Prayer Warrior

Prepare your heart and walk with me through the last days of Jesus’ life. Take time to pause and listen after each section.

Coming to Jerusalem

(Read Mt. 21:1-11, Mk. 11:1-11, Lk. 19:28-40 or Jn. 12:12-19.)

Cheering crowds lined the narrow streets as Jesus and His disciples entered Jerusalem just a week before His betrayal and death. He rode in on a simple donkey, probably the same way His pregnant mother arrived at nearby Bethlehem a little over thirty years before.

Imagine the scene. Can you hear the happy throng cheering? Do you see the angry priests conspiring in the doorways with the religious elite? Can you guess the thoughts of Peter or John? When you see Jesus riding on the donkey, what is your immediate reaction to Him? If you were watching from nearby, would you be joining the joyous crowd and laying blankets or palm branches down before Him? Are you curious about this Man of strange teaching who has healed so many?

Anointed for Burial

(Read Mt. 26:6-13 or Mk. 14:1-9.)

Jesus and His close friends were in the tiny room. He was still sitting at the table when a woman entered with a tiny, alabaster vial. The intricately carved, stone bottle probably represented her entire life savings. Without a second thought she snapped the tip off the translucent bottle and lavishly poured its contents on Jesus’ head.

The sweet perfume filled the room as it covered Jesus. The scent must have lingered in that house and on Jesus for many days. Jesus said she had anointed Him for burial.

Would you have been one of the disciples chiding the woman for the disgraceful waste of money? Or, would you have recognized the selfless act of worship and the priceless gift she gave Jesus? What gift do you bring to the Master?

Seated at the Table

(Read Mt. 26:17-20, Mk. 14:12-25, Lk. 22:7-30 or Jn. 13:18-30.)

The traditional Passover meal had been prepared and served in the upper room. The meal included four glasses of wine, a roasted lamb, bitter herbs and unleavened bread. It was a big meal with all the scripted dialogue recalling the deliverance of the Hebrews from Egyptian slavery.

Consider the parallels between the event every Jew recited that night and the events that would take place over the next few days. The Jews had been slaves in a foreign land. A lamb was sacrificed, and its blood protected the home from the angel of death. The pharaoh regretted “letting” the people go, but he was powerless to bring them back. The entire nation left behind all that was familiar, and they started a new life.

Consider Jesus’ sacrifice for you. He was the Passover Lamb. A few short hours after this last meal, Jesus delivered all of us. His blood paid for our freedom from sin. Will you leave all that you know (your Egypt) to follow Him to the Promised Land? Don’t look back.

Servant’s Heart

(Read Jn. 13:1-17.)

The Master stood up and took off His robe. He wrapped a towel around His waist and filled a basin with water. He proceeded to perform the task of the lowliest servant. Jesus washed His friends’ feet. When He dressed again and took His seat at the head of the table, He charged them, “If I have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s feet.”

How has the Master humbly met your most basic needs? When did He serve you? Has He unexpectedly provided for a need for which you may not have even expected a solution? Will you serve your brother or spouse or friend in the same humble way?

Garden Prayer

(Read Mt. 26:36-46, Mk. 14:32-42, Lk. 22:39-46 or Jn 17.)

In the cool night air after the big meal, Jesus walked with His disciples to the Mount of Olives. He asked them to pray with Him. He prayed earnestly about the unfolding events and the tiny group of believers He was leaving behind. He wept so intently, that He sweat drops of blood. More than once, He returned to find them sleeping.

After a long day and a big meal with four glasses of wine, would you have remained vigilant in the quiet, dark garden that night? Even if you could have heard the moans and cries of the Savior a few yards away, would your prayer have been as insistent as His?  Would He find you sleeping, too? These last days are now growing short, and again the Lord calls us to watch and pray. Be alert! Listen! Watch! Don’t let the next fateful day sneak up on you like it did for His friends of the first century.

Betrayal

(Read Mt. 26:47-56, Mk. 14:43-50, Lk. 22:47-53 or Jn 18:1-11.)

Jesus roused them again, and as He was speaking, a mob arrived, invading the holy atmosphere. Judas Iscariot was the leader of a scary band that included chief priests, Pharisees, officers, servants and soldiers. They were armed with lanterns and swords and torches. I suspect that the crowd cheering in the streets earlier was sound asleep by the time this rowdy bunch crossed the Brook Kidron.

Watch closely. Jesus actually performed a miracle before the riotous crowd, but it did not change their stony hearts. He healed Malchus after Peter cut off his ear. Even knowing what was to come, Jesus still felt compassion for a slave.

Then, the roar of the crowd resumed, and His disciples scattered, leaving Him alone to face the abuse of the sinister rabble. Can you sense the tension? Can you taste the fear in the air? Yet, Jesus was completely at peace. He said, “If you seek Me, let these go their way.”

Have you ever faced such desolation or abandonment or anguish? Is there an angry crowd headed your way? Against all odds, have you felt that quiet confidence after a night in prayer?

