Holy Week

As most of you already know, I’m a little unorthodox in my approach to all things religious. No actually, I’m very much so.
This is not to make a point, or even to offend. It is simply the outcome of my relentless pursuit of Jesus Christ, and the man that He has called me to be.

Our traditions, southern customs, polite expectation, and personal prejudices can get so in the way of scriptural truth that we no longer remember who Jesus was and what He represented in this world.

People think He emulated the church, education, traditional order and religion; they are wrong. Jesus Christ came to proclaim His father’s kingdom. He came to establish the truth and power of conviction, confession, forgiveness, love, humility, faith, goodness, servant hood, equality, provision, accountability, endurance, strength, and passion.

Even though it upsets some to hear this, He also came to shake up and offend the establishment of the formidable religious; because religion gets right in the way of love.

This month that we are in has always been a real struggle for me; mainly because of the vernacular that so many use to describe it.
I have heard it spoken numerous times in the past two weeks, and I can hardly bear to hear the words. These days are said to be holy days, righteous and religiously significant; people speak of lent, ashes and repentance.

I hear people speak of the Holy Week of Easter and of Resurrection Sunday as though it bears some incredible significance that establishes the favor of God in our lives if we participate.
The only problem I have with it is that none of this is in the Word of God as a biblical mandate for our lives or behavior. The resurrection of Jesus Christ stands alone as the most significant historical and spiritual event that has ever taken place in humanity; and I would contend that an event so profound should be acknowledged and proclaimed in with every moment of our day to day lives…not just once a year.

Now I do not want to dispute theology with anyone; actually I completely refuse to, but I do want to challenge all of us to rise to a greater understanding!

Do you know what Jesus was doing during the weeks leading up to His crucifixion and resurrection? Well, for those of you who wish to be “Christ Like” let me tell you. He was teaching, rebuking those who were out of line, He was healing the sick and driving the money changers out of the temple.

He cursed the fig tree which represented those who claim to love Him but did not bear fruit for His kingdom. He proclaimed a strong stand against the established religious and all of their holy practices. He broke bread with His disciples and He ate a meal with them. He prayed hard, was obedient, humble, strong, loving, and forgiving; even to those who were killing Him. This is how Jesus spent His “Holy Week.”

There was no fasting, no ashes, no forty anything. He was not involved in the religious practices of anything, except acknowledging the Passover feast which was prophetic of who He was, and what He to do. He ate with His friends, prayed hard for the strength of His Father in heaven, and he went to the cross…for you. He gave us His best in every way.

So here’s the thing; the greatest way to spend this next week as I see it, I mean, if we really want to emulate Jesus Christ, would be to live the way He did. Not only during Resurrection Sunday, but during every day of our lives!

Jesus died that we might live out the righteousness of God in heaven every day we are alive…not just once a year man!
Every day we should love and forgive others. Every day we should be praying for the sick so that they might recover.

Every day we should consider the poor, and be willing to lose all we have for the Gospel. At any point during the year we should be willing to fast and pray for whatever we are trusting God for, and in a heart to draw closer to God.

Every day we should be sensitive to the conviction of the Holy Spirit and respond with confession knowing that God will forgive our sins. Every day of our lives needs to be a time of giving Jesus our absolute best…our absolute best…everyday.
He did, after all, give us His best didn’t He? Otherwise…these Holy Holidays just seem cheap and insincere religious practices that have no power.