The Week Before the Crucifixion

What was Jesus doing three weeks before Easter? He was preparing His followers for what was going to happen to Him and them.

It was here, before He entered the city, that He looked over the city and wept, knowing the judgment that would come upon Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).

Three weeks before the crucifixion, Jesus would have been engaged in his ministry, traveling, teaching, and performing miracles, as he prepared for the events that would unfold in Jerusalem during Holy Week.

Preparation for Jerusalem: The events preparing for the crucifixion,including the triumphal entry, would have been a significant focus of his attention.

Holy Week Timeline: The events of Holy Week, preparing us for Easter/crucifixion, is a focus of Christian tradition and reflection.

Key Events: The triumphal entry, the Last Supper, the arrest,and the crucifixion were the key events during this time.

Prophecies and Fulfillment: The prophecies surrounding Jesus' death and resurrection is a major theme of the time, as Christians we should looked forward to this event.

The Triumphal Entry.

Matthew 21:1–6 KJV (WS)

1 And when they drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 2 Saying unto them, Go into the village over against you, and straightway ye shall find an ass tied, and a colt with her: loose them, and bring them unto me. 3 And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them. 4 All this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 5 Tell ye the daughter of Sion, Behold, thy King cometh unto thee, meek, and sitting upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass. 6 And the disciples went, and did as Jesus commanded them,

So the disciples went and did as Jesus commanded them.

a. When they drew near Jerusalem: Jesus knew that the religious leaders were going to arrest Him and condemn Him and mock Him and scourge Him and deliver Him to the Romans for crucifixion (Matthew 20:19). Yet He had the courage to not only enter Jerusalem, but to enter in as public a way as possible. This contrasts to His previous pattern of suppressing publicity.

i. If Jesus had not deliberately suppressed the popular enthusiasm over Him and His credentials as Messiah — if Jesus had wanted it, this would have happened long ago and many times.

ii. “Jesus could not have chosen a more dramatic moment; it was into a city surging with people with religious expectations.”

iii. “The applause and the crowds were not manipulated; they would have occurred in any case. But the ride on a colt, because it was planned, could only be an acted parable, a deliberate act of self-disclosure…Secrecy was being lifted.”

b. You will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her: Jesus would ride upon the younger of these animals, the colt. He told the disciples how they would find these animals, and instructed them to bring both animals.

i. The Hebrew text of Zechariah 9 mentions one animal, not two. “If we assume that Matthew understood Hebrew, the full quotation affirms that Jesus rode on the ‘colt,’ not its mother. Mark and Luke say the animal was so young that it had never been ridden. In the midst, then, of this excited crowd, an unbroken animal remains calm under the hands of the Messiah who controls nature.”

ii. “Mark tells us that the colt had never before been ridden (Mark 11:2)”

iii. “Hath need of them: not for any weariness: he who had travelled on foot from Galilee to Bethany, could have gone the other two miles; but that he might enter into Jerusalem as was prophesied of him, Zechariah 9:9.”

iv. “What a singular conjunction of words is here, ‘the Lord’ and ‘hath need!’ Jesus, without laying aside his sovereignty, had taken a nature full of needs; yet, being in need, he was still the Lord and could command his subjects and requisition their property.”

c. Your King is coming to you, lowly, and sitting on a donkey: Jesus came to Jerusalem in humility, yet with appropriate dignity. Instead of coming on a horse as a conquering general, He came on a colt, as was customary for royalty. He came to Jerusalem as the Prince of Peace.

i. “Asses were of old beasts that great persons used to ride on, Judges 10:4; 12:14. But after Solomon’s time the Jews got a breed of horses; so as only poor people rode upon asses, mostly reserved for burdens.”

ii. “Therefore for those with eyes to see, Jesus was not only proclaiming his messiahship and his fulfillment of Scripture but showing the kind of peace-loving approach he was now making to the city.”

iii. “This entry into Jerusalem has been termed the triumph of Christ. It was indeed the triumph of humility over pride and worldly grandeur; of poverty over affluence; and of meekness and gentleness over rage and malice.” 

