INTRODUCTION TO PASSION WEEK

INTRODUCTION:

 

"THE SEVEN LAST SAYINGS"

 

Jesus Christ made seven final statements during his last hours on the cross. These phrases are held dear by followers of Christ because they offer a glimpse into the depth of his suffering to accomplish redemption. Recorded in the Gospels between the time of his crucifixion and his death, they reveal his divinity as well as his humanity.

During the Easter season, especially on Good Friday, Christians focus on the passion of Jesus Christ, or his suffering and death on the cross. Jesus' final hours on the cross lasted about six hours. We will break down these events recorded in Scripture, including the events just before and immediately following the Crucifixion.  Many of the actual times of these events are not recorded in Scripture. The timeline represents an approximate sequence of events. We will start the Seven Last Sayings of Christ tomorrow (4/14/14). But first, let's look at the timeline of Jesus' final hours……………

 

Timeline of Jesus' Final Hours:

Preceding Events:

The Last Supper - Story Summary:

 

(Matthew 26:20-30; Mark 14:17-26; Luke 22:14-38; John 13:21-30)

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread or Passover, Jesus sent two of his disciples ahead with very specific instructions on where to prepare the Passover meal. That evening Jesus sat down at the table with the 12 apostles to eat his final meal before going to the cross. As they dined together, he told the twelve that one of them would soon betray him.

One by one they questioned, "I'm not the one, am I, Lord?" Jesus explained that even though he knew he would die as the Scriptures foretold, his betrayer's fate would be terrible: "Far better for him if he had never been born!"

Then Jesus took the bread and the wine and asked his Father to bless it. He broke the bread into pieces, giving it to his disciples and said, "This is my body, given for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

And then he took the cup of wine, sharing it with his disciples and said, "This wine is the token of God's new covenant to save you--an agreement sealed with the blood I will pour out for you. He told all of them, "I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

Points of Interest from the Story:

• The Passover commemorated Israel's escape from bondage in Egypt. In Exodus, the blood of the Passover lamb was painted on the door frames, causing the plague of the firstborn to pass over their houses sparing the firstborn sons from death. The Last Supper was very significant because Jesus showed his disciples he was about to become the Passover Lamb of God. His blood would open the door to freedom. His followers would exchange slavery to sin and death for eternal life in God's Kingdom.

• Typically wine is served four times during the Passover meal. According to Jewish tradition, the four cups represent four expressions of redemption. The first cup is called the cup of sanctification; the second is the cup of judgment; the third is the cup of redemption; and the fourth is the cup of the kingdom.

• These verses surrounding the Last Supper form the biblical basis for the practice of Communion.

• There are 3 main Christian views regarding the blood and the wine during the practice of Communion:

-The bread and the wine become the actual body and blood of Christ.
- The bread and the wine are unchanged elements, but Christ's presence by faith is made spiritually real in and through them.
- The bread and the wine are unchanged elements, used as symbols, representing Christ's body and blood, in remembrance of his enduring sacrifice.

• Judas had already determined that he would betray Jesus, yet still he shared in the communion of the Passover meal.

Let's look at what happen when they finished communion. They sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:30).

1.    In the Garden of Gethsemane
(Matthew 26:36-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:39-45)

At the foot of the Mount of Olives stands the Garden of Gethsemane. Filled with olive trees, the Garden of Gethsemane is where Jesus spent his last hours praying to his Father, just before the Roman soldiers arrested him. Pleading with the Father for a "Plan B," he humbly submitted to his Father's will, preparing for the cross, as his disciples fell asleep when he needed them to help him pray.

Matthew 26:39
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."(NIV)

 

2.    Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested
(Matthew 26:47-56; Mark 14:43-52; Luke 22:47-53; John 18:1-11)

When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 46 "Why are you sleeping?" he asked them. "Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation."

