Holy Week - Journey to the Ultimate Overcomer: Resurrection Sunday

By Shelsea Becker

Resurrection Sunday - Gold & White - Victory & Glory

Oh, I have been saving this nugget, and I am just tickled pink to finally share it with you. We are going straight to the breast piece worn by the high priest, because this is where it all comes together. First, we have to understand this, Jesus is our High Priest (Hebrews 4:14–15). In the Old Testament, the high priest would wear the breast piece with all twelve tribes engraved on it, meaning when he stepped into the presence of the Lord, he wasn’t going in alone. He was carrying the entire nation on his chest. Every tribe, every person, every story, every failure, every sin was represented as he entered into the Holy of Holies, behind the veil, the most sacred space where the presence of God dwelled. This was not casual or routine. If he entered unworthy, he would die on the spot, which is why they would tie a rope around him so he could be pulled out if he fell, because no one else could enter that space.

This is a holy God we are talking about, and this man would walk in carrying the weight of an entire people. Can you imagine going before the Lord holding not just your own life, but everyone you have ever encountered? Every lie, every betrayal, every hidden sin, every careless word spoken, every moment of disobedience. The weight of it all. (Now, take a real minute and think about that.) Before he ever stepped foot into that space, sacrifices had to be made. Blood had to be shed. Atonement had to happen. That is why the people had come to Jerusalem during Passover, not only to remember their deliverance from Egypt, but to deal with their sin, with every person accounted for.

All of the stones we have been talking about, all of these colors, all of these tribes, were represented on that breast piece and presented to the Lord as being made righteous through the blood of lambs. And then we see Jesus enter the scene. He rides in on a donkey as King, flips tables, teaches on the Kingdom of Heaven, and begins speaking of a new covenant, all while fully knowing He is headed to the cross. Not just for the nation of Israel, but for the entire world. What the high priest once carried on his chest, Jesus carried to the cross, taking on not just representation but full redemption.

And here is the part that makes me giggle and high five Jesus, because it is just so like God to weave everything together this way! Resurrection Sunday is represented by gold and white. White represents purity, victory, and new life, but gold—gold is where it all comes together. I am not pointing you to a specific stone this time, because on that breast piece, every single stone, every tribe, was held in place by gold. Gold was the setting. Gold was the structure. Gold was what held it all together. That is not coincidence. All of the tribes were held by the same thing, and it immediately takes me to Scripture where it says that all things were made through Him and for Him, and in Him all things hold together (Colossians 1:16–17).

Do you see it? The high priest carried the people into the presence of God, but Jesus didn’t just carry us, He became the sacrifice. And when the tomb was found empty, He wasn’t just redeeming a moment in history, He was redeeming everything. The whole world. Every tribe, every story, every sin. And here is the invitation—we don’t earn it, we don’t strive for it, and we don’t clean ourselves up enough to qualify. We simply accept and believe.

Gold reminds us we are held, white reminds us we are made new, and Resurrection Sunday declares that it is finished, it is done, and now we live.

And when you step back and look at this entire journey from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, it all weaves together so beautifully it’s impossible to miss. From the green of Palm Sunday—life, triumph, and praise—to the purple of royalty, reverence, and repentance, to the blue of devotion and surrender, to the white of covenant and purity, to the red of sacrifice and atonement, to the black of rest and waiting, and finally to the gold and white of resurrection and glory, every color has been pointing to Him. Every stone on the breastpiece, every tribe engraved and carried into the presence of God, every story of brokenness, redemption, identity, and purpose was a shadow of what was to come. Jesus is the fulfillment of it all. He is the true High Priest who didn’t just carry the people, He became the sacrifice for the people. He is the Lamb, the King, the Servant, the Redeemer, the One who holds all things together. What was once temporary, repeated, and symbolic in the Old Testament has now been made complete, final, and eternal through Him. This is the new covenant. It is not written on stone, but written on hearts. And as we walk through this week, we don’t just observe history, we step into the reality that every color, every tribe, every promise has always been leading us to Jesus—the full embodiment of everything God intended from the beginning.

Love you with my whole heart,

Shelsea