It Is Finished: Walking Through Holy Week

In one paragraph

Pastor Mark walked the congregation through the entire Holy Week chronologically on Resurrection Sunday, using art from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua and other sources to anchor each day in its historical and scriptural setting. He moved from the raising of Lazarus and the triumphal entry through Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and Silent Saturday before arriving at the resurrection, treating Easter...

Read together

1. John 11:43-44 Jesus raising Lazarus, commanding him to come forth
2. Matthew 21:8-11 triumphal entry, crowd shouting Hosanna to the son of David
3. Matthew 21:12-13 Jesus cleansing the temple, overturning money changers' tables
4. Isaiah 56:7 my house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples
5. Isaiah 35:5-6 eyes of the blind opened, lame leaping, signs of the Messiah
6. Matthew 21:14-16 blind and lame healed in the temple, children shouting Hosanna, leaders indignant
7. Psalm 8:1-2 out of the mouths of infants you have prepared praise
8. Mark 14:12-16 Jesus sending two disciples to prepare the Passover, man with pitcher of water
9. Luke 22:8 Luke specifying Peter and John as the two disciples sent
10. Luke 22:24-27 dispute among disciples about who is greatest, Jesus teaching servant leadership
11. John 13:1-5 Jesus washing disciples' feet before the Passover feast
12. John 13:21-30 Jesus troubled in spirit, revealing betrayer by dipping morsel, giving it to Judas
13. John 17 Jesus praying for unity among his followers
14. John 18:1-3 Jesus and disciples crossing Kidron ravine to the garden, Judas arriving with cohort
15. John 18:12-14 Jesus arrested, bound, led to Annas, Caiaphas's statement about one man dying
16. John 19:17-18 Jesus carrying his cross to the crucifixion
17. Isaiah 53:1-12 full reading of the suffering servant passage as prophecy of Christ's death and resurrection
18. Psalm 22:1-18 Jesus crying out my God my God why have you forsaken me, psalm describing crucifixion details
19. Proverbs 22:6 mentioned when pastor accidentally read Psalm 22:6 during a baby dedication
20. John 19:28-30 Jesus saying I thirst, receiving sour wine, saying it is finished, giving up his spirit
21. John 19:38-42 Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus taking Jesus' body, burying it in the garden tomb
22. John 3:16-17 God so loved the world, context of Jesus speaking to Nicodemus

Talk about it

1. Pastor John mentioned that Jesus told his disciples to help unbind Lazarus after raising him, saying 'he puts us together for a reason.' Where in your own life have you seen the church help someone get unbound, and where do you think we still fall short of that?
2. The crowd on Palm Sunday got the facts about Jesus right but misunderstood what he came to do. Have you ever found yourself wanting Jesus to show up in a way that fits your expectations rather than his purposes? What did that look like?
3. Pastor John pointed out that the leaders became indignant while the children were shouting praise, and that Jesus quoted Psalm 8 in response. What do you think it is about children's faith that the religious leaders were missing, and what gets in the way of that kind of response in us as adults?
4. Isaiah 53 was written about 700 years before the crucifixion and describes it in striking detail. When you read those verses alongside the Easter story, what stands out most to you, and how does it affect the way you think about the cross?
5. Pastor John shared that Eric Anderson, who is living with ALS, has 'Tetelestai' tattooed on his arm and keeps telling the story because 'it is finished.' He said everything necessary for salvation on God's part has been done, and accepting the free gift is all that remains. What does it mean to you practically that nothing needs to be added to what Christ accomplished?