We have ridden a roller coaster of emotions this week as we have experienced afresh the escalating events in the final hours of Jesus’ life. We pick up with His triumphal entry into Jerusalem to tie up all the loose ends before the approaching, ominous Passover that will complete His entire mission for coming to the earth. It is nearly finished now.

He continues to forego the entrapment of the Pharisees who repeatedly search for ways to discredit and destroy Him. He had just raised Lazarus from the dead mere days before, and now Jesus had been followed by hundreds, maybe even thousands who hailed Him as King. This did not settle well with the religious leaders at all! Now that He was in their territory, this meant full out war against Him! Yet, Jesus continues to elude their traps.

My heart surges with joy, yet also conviction, as Jesus observes the widow in the temple. For one, to see that He even notices her gives me peace that I also have importance in His eyes. However, when I see her sacrifice, I am stricken with grief of my tendencies toward selfishness and materialism. While the rich pridefully waved their money bags around to impress those in the temple with their perceived piety, Jesus was not impressed with their gifts in the least. What impressed Jesus the most was the precious widow who had only two copper coins to contribute. She gave out of her need. This was all she had to live on, and it was a tremendous sacrifice. The rich gave out of their surplus, and it was no sacrifice at all for them. Their purpose was for show, but this woman gave with true heart of worship and devotion to the Lord.

Much of what comes next is repetitious for us who have heard these stories all our lives. However, as Liz states so beautifully, “Lent is a time of remembering, of revisiting the familiar scenes in Scripture and discovering what God wants us to learn this year. We are not the same women we were twelve months ago. Our lives have changed, and our perspectives have shifted. Even so, ‘Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.’“ That is why it is so valuable to revisit this part of the Gospel over and over again, each year or more if possible.

While I don’t have time to cover every single event of this final week, one moment that touches my heart so much is the moment Jesus removes his cloak, wraps a towel around his waist, pours water into a basin, and proceeds to wash his disciples’ feet. I can imagine their utter shock! Jesus humbled himself to the position of the lowliest Gentile servant, yet this was not his most humble act. The moment Jesus left the splendor of heaven to enter our world as a little baby, for the purpose of becoming our sacrificial Passover lamb 33 years later is the greatest act of humility of all time!

Jesus was also demonstrating tangibly something that he had been teaching all along. He alone is able to cleanse us from our sins. We can never do it ourselves. Additionally, however, Jesus was also teaching us an unforgettable lesson of humbly serving one another as we begin to become His church.

We follow with the touching Passover meal as Jesus established something brand new, the act of Communion, the Last Supper, or the Eucharist, whichever you prefer to call it. This represents His body that was broken, and His blood that was shed for our salvation. We are to meet regularly and partake in this sacred and holy sacrament.

Following the meal, we proceed with Jesus to the Garden of Gethsemane, where He endured the ultimate test of His will as he surrendered wholeheartedly, with unbearable grief and trepidation, to the will of His Father to endure this bitter cup of sorrow that had loomed over Him His entire life. Tonight was the night for fulfillment. I can imagine the anguish as He sweat great drops of blood and wept bitterly before the Father, begging to have this cup pass from Him. Yet, in the same breath, He surrendered His will and accepted what He must do.

“Yet not as I will, but as you will.” Matthew 26:39 NIV

We concluded this week with a brief look at the perspective of Mary into the life and ministry of her Son before we delved fully into the scene of the trials, the humiliation, the beatings, the torture, the agonizing processional under the weight of the cross beam, and the horrifying death of Jesus on that rugged, cruel cross.

We will cover more of the significance of this most wondrous act of love next week, as well as to focus on the victory and the purpose for this most pivotal moment in history. For now, as we approach this Holy Week, I want us to take a moment to reflect on the sacrifice and the sorrow of the crucifixion of our Lord. Praise God; it doesn’t end there! However, what a meaningful practice to contemplate all over again the weight of our sins that have been removed because of Christ’s most selfless act. Take some time to meditate on the grief and the sorrow this week because we will have a huge theme of celebration next week!