The last two verses conclude the section on the Garden of Gethsemane and lead us right to the point of our Lord's arrest. In verse 47, Luke will go on to tell us that it was as Jesus was saying these words (of verses 45-46) that Judas and the arresting party arrived on the scene. In a general description of the disciples as a whole, Luke informs us that when Jesus returned to the place where His disciples were to be "watching and praying" He found them asleep. Luke alone tells us that their sleep was induced by sorrow. This was not merely physical fatigue, or the lateness of the hour, nor apathy. The disciples, I believe (cf. "The spirit is willing, but the body is weak," Mark 14:38) wanted desperately to stay awake and to "keep watch" with Him, but could not. Their sorrow, perhaps somewhat vaguely understood or recognized by them, was too much for them.

The human weakness of the disciples did not totally excuse the disciples, however, and thus the final rebuke of the Savior in verse 46. They were urged, one final time, to awaken, to arise, and to pray, so that they would not fall into temptation. There was no more time, however, for Judas had now arrived, along with a group that was heavily armed, coming on Jesus as though He were a dangerous criminal, a robber, perhaps.

 

Conclusion

This passage may be short, but it is weighty indeed. I find myself emotionally worn down just in the reading of it. Let us consider some of the implications and applications of our text as we conclude.

First, the suffering of Jesus was not only his humanity struggling with the physical agonies of the cross, but Jesus' deity and humanity inseparably coming to grips with the awesome agony of Calvary. It is not Jesus' humanity which dominates this text, but the disciples' humanity. It is His deity and humanity, dying for man, that is in focus. It is supernatural suffering that is in view here.

Second, the measure of Christ's agony in Gethsemane is the measure of man's sinfulness and of its disastrous and painful consequences. We read the words, "the wages of sin is death," but these words take on a vastly deeper and more personal meaning in the light of Gethsemane.

Third, the measure of Christ's agony in Gethsemane is the measure of the suffering which Christ endured in bearing the wrath of God toward sinners at Calvary.⁹⁸ The immensity of Christ's agony in the Garden of Gethsemane is in direct proportion to the agony which unsaved men and women will face in hell, when they drink of the "cup" of God's wrath. The doctrine of propitiation focuses on this area, stressing the fact that Jesus bore the wrath of God on the cross, satisfying His righteous anger, so that men might have peace with God.

Fourth, the measure of Christ's agony at Gethsemane is the measure of the love of God for sinners, which caused Him to die that we might live. The songwriter put it well when he wrote, "What wondrous love is this … ?" It is, indeed, amazing love which caused the Son of God to voluntarily pursue the path of pain which led to the cross. If you are troubled by the thought of an angry God and of hell, do not forget that this same God bore His own wrath for sinners. Those who will suffer the torment of hell will do so only because they have chosen to reject the love of God which brought about salvation on the cross for all who would receive it.

Fifth, this text makes it clear that what Jesus did for the salvation of men, He did alone. The disciples did not understand what Jesus was doing. They tried to resist it when it began to take place, by drawing the sword. They did not watch and pray with the Savior. They did not bear Him up in His hour of grief. Jesus suffered and died alone, unaided by men, even the closest of His followers. What Christ did, He did in spite of men, not because of them.

Sixth, the suffering of our Lord is the test, the standard, for all suffering. Let those who think they have suffered for God place their suffering alongside His, as described here. The writer to the Hebrews reminded his readers that they had not yet suffered to the shedding of blood (Hebrews 12:4). But whose suffering will ever begin to approximate His? The best that we can do in our suffering is to gain some sense of fellowship with Christ and His suffering, some minutely small sense of what He underwent for us (cf. Philippians 3:10). His suffering should surely silence our complaints of giving up much for Him.

Finally, we are reminded of the tremendous power of prayer. Prayer, in this text, did not deliver our Lord from suffering, but it did deliver Him through it. So often we pray that God might get us out of adversity, rather than through it. Prayer is one of God's primary provisions for our endurance and perseverance!  His words to His disciples apply to us as well: "Pray that you will not fall into temptation."

 

The Religious Leaders Condemn Jesus
(Matthew 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71)

"The chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus."

