The Passion week
1900 years ago this week was the last week of Jesus on Earth as God and and man. He ministered for three and a half years in Jerusalem this week was the last week and there were many things happened in this whole week.
The 1st day : Sunday
It was called Palm Sunday Jesus went into Jerusalem as a conqueror. During three and a half years He went to Jerusalem several times but this Sunday was different He came in on the colt not a horse. A horse is a symbol for battle and Hero came back on a hoarse but Jesus rode on a colt.
A colt is the symbol of humility Jesus was not victory over the battle but over the pride of whom didn’t believe is Him. He came in as Zechariah 9: 9 See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey,on a colt, the foal of a donkey. There were many people came out with palm leaves and shout Hosanna.
Hosanna does not mean praise but its meaning is safe now. Why did people use this word to greet Him instead of Hallelujah. In the past when Israeli faced problems they went to see the king for help and called out “Save Now, I beseech you (Psalm 118:25-26)
People came out and shout like this meant that they accepted Jesus as king He revealed Himself as a king the Messiah. After riding on a colt into Jerusalem He went into the temple to take a look and then went back to Bethany to spent the night there with Mary Martha and Lazarus which is about 3 km. from Jerusalem
The 2nd Day: Monday, cleansing the temple and cursing the fig tree.
Next morning, Monday Jesus came back to Jerusalem again and went into the temple and saw the merchants selling animal for sacrifice and money changers at the outer court where God provided for gentile to pray and worship.
But the priest and Sadducee who controlled the temple made money by giving permission to merchants to trade at outer court that's why Jesus said people had to buy expensive sacrifice for their home prepared sacrifice were often claimed unclean and had some blemish by the priest so people had to buy the new ones which was twenty times more expensive than outside the temple so Jesus said it was the robbers' Den.
These businesses occupied the outer court so the gentile had no place to pray and worship God the temple of God should be the place for prayer. After cleansing Jesus walked with his disciple and saw a fig tree with plenty of leaves but when he went closer He saw it baring no fruit then he cursed it.
The 3rd Day Tuesday
Jesus went back to Jerusalem the disciple saw the fig tree withered they were astonished and ask Him “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” Jesus answered if you have faith and do not doubt….you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
He used the fig tree to teach his disciples two things.
1 Pray with faith
2 The fruitless life could be judged in the future God didn't accept fruitless life as Pharisees and scribes. The priests and Pharisees came to trap Him by asking 4 questions it was the day of questions.
The first question: About the authority of Jesus in cleansing the temple.
After Jesus cleansing the temple the priests and scribe was angry and disappointed, they came to ask Jesus. “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?” Jesus said to them if they could tell from what source the baptism of John then He would tell them. They talked to each other and answered “We do not know.” Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
It showed their hypocrisy after that Jesus used three parables to teach them, the parable of two sons, the parable of the landowner and parable of the marriage feast, but they didn't repent.
The second questions : About the Tax
They asked Jesus about paying poll-tax for Caesar. At that time Israel was under controlled by Roman Empire she had to pay tax 33% for Roman government Israeli felt bitter so they asked Jesus that they should pay poll-tax or not. Jesus was at dilemma if He said “yes” they would arouse the crowd to against Jesus if said “no” they would tell the Roman government that Jesus was a rebel, Jesus asked them to show the coin used for the poll-tax.” Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said to Him, “Caesar’s.” Then Jesus said to them, “Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s; and to God the things that are God’s.” They were stunt with His answer for it was out of their thinking
The third Question : About resurrection
For Israel the first born son is the successor of his family, if he died childless in order to continue his family line the widow was to marry her deceased husband's brother (Levirate marriage) Sadducees didn't believe in resurrection so they came to Jesus and asked him ‘IF A MAN DIES HAVING NO CHILDREN, HIS BROTHER AS NEXT OF KIN SHALL MARRY HIS WIFE, AND RAISE UP CHILDREN FOR HIS BROTHER.’ Now there were seven brothers with us; and the first married and died, and having no children left his wife to his brother; so also the second, and the third, down to the seventh. Last of all, the woman died. In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.” they wanted to mock Him but Jesus answered them “You are mistaken, not understanding the Scriptures nor the power of God. For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.” They were astonished at His teaching.
