* The Events of The Passion Week. Not all activities are listed.
Friday (Six days before Passover meal.)
-Jesus arrives in Bethany, just east of Jerusalem (John 11:54-12:1).
-Mary, the sister of Lazarus and Martha, anoints Jesus' feet at a banquet (John 12:2-11).
Saturday (Sabbath. Started at dusk on Friday.)
-Though it is not recorded, Jesus left Bethany and returned to Ephraim near the Jordan River. (John 11:54-57)
Sunday (Now called Palm Sunday. 1st day of the Passion Week.)
-Jesus heals blind men while approaching Jericho (Matthew 20:29-34; Mark 10:46-52; Luke 18:34-43).
-Jesus eats at Zacchaeus house in Jericho (Luke 19:1-10).
-Jesus continues onto Jerusalem (Mark 10:52; Luke 19:28).
-Jesus's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Matthew 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-40; John 12:12-19).
-Jesus's weeps for Jerusalem (Luke 19:41-44).
-Jesus looked at the Temple at dusk. Then, left to spend the night at Bethany (Mark 11:11).
Monday (10th day of the Hebrew month Abib ends at dusk.)
-Jesus curses the fig tree (Matthew 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14).
-Jesus cleanses the Temple courts (Matthew 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-17).
-Jesus healed and taught until dusk. Then, left to spend the night at Bethany (Matthew 21:14-17; Mark 11:18-19).
Tuesday (11th day of the Hebrew month Abib ends at dusk.)
-Jesus explains the withered fig tree to his disciples (Matthew 21:20-22; Mark 11:20-26).
-Jesus's authority questioned (Matthew 21:23-27; Mark 11:27-33; Luke 20:1-8).
-Jesus teaches in the temple (Matthew 21:28-22:46; Mark 12:1-44; Luke 20:9-21:4; John 12:20-50).
-Jesus wept over Jerusalem's leader's unbelief and rejecting him as their King (Matthew 23:1-39).
-Jesus anointed at Bethany (Matthew 26:6-13; Mark 13:3-9; John 12:2-11).
Wednesday (12th day of the Hebrew month Abib ends at dusk.)
-No details about what Jesus did except Luke 21:37-38 which says he taught every day in the Temple.
-The Jews plot to kill Jesus (Matthew 26:14-16; Mark 14:10-11; Luke 22:3-6).
Thursday (13th day of the Hebrew month Abib ends at dusk.)
-The Passover meal begins at dusk, the start of the 14th of the month Abib (see below notes).
-Jesus and the disciples eat Passover meal, now known as the Last Supper. (Matthew 26:17-29; Mark 14:12-25; Luke 22:7-20; John 13:1-18).
-Jesus comforts the disciples and prays in the upper room. Then they leave Jerusalem (John 14:1-16:33).
-Jesus prays at Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 26:26-46; Mark 14:32-42; Luke 22:40-46).
Friday (14th day of the Hebrew month Abib ends at dusk. Now known as Good Friday.)
-According Hebrew time Jesus is arrested and tried during the night to daylight. (Matthew 26:47-27:26; Mark 14:43-15:15; Luke 22:47-23:25; John 18:2-19:16)
-The Jewish leaders turn Jesus over to Pilate at dawn. Pilate questions Jesus then sends him to Herod, who sends Jesus back to Pilate (Matthew 27:11-31; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:15).
-Jesus's crucifixion starts at 3:00pm. He dies just before sunset. (Matthew 27:27-56; Mark 15:16-41; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:17-30)
-Jesus is quickly buried at dusk just before Hebrew day end. (Matthew 27:57-66; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56; John 19:31-42)
Saturday (Sabbath. 15th day of the Hebrew month Abib ends at dusk. The seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread begins).
-Jesus' body is in the tomb. He appears in Sheol and accompanies the saints previously dead to heaven.
Sunday (Abib 16; day of First Fruits Sheaf Wave) See Resurrection chart below.
-Jesus's morning resurrection and appearing to the women. (Mark 16:9-11; John 20:11-18)
-Jesus appeared to the two on the road. (Mark 16:12-13; Luke 24:13-35)
-Jesus appeared to ten apostles (no Thomas or Judas) in the evening. (Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36-43; John 20:19-25)
Saturday (Sabbath)
-Jesus appears to Thomas and the rest of the apostles. (John 20:26-31)
A week later
-Jesus talks and eats with seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee. (John 21:1-25)
Forty days since his resurrection.
-Jesus ascends to his Father in heaven from the Mount of Olives. (Matthew 28:15-20; Mark 18:19-20; Luke 24:44-53; Acts 1:1-11)
* Hebrew days start at sunset/twilight and goes thru the night till the next day's sunset.
