"THE BEGINNING OF THE PASSION WEEK"
Notes
Transcript
Over the course of the next three weeks plus our Good Friday communion service we will be looking into the last week of Our Lord’s life, this is often referred to as the Holy Week.
Prior to embarking on the events of Holy Week let’s remind ourselves of a few things that took place on Friday and Saturday -
Jesus arrives in Bethany - John 12:1
1 Jesus, therefore, six days before the Passover, came to Bethany where Lazarus was, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
Mary Anoints Jesus - John 12:2-8
2 So they made Him a supper there, and Martha was serving; but Lazarus was one of those reclining at the table with Him. 3 Mary then took a pound of very costly perfume of pure nard, and anointed the feet of Jesus and wiped His feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4 But Judas Iscariot, one of His disciples, who was intending to betray Him, said, 5 “Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and given to poor people?” 6 Now he said this, not because he was concerned about the poor, but because he was a thief, and as he had the money box, he used to pilfer what was put into it. 7 Therefore Jesus said, “Let her alone, so that she may keep it for the day of My burial. 8 “For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have Me.”
Crowd comes to Jesus - John 12:9-11
9 The large crowd of the Jews then learned that He was there; and they came, not for Jesus’ sake only, but that they might also see Lazarus, whom He raised from the dead. 10 But the chief priests planned to put Lazarus to death also; 11 because on account of him many of the Jews were going away and were believing in Jesus.
Proposition - This morning I invite you to join me on a journey as we begin to look at the events of what is called Holy Week. Today we are going to focus on three days; 1) The Sunday Events, 2) The Monday Events, and 3) The Tuesday Events.
Interrogative question - How are you responding to Jesus?
1. The Sunday Events -
1. The Sunday Events -
The Triumphal Entry -
1 When they had approached Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied there and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to Me. 3 “If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord has need of them,’ and immediately he will send them.” 4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 5 “Say to the daughter of Zion, ‘Behold your King is coming to you, Gentle, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’ ”
6 The disciples went and did just as Jesus had instructed them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and laid their coats on them; and He sat on the coats. 8 Most of the crowd spread their coats in the road, and others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in the road. 9 The crowds going ahead of Him, and those who followed, were shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David; Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” 10 When He had entered Jerusalem, all the city was stirred, saying, “Who is this?” 11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 21
21:4–5 The formula that Matthew used to introduce the OT quotation affirms that God spoke through the OT prophets. The quotation is a combination of one line from
11 Behold, the Lord has proclaimed to the end of the earth, Say to the daughter of Zion, “Lo, your salvation comes; Behold His reward is with Him, and His recompense before Him.”
9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your king is coming to you; He is just and endowed with salvation, Humble, and mounted on a donkey, Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
Matthew 21:14-17 -
Mark 11:1-11 -
Luke 19:29-44 -
John 12:12-19 -
2. The Monday Events -
2. The Monday Events -
The Cursing of the Fig Tree -
Matthew 21:18-19a -
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 21
21:17–19 On his way from Bethany to Jerusalem, Jesus passed again through Bethphage (v.1), meaning, “the house of unripe figs.” In light of
12 On the next day, when they had left Bethany, He became hungry. 13 Seeing at a distance a fig tree in leaf, He went to see if perhaps He would find anything on it; and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. 14 He said to it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” And His disciples were listening.
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 11
11:14 Jesus’s words express a curse (v. 21). This is the last of Jesus’s miracles recorded in Mark and the only miracle of destruction in the Gospels. In the OT, the fig tree was a symbol of Israel (
The fig tree is often a symbol for the nation of Israel -
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. But they came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame, And they became as detestable as that which they loved.
7 It has made my vine a waste And my fig tree splinters. It has stripped them bare and cast them away; Their branches have become white.
Often times a barren fig tree symbolizes divine judgment -
13 “I will surely snatch them away,” declares the Lord; “There will be no grapes on the vine And no figs on the fig tree, And the leaf will wither; And what I have given them will pass away.” ’ ”
12 The vine dries up And the fig tree fails; The pomegranate, the palm also, and the apple tree, All the trees of the field dry up. Indeed, rejoicing dries up From the sons of men.
The account of the fig tree is a clear picture that exemplifies the rejection of the Messiah by His chosen people.
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 21
Jesus’ actions here have symbolic importance, signifying the hypocrisy of all who have the appearance that they are bearing fruit but in fact are not (cf.