Accusations

(Read Mt. 26:57-68; 27:11-26, Mk. 14:53-65; 15:1-15, Lk. 22:66-71; 23:1-25 or Jn. 18:12-24, 28-40.)

Led away by His accusers, Jesus faced trumped up charges before the high priest and then before both Pilate and Herod. John and Peter were in the courtyard, near enough to observe the proceedings. They heard the accusations and Jesus’ quiet response. They flinched and even turned away each time one of the men hit Jesus. Imagine watching them blindfold your Friend so He couldn’t see the blows coming. If that wasn’t enough, they had the nerve to taunt Him, too. “Prophesy for us. Who hit You?! Ha!”

In the wee hours of pre-dawn, the merciless priests dragged their victim to the Roman leaders. I doubt Pilate was awake when they invaded the Praetorium. The torture continued with a ruthless beating. Then, He was sentenced to death by crucifixion, even though no clear charge could be proved.

Are you weeping as you imagine this drama played out? Consider the fortitude of our Savior and His own self-discipline? Then, put yourself in John’s shoes or Peter’s. What if you were powerless to help? You could only watch the horror. You may have slept in the garden, but are you praying now?

Denial

(Read Mt. 26:69-75, Mk. 14:66-72, Lk. 22:54-62 or Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27.)

Peter faced a crisis of faith when three individuals in the courtyard questioned his relationship with Jesus. Each time he denied knowing Jesus, and the last time he reverted to his old habits and swore. Peter was scared. The Man he’d known and loved was being framed. Was He really the Messiah Peter believed Him to be? Could Peter have been wrong? Then, he realized how He’d failed the Master in His moment of need. Peter was filled with anguish and deep remorse. He wept bitterly.

Can’t you sympathize with Peter? Wasn’t there a time in your life that you doubted if Jesus was who you knew Him to be? Surely there was a time when you failed your Best Friend, too. Can you recall the stabbing pain in your chest when you realized what you’d said? How could forgiveness cover such a mess?  What could ever set things right again?

Darkness Fell

(Read Mt.27:32-50, Mk. 15:21-37, Lk. 23:26-49 or Jn. 19:17-37)

Jesus stumbled several times under the weight of the cross on His way to Golgotha where they nailed His hands and feet to the tree. Exhausted, bruised and bloody, His torn body was displayed for every gawker and tormentor. His poor mother stood near enough to hear each word He struggled to produce. His faithful, young friend John was right next to her. The agony lasted till nearly noon when He gave up His spirit.

Imagine the crushing defeat Jesus’ friends and family felt as they watched their hopes die with their beloved Savior? Have you ever felt your faith evaporate the same way? Did you stand like John and Mary against all odds to the bitter end?

Curtain Torn

(Read Mt. 27:51-56, Mk. 15:38-41.)

For three solid hours, a thick darkness fell over the land, as if God was shrouding the torment of His Son from public spectacle. When Jesus cried out the last time, an earthquake struck. The temple veil was torn in two from top to bottom to reveal the holy of holies, and many dead saints in nearby graves came back to life to preach in Jerusalem. Even such obvious anomalies didn’t faze the religious elite.

Becoming unclean and being unable to celebrate the Passover, Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea (two members of the Sanhedrin) buried Jesus. They wrapped His body with strips of linen and 100 pounds of expensive burial spices.

Have you ever seen a supernatural sign that could only be accomplished by the hand of God? Would it change how you think? Would you be willing to consider its implications? Would you cast aside tradition, accept the hefty cost and do what’s right?

Open Grave

(Read Mt. 28:1-8, Mk. 16:1-8, Lk. 24:1-12 or Jn. 20:1-13.)

The grave couldn’t hold the Creator. On the third day, a Sunday morning, Jesus rose from the dead. Mary Magdalene was the first to see Him and she brought Peter and John back to the empty tomb. After His resurrection Jesus appeared to some of the women, His disciples, James, more than 500 at one time and to Paul (1 Cor. 15:1-8).

What do you suppose the Roman soldiers guarding the tomb said when the stone rolled away to reveal two shining angels and a resurrected Christ? Imagine the amazement and sheer delight of the first followers to see Him alive again. What a stir He must have created in Jerusalem. It’s no wonder that 3,000 chose to follow the Master just 50 days later on Pentecost.

Every claim Jesus made was true. He is alive. He ascended to Heaven where He took His rightful seat. All power in Heaven and on earth was given to Him. He reigns. He is with us always. He gave us power to do the same things He did (Mt. 28:18-20; Mk. 16:15-18).

Today…

If you are a child of God, you are free! Jesus’ victory is yours. Celebrate your freedom this Easter season. As you close your time of prayer, remember that He is always with us, even to the end of the age. As we recall His last days on earth, we remember the power of the resurrection to change not just a heart, but also to turn the world upside down. Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever (Heb. 13:8). That same world-regenerating power is within us today. Let Him work in your heart, and then He will work in your world.