Holy Week: Monday

Passage: Luke 19:45–48

Word of the Day: CAPTIVATED

If you’re not familiar with Holy Week, it’s just a name for this week leading up to Easter Sunday. You’re familiar with Palm Sunday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday, but there’s actually a whole week of important moments as Jesus walks to the cross. This year, I’m trying to walk through it intentionally. With my eyes fixed on Jesus and looking inward and reflecting as I try to walk with him.

This moment of Holy Week wasn’t as peaceful as Jesus riding into town on a donkey. The following day after his arrival in Jerusalem, Jesus cracked the whip, flipped some tables, and threw people out of the temple. His house. The problem was they had made it their house.

This season, we haven’t been able to gather in places we consider the “House of God.” But we have been in our houses a lot more. What have we made of our houses during this time? In these days, we no longer visit the temple. Our bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit. Our hearts are an altar.

Since he’s already into town, if he came into our house what would he see? As we shelter in place, let’s shelter in peace. Shelter in prayer.

In the days to come, once he had cleaned it out, he spent every day teaching in it. There were two responses to his teaching: “looking for a way to kill him” and being “captivated by what they heard.” The chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were looking for a way to kill Jesus. But “all the people” were captivated by him.

So captivated that it says the leaders could not find a way to kill him. They could not rule the people, because the people were captivated by Jesus. Their eyes, mind, and heart were captivated by him.

During this Holy Week, so much is fighting for our attention. Fighting for our minds and hearts. But the word “captivate” means to “attract and hold the interest and attention of.”

This week, let’s be captivated by Jesus and his walk towards the cross on our behalf. May this be what attracts and holds our attention. Let’s walk with him each day of Holy Week.

Peace be with you.