How would you spend your last week on earth?

What if you knew that this was your last week on earth? Who would you talk to? What would you say? How would you spend your time?

The Christian church is in the midst of Holy Week, the week of Jesus’ last days on earth.

Jesus knew His days—His hours—were slipping away. Everything He had done on earth was in preparation for this week. Every step He took brought Him closer to death—which was the reason God sent Him to earth in the first place.

How did Jesus spend His last days before His death?

• He let people cheer for His arrival in Jerusalem, yet He knew He was a different kind of king from what they expected. And He knew that some of these same people would call for His death only a few days later. (Matthew 21:1-11)
• He cried for all those who still didn’t understand Who He was and why He had come, all those who refused to hear and follow Him. (Luke 19:41-42)
• He reminded people of the temple’s true purpose and called out—and threw out—the moneychangers who were abusing their positions and defiling God’s house. He brought their focus back where it should be. (Mark 11:15-18)
• He taught in the temple courts, answering questions ranging from whether people should pay their taxes to the greatest commandment to signs of the end of time. And the large crowd listened to Him with delight. (Mark 12:35-37)
• He stooped and washed His disciples’ dirty, smelly feet as an act of pure love and an example of service to others. (John 13:1-16)
• He ate dinner with Judas Iscariot, even though He knew Judas had agreed to betray Him to the authorities for a measly 30 pieces of silver—and He loved Judas anyway. (Matthew 26:14-16; Matthew 26:20-25)
• He reassured His disciples that even though He was about to die, a comforter—the Holy Spirit—would come to be with them in His place. They would not be alone. (John 14:26, 15:26-27)
• He stood firm when accused of false crimes and didn’t deny Who He was or why He had come. He followed God’s plan despite how physically and emotionally painful it was. (Matthew 26:62-64; 27:11-14)
• He assured a thief of his place in heaven as they hung on crosses beside each other, enduring unspeakable agony as their bodies suffered through crucifixion. (Luke 23:38-43)

So how did Jesus spend His last days here? Loving. Teaching. Serving. Reassuring. Forgiving.

In other words, Jesus spent His last week on earth doing the same things He had been doing all along. They’re the same things we also need to be doing as His followers.

It’s not always easy and it’s often uncomfortable. Unpopular. Mocked. Misunderstood.

Sound familiar?

• Jesus was confident in His conversations and teachings, but He sure made a lot of other people uncomfortable because He challenged their hearts and minds.
• Although crowds followed Jesus everywhere He went, some would have said He was unpopular because He spent time with sinners and so-called lowlifes rather than the educated teachers or authorities. And there’s no doubt He was unpopular with many of those same teachers and authorities.
• Jesus was mocked by some people every step of His ministry. He withstood utter humiliation leading up to the crucifixion.
• Countless people misunderstood Who Jesus was and the purpose of His ministry. Even the disciples who had followed and lived with Jesus for three years didn’t fully grasp what God had sent Him to do and what needed to happen to bring the plan to fruition.

Yet Jesus knew why He was here and what His purpose was: to love, to teach, to serve, to reassure, to forgive.

Jesus came to earth to point us to God and to be the ultimate sacrifice on our behalf so we could have a personal relationship with God.

He never lost His focus or turned away from that responsibility, even when He knew His days here were ticking away and His work was done.

None of us knows how long we have until our own time on earth ticks away. How would you spend it if you knew this was your last week? My prayer is that we all keep finding ways to spend our time like Jesus did—even when it’s uncomfortable or unpopular or misunderstood.

What are some ways you see people following Jesus’ example today, even when it’s not easy? Leave a comment below so we can encourage each other.