Holy Tuesday Devotion

This Holy Tuesday Devotion is the third in a series of devotions for the week before Easter.

You will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.
Deuteronomy 4:29

When Jesus entered the temple on Tuesday morning, the Chief Priests were waiting for Him. They wanted to know who gave Him the authority to teach and preach. When they didn’t get a definitive answer, they decided they would trip Him up with theology. They wanted to trap Him in His words.

The Pharisees and Herodians came together and asked Him about paying taxes. Then the Sadducees asked a complex question about what happens when everyone is resurrected (which they didn’t even believe was a thing). When that didn’t work, the Pharisees came at Him again asking about which commandment was most important.

That question, asked out of spite, became one of the most fundamental elements of our faith. “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind” (Luke 10:27—see also Deuteronomy 6:5). In 1 John 4, John wrote that “Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love” (vv. 8). In Romans 12, Paul encouraged Christians to “Never be lacking in zeal” but to “keep your spiritual fervor” (vv. 11, NIV).

One parable Jesus told this day gives us a profound look at the first and greatest commandment. This guy’s son was getting married, so he was holding a wedding reception. He invited all his family members, friends, and associates. Only none of them came. They were too busy. They had better things to do. Some of them even sneered at the messengers, mistreated them, and even killed them. They scoffed at the invitation and went on with their daily lives.

There’s more to that parable. You can read it in Matthew 22. But that’s where my heart stopped and Jesus whispered to my soul, “Are you coming?” Each and every day, Jesus invites us to spend time with Him. To prioritize Him. To love Him. We are His brothers and sisters, and He wants us to come to Him.

Especially during the Holy Week.

But all too often, we’re too busy. We have more important things to do. We don’t feel like investing our time and energy in our relationship with Christ.

Jesus promised that if we “seek first the kingdom of God” everything else will fall into place (Matthew 6:33). Instead of trusting Him at His Word, we make sure everything else is where we want it, then if there is any time left over, we’ll think about our relationship with Christ… or, you know, watch TV, depending on our mood.

Several years ago, I wrote a blog post about feeling like a whitewashed Christian. It was Easter then, too. We were at church in our fancy Easter attire, but my heart and mind were a million other places. Was everything ready for Easter dinner? What other chores needed to be done before the end of the weekend? What all was on my to-do list for the coming week?

Jesus told His followers that those who worship Him should do so in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). Showing up only counts if our hearts and minds are in the moment. We’ve all had dinner with someone who was on their cell phone. Yes, they were physically present, but they weren’t spending time with us. They weren’t really there. So today, as I look back on Jesus teaching in the temple on Holy Tuesday, the message that’s sticking with me is that Jesus wants us to want Him. Not just on Christmas and Easter, but every moment of every day, He wants us to love Him. He wants us to seek Him and know Him.

Find all the devotions in the Holy Week series here.