How Jesus Got Through the Worst Week of His Life by Pastor Welty
Lynn Grant
We've all had bad weeks. Weeks when frustrating things happen, and we aren't sure how we're going to cope. Sometimes difficult things kindly spread themselves over a longer time, but sometimes they gang up on us in a short period of time.
The last week of Jesus' life was like that. It began with his Triumphal Entry into the city of Jerusalem and ended with his resurrection from the dead. But a lot of difficult things happened between those events - including the betrayal of a friend, the denial of another friend, the rejection by the people he came to save, the humiliation of his trial and the pain of his crucifixion.
So how did Jesus get through the worst week of his life? The gospels tell us that he
· Confirmed His Identity as God's Son·
Spoke boldly about the future
· Received ministry from his friends
· Spent intimate time with his followers
· Spent intimate time with his Father
During the Lent season, we'll be looking at some of these events in Jesus' life and explore how those events helped him to get through the worst week of his life. It will remind us of the importance of being honest about what we're going through and finding healthy ways to cope.
Hebrews 4:15-16 says - "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need."
So as we think about how Jesus got through the worst week of his life, may that give us help and encouragement as we face our own challenges.