The Week Before The Death of Jesus

Introduction

Every day that Jesus lived on this earth is a day worthy of our attention. Jesus wasted none of His days on earth.

He was always about His “Father’s business” ().

At any time in His life, Jesus could say, “I do always those things that please him” ().

During every week that He lived upon the earth, He demonstrated that His mission, as He put it, was “to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work” ().

The way that Jesus lived the last week of His earthly life before His crucifixion is the way that He lived His entire earthly life.

He was not more or less spiritual.

His focus was the same: “to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish his work.”

It is enlightening for us to zoom in on the week before Jesus died, and to examine the way that He lived.

The Friday And Saturday Before He Died

According to , “then Jesus six days before the Passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus was which had been dead, whom he raised from the dead.”

Jesus would have observed the Sabbath and thus it is probable that he arrived in Bethany on Friday before the Sabbath began.

The description of the preparations of making a supper, and Martha serving, would have been violations of the Sabbath law, and so it must have been on Friday before the Sabbath, or on Saturday evening after sundown, that this supper took place ().

“When Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,” (), Mary took a pound of very costly spikenard, “and she brake the box, and poured it on his head” (), “and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair” ().

John informs us that Judas Iscariot feigned concern for the poor by grumbling aloud that this ointment could have been sold “for three hundred pence, and given to the poor” ().

Perhaps it was his statement that influenced other disciples to agree (inwardly and outwardly, ), that this was a wasteful action on her part ().

However, Jesus defended her actions, and even lauded her as one that would be remembered “wheresoever this gospel shall be preached throughout the whole world” ().

John also informs us that Judas had no real concern for the poor. He was a thief, and he was thinking of the missed opportunity to sell this very costly ointment in order to steal the proceeds from the sale for his own covetous gain ().

When the word got out that Jesus was in Bethany, “much people of the Jews” came to see Him and “that they might see Lazarus also, whom he had raised from the dead” ().

Because Lazarus was a walking advertisement to the Deity of Jesus Christ, “the chief priests consulted that they might put Lazarus also to death; because that by reason of him many of the Jews went away, and believed on Jesus” ().

The Sunday Before He Died

John reveals, "On the next day much people that were come to the feast, when they heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem, Took branches of palm trees, and went forth to meet him, and cried, Hosanna: Blessed is the King of Israel that cometh in the name of the Lord ().

This event, often labeled as “The Triumphal Entry Of Jesus Into Jerusalem,” is recorded in all four Gospel records (; ; ; ).

The trip from Bethany to Jerusalem was only 2 miles long.

According to , as Jesus and His disciples “drew nigh unto Jerusalem, and were come to Bethphage, unto the mount of Olives, then sent Jesus two disciples, 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. And if any man say ought unto you, ye shall say, The Lord hath need of them; and straightway he will send them” ().

Matthew records that “all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, 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” ().

The prophecy referenced here is the one recorded in . Mark’s account records that the colt was one “whereon never man sat” (; cf. ).

The disciples did exactly as Jesus instructed () and “found the colt tied by the door without in a place where two ways met” ().

Luke reports that “as they were loosing the colt, the owners asked them, “Why loose ye the colt?” (). They responded precisely as the Lord had commanded, “The Lord hath need of him” ().

Matthew’s inspired record indicates that the disciples brought both the ass (mare) and the colt (). This makes perfect sense because the presence of the mother would have assisted the disciples in leading the colt more calmly to their destination, especially in view of the loud crowds along the way.

Once the disciples arrived, they brought the colt to Jesus, threw their garments on it, and Jesus sat upon it () and rode it toward the city of Jerusalem.

Along the way, “at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen” ().

Moreover, “a very great multitude spread their garments in the way; others cut down branches from the trees, and strawed them in the way. 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” ().

As they strewed their garments and palm branches (their national symbol) in the path of Jesus, one cannot help but think that some of them were thinking of how Solomon, the son of David, rode upon David’s mule as he rode to the Gihon to be anointed as the king and ruler over Israel and Judah ().

