It’s been two years in the making, but here we are with part 2 of my Holy Week series! If you haven’t checked out part 1 about Holy Monday yet, make sure to give it a read here.

The events of the first Holy Week have always been points of curiosity for me. Palm Sunday makes sense. The cleansing of the temple on Monday? Sure thing. The Upper Room, the Lord’s Supper, washing feet, and the agony in the garden on Thursday, I get. The trial, the Via Dolorosa, “It is finished.” That’s Friday. The silence of Saturday. The glory of Sunday.

But what about Tuesday and Wednesday? There’s no great liturgy for those days.

Let’s talk about Tuesday.

According to the New Testament, there’s a actually a few signifiant events that likely took place on Tuesday, including:

  1. Jesus Teaching in the Temple. As he continued to teach in the temple, he engaged in debates with the religious leaders. Notably, he called out their hypocrisy.
  2. The Plot Against Jesus. Of course, his teachings caused the religious leaders to intensify their efforts to silence Jesus.
  3. The Anointing at Bethany. The timing of this event isn’t actually mentioned in the Gospels, but some scholars suggest that this may have happened on Tuesday. My colleague, Rev. Wes Olds, preached a killer sermon on this event a few weeks ago. You can watch it here. “Extravagant love leads to extravagant gratitude.”
  4. The Olivet Discourse. This is a significant teaching found in all 3 of the synoptic gospels (Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21).

It’s the Olivet Discourse that I’d like to camp on in this post. Take a look at Matthew’s telling of this teaching.

I think there’s really something here for followers of Jesus, especially as we meditate upon the events of Holy Week. As we navigate the complexities of life, we often find ourselves confronted with uncertainty, turmoil, and unrest. This is certainly true in our world, and our inner world. Recently I’ve been faced with my own uncertainty, turmoil, and unrest when it comes to some family issues. People and relationships that always seemed unchanging now seem quite uncertain, and I’m anything but at rest. As far as the world “out there”…just flip on the news, need I say more? I attended a rather contentious school board advisory committee meeting last night that took about 5 minutes to devolve into name calling and yelling…turmoil, unrest, uncertainty.

This teaching is particularly poignant to me because I should have just returned from the Holy Land, but was unable because of the continuing war. And war is where Jesus starts.

Jesus begins by warning his disciples about the signs of the times—wars, famines, earthquakes, and persecution. These events, he explains, are but the beginning of birth pains. In our own lives, we may encounter trials and tribulations that shake us to our core. Yet, just as a woman in labor experiences pain before the joy of childbirth, so too do our struggles give birth to growth, resilience, and spiritual maturity.

Amidst the chaos and uncertainty, Jesus invites his disciples to stand firm in their faith. He warns them of false prophets and false messiahs who will deceive many. In our world, we are bombarded with conflicting messages and ideologies vying for our allegiance. “Give your money here!” “Vote for me!” “Do this, Don’t do that!” “Be on the right side of history!” Yet, as followers of Christ, we are called to anchor ourselves in the unchanging truth of God’s Word, discerning wisely and holding fast to our faith.

Jesus emphasizes the importance of remaining vigilant and prayerful in anticipation of his return. He likens this state of readiness to that of a homeowner who stays awake to prevent a thief from breaking in. I think of this every time I set the alarm system on our home…odds are no one is going to break in, but we should be ready. Likewise, we are called to be spiritually awake and alert, fervently seeking God in prayer and aligning our hearts with his will.

As I journey through life’s uncertainties, I find great hope and strength in the promise of Christ’s return. Though the world may tremble and kingdoms may fall, though things may get worse before they get better (Jesus says they will) his kingdom stands firm and unshakable. In him, we find our refuge, our anchor, and our hope.

This Holy Tuesday, cling to Jesus, embracing faith amidst uncertainty, standing firm in your convictions, and remaining watchful in prayer. For in Christ, we find the strength to endure, the courage to persevere, and the hope of eternal glory.

As we reflect on Holy Week, may we be reminded of the never-ending faithfulness of our Savior, who walks with us through every trial and triumph. And may we, in turn, walk boldly in faith, trusting in the promises of God and eagerly awaiting the glorious return of our Lord and King.

In the midst of life’s storms, cling to the words of Jesus: “ Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.” (Matthew 24:35).

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