The fourth question : About the great Commandment
Pharisee sent a scribe to ask Jesus which is the greatest commandment Jesus answered “‘YOU SHALL LOVE THE LORD YOUR GOD WITH ALL YOUR HEART, AND WITH ALL YOUR SOUL, AND WITH ALL YOUR MIND.’ This is the great and [o]foremost commandment. The second is like it, ‘YOU SHALL LOVE YOUR NEIGHBOR AS YOURSELF.’ On these two commandments depend the whole Law and the Prophets.”
Then Jesus asked them back about the problem of “What do you think about the Christ, whose son is He?” They said to Him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “Then how does David in the Spirit call Him ‘Lord,’ saying, ‘THE LORD SAID TO MY LORD,“SIT AT MY RIGHT HAND,
UNTIL I PUT YOUR ENEMIES BENEATH YOUR FEET”’? If David then calls Him ‘Lord,’ how is He his son?” No one was able to answer Him a word, nor did anyone dare from that day on to ask Him another question.
Jesus went out to mount of Olive and sat down with His disciples and had a discourse with his disciple about the end time He talked to them in 10 topics
1 Eight woes to the scribes and the Pharisees
2 Lament over Jerusalem :destruction of the temple and its implications
3 Sign of Christ's Return
4 Perilous times
5 The glorious Return
6 Parable of the fig tree
7 Be ready for His Coming
8 The parable of 10 virgins
9 Parable of the talents
10 The judgment
The 4th day Wednesday
The Bible didn't say anything about Jesus on Wednesday
The 5th day: Thursday :
It was the day for His disciples, there was only one day left for them before His crucifixion. He spent special time with His disciples and did many things for them.
1 Celebrate the Passover feast
2 Instituted the Lord’s Supper
3 Washing His disciples’ feet (Jn. Chapter 13)
4 Prophesied Judas’ betrayal
5 Give the new commandment (Ln. 13: 34-35)
6 Prophesied Peter's denials
7 Encourage disciples and told them He is the exclusive way to the Father He is the way, the truth and the life,
8 Promise that the Holy Spirit will come to be with them
9 Comforted them that the coming sorrow being turned to be joy
10 Give a great prayer (Jn. Chapter 17)
Meanwhile Judas went out to bargain with the High priest and got 30 silver shekels, the price for a slave, to tell them to arrest Jesus.
After that Jesus went out to pray in the garden of Gethsemane, a place to press olive for olive oil.
As a human being Jesus didn't want to die at the age of about 33 years old, which is too young to die. He was distress and stressful, He prayed intensely Luke recorded His sweat turn out like a drop of blood. The condition which could happen to one who is going to die or in severe distress called Hematidrosis. Three times he came back after praying to his disciples but no one supported Him however He surrendered all to God the Father.
Then Judas brought the temple soldiers to arrest Him and He was trialed the whole night.
The 6th day Friday : Trial, crucified and buried
Early morning He was brought to the Sanhedrin for trial by the High priest and scribe they wanted to kill Him so they sent Him to Pilate for trial and sentence to death. The Sanhedrin could sentence the prisoner for death penalty in case of Jewish tradition but they didn't do that to Jesus for they were afraid of the crowd so they forced it to be a political issue so that Pilate could sentence Him as a political prisoner so that the crowd could do nothing to the priest.
Pilate trialed Jesus and found Him not guilty and tried to release Him but the priest and his crowd wanted Pilate to release Barabbas a rebellion who also was going to have a death penalty and the and they succeed, Barabbas was saved Jesus died for him. No one know that Barabbas repented or not but Jesus redeemed him on that day
The soldier of the governor spat Him, beat him, scourged Him and handed him over to be crucified, they mocked him and crucified Him at 9 o'clock in the morning and He died at 3 o'clock in the afternoon. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom opened the way for man to God. Joseph from Arimathea one of the disciple asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, took His body and laid in his new tomb.
The 7th day :In the tomb
No record in the gospel what Jesus did on the 7th day He probably went to proclaim His redemption to the dead.
He went and made proclamation to the spirits now in prison, who once were disobedient, when the patience of God kept waiting in the days of Noah,…. (1 Peter 3:19-20) 6 For the gospel has for this purpose been [e]preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God. (1 Peter 4:6)
Lesson learned from the Passion week
1 Live a triumphal life
2 Cleansing our lives and live it fruitfully
3 Be humble, care for, pray for and love one another
4 Be patient in any trial in our lives
5 Keep proclaiming good news