When Jehu was anointed as king over Israel, “they hasted, and took every man his garment, and put it under him on the top of the stairs, and blew with trumpets, saying, Jehu is king” ().

Their statement, “Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord” comes right from the Messianic predictions of .

Many were acknowledging Jesus as their King. One thing is certain—the whole city was moved by this event, saying, “Who is this?” (). The multitude responded, “This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee” ().

Some, who had witnessed Jesus raise Lazarus from the dead, had reported these events and “for this cause the people also met him, for they heard that he had done this miracle” ().

This upset the Pharisees no little. We know that “some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples” (). Jesus responded, “I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out” ().

Among themselves, the Pharisees said, “Perceive ye how ye prevail nothing? Behold, the world is gone after him” ().

However, Jesus full well knew that these cheers would turn into jeers in just a matter of days. Some of the same voices crying “Hosanna” () would be crying “Crucify him, crucify him” ().

Thus, in the midst of these cheers we read of Messianic tears. As Jesus came ever closer to the city, “he beheld the city, and wept over it” because He knew that the time was coming when Rome would destroy it, including the temple ().

Perhaps this is why Mark records that on this same day, this Sunday, “Jesus entered into Jerusalem, and into the temple: and when he had looked round about upon all things, and now the eventide was come, he went out unto Bethany with the twelve” ().

The Monday Before He Died

The Gospel of Mark picks up the account “on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany” () and reveals that Jesus “was hungry.”

Jesus saw a fig tree afar off, and it had leaves, but it had “nothing but leaves” ().

The time of figs was normally near the end of May and in the month of June. However, we know that it was a few days before the Passover when Jesus approached this fig tree.

Since the Passover normally fell during the middle of April, why would Jesus be looking for food on this fig tree, especially when Mark tells us that “the time of figs was not yet” ()?

The answer is that, although the prime time for figs was in late May and June, small and edible buds would begin to appear as early as March, followed by the leaves in early April.

If the early buds did not develop, then that tree would not bear figs that year. When Jesus saw the leaves at a distance it was reasonable to expect that the edible buds already would be present.

When Jesus found nothing but leaves, His disciples heard Him say to the tree, “No man eat fruit of thee hereafter forever” ().

The disciples did not notice it until the next day (), but in some sense, “presently the fig tree withered away” ().

After cursing the fig tree, Jesus and the disciples finished their entrance into Jerusalem, “and Jesus went into the temple and began to cast out them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves; and would not suffer that any man should carry any vessel through the temple” ().

Jesus rebuked them, “It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves” (). Additionally, “the blind and the lame came to him in the temple; and he healed them” ().

Much to the sore displeasure of the chief priests and scribes, the children cried in the temple, saying, “Hosanna to the son of David” ().

They asked Jesus whether He heard what they were saying. Rather than criticizing the children, Jesus replied, “Yea, have ye never read, Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings has thou hast perfected praise?” ().

The words and deeds of Jesus on this occasion inflamed the scribes and chief priests so much that they “sought how they might destroy him: for they feared him, because all the people were astonished at his doctrine” ().

The Gospel of John reports an event that also possibly happened on Monday, although it is difficult to pinpoint the exact timing when it occurred.

A number of scholars believe that the event recorded in occurred after Jesus cleansed the temple. Others suggest that this event happened near the close of Tuesday, as one of the last things that happened before Jesus returned to Bethany on Tuesday evening.

Whatever the exact time, certain Greeks had come up to worship at the feast and they came to Philip with this request: “Sir, we would see Jesus” ().

Andrew and Philip told Jesus of this request, and His response is quite poignant. “The hour is come, that the Son of man should be glorified…Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour” (, ).

When Jesus said, “Father, glorify thy name,” “then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again” ().

Some of the people standing nearby thought that “it thundered” while others thought that an angel spoke to him (). Jesus explained, “The voice came not because of me, but for your sakes. Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me” ().

According to John, Jesus said these words to signify the type of death He would experience ().

The people were astonished that the Christ they had anticipated could die. They thought the Christ would abide forever. They certainly never envisioned Him as being crucified ().