Lord, we thank You for all that You went through on our behalf. We were hopeless in our sins until You came to cleanse us and make us whole. Only You were worthy to be the final sacrifice for our sin once and for all time! Now, because of Your obedience to God’s plan, and Your willingness to endure the suffering and shame, You made a way for us to be made right before God. You have lifted us out of our pits and have given us victory over sin and death forever! We praise You, Lord! Guide our thoughts this week as we contemplate all that You did for us. Make this fresh and new so that it shakes us to our very core and impacts our lives forever. We worship You, Lord! You are so worthy!

 Week 2 Discussion Questions

 Here is a sneak peek of this week’s discussion questions:

Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7 NIV

QUESTION 1: When you read the story of the widow who gave only two mites, how does this speak to you about your giving? What are some things you learn from her example?

QUESTION 2: A quote from Liz that pricked my heart this week is “What we THINK we’ll do when our faith is put to the test and what we ACTUALLY  do are often two different things.” Peter vehemently declared that he would never disown Jesus, even it meant death, yet he ended up denying three times that he even knew Jesus. Describe a time you deliberately avoided mentioning your relationship with Christ. Would you do it again, or what will you do differently next time?

QUESTION 3: While the disciples kept falling asleep while Jesus was in his darkest hour and praying to His Father, He did not reprimand them. Her merely asked them, “Couldn’t you tarry just one hour?” When Peter denied Jesus three times while He was being tried and arrested, Jesus was understanding and forgiving. What does this tell you about Jesus and His relationship with his disciples? Have you ever feared that you have disappointed God? How does Jesus’ reaction in these stories give you peace?

QUESTION 4: Have you ever had a “Garden of Gethsemane” moment where you had to crucify your will and accept the will of God in your life, no matter how difficult it was? Tell us about it. How did God bring victory to you in this situation?

QUESTION 5: If you have been one of Jesus’ followers at the time of His crucifixion, would you have been able to stay by His side the entire time? Would you have been able to endure seeing Him suffer? The Bible tells of many women who stayed. In today’s time, how can you muster the courage to do something that seems way above your ability to endure?

QUESTION 6: Liz says, “If we understood His grace in its fullness, we would live like people set free rather than like people trapped in our transgressions.” How does reading the story of Christ’s crucifixion and resurrection affect you? How does understanding His grace change the way we live? What needs to change in your perspective?

How This Works

• Register by leaving a comment below, if you haven’t already. Tell us where you are from and what you hope to glean from this study.
• Subscribe to this site to receive future updates by email. Enter your email address in the field to the right, and then click the subscribe button.
• Join our closed Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study, for weekly interaction, activities, videos, and small group sessions. Closed means that no one will be able to see our posts unless they are members of the group. This is for your safety and privacy.
• Small Groups: Look for the schedule for small groups pinned to the top of the Facebook group, Heart to Heart Women’s Bible Study. All you need to do is show up, and the discussion will take place underneath the group photo. Here is our current schedule: 
• Follow my ministry page on Facebook, Shari Lewis Ministries, to stay up-to-date on ministry events and for daily prayers, nuggets of wisdom and encouragement for your life, photos that you are welcome to share, and faith building blog posts to strengthen you in your walk with Christ.
• Purchase a study book and follow the reading and group schedule. I also recommend also having a journal or a spiral notebook handy for notes.
  • The Women of Easter: Kindle, Hard Cover, or Audible, from Amazon
  • The Women of Easter: from Lifeway Bookstore
  • The Women of Easter: Hard Cover, eBook, Audible, from Christianbook.com

Reading Schedule

• March 20-26, Week 1:Read chapters 1 and 2, “Lost in His Love,” and “Mary Went to Meet the Lord.”
  • Small groups: Introduction. No need to ready anything ahead of time.
• March 27 – April 2, Week 2:Read chapters 3 and 4, “I Still Would Choose the Better Part,” and “With Palms Before Thee”
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 1, chapters 1 and 2
• April 3-9, Week 3:Read chapters 5 and 6, “O Most Afflicted!” and “Thorns Thine Only Crown”
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 2, chapters 3 and 4
• April 10-16, Week 4:Read chapters 7 and 8
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 3, chapters 5 and 6
• April 17-23, Week 5:
  • Small groups: Discuss Week 4, chapters 7 and 8

I am praying that you have an awesome week of Bible study! I hope to see you in one of our small groups this week!

God bless!