“It’s been quite a week!” Some people say that after a particularly eventful week. They may have traveled, been ill, experienced some misfortune, or just had a series of exhausting events. Everyone has them; when we do, we can’t wait for next week. So, consider the week that Jesus had in His final days on earth.

Holy Week, as we call it, was the last days of Jesus Christ's earthly life. It was quite the roller coaster of a week, with many ups and downs and twists and turns. Some weeks start on an incredibly high note and end on a low one. Other weeks begin with a sharp downturn, but things get better and end on a high note. But not this week.

The trajectory of Holy Week for Jesus was decidedly downward. In fact, that is an understatement. For Jesus, the week began on a high note. The triumphal entry into Jerusalem was indeed a high point for Jesus, His followers, and the adoring crowds. Not only were the people filled with exuberant praise, but Jesus Himself was caught up in the emotion of the moment with the words, “I tell you, if these (people) become silent, the stones will cry out!” But Jesus would then take a hard stand for righteousness as he drove the money changers from the temple.

From then on, it was an extraordinarily busy week for Jesus—many ups, many downs. Here is a list of some of the events and teachings of the last five days of Jesus' life:

The cursing of the fig tree.

The story of the rich young ruler.

The Greatest Commandment.

Paying tribute to Caesar.

The Olivet discourse on the end times.

A debate about the resurrection

The “seven woes” spoken to the scribes and Pharisees.

His authority is challenged.

His lament over Jerusalem

His prediction of false Christs and false prophets.

His parables of the fig tree, faithful servants, ten virgins, and the talents.

His teaching about the last judgment and the sheep and the goats.

The upper room discourse and his final teaching to the Twelve.

The washing of His disciples' feet.

The new commandment to love one another.

His declaration that He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life.

His high priestly prayer.

These last few days were filled with incredible examples and teachings from Jesus about life, righteousness, love, grace, mercy, and forgiveness.

And then the downturn, as things fall off a cliff:

His betrayal and arrest.

His phony trial on trumped-up charges.

His beating, scourging, and crucifixion.

His death.

His burial.

How was your week? Because that’s how His week went. Sometimes, our weeks do not go as planned. Things go well and then in a downward spiral all seems to fall off a cliff.

When that happens, are things not going according to plan? Maybe not our plan, but as in the last week of Jesus, we can be assured that everything goes according to plan—according to the plan of our Lord.

In the last week of the life of Jesus, things do go as planned, according to God’s plan of redemption. For it was written by the prophet Isaiah, hundreds of years in advance of Jesus’ last week (Is 53:3-5),

He was despised and forsaken of men, 

A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; 

And like one from whom men hide their face 

He was despised, and we did not esteem Him. 

Surely our griefs He Himself bore, 

And our sorrows He carried; 

Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, 

Smitten of God, and afflicted. 

But He was pierced through for our transgressions, 

He was crushed for our iniquities; 

The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him, 

And by His scourging we are healed. 

There's always "next week." And to that we look, because next week begins with Sunday, the Lord’s Day!