Jesus explained to them, “Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye maybe the children of light” ().

We do know for sure that sometime after Jesus cleansed the temple on Monday, He departed from them, left the city of Jerusalem, and went out of the city into Bethany and spent the night there (; ).

The Tuesday Before He Died

On Tuesday morning, Jesus and the disciples started making their way back to Jerusalem. As they approached they saw the fig tree Jesus had cursed the day before, and it was already “dried up from the roots” ().

Peter was so astonished by this that he pointed it out to Jesus ().

In fact, “when the disciples saw it, they marveled, saying, “How soon is the fig tree withered away!” ().

Jesus responded and beckoned all of them to have more faith in God and confidence in prayer (; ).

He also instructed them to be forgiving of others ().

When Jesus came into the temple on that Tuesday, the chief priests and elders of the people wasted no time in confronting Him. They asked, “By what authority doest thou these things? And who gave thee this authority?” ().

Jesus replied with one question of His own: “the baptism of John, whence was it? From heaven, or of men?” ().

This question was so brilliant because it put them on the horns of a real dilemma. They knew that if they said it was from heaven, He would ask them, “Why did ye not then believe him?” ().

On the other hand, if they said the baptism of John was of men, this would inflame the people who viewed John as a prophet ().

When they refused to answer Jesus, He refused to answer their loaded question.

However, Jesus had a question of His own for the chief priests and elders. He asked them, “But what think ye?” and then told them the following story:

A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you ().

Jesus reminded them that John had come to them in the way of righteousness, but they had not believed him, but the publicans and harlots did believe him, and that they, even after they had seen the evidence, “repented not afterward, that ye might believe him” ().

While Jesus had their attention, he spoke another parable unto them about a householder which planted a vineyard and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.

When it was time for the harvest, the owner of the vineyard sent his servants to the husbandmen to receive the fruits of it. But the husbandmen beat, killed and stoned his servants, and when he sent even more servants, the husbandmen did the same to them. Last of all, the owner of the vineyard sent his son, saying, “They will reverence my son.”

On the contrary, they viewed him as the heir and caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him. Having told the story, Jesus asked them, “When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?”

The chief priests and elders responded, “He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons” ().

According to Mark and Luke’s accounts, Jesus said these same words as a conclusion to His story, (; ).

Some have suggested a contradiction between Matthew and Mark and Luke, but there is a plausible harmony. Jesus could very easily have spoken the words of and as a conclusion to His story, and then, for emphasis, asked them, “Now, what will the lord of the vineyard do those husbandmen?”

Apparently, the chief priest and Pharisees gave the correct answer before it dawned on them that this was about them.

This is reminiscent of how the prophet Nathan told David a story about a poor man with one little ewe lamb, who had that one little ewe lamb stolen by a rich man, who had many flocks and herds.

David diagnosed the fault of the rich man correctly before he ever realized the application of this story to himself. Nathan then told him, “Thou art the man” and David went on to confess his sin ().

Similarly, having obtained the correct answer from the Pharisee concerning what the landowner would do to the wicked husbandmen, Jesus made the application:

Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder ().

The reaction of the chief priests and Pharisees to these words is quite telling, and chilling: “And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet” ().

Luke’s account reports that some said, “God forbid” to such a predicted destruction ().

Mark tells us that “they left him, and went their way” ().

Although they left Him, they continued to watch Him, “and sent forth spies, which should feign themselves just men, that they might take hold of his words, that so they might deliver him unto the power and authority of the governor” ().

The following paragraphs provide a brief summary of the wave after wave of confrontations Jesus experienced on this Tuesday before He died.

First, the Pharisees and Herodians tried to “catch him in his words” () or “entangle him in his talk” ().

They lavished Him with insincere praise and then asked, “Is it lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?” ().

Jesus was not fooled by their hypocrisy, and asked to see a coin. He asked, “Whose is this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar’s” ().

Jesus then said, “Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s” ().

Luke records that “they could not take hold of his words before the people: and they marveled at his answer, and held their peace” ().

