Following the King
The events of the final week of Jesus’ life, between Palm Sunday and Easter Day, are arguably the most significant events ever to have taken place. In his account of the gospel, Matthew spends chapters 21-28 describing these events. Matthew’s intention in writing about Jesus’ time on earth is to show that He was the King of the Jews, and as he brings his narrative to a conclusion he allows the threads of the story to come together and reveal clearly Jesus’ true identity.
This Easter our team of writers have put together a series of eight devotions based on Matthew’s account. Matthew’s record of Jesus’ final week is so action-packed we couldn’t be comprehensive so we have selected eight episodes which we believe shed light on who Jesus the King really is. The posts will be published as follows:
1. The King arrives Friday 27th March
2. The King cleans Monday 30th March
3. The King is anointed Wednesday 1st April
4. The King’s feast Friday 3rd April
5. The King in anguish Monday 6th April
6. The King is killed Wednesday 8th April
7. The King is buried Friday 10th April
8. The King is alive Sunday 12th April
What will each episode contain?
Each devotion will focus on a short passage from Matthew which we recommend you read! Then one of our contributors will offer some thoughts about that particular episode followed by a selection of ideas for worship. Each post will provide some prompts for reflection such as some questions, a song or the words of a hymn.
We want these meditations to be something everyone in the church can engage with and so every day will include a simple idea for family worship. These are aimed at families with younger children but can obviously be used by anyone! Given the recently announced school closures we will also provide an idea for a craft activities for some posts.
Finally, there are some videos produced by LUMO available on YouTube. These are a series of films of Matthew’s gospel and are a powerful way of helping to visualise the events Scripture describes. Episodes 35, 44-46 and 48-50 are the stories covered in this series of devotionals and you might like to watch them alongside the eight devotions. Please be aware that some of the crucifixion scenes may be upsetting for young children.
As we approach Easter 2020 our prayer is that this series of devotions will allow you to see the gospel story in a new way. As you follow the King through His final week may your faith in Him be deepened, your hope in Him strengthened, and your love for Him enlarged.
Links to the blog posts will be shared on Jubilee Facebook page and in the group for church members. If you wish you can subscribe to this blog via email direct to your inbox, using the subscribe box on the righthand side of the blog.
