What Significance Does Holy Week Hold for Christians?

The Holy Week for Christians is between Palm Sunday and Easter. Palm Sunday commences the Holy Week, which is then followed by Holy Thursday, Good Friday, and Easter Sunday.              

Palm Sunday: Palm Sunday signifies the entrance of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The story is recorded in several verses in the Bible, like Matthew 21:1-11, Mark 11:1-11, Luke 19:28-44, and John 12:12-19.

The story's viewpoint is crowds waving palm branches while shouting "Hosanna" in anticipation of the triumph entry of Jesus into the city. The verses also draw upon Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118, which are found in the Old Testament, to emphasize the humility and royalty of Jesus during the entry. 

Holy Thursday: Thereafter, there is the Holy Thursday, also called Maundy Thursday. During this day, Christians commemorate the Last Supper. During the Last Supper, Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples to symbolize the body and blood that He was about to shed on the cross.

Holy Thursday marks the Paschal Triduum's start, three days leading to Easter Sunday. Most denominations observe foot-washing ceremonies that symbolize the act of humility and service portrayed by Jesus Luke 22:7-38. 

Good Friday: It is Good Friday/Holy Friday after Holy Thursday. This is the Friday that immediately precedes Easter Sunday. Christians celebrate this day as the day Jesus was crucified.

Although Good Friday should be a day of mourning for Christians, it is called 'good' because it is the day Christians consider the crucifixion of Jesus Christ, which is a sacrifice for the salvation of humanity and an act of love and redemption, according to Christian beliefs. 

Most Christians celebrate Good Friday with a passive service, singing solemn hymns, offering prayers, and reading scriptures while focusing on the sufferings of Jesus on behalf of humanity.

Some Christian traditions enforce a strict fast on Good Friday; some wear black or purple to signify sorrow, and some cease working on that day while treating the day as a day of mourning.

In some countries, people bake hot cross buns and serve them to families and friends. Nevertheless, Christians willingly choose to observe Good Friday, and the great sacrifice of Christ is the focus.

The Bible does not instruct Christians to observe Good Friday or forbid them the observance. Therefore, Christians are at liberty in these matters.

Believers are expected to remember Christ’s death every time they observe the ordinance of the Lord’s Supper. Jesus’ words at the Last Supper are recorded in 1 Corinthians 11:24,26: “Do this in remembrance of me. . .. For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.”

The death of Jesus Christ, commemorated on Good Friday, was not like any other death. Jesus’ death was truly a sacrifice for the sin of humanity: "For God presented Jesus as the sacrifice for sin. People are made right with God when they believe that Jesus sacrificed his life, shedding his blood.

This sacrifice shows that God was being fair when he held back and did not punish those who sinned in times past, for he was looking ahead and including them in what he would do in this present time.

God did this to demonstrate his righteousness, for he himself is fair and just, and he makes sinners right in his sight when they believe in Jesus” (Romans 3:25–26, NLT).

Good Friday is called “good” because of the results of Christ’s death on the cross. Jesus’ sacrifice was a demonstration of God’s love for humanity (Romans 5:8). Through Jesus’ death, all humanity can have peace with God: "While we were God's enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son" (Romans 5:10). As 1 Peter 3:18 says, “Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God” (NLT).

Although it seemed that evil was in control on the first Good Friday, it was only a temporary arrangement. Jesus was clear that the powers of darkness were given divine permission to act against Him (Luke 22:53; John 10:18). Jesus told Pilate, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above” (John 19:11).

God permitted hatred, conspiracy, false accusations, sham trials, and the killing of His Son on Good Friday. Through the crucifixion of Jesus, God used the vilest desires of evil men to accomplish the greatest good, which is providing salvation for humanity. The result was magnificent: “He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).

Easter Sunday: Easter Sunday symbolizes the resurrection of Jesus Christ. After his crucifixion on Good Friday, his body was taken down from the cross and buried in a cave tomb guarded by Roman soldiers. A massive stone was used to seal the entrance. On Easter Sunday, the tomb was empty because Jesus rose from the dead. For this reason, Easter Sunday is a special day for Christians.  

Christians get hope and the promise of eternal life through the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This is why Easter is a joyful and celebratory day for Christians. Most Christians consider it to be the most significant event in their faiths. 

Easter Sunday is celebrated in numerous ways across the globe. Others mix church traditions with local customs to own the holiday. The most common traditions on Easter Sunday include attending church services, decorating churches with flowers, ringing bells, singing joyful hymns to express victory over death, using the phrase 'He is risen (paschal greeting)' as a greeting, etc.  

In a nutshell, the holy week is a time of renewal and a season of remembering the love of Jesus Christ. He loved humanity so much that He suffered and died for them. Then, He arose on the third day. The resurrection of Jesus Christ reminds humanity that man shall live again.

As we seek to experience this love in this season, let us remember these words spoken by Jesus Christ; “This is my commandment, that ye love one another, as I have loved you. Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.” John 15:12–13.