Consequently, they “left him, and went their way” ().

This Tuesday of confrontation was far from over. “The same day came to him the Sadducees, which say that there is no resurrection” ().

They concocted an outlandish hypothetical situation about a woman who was married to a man with whom she had no children, who then died, after which she married his brother, with whom she had no children, and so on, until she eventually had married seven brothers, who all died before she died, and with whom she had no children.

The question posed by the Sadducees to Jesus was, “Therefore in the resurrection whose wife shall she be of the seven? For they all had her” ().

Jesus penetrated right to the heart of their error when He said:

Do ye not therefore err, because ye know not the scriptures, neither the power of God? For when they shall rise from the dead, they neither marry, nor are given in marriage; but are as the angels which are in heaven. And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err ().

According to Matthew, “when the multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine” ().

Luke reports that “certain of the scribes answering said, Master, thou hast well said” ().

Apparently, some of those, who had heard Jesus silence the Sadducees, gathered together with the Pharisees to discuss it ().

One of these scribes, whom Matthew identifies as “a lawyer” (), had heard Jesus reasoning together with the Sadducees, “and perceiving that he had answered them well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?” ().

Matthew reveals that the intent of this lawyer was to test Jesus ().

As always, Jesus passed the test with ease, with just the right answer:

Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets ().

The scribe’s response was both wise and a bit presumptive, in that the scribe takes it upon himself to evaluate the accuracy of our Lord’s answer, as if the scribe himself was the standard of right and wrong on the matter ().

The scribe did understand correctly that loving God “with all the understanding, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt offerings and sacrifices” ().

In fact, when Jesus saw that he answered wisely, He said unto him, “Thou art not far from the kingdom of God” ().

We are not told the response of the scribe to this statement from Jesus, but we are told that “no man after that dared ask him any question” ().

Matthew does record that “while the Pharisees were gathered together,” (this was while Jesus taught in the temple, ) Jesus had a question for them: “What think ye of Christ? Whose son is he?” ().

When they replied that Christ is the son of David, Jesus asked them an even more thought-provoking question: “How then doth David in spirit, call him Lord, saying, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his son?” ().

We know that “the common people heard him gladly” () regarding these things.

What was the answer of the Pharisees to this question? “And no man was able to answer him a word, neither durst any man from that day forth ask him any more questions” ().

The scribes and Pharisees might have been done asking Jesus questions, but Jesus was not done talking to them, and to the multitudes about them.

The most extended account of His words to the scribes and Pharisees is recorded in .

He warned the multitude and His disciples to do whatever the scribes and Pharisees instructed them to do that actually came from the Law of Moses, “but do not ye after their works: for they say, and do not” ().

He indicted the Pharisees because “all their works they do for to be seen of men” ().

The clothes that they wore, and the titles that they wore, were designed to draw attention to themselves ().

Mark’s account reveals that Jesus said unto them, “Beware of the scribes, which love to go in long clothing, and love salutations in the marketplaces, and the chief seats in the synagogues, and the uppermost rooms at feasts: which devour widows’ houses, and for a pretence make long prayers: these shall receive greater damnation” (; Lk. 21:45-47).

Jesus encouraged them to humble themselves by being servants to one another, rather than being so self-absorbed ().

Some of the strongest words of denunciation ever spoken by our Lord were spoken on the Tuesday before He died. He pronounced woe after woe upon the scribes and Pharisees, and labeled them as “hypocrites, blind guides, fools and blind, serpents and a generation of vipers” ().

Jesus told them, “Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity” ().

Having rebuked the Pharisees for their hypocrisy, “Jesus sat over against the treasury, and beheld how the people cast money into the treasury: and many that were rich cast in much” ().

As Jesus continued watching, “there came a certain poor widow, and she threw in two mites, which make a farthing” ().

Jesus was so impressed by what she had done that “he called unto him his disciples, and saith unto them, ”Verily I say unto you, that this poor widow hath cast more in, than all they which have cast into the treasury: for all they did cast in of their abundance; but she of her want did cast in all that she had, even all her living” ().