Matthew 21:7–11 KJV (WS)

7 And brought the ass, and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and they set him thereon. 8 And a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 9 And the multitudes that went before, and that followed, cried, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest. 10 And when he was come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the multitude said, This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee.

a. Laid their clothes on them…spread their clothes on the road; others cut down branches from the trees and spread them on the road: All this was done to honor Jesus as a great, triumphant person coming into Jerusalem in the season of Passover.

i. In another way, this crowd was ridiculous — in worldly eyes. “Why, if Pilate himself had heard about it he would have said — ‘Ah! There is nothing much to fear from that. There is no fear that that man will ever upset Caesar; there is no fear that he will ever overturn an army. Where are their swords? There is not a sword among them! They have no cries that sound like rebellion; their songs are only some religious verses taken out of the Psalms.’ ‘Oh!’ says he, ‘the whole thing is contemptible and ridiculous.’”

b. Hosanna to the Son of David! This was open Messianic adoration of Jesus. They look to Jesus for salvation (Hosanna means “save now!” and was addressed to kings, as in 2 Samuel 14:4 and 2 Kings 6:26). They openly give Jesus the titles appropriate for the Messiah (Son of David… He who comes in the name of the LORD).

i. Jesus received and indeed encouraged this worship. Again, this was because this is the day that the LORD has made (Psalm 118:24), the day when the Messiah came as Savior to Jerusalem in fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy.

ii. “Essentially it is a people’s cry for deliverance and for help in the day of their trouble; it is an oppressed people’s cry to their saviour and their king.”

iii. The voice of the people may seem to be the voice of God when they shout ‘Hosanna in the highest’; but whose voice is it when they yell out, ‘Crucify him, crucify him’?”

c. When He had come into Jerusalem, all the city was moved: Jesus also showed that He wasn’t afraid of chief priests and Pharisees. He knew they were plotting to kill Him, yet He came openly to the city as Messiah.

i. “When the Magi came looking for the King of Jews, ‘all Jerusalem’ was troubled (Matthew 2:3). Now when the king arrives all the city is stirred.” (France)

The Lord's Supper, also known as Communion or the Eucharist, is a Christian practice rooted in the Last Supper, where Jesus shared bread and wine with his disciples, instructing them to "do this in remembrance of me". Biblical Basis: The institution of the Lord's Supper is primarily recorded in the Gospels (Matthew 26:26-32, Mark 14:22-25, Luke 22:14-20) and in 1 Corinthians 11:23-26.

Matthew 26:26–30 KJV (WS)

26 And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 But I say unto you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom. 30 And when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives.

The Last Supper: Jesus celebrated the Passover meal with his disciples, and during this meal, he took bread, broke it, and said, "This is my body, which is given for you; do this in remembrance of me".

The Cup: Similarly, he took a cup of wine, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you".

Meaning and Purpose:

Remembrance: The Lord's Supper is a memorial of Jesus' sacrifice on the cross for the forgiveness of sins.

Fellowship: It is a way for Christians to come together and share in fellowship with one another and with Christ.

Proclamation: By partaking in the bread and wine, Christians proclaim the Lord's death until he comes again.

Scripture References:

Matthew 26:26-30: Records the institution of the Lord's Supper during the Passover meal.

Mark 14:22-25: Provides another account of the Last Supper and the instructions given by Jesus.

Luke 22:14-20: Describes the Last Supper and the significance of the bread and wine.

1 Corinthians 11:23-34: Paul writes about the Lord's Supper, emphasizing the importance of examining oneself before partaking and the consequences of doing so unworthily.

