Welcome back to our series on Holy Week. Today we will look at Holy Tuesday. We’ve already talked about the overview of what Holy Week is, what about the discrepancies in the Gospels of the timing of things, Palm Sunday and Holy Monday. If you missed those, you can go back and check them out.
So, what happened Tuesday? Jesus was getting it done. He did a whole lot of teaching between Monday and Tuesday. He’s not just teaching His 12 disciples here. He is teaching the multitudes and the masses. He’s imparting to them His final thoughts. These are His final words to the crowds.
We see so many parables. The parable of the two sons, the one who said he would go but didn’t and the one who said he wouldn’t go but did. We see the parable of the evil farmers who killed the landowner’s delegates and finally the son.
There’s the great feast parable, where He tells them to go into the highways and byways and bring people to the feast, the parable of the talents, and the one of the ten bridesmaids. Will you be ready when the Bridegroom comes?
The Pharisees tried to trap Him, asking Him about paying taxes. We see so many discussions about the resurrection and the most important commandment. Whose son is Messiah anyway? Jesus criticizes the religious leaders on Tuesday, and He foretells the future, prophesying about Israel’s future, His return, and the final judgement.
There are so many things in Jesus’ final words to the crowds to study and ponder. But what we want to see here is His desire and urgency to get it all out because He knows this is it. He has no more time to teach them. He’s got to tell them everything in His heart.
This is Holy Week, preparation week, so let’s do a heart check.
If you knew your time was short, if you knew how much time you had left and that every word mattered, who would you talk to and what would you say? What would you want to impart to them?
We take time for granted. We all feel there’s an endless supply. We aren’t like was Jesus was on this day in Holy Week, knowing exactly how much time He had left. He was just a few days away from His crucifixion. But that doesn’t mean we should waste our days. Even if we have 50 years left on this earth, in the space of eternity that is short!
We should, like Jesus, live in urgency, live getting it done, live getting what’s in us out to those around us. We need to live with purpose and live on mission with our words.
What has God put in you that those around you need to hear? God doesn’t want to just speak through pastors and ministers. He wants to speak through you. And there are people all around you that your pastor will never meet. Who else is going to speak to them if not you?
Be bold today and let God use you right where you are. What do you have to say?
One final thought. Remember that thing I told you to put a pin in yesterday, where on the way to Jerusalem Jesus cursed the fig tree? Here the Bible shows them on Tuesday.
The next morning as they passed by the fig tree he had cursed, the disciples noticed it had withered from the roots up. 21 Peter remembered what Jesus had said to the tree on the previous day and exclaimed, “Look, Rabbi! The fig tree you cursed has withered and died!”
Mark 11:20-21 nlt
The Bible doesn’t mention Jesus even looking at it, but the disciples did. And Peter drew His attention to it. “Lord! That fig tree You cursed has died!”
Peter was in awe, but Jesus wasn’t surprised. Jesus knew the moment He spoke the words that what He said would come to pass. He didn’t need to see it to believe, but Peter didn’t believe until he saw it. That’s why it was a surprise to him.
That’s when Jesus went on to teach them how faith works.
Then Jesus said to the disciples, “Have faith in God. 23 I tell you the truth, you can say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. But you must really believe it will happen and have no doubt in your heart. 24 I tell you, you can pray for anything, and if you believe that you’ve received it, it will be yours. 25 But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.”
Mark 11:22-26 nlt
Have faith in God. That’s what Jesus said. That literally means we should have the God-kind of faith or the same kind of faith God has. What kind of faith is that? One that speaks and believes. Speak to your mountain and believe what you say and it will move.
We need to be the ones who believe the Word no matter what we see. We must live knowing that our words carry power and that the moment we speak it He moves, no matter what we see.
And then He ends it with forgiveness. Forgive before you pray. Why? Without love, faith won’t be effective.
For [if we are] in Christ Jesus, neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith activated and energized and expressed and working through love.
Galatians 5:6 (ampc)
Faith works and is effective when it is backed by love, and we want our faith to be effective, don’t we? Effective just means it does what it is supposed to do. And in order for that to happen, love has to be working through us.
Simply put, unforgiveness hinders our faith from working. It’s important enough that Jesus talked about it on Holy Tuesday, connecting faith and forgiveness.
(Love) it takes no account of the evil done to it [it pays no attention to a suffered wrong].
I Corinthians 13:5 (ampc)
All that means is that love releases and it forgives, no matter what has been done to it. Period.
As we sit here today on Holy Tuesday in this holy preparation week, let’s look inside and ask ourselves these questions.
What do I have that the world around me needs to hear?
Do I have anyone I need to forgive?
Let’s pray.
Lord, give me boldness to speak what needs said in this hour to those around me. And Father, show me and help me forgive those who have trespassed against me. I don’t want anything to hinder my faith. Help me to humbly and fully live for You.
In Jesus’ Name.
Amen