Luke records this same episode of the poor widow who gave so generously () but also reveals thereafter that “some spake of the temple, how it was adorned with goodly stones and gifts” ().

As Jesus went out, and departed from the temple, probably to begin His journey up the Mount of Olives toward Bethany, to retire for the evening, the disciples joined in the chorus of those who reminded Jesus of the magnificence of the buildings of the temple ().

Jesus boldly declared, “As for these things which ye behold, the days will come, in the which there shall not be left one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down” ().

Of course, this was a shocking prediction to those who heard Him say this, including the disciples. As Jesus sat upon the Mount of Olives they approached Him privately to ask for further explanation ().

They wanted to know when these things would be, and what sign there would be when these things shall come to pass? Matthew, Mark and Luke all provide the extended answer which Jesus gave to these questions.

Space limitations allow just a brief synopsis of the material recorded in , , and .

The essential truth of these passages is twofold: (1) Jerusalem and its temple would be destroyed by the Roman armies in A. D. 70 as punishment for their treatment and rejection of God’s prophets and, most importantly, their rejection of the Messiah.

Jesus gave His hearers signs by which they could know that the destruction of Jerusalem was approaching (). However, He warned that (2) the final Day of Judgment would come without any signs or imminent warnings of its arrival ().

To further emphasize the truth that the Second Coming will occur suddenly and without warning, Jesus used the illustration of how the goodman of the house would not have allowed the thief to break into his house if he had only known when he was coming ().

Furthermore, the blessed servant is the one who is doing right when his lord returns ().

Likewise, because we do not know when the bridegroom is going to arrive, we must, like the wise virgins, check our oil and make sure that we are ready at all times ().

Our Master has entrusted talents into our hands and has gone away, but will someday return to reckon with His servants as to how we have used His talents.

We do not want to be found as wicked and slothful servants when He returns, for this will lead to outer darkness, and the weeping and gnashing of teeth ().

Rather, we wish to hear the words, “Well done, thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord” (, ).

As part of the conclusion to His public teaching on this Tuesday, Jesus anticipated the Day of Judgment, when “the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him” ().

At that time, He “shall sit upon the throne of his glory” and “before him shall be gathered all nations” ().

On that occasion “he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left” ().

To those on His right hand, He will say “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” ().

To them on the left hand, He will say, “Depart from me ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels…and these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal” (, ).

The Wednesday Before He Died

This day is often referred to as the Day of Silence, because there is very little information recorded in the Gospel accounts that can be pinpointed precisely to this day.

Matthew writes, “And it came to pass, when Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said unto his disciples, Ye know that after two days is the feast of the Passover, and the Son of man is betrayed to be crucified” ().

It is commonly suggested that Jesus spoke these words on Tuesday evening to His disciples, but because the Passover would not begin until after sundown on Thursday, Jesus could have spoken these words on Wednesday, and this would have still been counted as two days (all day Wednesday, all day Thursday) before the Passover began at sundown on Thursday.

It is also possible that the Jewish leaders and Judas were active on this relative Day of Silence.

We do know that the chief priests, and scribes, and the elders of the people, gathered at the palace of the high priest, Caiaphas, () where they discussed how they might take Jesus by trickery, and kill Him ().

However, they were concerned about doing this on the feast day and creating “an uproar among the people” ().

A few verses later, Matthew reports that “one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought the opportunity to betray him” ().

Mark reveals that when Judas made his proposal to the chief priests, “when they heard it they were glad, and promised to give him money” ().

Luke reports the same events, but adds that prior to this, “Then entered Satan into Judas named Iscariot” ().

Luke also indicates that Judas “sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the absence of the multitude ().

Whatever, and whenever, Judas and the Jewish leaders were doing their dastardly deeds, Jesus apparently spent Wednesday in Bethany with His disciples.

The Thursday Before He Died

On Thursday, we read of “the day of unleavened bread, when the Passover must be killed,” (), Jesus “sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the Passover, that we may eat” ().

