper ways in the future.