Holy Week
Walk with Jesus through the final events of His earthly life.
by WILLIAM F. COOK, III
THE WORLD CHANGED FOREVER the first week of April, A.D. 30.1 All of the messianic prophecies of the Old Testament were coming to fruition. Most importantly, the head of the serpent was about to be crushed. (See Gen. 3:15.) Many Christians jump from Palm Sunday to Good Friday and then on to Resurrection Sunday. The Gospels provide us with an invaluable account of what transpired on each day of Passion Week. We would do well to learn these events and rehearse them each year as we prepare to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Sunday, April 2, A.D. 30: The Triumphal Entry
Passion Week could not have begun on a bigger note! Christians commemorate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the day Jesus’ followers laid palm branches on the road like an ancient red carpet. (See John 12:13.) The triumphal entry is the first of three prophetic acts performed by Jesus at the beginning of Passion Week. The other two prophetic acts are the cursing of the fig tree and the clearing of the temple. The importance of the triumphal entry can be seen in the fact that this is the first event recorded in all four Gospels since the feeding of the 5,000. (See Matt. 21:1–9; Mark 11:1–10; Luke 19:28–40; John 12:12–19.)
Early on Sunday morning, Jesus and His disciples left Bethany to make the short 2-mile walk to Jerusalem. By riding into Jerusalem on the back of a donkey, Jesus fulfilled the messianic prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9. As He descended the western slope of the Mount of Olives, the celebratory moment was briefly dampened as Jesus wept over Jerusalem. (See Luke 19:41–44.) Amidst a jubilant crowd, while looking over the city, Jesus wept over its future destruction.
Jesus entered the city to praise and protest. Some in the crowd clearly saw Jesus’ action as a messianic statement; others saw Jesus as a great prophet. (See Mark 11:10-11.) Jesus’ disciples, however, failed to grasp the significance of the moment. Only after Jesus’ resurrection did they understand the magnitude of the triumphal entry. (See John 12:16.) The Pharisees, scribes, and priests expressed utter disdain for the crowd’s response to Jesus’ arrival in the city. Those who knew the Scriptures best, especially the messianic prophecies, rejected Jesus as a fraud.
For a few moments, just days before the crowds would cry out for His crucifixion, Jesus found Himself surrounded by jubilant expressions of the praise He so rightfully deserved. At the conclusion of the day, Jesus returned to Bethany.
Monday, April 3, A.D. 30: The Cursing of the Fig Tree and the Cleansing of the Temple
On Monday Jesus performed His second and third prophetic acts — the cursing of the fig tree and the clearing of the temple. On the way into Jerusalem on Monday morning, Jesus cursed the fig tree because it had no edible fruit. (See Mark 11:12–14.) After entering the city, Jesus cleared the temple because the courtyard of the Gentiles had become something akin to a flea market. (See Mark 11:15–19.)
What do these two events have in common? In the Old Testament, Israel was depicted as a vineyard or a fig tree that was often found lacking in producing fruit for God’s glory. (See Hos. 9:10.) Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleared the temple to demonstrate that Jerusalem would be judged for her fruitlessness. The temple had all the beauty of a place set aside for God’s glory, but beneath the beautiful façade of prayers and sacrifices lived a “den of robbers.” (See Jer. 7:11.) The religious leadership turned the temple into a commercial bazaar for personal financial gain. We can only imagine how this commercialization of the temple must have caused Jesus’ holy blood to boil in righteous indignation.
Tuesday, April 4, A.D. 30: Controversy and Teaching
As Jesus and the disciples made their way from Bethany to Jerusalem on Tuesday morning, they discovered the fig tree Jesus cursed had withered. Little did the disciples know the day would be filled with heated debate. (See Mark 11:27–12:37.) At every turn, the religious leaders tried to trap Jesus and embarrass Him in front of the crowds. Yet time and time again, Jesus turned the tables on His inquisitors and impressed the crowds with His wisdom and knowledge of the Scriptures. Finally, Jesus asked them a question that silenced them: How can the Messiah, who is the Son of David, be David’s Lord? Before Jesus left the temple that day, He pronounced condemnation on the scribes and the Pharisees and commended an elderly widow. (See Mark 12:38–44.) After departing the city, while sitting on the Mount of Olives, Jesus predicted the destruction of the temple and events preceding His second coming. (See Mark 13:1–37.) What a day!
“Silent” Wednesday, April 5, A.D. 30: Judas’ Betrayal
After Tuesday’s controversies and teaching, Jesus and His disciples appeared to have spent Wednesday in Bethany. The Gospels do not record any activity by Jesus on that day, which is the reason the day is called “Silent” Wednesday. Judas likely used this opportunity to venture into Jerusalem to meet with the chief priests to negotiate handing Jesus over to them. (See Mark 14:1–2,10–11.) The chief priests must have been thrilled at Judas’ offer; the religious leaders had looked for this opening for a long time. Jesus’ popularity with the crowds had made seizing Him virtually impossible up to this point. Judas offered them the possibility of arresting Him without the presence of the crowds.
