Installment 2 of the Holy Week article series, titled “Light in the Shadow of the Cross.”
By Wendy Kinney | Exclusive for SaraACarter.com
The series will unfold daily throughout the week—building with each day as we walk where Jesus walked, pause at the places He paused, and remember what He was carrying. Each article begins with where He was in that moment and draws a powerful connection to the persecution His followers face around the world today.
Together, the series will move us toward Resurrection Day—inviting readers to reflect more deeply, pray more urgently, and see the cross not only as a moment in history, but as a present-day reality still being carried by His people.
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The Road to the Cross: When the Praises Fade
Today is Monday—the day after the palms were waved and the streets rang with celebration. The momentary joy of Palm Sunday gave way to a quiet, creeping darkness.
Jesus Christ returned to Jerusalem, not as a conquering king, but as a man walking deliberately toward suffering.
The cheering crowds had already begun to thin.
The road to the Cross had begun.
And so it is with us.
On Sunday, we sang. We praised. We lifted our hands in worship.
But the next day? The next day is harder. The next day is where it begins.
On Monday, Jesus Christ walked into the temple—and turned it upside down.
He didn’t head to Rome. He didn’t confront Caesar Tiberius.
He went straight to the house of God and exposed what no one else would.
Before the world rejected Him, He exposed the corruption within His own.
He walked straight into the temple—and flipped the tables.
He called out the fraud.
He scattered the money changers.
He exposed a religious system that had sold its soul for profit, comfort, and control.
And here’s the truth that should shake us to our core:
If Jesus Christ walked into many of our churches today, He would flip the tables again.
Not because of coins on the floor—
But because of compromise in the pulpits.
Because while our brothers and sisters are being slaughtered in Nigeria, imprisoned in China, hunted in Syria, and beheaded in the Congo, the Western Church is polishing stage lights, fine-tuning soundtracks, and debating gender pronouns.
We are watching persecution unfold in real time—
And much of the Church is too busy rebranding to notice.
The people wanted power. He brought purity.
They wanted deliverance from the outside. He started with the inside.
They wanted a Savior who would overthrow Rome.
But He came to cleanse the temple.
And that’s still where He starts.
The Church today is surrounded by crisis—but first, it must confront itself.
We cannot expect revival while tolerating rot.
We cannot preach resurrection without walking through repentance.
And we cannot claim to follow Jesus Christ while ignoring what matters to Him most.
Where is the boldness?
Where is the fire?
Where are the voices crying out for holiness and truth?
Jesus Christ did not come to accommodate sin.
He came to redeem sinners.
He came to cleanse the temple—not decorate it.
And this Monday, He still calls His people to flip the tables.
The road to Calvary wasn’t paved with applause.
It was paved with obedience.
It was paved with courage.
It was paved with a willingness to walk straight into the temple and say: This must change.
And now here we are, Church—
The praises have faded. The road has narrowed.
And now—we must choose.
But this cleansing isn’t only about the inside.
It’s about taking a bold, biblical stand—no matter how unpopular.
It’s about saving the flock—inside the Church, and in every corner of the world.
It means preaching truth, not trends.
It means discipling the lost, not entertaining the found.
It means breaking out of the silos and the safety nets, and realizing this isn’t about managing a congregation.
It’s about rescuing souls.
Too many churches have become gatekeepers of their own kingdoms—
More concerned with retaining control over their congregations than with advancing the Kingdom of God.
More focused on membership numbers and giving reports than on rescuing the lost and defending the persecuted.
They’re protecting brands while the Body bleeds.
Defending church growth strategies while Christians die in silence.
Turning up the worship—hoping it drowns out the groans of the persecuted Church.
But Christ is not fooled.
And He is not silent.
He is flipping the tables again.
And He is calling His people—His true Church—to rise.
To speak.
To stand.
To weep for the persecuted.
To break for what breaks His heart.
To stop polishing idols and start proclaiming the Gospel.
To take back the ground we’ve surrendered to fear, comfort, and cultural decay.
The road to the Cross wasn’t glamorous.
It wasn’t safe.
But it was necessary.
And it still is.
So Church, the time for passivity is over.
The time for stage management and self-preservation is done.
This is the hour for repentance, courage, and fire.
The world is watching.
The persecuted are waiting.
And He is walking into the temple again.
Will we let Him cleanse it?
Or will we keep polishing the tables He came to overturn?
Footnote: Jesus Christ’s cleansing of the temple is recorded in all four Gospels (Matthew 21:12–13; Mark 11:15–17; Luke 19:45–46; John 2:13–17), revealing His passion for holiness, reverence, and the purity of worship.
Wonderful and deep. Thanks! Holy Holy Week!