Follow the Lamb: Day 2 The Passion of Christ
Passion Week is a very important time in the church year. It includes Good Friday, the day Jesus was crucified on the cross. But, what exactly is “Passion Week”? And, why do they call it “Good" Friday, when it’s the day that Jesus died? And, why would Jesus come down from heaven, be born a little baby, if he knew he would die on the cross? Why didn’t he just stay in heaven? How do we remember Jesus’ death throughout the church year?
Passion Week:
Passion Week, also known as Holy Week, is the time from Palm Sunday through to Easter Sunday. It is called “Passion” week because of the passion (love) Jesus had for us to die to save us from our sins. You can read about Passion Week in the following New Testament chapters: Matthew 21-27; Mark 11-15; Luke 19-23; and John 12-19.
Good Friday:
It seems like a strange name for such a sad day. Good Friday is the day that Jesus suffered and died on the cross. Why is this a happy day for us Christians? It is not the death of Christ, but what died with Christ, that makes us celebrate this day. On Good Friday, Jesus, who was without sin, became sin for us, and when he died on the cross at Calvary, our sins died with him! Now, when we are baptized as babies, we also “die” to sin and rise again with Jesus in our hearts. This doesn’t mean we never do bad things; we all still sin. But it means that, when we are sorry, God is ready to forgive us of our sins. And, when we die, we will live with Jesus in heaven! I think that makes this Friday pretty good!
But, why?
But, why did Jesus have to come down from heaven to earth as a little baby? Why did he have to grow up just like we do? Why didn’t he just come down as God and tell us how to live good lives? If he knew he would have to suffer and die, why would he agree to come to earth? I know a parable (a story) that might help explain.
Once there was a boy who lived in a small town. He went to Sunday School every week and heard about this man called Jesus who was God but came down from heaven to live like all other people. He heard that Jesus grew from an itty-bitty baby into a big boy into a big man. He heard that Jesus died one day, and that His death was to save His people. He knew the stories, but they didn’t make any sense to him. If Jesus was really God, why would he come down from heaven, just to die like that? Why not stay where He was safe? He knew the stories, but he didn’t really believe them.
This boy grew into a man. He lived on a ranch, and had a big barn. In the roof of the barn was a small hole, and some small birds, sparrows, had made a nest in that hole. One day, there was a very strong wind. It looked like a huge storm was coming. He saw that the sparrows were trying to get to their nest in the hole, but they were flying all over the place. They were scared and confused and didn’t know where to go. So the man went to the sparrows and tried to show them the right direction. He pointed and waved his arms and shouted over the wind, “It’s this way! The hole is here!! If you go this way, you will be safe!” But the sparrows didn’t understand him, because he was not a sparrow.
The man was very upset. He had tears in his eyes, and he thought, “If I were a sparrow, I could show them the way. They would understand what I was telling them, that I am trying to help.” And then he realized that is exactly what Jesus did. He saw from heaven that people were confused, scared, and didn’t know how to live a good life. So, He had to come down from heaven and be born a little baby, and grow just like us, to show us the way to live. Jesus’ life was a mission of love for us, to teach us how to live in love and peace with each other.
How do we remember?
In the church, you will see a lot of crosses. Sometimes you will see people wearing a cross on their necklace. The cross is the symbol of Good Friday, of the crucifixion of Jesus.
In the church, we also have “communion”. Communion is when everyone goes to the altar and kneels down to eat bread and drink wine. This is because of the Last Supper Jesus had with his disciples. On the night before he was crucified, Jesus broke bread and gave it to them and said, “This is my body, broken for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” And after they ate supper, Jesus passed around the cup of wine and said, “This is my blood, shed for you for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in remembrance of me.” When we have communion, we remember Jesus’ death and resurrection, and look forward to when Jesus comes again. You can read about the Last Supper in Matthew 26:26-29, Mark 14:17-25, Luke 22:7-22, and John 13:21-30.
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Words of the day:
Catechumen: a learner of the Bible. The early Christians were taught the Bible for three years before they were baptized.
Lent: the 40 days before Easter. We remember the 40 days that Jesus spent in the wilderness, praying and fasting before He returned on Palm Sunday, the beginning of Passion Week.
Passion: Jesus’ suffering and death is called His “Passion” because He did it out of love for us.