10 I found Israel like grapes in the wilderness; I saw your forefathers as the earliest fruit on the fig tree in its first season. But they came to Baal-peor and devoted themselves to shame, And they became as detestable as that which they loved. 11 As for Ephraim, their glory will fly away like a bird— No birth, no pregnancy and no conception! 12 Though they bring up their children, Yet I will bereave them until not a man is left. Yes, woe to them indeed when I depart from them!
13 Ephraim, as I have seen, Is planted in a pleasant meadow like Tyre; But Ephraim will bring out his children for slaughter. 14 Give them, O Lord—what will You give? Give them a miscarrying womb and dry breasts. 15 All their evil is at Gilgal; Indeed, I came to hate them there! Because of the wickedness of their deeds I will drive them out of My house! I will love them no more; All their princes are rebels.
16 Ephraim is stricken, their root is dried up, They will bear no fruit. Even though they bear children, I will slay the precious ones of their womb. 17 My God will cast them away Because they have not listened to Him; And they will be wanderers among the nations.
The second cleansing of the temple -
12 And Jesus entered the temple and drove out all those who were buying and selling in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. 13 And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer’; but you are making it a robbers’ den.”
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 21
21:13 Jesus’s quote is from
7 Even those I will bring to My holy mountain And make them joyful in My house of prayer. Their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be acceptable on My altar; For My house will be called a house of prayer for all the peoples.”
11 “Has this house, which is called by My name, become a den of robbers in your sight? Behold, I, even I, have seen it,” declares the Lord.
Foretold in -
12 “Then say to him, ‘Thus says the Lord of hosts, “Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; and He will build the temple of the Lord. 13 “Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus, He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices.” ’
Mark 11:15-18 -
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 11
11:15 Having noted all that went on in the temple the day before, Jesus now returned, probably to the Court of the Gentiles, where most buying and selling occurred. People who traveled from afar needed to purchase pure, unblemished animals once they arrived for Passover. Money changers exchanged idol-engraved Greek and Roman coinage for imageless Tyrian or Jewish temple coins that could be used to buy sacrificial items or pay the temple tax (
Luke 19:45-48 -
The request of the Greeks -
John 12:20-50 -
3. The Tuesday Events -
3. The Tuesday Events -
The withered fig tree -
Matthew 21:19b-22 -
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 21
In light of
19 When evening came, they would go out of the city. 20 As they were passing by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered from the roots up. 21 Being reminded, Peter said to Him, “Rabbi, look, the fig tree which You cursed has withered.” 22 And Jesus answered saying to them, “Have faith in God. 23 “Truly I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it will be granted him. 24 “Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. 25 “Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
The ESV Study Bible Chapter 11
11:21 The fig tree had withered within 24 hours, perhaps sooner (
The challenge of His (Christ’s) authority -
Matthew 21:23-27 -
CSB Study Bible: Notes Chapter 21
21:23–27 John the Baptist said that Christ would pour out the transforming Spirit on his disciples and punish the unrepentant with fiery judgment (see note at 3:11). John also identified Jesus as the promised Christ (see note at 3:14). Admission that John was a prophet would require the Jewish leaders to acknowledge Jesus’s authority also.
Mark 11:27-33 -
1 On one of the days while He was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders confronted Him, 2 and they spoke, saying to Him, “Tell us by what authority You are doing these things, or who is the one who gave You this authority?” 3 Jesus answered and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and you tell Me: 4 “Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?” 5 They reasoned among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Why did you not believe him?’ 6 “But if we say, ‘From men,’ all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet.” 7 So they answered that they did not know where it came from. 8 And Jesus said to them, “Nor will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”
The olivet discourse -
Matthew 24:1-25:46 -
Mark 13:1-37 -
Luke 21:5-38 -
The Rapture of the Church - 1 Corinthians 15:52 -
The Rise of the Antichrist - 2 Thessalonians 2:7-8 -
The Tribulation - 2 Corinthians 5:10 -
The Battle of Gog and Magog - Ezekiel 38-39 -
The Abomination of Desolation - Daniel 12:11 -
The Battle of Armageddon - Mark 14:62 -
The Judgment of the nations - Matthew 25:31-46 -
The binding of Satan - Revelation 20:1-3 -
The Millennial Kingdom - Isaiah 60-62 -
The last battle - Revelation 20:7-10 -
The Great White Throne Judgment - Revelation 20:11-15 -
The New Creation - Revelation 21-22 -
SO WHAT?
Friends may I be very direct with you?
Are you responding to Jesus the way that Mary does in John 18?
Or are you responding to Jesus like the fruit tree?
