Selected Scriptures
Rev Reggor Galarpe
“…the Lord’s final week that led to His death at the cross and thereafter His glorious resurrection…”
~4 min read
Today, the entire Christendom observes “Palm Sunday.” It’s the day that we remember the historic if not glorious event of our Lord’s entry into Jerusalem that ushered in the Passion Week, which is the Lord’s final week that led to His death at the cross and thereafter His glorious resurrection. Though we refer to it in the Scripture as the Lord’s “Triumphal Entry” it is popularly known as “Palm Sunday.”
While we do commemorate all these biblical events, even hold special services on Good Friday and Easter Sunday, we do not conform nor adhere to many church traditions and practices like the observance of the Lent and all its requisites – the Ash Wednesday, fasting and abstinence, penitence and penance, bringing of palms to church; going for the “way of the cross”; the re-enactment of the Passion of Christ; the procession and many others!
Instead, we commemorate the Passion Week mainly for the purpose of glorifying God for all that He has done out of His great love and abundant grace and mercy; in sending His One and Only Begotten Son to accomplish one thing that we fallen creature could never accomplish ourselves –our salvation. And in remembering, we look back and contemplate of what the Lord Jesus had gone through to accomplish that very purpose of His coming.
At the heart of the Passion Week is the suffering of the Lord Jesus both in the hands of the Jews and of the Gentiles. Anticipating all that was ordained to happen, He told His disciples how “the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again” (Matthew 20:17-19).
This is what the prophet Isaiah prophesied; “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not…But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed…He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth…Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand.” (Isaiah 53:3,5,7,10)
As we think of the Lord’s suffering and death, the human aspect of it may seem horrible to ponder upon – He was mocked, scourge, spit upon, subjected to the most extreme humiliation and agony; but God in His sovereign plan meant it for good. Human agents and the circumstances surrounding the Lord’s suffering and death all worked out in accordance to God’s sovereign plan of redemption.
Consider the very purpose and significance of the suffering and death of Jesus and what it has accomplished —
- Jesus redeemed us from the curse of the law — Galatians 3:13; “Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:” The whole of mankind stands condemned under the law. (Read Rom. 3:19-21).
- Jesus showed the richness of God’s love for sinners — Romans 5:7-8; “For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die. But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.”
- We have received the forgiveness of sins — Ephesians 1:7; “In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace;” Colossians 1:14; “In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins;” This is what we receive when we come to believe in Jesus and trust in His name.
- We are reconciled to God — Having received forgiveness, we are reconciled to God! Romans 5:10; “For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life.” Apart from Christ, man is at enmity with God. We were enemies of God, and because of this, reconciliation must take place. And thanks be unto God for He initiated the move to reconcile us to Him through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ.
- Eternal life is given to all who believe on Him — Many of us know John 3:16 by heart; “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Since the Fall, it has been God’s desire to redeem man from eternal damnation. Thus the offer, “whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have everlasting life.” The Apostle Paul wrote on this in Romans 6:23; “For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord.”
Think of such a great blessing, from being condemned for eternal suffering in hell; to being saved for eternal bliss in heaven. And the good news is, you need not work out for it; for Jesus had worked it out for you. All you have to do is to believe in Him and trust in His name.
Yes, as we love to sing; “Jesus paid it all, all to Him I owe.” Jesus did it all for us – accomplishing for and on our behalf, one thing that we could not accomplish for ourselves.
All glory and praise be unto God for the great salvation that we have received!
With love in Christ,
Rev Reggor Galarpe
Pastor of Gethsemane Bible-Presbyterian Church (Cebu, Philippines)
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