As I sit in Jerusalem during Holy Week, I’m struck by the paradox of this city—each a sacred stage for divine encounter and likewise a hotbed of political tension. From where I sit in my apartment, I can see the Mount of Olives, and I imagine Jesus on the donkey, heading out from Bethany, across the Kidron Valley, and as much as Jerusalem. This historic moment put Jesus straight into danger—but He did it because that’s what the Father asked Him to do.
That’s where I would like to start: Jesus didn’t play it protected. Rather, He was obedient.
The Dangerous Road to Obedience
Palm Sunday sets the stage for the remaining of what we now call Holy Week. Jesus instructs His disciples to fetch a donkey, fulfilling the words of Zechariah 9:9:
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout aloud, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; righteous and having salvation is he, humble and mounted on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
By riding into Jerusalem like this, Jesus was announcing Himself because the Messiah. He was making a public, prophetic claim in a politically charged environment—a move that might ignite the powder keg of non secular and political authorities. The cheers of “Hosanna to the Son of David!” (Matthew 21:9) weren’t just festive—they were revolutionary. They were provocative claims.
Jesus Didn’t Flip Tables to Be Trendy—He Did It to Make a Point.
Then, He walks into the Temple and flips the tables. Yep. On the identical day that he declared himself the achievement of Zechariah 9:9, He decided that it might be idea to wash out the “robbers” from contained in the Temple
That wasn’t only a symbolic act. That was an all-out assault on a corrupt system—one which directly benefited the religious elite. Matthew 21:12-13 recounts this moment vividly:
“Jesus entered the temple courts and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the cash changers and the benches of those selling doves. ‘It is written,’ he said to them, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you’re making it ‘a den of robbers.'”
Let’s not sanitize this. What Jesus did was disruptive. Dangerous. And He did it not since it was strategic or popular—but since the Father told Him to.
Walking a Road Paved with Conflict
Throughout that final week, Jesus continued to return to the Temple. Teaching. Healing. Challenging the very authorities plotting His death. He knew what was coming. In Luke 9:51, we read:
“As the time approached for him to be taken as much as heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem.”
That’s not a detour. That’s intentional. That’s Jesus selecting the harder road. In John 12, just days before His crucifixion, Jesus says:
“Now my soul is troubled. And what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was for this very reason I got here to this hour. Father, glorify your name!” – John 12:27-28
Even as His heart trembled, His mission was clear. He didn’t ask for escape—He asked for the Father to be glorified. Even standing on the precipice of unimaginable pain and suffering, Jesus was more concerned with the Father’s glory.
Modern-Day Risk within the Holy City
Being here in Jerusalem even now, you’re feeling that tension. This will not be only a city of stones—it’s a city of strain. Religious fervor, cultural friction, and political fault lines all converge here. The Temple Mount, especially during Passover, becomes a point of interest for this volatility. Just this week, over 490 Jewish worshipers ascended the Mount on the primary day of Passover—a 43% increase from last 12 months.⁽¹⁾ Tensions ran high as activists from each Jewish and Muslim communities clashed over access and prayer rights.⁽²⁾
And when rockets launched from Houthi militants in Yemen prompted air raid sirens in Jerusalem, the sense of unease only intensified.⁽³⁾ These aren’t distant conflicts. They’re the backdrop to the prayers heard from the Western Wall and from the Al Aqsa Mosque, that are only a 100 yards apart.
The Courage of Christ—and Our Call
Jerusalem was no less dangerous in Jesus’ time. The Roman authorities were notorious for his or her brutal suppression of dissent, often crucifying those that dared challenge their rule—and Jesus knew exactly what awaited Him by the hands of His soon-to-be captors. In Gethsemane, Jesus knelt and prayed:
“Father, in the event you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” – Luke 22:42
Obedience over safety. That’s the theme of Holy Week. That’s the challenge to us today. Will we’ve got courage and conquer fear or fall to the flesh and play it protected? That’s why, when Rachael and I are asked, “Is it protected?” I’ll respond, “No. But we’re doing what we feel God called us to do. Live in Jerusalem. Study. Worship. Pray.”
Jesus didn’t hunt down danger for its own sake, and neither are we. But when danger stood in the best way of obedience, He didn’t flinch. And we—whether worship leaders, pastors, parents, or on a regular basis disciples—are called to the identical courage.
So, as we walk through Holy Week, may we remember: faith isn’t protected. But it is value it. Like Jesus, may we follow the Father’s voice—into risk, into purpose, into life abundant.
Footnotes:
Times of Israel – Temple Mount is a ticking time bomb
JNS – 43% increase in Jewish visits to Temple Mount
Ynet News – Rockets launched toward Israel from Houthis
Joshua Swanson is the host of “The Walk: Devotionals for Worshipers.“
Photo Credit: ©GettyImages/RomoloTavani
