Day 1 : The Promise of a Savior
Long before Jesus’ birth, God’s plan for salvation was revealed.

Day 2: The Triumphal Entry
The people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus with shouts of “Hosanna!” expecting Him to establish an earthly kingdom.

Day 3 : The Promise of a Savior
Long before Jesus’ birth, God’s plan for salvation was revealed.

“But He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, And by His stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; We have turned, every one, to his own way; And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.” –Isaiah 53:5-6 (NKJV)

Long before the birth of Jesus, God had already laid out His plan for redemption. The prophecy in Isaiah 53 gives us a glimpse into the profound sacrifice that would unfold centuries later in the life of Jesus Christ. Isaiah’s words paint a vivid picture of the Suffering Servant who would bear the weight of humanity’s sin—our sin—and restore peace between us and God. Though we were lost and wandering like sheep, God, in His mercy, chose to lay our iniquity upon Jesus.

This promise reveals the depth of God's love for us—a love so immense that He sent His Son to endure unimaginable suffering on our behalf. Jesus’ sacrifice wasn’t just for the righteous, but for the broken, the lost, and those who had turned away. Long before we could even grasp the concept of salvation, God was already making provision for it. He had already paved the way for our healing and reconciliation.

As believers, this prophecy calls us to pause and reflect on the immense grace we have received. It challenges us to look beyond our own struggles and failures and recognize the price that was paid for our redemption. Isaiah’s words remind us that salvation is not something we could earn or deserve; it is a gift, freely given through Jesus’ sacrifice. When life feels overwhelming, when we feel distant from God, we can remember that He loved us first. The Savior’s work is complete, and our peace with God is secured.

This devotion also challenges us to reflect on our role in sharing the message of this promise with others. Just as God’s love for us was given freely before we knew Him, we too are called to extend that love to others. We are to share the hope of the Savior with a world in desperate need of peace and healing.

“And a very great multitude spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road. Then the multitudes who went before and those who followed cried out, saying: ‘Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!’” 
–Matthew 21:8-9 (NKJV)

On the day of Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the crowds gathered, filled with excitement and anticipation. They laid their cloaks and palm branches on the road, a traditional gesture of honor for a king. The people shouted “Hosanna!”—a term that means “Save now” or “Save us, we pray.” They were expecting Jesus to establish an earthly kingdom, to free them from Roman rule, and to restore Israel’s political power and glory. In their minds, they welcomed a Messiah who would bring immediate, tangible deliverance.

But Jesus did not come to establish an earthly kingdom; He came to establish a kingdom in the hearts of those who would follow Him. His victory would not be seen in the overthrow of a government or the setting up of an earthly throne. Instead, it would be revealed through His ultimate sacrifice on the cross and His resurrection, bringing deliverance not from political oppression but from the bondage of sin and death. Jesus came to reign in hearts, offering a deeper, eternal victory than the people ever imagined.

The Triumphal Entry serves as a powerful reminder to us today. Just as the people of Jerusalem had a limited understanding of what Jesus came to do, we too can sometimes reduce Jesus to someone who simply solves our immediate problems or meets our earthly desires. We may pray for deliverance from our circumstances, for healing, or for success in our endeavors, and while God cares about our needs, His kingdom is about something much greater than what we see with our earthly eyes.

Are we, like the crowds, ready to welcome Jesus as our Lord, even if it means He does not answer our prayers the way we expect? Are we willing to embrace His reign in our lives, even if it leads us down a path that doesn’t align with our own desires? Jesus is inviting us to welcome Him not just as a Savior who will fix our problems but as the King who desires to transform our hearts, minds, and lives.

As we reflect on this Triumphal Entry, we are challenged to examine our own hearts. Are we truly open to Jesus’ reign in every area of our lives? Are we ready to surrender our expectations and trust that His victory—though it may look different than what we imagined—is the greatest victory of all?

“Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, ‘It is written, “My house shall be called a house of prayer,” but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’”  –Matthew 21:12-13 (NKJV)

In the temple, a sacred space intended for worship and communion with God, Jesus found a marketplace where merchants were exploiting the people and distracting them from their true purpose. The temple was meant to be a place where the presence of God could be sought and honored. But instead, it had become a place of business, greed, and distraction. Jesus, in His righteous anger, cleansed the temple, driving out those who had turned the holy space into a place of corruption. His actions were not just a rebuke to the merchants, but a declaration that God desires purity and reverence in His house.

Jesus' passion for the purity of the temple points to a greater truth: He desires purity in our hearts. As believers, our hearts are now the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 6:19). Jesus, through His sacrifice on the cross, made a way for us to dwell in the presence of God, but He also calls us to maintain that sacred space with reverence. Just as He cleansed the temple of distractions and sin, He longs to cleanse our hearts from anything that robs us of intimacy with Him.

As we reflect on Jesus' cleansing of the temple, we are invited to examine our own hearts. What distractions, sins, or worldly desires have we allowed to take up space in the temple of our lives? Have we allowed our hearts to become cluttered with things that keep us from fully focusing on God? Is there anything that has taken priority over worship, prayer, or our relationship with Him?

The Easter season offers us a perfect opportunity for spiritual renewal. It is a time to cleanse our hearts and renew our commitment to worshiping God in purity and truth. Just as Jesus cleared the temple of things that didn’t belong, we can invite Him to remove anything in our hearts that hinders our relationship with Him. This act of spiritual renewal isn’t about perfection, but about surrendering to the Holy Spirit’s work of sanctification.

Are we willing to allow Jesus to come into our hearts and cleanse them? Are we ready to lay down distractions and sin so that our lives may reflect His holiness and glory?