Maundy Thursday, April 6, A.D. 30: The Last Supper
Thursday of Passion Week is known as Maundy Thursday in many Christian traditions. The reason is that the Latin term for “new commandment” is mandatum novum. Jesus commanded His followers “to love one another.” (See John 13:34.) On Thursday evening, Jesus gathered with His disciples in an upper room in a home in Jerusalem. The evening began with a stunning example of servant love as Jesus washed the disciples’ feet. (See John 13:1–17.) The Synoptic Gospels — Matthew, Mark, and Luke — focus their attention on Jesus eating the Passover meal with His disciples. The meal was a window into Christ’s cross-work. (See Mark 14:22–26.) The air must have become quite tense and somber as Jesus predicted that Peter would deny Him and one of the disciples would betray Him.
When exactly the events of Thursday night transitioned into the early morning hours of Friday is impossible to know. At some point in the middle of Thursday night, Jesus and His disciples (minus Judas) walked to the garden of Gethsemane for a time of prayer. Mark describes the agony Jesus experienced as He prayed. (See Mark 14:32–42.) The time of prayer was interrupted as Judas led a group of Jesus’ opponents to arrest Him. (See vv. 43–50.) As Jesus was surrounded by His enemies, His disciples abandoned Him, fleeing into the darkness.
Good Friday, April 7, A.D. 30: The Crucifixion of the Son of God
Events began to speed up at this point. After Jesus’ violent nighttime arrest, He was first taken to the home of the former high priest, Annas. (See John 18:1–13.) From there, Jesus was taken before the Sanhedrin, where He endured a bogus trial. (See Mark 14: 53–65.) While Jesus confessed His true identity before the Sanhedrin, Peter in the courtyard of the High Priest denied he even knew Jesus. (See Mark 14:66–72.) The Sanhedrin trial culminated with a conviction of blasphemy.
The Jewish leadership arrived at Pilate’s Jerusalem residence in the early morning hours of Friday, possibly around 6 a.m. (See Mark 15:1–5.) While Pilate was resistant to crucify Jesus, the Jewish mob grew ever more insistent. Eventually, Pilate succumbed to their pressure and handed Jesus over for crucifixion. (See Mark 15:15.)
Jesus was crucified outside the city at “the place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull)” (Mark 15:22). The reason for the name of the site is disputed. The most likely reason for the name is either due to the terrain, a hill that looked like a skull, or the fact that people were taken there to die. Either way, Golgotha was a place of horrific torment.
As Jesus hung on the cross, the worst of human sinfulness was on display as the religious leaders mocked and taunted Him. (See Mark 15:27–29.) At the same time, the graciousness of Christ was on display as He prayed for the forgiveness of those who crucified Him. (See Luke 23:34.) From approximately 12 p.m. until 3 p.m., darkness covered the land. At approximately three o’clock on Good Friday, Jesus cried out, “It is finished,” and He committed His spirit into the hands of His heavenly Father. (See John 19:30.) The Son of God had carried in His body humanity’s sins and suffered God’s wrath. Shortly before the beginning of the Sabbath, Jesus’ body was taken down from the cross and placed in a borrowed tomb. An intense hopelessness must have engulfed Jesus’ followers. For them, this day was anything but “good.”
Saturday, April 8, A.D. 30: The Guarded Tomb
Fear marked the day after the crucifixion of Jesus. The disciples who had scattered after His arrest hid in utter grief. Meanwhile, the chief priests and the Pharisees feared the words of Jesus, “‘After three days I will rise again,’” and requested guards be posted to secure the tomb (Matt. 27:63).
Sunday, April 9, A.D. 30: The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
The events on Resurrection Sunday unfolded quickly. After a group of women discovered the empty tomb and encountered two angels (see Luke 24:1-12), Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene (see John 20:12–19), to two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and later in the day to His disciples who were in hiding (see Luke 24:13–48). As the sun began to set on that glorious Sunday, the world had changed. The resurrection caused the cowardly disciples to become courageous witnesses to the reality of Christ’s resurrection. Satan, sin, and death had been defeated! Jesus had risen! He had risen indeed!
1Some date the year as A.D. 33.
WILLIAM F. COOK, III is professor of New Testament interpretation at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary and the lead pastor at The Ninth and O Baptist Church in Louisville, Kentucky. Cook is the author of Jesus’s Final Week: From Triumphal Entry to Empty Tomb (B&H Academic, 2022).
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