Biblical Moment: The Events of Holy Monday during Holy Week Leading Up to Easter!

Biblical Moment: The Events of Holy Monday during Holy Week Leading Up to Easter!

All of the 40 days and 40 nights of the Lenten Season and the early part of Holy Week is a preparation for the events to come later in the week—namely the Passion. Death, and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

This preparation also occurs within us—within our hearts, souls, and bodies.

The events of Holy Monday come to us to serve that purpose, to get us ready for the opportunity that will present itself come the Holy Weekend—to believe in the Resurrection of Jesus and in so doing so receive the gift of Salvation, Spiritual Freedom, and Eternal Lifer right here, right now as we live out the rest of our lives on Planet Earth.

Jesus is safe from persecution during the Passover Festival out of fear of what his loyal disciples and followers with do if He is harmed. An odd sort of irony as the week unfolds. Jesus comes across a barren fig tree and withers it to death as a premonition as to what will happen to Israel in the days ahead. Then Jesus cleanses the Temple kicking out the business people from “God’s House of Prayer for All Peoples!” Jesus’ Authority is questioned by the chief priests but it is a question with an unspoken definitive answer—YES!

And finally on Holy Monday, Jesus’ Body is anointed with perfume as an antecedent to His Death and Burial.

The Christian Holy Week continues tomorrow with Holy Tuesday—the last week of the Lenten Season—Palm Sunday (Jesus Enters Jerusalem apparently as a King)—Holy Monday (Cleansing of the Temple)—Holy Tuesday (Parable of the Talents)—Holy Wednesday (Betrayal by Judas)—Holy Thursday (Washing of the Feet and the Last Supper)—Good Friday (Passion, Crucifixion, and Death of Jesus on the Cross at Calvary)—Holy Saturday (Jesus Lays in the Tomb on the Sabbath)—and Easter Sunday (Resurrection of Jesus; The Empty Tomb and The Good News).

God Bless and see you on the other side!

Jesus is Safe during the Passover Festival:

“When Jesus finished all these words, he said to His Disciples, “You know that in two days’ time it will be Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, and they consulted together to arrest Jesus by treachery and put Him to death. But they said, “Not during the festival, that there may not be a riot among the people.”—Matthew 26:1-5

“The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were to take place in two days’ time. So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way to arrest Him by treachery and put Him to death. They said, “Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”—Mark 14:1-2

In the Old Testament the symbol of the fig tree represents Israel. The message here from Jesus is that Israel has failed and will be destroyed, same as the fig tree withers and dies. In the Gospel of Luke the focus shifts to redemption, that the leaders and people of Israel who might still hear Jesus and repent to be ready for the coming Kingdom of God:

“When Jesus was going back to the city in the morning, He was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, He went over to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. And He said to it, “May no fruit ever come from you again.” And immediately the fig tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed and said, “How was it that the fig tree withered immediately?” Jesus said to them in reply, “Amen, I say to you, if you have faith and do not waver, not only will you do what has been done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will be done. Whatever you ask for in prayer with faith, you will receive.”—Matthew 21:18-22

“The next day as they were leaving Bethany Jesus was hungry. Seeing from a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went over to see if He could find anything on it. When He reached it He found nothing but leaves; it was not the time for figs. And He said to it in reply, “May no one ever eat of your fruit again!” And His Disciples heard it.”—Mark 11:12-14

“Early in the morning, as they were walking along, they saw the fig tree withered to its roots. Peter remembered and said to Jesus, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree that You cursed has withered.” Jesus said to them in reply, “Have faith in God. Amen, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it shall be done for him. Therefore I tell you, all that you ask for in prayer, believe that you will receive it and it shall be yours. When you stand to pray, forgive anyone against whom you have a grievance, so that your Heavenly Father may in turn forgive you your transgressions.”—Mark 11:20-25

“And Jesus told them this parable: “There once was a person who had a fig tree planted in his orchard, and when he came in search of fruit on it but found none, he said to the gardener, ‘For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down. Why should it exhaust the soil?’ He said to him in reply, ‘Sir, leave it for this year also, and I shall cultivate the ground around it and fertilize it; it may bear fruit in the future. If not you can cut it down.’””—Luke 13:6-9

“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, but you were unwilling! Behold, your house will be abandoned. But I tell you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who Comes in the Name of the Lord.’”

Jesus Cleanses the Temple:

“Then Jesus entered the Temple and drove out all who were selling and buying in the temple, and He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. He said to them, “It is written, ‘My House shall be called a House of Prayer’; but you are making it a den of robbers.”

The blind and the lame came to Jesus in the Temple, and He cured them. But when the chief priests and the scribes saw the amazing things that He did, and heard the children crying out in the Temple, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became angry and said to Him, “Do you hear what these are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes; have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of infants and nursing babies you have prepared Praise for Yourself?’” He left them, went out of the city to Bethany, and spent the night there.”—Matthew 21:12-17

“They came to Jerusalem, and on entering the Temple area Jesus began to drive out those selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. He did not permit anyone to carry anything through the temple area. Then He taught them saying, “Is it not written: ‘My House shall be called a House of Prayer for All Peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.” The chief priests and the scribes came to hear of it and were seeking a way to put Him to death, yet they feared Him because the whole crowd was astonished at His Teaching. When evening came, they went out of the city.”—Mark 11:15-19

“Then Jesus entered the Temple and began to drive out those who were selling things there; and He said, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a House of Prayer’; but you have made it a den of robbers.”

Every day Jesus was teaching in the Temple. The chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people kept looking for a way to kill Him; but they did not find anything they could do, for all the people were spellbound by what they heard.”—Luke 19:45-48

“The Passover of the Jews was near, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. In the Temple he found people selling cattle, sheep, and doves, and the money changers seated at their tables. Making a whip of cords, He drove all of them out of the Temple, both the sheep and the cattle. He also poured out the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. He told those who were selling the doves, “Take these things out of here! Stop making my Father’s House a marketplace!””—John 2:13-16

Jesus’ Authority is Questioned:

“When Jesus had come into the Temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached Him as He was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a Prophet.” So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

—Matthew 21:23-27

Jesus’ Body is Anointed with Perfume as an Antecedent to His Death and Burial:

“Now when Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came up to him with an alabaster jar of costly perfumed oil, and poured it on His Head while He was reclining at table. When the disciples saw this, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste? It could have been sold for much, and the money given to the poor.” Since Jesus knew this, He said to them, “Why do you make trouble for the woman? She has done a good thing for me. The poor you will always have with you; but you will not always have Me. In pouring this perfumed oil upon My Body, she did it to prepare me for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be spoken of, in memory of her.”—Matthew 26:6-13

“When He was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly genuine spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on His Head. There were some who were indignant. “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the poor.” They were infuriated with her. Jesus said, “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing for Me. The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them, but you will not always have Me. She has done what she could. She has anticipated anointing My Body for burial. Amen, I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has done will be told in memory of her.”—Mark 14:3-9

“Six days before Passover Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. They gave a dinner for Him there, and Martha served, while Lazarus was one of those reclining at table with Him. Mary took a liter of costly perfumed oil made from genuine aromatic nard and anointed the feet of Jesus and dried them with her hair; the house was filled with the fragrance of the oil. Then Judas the Iscariot, one of His Disciples, and the one who would betray Him, said, “Why was this oil not sold for three hundred days’ wages and given to the poor?” He said this not because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief and held the money bag and used to steal the contributions. So Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Let her keep this for the day of My Burial. You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”—John 12:1-8