Palm Sunday.
The Last Supper and the Garden.
The Passion and Crucifixion.
But in between the time Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey and the moment he sat down to break bread with his disciples…
He had three days to work with.
Three days.
Taken together, the final three days of Christ’s ministry on earth say a lot about what mattered most to Jesus.
Love
He healed the blind and the lame, and comforted those who came to him.
With a withered fig tree, he reminded us of the power we have when we stand with God, saying If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.
He met with the chief priests and elders, and responded to their challenges with truth and grace.
He encouraged us with the parable of the two sons – and reminded us that our good deeds bring joy to the Father.
Through the parables of the tenants, he established a new covenant with everyone who follows in his footsteps, saying I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be given to a people who will produce its fruit.
He used the parable of the wedding banquet to caution us of the narrow road ahead, advising that Many are invited, but few are chosen.
He inspired us to keep our eyes focused on the Kingdom of Heaven, proclaiming Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God's.
He gave us great hope in the here and now through a lesson on marriage and the resurrection, reminding us He is not the God of the dead but of the living.
He provided us a simple blueprint on how to live our lives, in what has become known as the great commandment:
Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself.
He spoke out against the dangers of hypocrisy and those who do not practice what they preach. He set a new world order, where whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
He reset the bar on giving, highlighting the actions of a widow, who put in everything – all she had to live on.
He comforted his followers, giving us clear signs of what to expect at the end of the age.
He took away our fears, reminding us that he will come again – arriving on the clouds of the sky with power and great glory.
He reminded us to be vigilant and stay alert, as the day and the hour of His return would be unknown.
He filled us with hope, saying: Angels will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.
For he did not come to judge the world, but to save it.
He told us what the Kingdom of Heaven will be like. Through the parable of the ten virgins, he taught us how to prepare.
He invited us to use our gifts in abundance with the parable of the talents.
He was anointed with oil… in a beautiful act of love and devotion.
He reminded us that the day will come when we stand before God and he will say to those on his right: Come who are blessed by my Father, take your inheritance… the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world.
For I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat.
I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink.
I was a stranger and you invited me in.
I needed clothes and you clothed me.
I was sick and you looked after me.
I was in prison and you came to visit me.
He invited us… the faithful and righteous… to join him in eternal life.
This all occurred in between the time Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, and the moment he sat down to break bread with his disciples.
Three days.
Love.