When they asked Jesus where He wanted them to make these arrangements, He replied:

Behold, when ye are entered into the city, there shall a man meet you, bearing a pitcher of water; follow him into the house where he entereth in. And ye shall say unto the goodman of the house, The Master saith unto thee, Where is the guestchamber, where I shall eat the passover with my disciples? And he shall shew you a large upper room furnished: there make ready. And they went, and found as he had said unto them: and they made ready the Passover ().

It was “in the evening” that Jesus came with the twelve to eat the Passover ().

The inspired authors of the Gospel accounts mention a number of events that occurred at this Passover meal.

The fact that they report these events in different order demonstrates they are dealing with these events with a thematic emphasis rather than a strict chronological one.

We do know that at this Passover meal, Jesus partook of the unleavened bread and fruit of the vine as a foretaste of the feast He would participate in with His disciples after the kingdom was established ().

We also know that Jesus had to deal with the ongoing dispute among the disciples as to who was the greatest among them ().

John describes in touching detail how Jesus arose from the supper and began washing the feet of the disciples. “So then after he had washed their feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said unto them, “Know ye what I have done to you? Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet; ye also ought to wash one another’s feet. For I have given you an example that ye should do as I have done to you” ().

When Jesus finished making the application of what they should learn from His example of washing their feet, “he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said, “Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me” ().

Upon hearing this, the disciples “were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say unto him, Lord, is it I?” ().

Simon Peter beckoned to John, who was leaning on Jesus’ bosom, to ask Jesus who it was ().

Jesus identified the betrayer, “He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me” ().

John adds that Jesus said, “He it is, to whom I shall give a sop, when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon” ().

After this exchange, Satan entered into Judas, and Jesus told him, “That thou doest, do quickly” ().

The disciples did not comprehend why Jesus said this to Judas. They even thought that maybe, because Judas was treasurer, Jesus wanted him to go and buy some supplies for the feast, or that Jesus was telling him he should go and give something to the poor ().

Judas left immediately and Jesus gave a lengthy upper room discourse unto the confused disciples who remained ().

Jesus also lifted up His eyes to heaven and prayed the high priestly prayer of .

Then, “when they had sung an hymn, they went out into the mount of Olives” ().

Jesus warned His apostles, “All ye shall be offended because of me this night” (; in fulfillment of ).

He went on to say, “But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee” ().

In fact, Jesus said to Peter, “Simon, Simon, behold Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren” ().

Upon hearing these words, Peter strongly proclaimed, “Lord, I am ready to go with thee, both into prison, and to death” ().

Matthew’s account also records that he said, “Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended” ().

Jesus gave him the sad news, “Verily I say unto thee, That this night, before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice” ().

Peter was not dissuaded. He spoke even more vehemently (), “Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee” ().

We sometimes forget that “likewise also said all the disciples” ().

Of course, all of the Gospel accounts record for us the denials of Peter that took place, either in the very late hours on that Thursday evening, or perhaps more likely in the hours just after midnight on Friday morning (; , ; ; , ).

Of interest is Luke’s mention that when the cock crew after Peter’s third denial, “the Lord turned, and looked upon Peter. And Peter remembered the word of the Lord, how he had said unto him, Before the cock crow, thou shalt deny me thrice. And Peter went out, and wept bitterly” (). What a tender, loving, and disappointed look combined that must have been!

According to John, well before Peter’s denials, the Lord and His disciples went forth over the brook Kidron, “where was a garden into the which he entered, and his disciples” ().

This garden was located in “Gethsemane” (). Jesus commanded most of His disciples to sit there while He went to pray ().

He took with Him “Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch” ().

As Jesus went forward a little, He “fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him” ().

Jesus was so weak that “there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him” ().

Even so, Jesus was “in an agony” and “prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground” ().

When Jesus finished His prayer in Gethsemane, He found the disciples “sleeping for sorrow” ().

Jesus knew that “the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners” ().

As He encouraged the disciples to wake up and pray, Judas, who “knew the place” (), came “and with him a great multitude with swords and staves, from the chief priests and the people” ().

