The events of Holy Week recall those critical last days of Christ on Earth: from His triumphal entry to His Last Supper; from His prayer, anguish, and arrest in the Garden to His trial before Pilate; from His suffering and death on the cross to the joy of the resurrection.  

While every aspect of Christ’s life is worth knowing, the Gospel writers made sure of what we most needed to know. John wrote that the world could not hold all the books that could be written about Jesus, but he also spent nearly half of his Gospel on that one week. Overall, as much as a quarter of the Gospels are spent on these events we remember during Holy Week.  

One of the things this tells us is that we’re in far more trouble than we might admit. Moral clarification and better social theory aren’t enough. Our plight is so dire that it required the arrest, torture, and death of the perfect Son of God. Our need is great. Thank God, His grace is greater still.  

*Minor revision made on 4.7.23 to better reflect John 21:25.