For April 3, 2026
On Sunday, during the Triumphal Entry, crowds filled the streets of Jerusalem, heralding Jesus Christ as Messiah. (Matthew 21:9) By Monday, the Lord had cleansed the Temple of those accursed vendors. (Matthew 21:12) On Tuesday, He silenced disputes concerning His authority and taught openly about His Kingdom. (Matthew 21:23-27) Later, a woman—identified in John’s Gospel as Mary—anointed Him with costly oil. (John 12:3) In the midst of mounting tension, He quietly arranged for a furnished room to observe the Passover.
Now it was Thursday evening of Passover week and the Disciples longed for a break, a pause to celebrate God’s past deliverance. The Passover Seder was meant to be a joyful, familiar gathering in what would later be called the Upper Room. (Luke 22:12)
But from the outset, something was different….
After settling a dispute over Kingdom greatness (Luke 
22:24-27), Jesus did the unthinkable—He washed their feet. (John 13:4-5) Then He then foretold their coming desertion, Peter’s denial (and restoration), and revealed that one among them would betray Him. (Matthew 26:31-35, Luke 22:31-34) Judas departs into the night. (John 13:30)
What should have been a peaceful observance was now a gathering heavy with tension. And then, something even more extraordinary happened. Instead of following the traditional Seder liturgy, Jesus took the bread, blessed it, broke it, and gave it to the Eleven, saying,
“Take, eat; this is My body.”
(Matthew 26:26, Mark 14:22)
Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and said,
“Drink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins… Do this in remembrance of Me.” (Matthew 26:27-28, Luke 22:20
The familiar had become prophetic.
As they sang a hymn and followed Him toward the Mount of Olives, one can only imagine the questions racing through their minds: Why did He change the Seder? What did He mean—His body? His blood? Within hours, they would begin to understand.
What makes this moment even more profound is that Jesus was not walking blindly into suffering. He knew exactly what lay ahead—and Scripture had already foretold it.
Psalm 22 gives us a window into the suffering of the Messiah—a passage written almost a thousand years before His birth, yet vividly describing the crucifixion.
“My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
(Psalm 22:1)
These are the very words Jesus would cry from the cross. Psalm 22 continues with uncanny precision:
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- Mockery from onlookers, scorn from the crowd—“He trusts in the Lord; let Him rescue Him.” (Psalm 22:7-8)
- His hands and feet are pierced. (Psalm 22:16)
- His bones are exposed. (Psalm 22:17)
- His garments are divided, and lots are cast. (Psalm 22:18)
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This is not coincidence. This is divine revelation. Even before the cross, the suffering of Christ was written—so that when it came to pass, we would recognize the Savior. And yet, Psalm 22 does not end in despair. It rises to triumph:
“All the ends of the world shall remember and turn to the Lord.”
(Psalm 22:27)
The Suffering Servant shall become the Victorious King! What was Jesus thinking as He broke that bread and shared the cup? Scripture gives us the answer:
“You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly… But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:6–8).
From the first Adam came sin, corruption, and death. God created us for holiness and eternal fellowship, yet through disobedience, sin entered the world—and with it, separation from God.
We all bear that stain. Like a white garment ruined by a single stain, our righteousness is polluted by sin. No matter how good we appear, our best efforts fall short before a holy God. As Scripture says:
“All our righteous acts are like filthy rags.”
(Isaiah 64:6)
What we could never accomplish, Christ fulfilled perfectly. He lived without sin. He went to the cross willingly. And through His sacrifice, He made a way to restore what was lost:
For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. (John 3:16-17)
This is the glory of the Gospel. Jesus did not merely die for the worthy, the righteous, or the deserving. He died for the ungodly—for rebels, for sinners, for enemies of God. He died for all of us, and this is where the message becomes personal.
It is not difficult to imagine sacrificing for someone we love. But to lay down one’s life for those who reject, mock, or hate us—that is beyond human comprehension or instinct.
Yet this is what Christ did for each of us.
In a world increasingly marked by indifference to human dignity—where the unborn, the elderly, and the vulnerable are often discarded—His sacrifice stands in stark contrast. Humanity may assign value based on convenience or cost, but God has declared the worth of every life through the cross. We have reduced life to transactions. Christ redeemed it with His blood.
No longer are we bound by sin, Satan, and death. Through faith in Jesus Christ, His finished work becomes our righteousness. The cross is not merely an event—it is the dividing line of eternity.
And Psalm 22 reminds us: suffering was not the end of the story. Victory was always in the forefront and would be realized in just three days:
Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. (Hebrews 12:2)
Won’t you trust Christ today and experience His great love and forgiveness personally?
What a Wonderful Savior!