I believe God allowed for an interruption from Pilate's wife (v. 19), which gave the Jewish leaders time to stir up the crowd against Jesus. Remember, it was the plan of God that Jesus die.  Pilate's plan might have worked, but the people were convinced by the leaders because they were fickle. Four days had passed since Jesus came into town, and He had not performed any miracles or overthrown the Romans. Since both Pilate and Herod had found no fault in Him, the crowd might have concluded that anyone who Pilate said was not a threat was certainly no Messiah. They believed the Messiah would come to overthrow Rome, but here Rome saying Jesus had no fault. Could anyone Pilate approved of be their Messiah? The leaders used whatever leverage they could gain as they moved through the crowd. Mark 15:11 says, "The chief priests stirred up the people, that he should rather release Barabbas unto them." They wanted to destroy Jesus. By the time Pilate's attention was turned back to the people, he had a worse problem because the crowd and the leaders had become one. God's will be done. Jesus said, "I give up my life, no one take it!"

 

6 a.m.

• Jesus Stands Trial Before Pilate
  (Matthew 27:11-14; Mark 15:2-5; Luke 23:1-5; John 18:28-37)
• Jesus Sent to Herod
  (Luke 23:6-12)

7     a.m.

a)    Jesus Returned to Pilate
(Luke 23:11)

b)    Jesus is Sentenced to Death
(Matthew 27:26; Mark 15:15; Luke 23:23-24; John 19:16)

8     a.m.

a)   Jesus is Led Away to Calvary
(Matthew 27:32-34; Mark 15:21-24; Luke 23:26-31; John 19:16-17)

The Crucifixion

9     a.m. - "The Third Hour"

a)   Jesus is Crucified on the Cross

Mark 15: 25 - It was the third hour when they crucified him. (NIV). The third hour in Jewish time would have been 9 a.m.

Luke 23:34 - Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (NIV)

10 a.m. The Soldiers Cast Lots for Jesus' Clothing (Mark 15:24)

11 a.m.  

a)   Jesus is Insulted and Mocked

Matthew 27:39-40 - And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in

• mockery. "So! You can destroy the Temple and build it again in three days, can you? Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!" (NLT)

Mark 15:31 - The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. "He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself!" (NLT)

Luke 23:36-37 - The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine. They called out to him, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!" (NLT)

Luke 23:39 - One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"(NIV)

11 a.m.

• Jesus and the Criminal

Luke 23:40-43 - But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong."

Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom."

Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise." (NIV)

• Jesus Speaks to Mary and John

John 19:26-27 - When Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he said to her, "Woman, he is your son." And he said to this disciple, "She is your mother." And from then on this disciple took her into his home.(NLT)  

Noon - "The Sixth Hour"

• Darkness Covers the Land

Mark 15:33 - At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.(NLT)

1 p.m.

• Jesus Cries Out to the Father

Matthew 27:46 - And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (NKJV)

• Jesus is Thirsty

John 19:28-29 - Jesus knew that everything was now finished, and to fulfill the Scriptures he said, "I am thirst." A jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. (NLT)

2 p.m.

• It is Finished

John 19:30a - When Jesus had tasted it, he said, "It is finished!"(NLT)

Luke 23:46 - Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." When he had said this, he breathed his last. (NIV)

3 p.m. - "The Ninth Hour"

Events Following Jesus' Death

• The Earthquake

Matthew 27:51-52 - At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. (NIV)

• The Centurion - "Surely he was the Son of God!"
  (Matthew 27:54; Mark 15:38; Luke 23:47)
• The Soldiers Break the Thieves' Legs
  (John 19:31-33)
• The Soldier Pierces Jesus Side
  (John 19:34)
• Jesus is Laid in the Tomb
  (Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:38-42)
•  Jesus Rises from the Dead
  (Matthew 28:1-7; Mark 16:1; Luke 24:1-12; John 20:1-9)
• Jesus Appear to the Eleven and others (Mark 16:9; Matthew 28:9, 17; Luke 24:15, 36, 50; I Corinthians 15:5, 6, 7, 8; John 20:19, 26; 21:1; Acts 9:5).
• Jesus Ascended to the Father  (Acts 1:7-10; Mark 16:19-20; Luke 24:5