He came with “lanterns, torches and weapons” (). Judas had pre-arranged with the authorities, “Whomsoever I shall kiss, that same is he: hold him fast” ().

As it turned out, Jesus identified Himself before Judas had a chance to betray Him with a kiss (), but Judas kissed Jesus anyway.

As he drew near unto Jesus to kiss him, “Jesus said unto him, Judas, betrayest thou the Son of man with a kiss?” (). He also said to Judas, “Friend, wherefore art thou come?” ().

Looking out for His disciples, Jesus said to the authorities, “If therefore ye seek me, let these go their way” ().

At this point, “Simon Peter having a sword drew it, and smote the high priest’s servant, and cut off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus” ().

Jesus instructed Peter to sheath his sword () and then “touched his ear, and healed him” ().

Jesus chided “the chief priests, and captains of the temple, and the elders, which were come to him, Be ye come out as against a thief, with swords and staves? When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness” ().

“Then the band and the captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus, and bound him, and led him away to Annas first; for he was father in law to Caiaphas, which was the high priest that year” ().

The Day He Died: Friday

By the time they transported Jesus from Gethsemane to the palace of the high priest, it is entirely possible, perhaps even likely that the calendar had transitioned from Thursday to Friday.

The Passover was eaten at sundown on Thursday evening, which would have been about 6 p.m. at this time of year (March/April).

It was very common for the Passover meal to take approximately two hours to eat.

We know that the Passover meal for Jesus and the disciples included Jesus washing the feet of each disciple, which would have taken some considerable time.

The lengthy upper room discourse, followed by the beautiful prayer of , followed by the hymn of , followed by the journey from the city to Gethsemane, was followed by extended and agonizing prayers, perhaps two or three hours of prayer, with the disciples falling asleep more than once during this time ().

It was after these extended prayers that Judas and the multitude showed up to arrest Jesus.

By the time they made the journey to the palace of the high priest, surely the midnight hour was approaching, or had already passed. Most books that provide a harmony of the Gospels place the trials of Jesus in the early hours of Friday.

It is not possible to provide a detailed analysis of these trials.

We know that Jesus was first taken to Annas, where “the high priest then asked Jesus of his disciples, and of his doctrine” ().

It was during this hearing that one of the officers struck Jesus with the palm of his hand because he did not like the way that Jesus answered the high priest ().

Annas then sent Jesus bound unto Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled ().

The Jewish leaders were desperate to find witnesses to testify that Jesus had said or done things that were worthy of death, “but found none: yea, though many false witnesses came, yet found they none. At the last came two false witnesses and said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days” ().

Upon hearing this, the high priest arose and rebuked Jesus for not answering any of the charges. He even said, “I adjure thee by the living God, that thou tell us whether thou be the Christ, the Son of God” ().

How did Jesus respond? “Jesus saith unto him, Thou hast said: nevertheless I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven” ().

These words sent the high priest into a fit of rage. He rent his clothes and accused Jesus of speaking blasphemy. In his mind there was no need for further witnesses. He asked the assembled leaders what they thought and “they answered and said, He is guilty of death” ().

At this point, the proceedings turned physical. “Then did they spit in his face, and buffeted him: and others smote him with the palms of their hands, saying, Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?” ().

Luke tells us, “And many other things blasphemously spake they against him” ().

At the first sign of morning light, “all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death” ().

Luke reports, “And as soon as it was day, the elders of the people and the chief priests and the scribes came together, and led him into their council, saying, Art thou the Christ? Tell us” ().

Had they not already covered this territory in the hearing before Caiaphas? Indeed they had, but their laws of jurisprudence would not allow them to condemn a man to death during a night trial, so at the first sign of daylight they came together to “rubber stamp” the decision made earlier to put Jesus to death.

Of course, Jesus knew what they were doing. Thus, when they asked Him if He was the Christ, He responded, “If I tell you, ye will not believe, and if I also ask you, ye will not answer me, nor let me go. Hereafter shall the Son of man sit on the right hand of the power of God” ().