1 Corinthians 10:16-17: Paul uses the imagery of the bread and the cup to illustrate the unity of believers in Christ.

a. Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it: When the bread was lifted up at Passover, the head of the meal said: “This is the bread of affliction which our fathers ate in the land of Egypt. Let everyone who hungers come and eat; let everyone who is needy come and eat the Passover meal.” Everything eaten at the Passover meal had symbolic meaning. The bitter herbs recalled the bitterness of slavery; the salt water remembered the tears shed under Egypt’s oppression. The main course of the meal — a lamb freshly sacrificed for that particular household — did not symbolize anything connected to the agonies of Egypt. It was the sin-bearing sacrifice that allowed the judgment of God to pass over the household that believed.

i. The Passover created a nation; a people of slaves were freed from Egypt and became a nation. This new Passover also creates a people; those united in Jesus Christ, remembering and trusting His sacrifice.

b. Take, eat; this is My body… This is My blood of the new covenant: Jesus didn’t give the normal explanation of the meaning of each of the foods. He reinterpreted them in Himself, and the focus was no longer on the suffering of Israel in Egypt, but on the sin-bearing suffering of Jesus on their behalf.

i. “The words ‘this is my body’ had no place in the Passover ritual; and as an innovation, they must have had a stunning effect, an effect that would grow with the increased understanding gained after Easter.” (Carson)

ii. This is how we remember what Jesus did for us. As we eat the bread, we should remember how Jesus was broken, pierced, and beaten with stripes for our redemption. As we drink the cup, we should remember that His blood, His life was poured out on Calvary for us.

iii. This is how we fellowship with Jesus. Because His redemption has reconciled us to God, we can now sit down to a meal with Jesus, and enjoy each other’s company.

c. This is My blood of the new covenant: Remarkably, Jesus announced the institution of a new covenant. No mere man could ever institute a new covenant between God and man, but Jesus is the God-man. He has the authority to establish a new covenant, sealed with blood, even as the old covenant was sealed with blood (Exodus 24:8).

i. The new covenant concerns an inner transformation that cleanses us from all sin: For I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more (Jeremiah 31:34). This transformation puts God’s Word and will in us: I will put My law in their minds, and write it on their hearts (Jeremiah 31:33). This covenant is all about a new, close relationship with God: I will be their God, and they shall be My people (Jeremiah 31:33).

ii. We can say that the blood of Jesus made the new covenant possible, and it also made it sure and reliable. It is confirmed with the life of God Himself.

iii. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, we have can have a new covenant relationship with God. Sadly, many followers of Jesus live as if it never happened.

As if there is no inner transformation

As if there is no true cleansing from sin.

As if there is no Word and will of God in our hearts.

As if there is no new and close relationship with God.

iv. Which is shed for many: “In that large word ‘many’ let us exceedingly rejoice. Christ’s blood was not shed for the handful of apostles alone. There were but eleven of them who really partook of the blood symbolized by the cup. The Savior does not say, ‘This is my blood which is shed for you, the favored eleven;’ but ‘shed for many.’”

d. This is My body… this is My blood: The precise understanding of these words from Jesus have been the source of great theological controversy among Christians.

i. “What is certain is that Jesus bids us commemorate, not his birth, nor his life, nor his miracles, but his death.”

e. Take, eat: Beyond the debate over what the bread and the cup mean, we must remember what Jesus said to do with them. We must take and eat.

i. Take means that it won’t be forced upon anyone. One must actually receive it. “I anticipate that someone will say, ‘Am I then to have Jesus Christ by only taking him?’ Just so. Dost thou need a Savior? There he is; take him…Take him in; take him in; that is all that thou hast to do.” (Spurgeon)

ii. Eat means that this is absolutely vital for everyone. Without food and drink, no one can live. Without Jesus, we perish. It also means that we must take Jesus into our innermost being. Everyone must also eat for themselves; no one else can do it for them.

f. Until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom: Jesus looked forward to a future celebration of the Passover in heaven, one that He has not yet celebrated with His people. He is waiting for all His people to be gathered to Him, and then there will be a great supper — the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:9). This is the fulfillment in My Father’s kingdom that Jesus longed for.