At this point, they all said, “Art thou the Son of God?” to which Jesus replied, “Ye say that I am” (). In other words, “You said it.”

This was close enough to what they considered blasphemy, and so, in the early morning hours of Friday, the elders and scribes and the whole council bound Jesus and proceeded to lead Him from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment and delivered him to Pontius Pilate, the governor” (; ; ).

Of course, Pilate needed to know what the charges were against Jesus, “and they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King” ().

After interrogating Jesus, Pilate found no fault in Him ().

Afraid that all of their schemes were about to unravel, “they were the more fierce, saying, He stirreth up the people, teaching throughout all Jewry, beginning from Galilee to this place” ().

When Pilate heard the word Galilee, he asked whether the man were a Galilean ().

“As soon as he knew that he belonged unto Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who himself also was at Jerusalem at that time” ().

Herod was thrilled at the opportunity to meet Jesus. He had always wanted to meet the man he had heard so much about, and Herod even hoped that Jesus might do a miracle for his viewing pleasure ().

Jesus refused to become a part of this sideshow. Herod “questioned with him in many words; but he answered him nothing” ().

This infuriated the chief priests and scribes and so they “stood and vehemently accused him” ().

Meanwhile, Herod, with his men of war, belittled Jesus “and mocked him, and arrayed him in a gorgeous robe, and sent him again to Pilate ().

Pilate summoned the chief priests and the rulers and the people and told them what they did not want to hear. Essentially, Pilate said, “I have found no fault in this man, and Herod did not find fault with him earlier. This Jesus of Nazareth has certainly done nothing worthy of death, so I’m going to “chastise him and release him” ().

In accordance with legal custom, Pilate was going to release one at the feast anyway, so why should it not be Jesus?

The angry mob would have none of it. They cried out all at once, “Away with this man, and release unto Barabbas: (who for a certain sedition made in the city, and for murder, was cast into prison)” ().

Pilate thought if he took Jesus and scourged Him and humiliated Him, that the people would be appeased, but he was about to learn of the depth of their hatred for Jesus. He scourged Jesus, and the soldiers platted a crown of thorns for His head, put a purple robe on Him and mocked Him by saying, “Hail, King of the Jews! And they smote him with their hands” ().

When Pilate paraded the beaten and battered Jesus before the people he thought this would appease their bloodthirst, but “when the chief priests therefore and officers saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him, crucify him” ().

When the governor asked them, “Why, what evil hath he done?” they just “cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified” ().

When Pilate washed his hands and claimed to be innocent of the blood of this just person, the Jewish people had the audacity to say, “His blood be on us, and on our children” ().

Luke’s inspired description is that “they were instant with loud voices, requiring that he might be crucified. And the voices of them and of the chief priests prevailed. And Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required” ().

And so, on a Friday morning, about 9 o’clock they crucified our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ ().

He hung on the cross for six long hours, but uttered only seven recorded statements during that time. At about 3 o’clock on that Friday afternoon “Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani which is, being interpreted, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” ().

A short time later, “Jesus cried with a loud voice, and gave up the ghost” (). Jesus of Nazareth was dead.

Joseph of Arimathaea was given the dead body “and he bought fine linen, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen, and laid him in a sepulcher which was hewn out of a rock, and rolled a stone unto the door of the sepulcher” ().

The Day He Arose From The Dead

But this is not the end of the story! On the third day, Jesus arose from the dead just as He had promised He would (; ; ; ).

The record of the last week that Jesus lived before He died is a rich and rewarding record.

These were days of Messianic proclamation, presentation and passion.

However, respectfully, it is not too much to say that the week before Jesus’ death would be meaningless if not for the significance of the day He arose from the dead!

Paul said as much when he wrote, “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: and if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain…and if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins” (, ).

The day Jesus arose from the dead became the day that my resurrection from the dead became a guarantee ().

The day Jesus arose from the dead became the day the Day of Judgment is guaranteed to occur ().

And the Day of Judgment is the day when the Christian reaps the benefits of all that Jesus did both before and after His death!