* Passover always starts at twilight on the 14th day of the month (Leviticus 23:5), not the same day of the week every year. Therefore, Passover starting on Thursday is rare. Passover usually starts on another day of the week. Passover starting on a Thursday the year Jesus was crucified. This timing made it possible for Jesus to fulfill the feasts associated with the Passover.
1st) Jesus was crucified on Friday (still Passover) and died before sunset that same day.
2nd) Jesus was in the tomb during the Sabbath (Saturday) rest. The Sabbath that Jesus was buried was also the beginning of the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread (Exodus 12:15-20, 23:15; Deuteronomy 16:16). The Feast of Unleavened Bread is always on the first Sabbath after Passover.
3rd) Jesus rose on Sunday, the third day since his death. That Sunday was also the day of the First Fruit Sheaf Wave (Leviticus 23:9-15; Exodus 23:16, 19, 34:22). The first fruit (barley harvest) of the land was waved before the Lord. Jesus' resurrected as the first fruit (Acts 26:23; 1 Corinthians 15:4, 20, 23).
All three feasts were thus fulfilled by Jesus and this could have only happened that particular year, the year Passover started Thursday night.
* The Hebrew calendar considered an event lasting for an entire day even though it was only a few hours or even minutes long. Therefore, Jesus died and was buried at the end of the Hebrew day (twilight) on Friday and he is considered to have been buried that day too. The same can be stated for Sunday, the day he rose from the dead. Even though he was in the grave for a few moments after dawn before he rose, he is considered to be in grave Sunday and rise from it on Sunday.
>1. What was the time and what was the general atmosphere underlying the events of this chapter?
* The population of Jerusalem swelled to ten times its normal size during this week because the Lord commanded all Israel to celebrate these feasts in only that city. The reason the Lord did this was so that when the Messiah came all would see his death and resurrection.
* The Jews often interchanged the the word "Passover" and the phrase "Feast of Unleavened Bread" even though they are separate celebrations (feasts).
>What was the significance of this particular time?
* The day of Passover commemorates the day when the angel of death passed over the Israelites' houses when they were slaves in Egypt. The Lord told Moses and Aaron to tell Pharaoh to let his people go. Pharaoh did not and seven plagues followed. The seventh time he would not let them go the plague of death (where all the first born died) came. However, God told the Israelites to smear the blood of a lamb over their door post. If the angel of death saw this blood then their first born sons would not die. This is how the Passover foreshadowed Jesus shedding of blood saves us from death.
* Jesus, the Messiah (Christ is Greek) became the Lamb of God that shed his pure blood so that the sins of Adam and Eve's race could be done away with and so they would be restored. (Rom. 5:9) Jesus, God who created and then walked and talked with Adam and Eve, suffered and then died on the cross to restore their relationship with him. Jesus wilful act of receiving humiliation, pain, suffering, and death displays just how far God needed to go to restore a relationship with his people, his bride. (Phil. 2:8) The drastic act was needed because sin is so heinous. (Rom. 1:18, 21, 28, 32)
* The feast of Unleavened Bread lasted seven days of which Passover was on the first of the seven days. Unleavened bread contains no yeast. The Israelites were to eat no yeast for seven days. No yeast was to be found in their household (Ex. 12). Yeast represents sin in many places in the Bible. Getting ride of yeast represents getting rid of sin. Jesus' death gets rid of our sin. The letter to the Hebrews discusses in detail Jesus' act of getting rid of our sin.
>2. What unexpected thing happened while Jesus and his disciples were having dinner in the home of Simon?
* Mark 14:3 "While he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of a man known as Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head."
* "a women" -John records Jesus being anointed in Bethany (Lazarus' home) six days before the Passover (John 12:1-11) placing it the Saturday before The Passion Week (Sunday to Saturday) began and before The Triumphal Entry (John 12:12). (Matthew 26:6-13 and Mark 14:3-11 are probably not the same event as John's record unless they do not follow chronological order.) After Mary anointing Jesus, John records Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, the Sunday before Passover. See the chart and notes in the next study by using the green forward button in the header.
* "Simon the Leper" -Jesus probably accepted Simon's invitation, who was a leaper, when he healed him.
* "alabaster jar" -John records that the jar held a pint (half a liter) of the perfume.
* "very expensive perfume" -Nard in this quantity worth three hundred denarii (a year's wages according to John's recorded event). Nard is derived from the roots of the herb nardostachys jatamansi. The term appears twice in the Song of Solomon (1:12; 4:13-14).
* "perfume" -Unmarried women saved up perfume for the day of their wedding day and to help establish their new home. The modern dowry would be similar.
* This woman's act was an unusual expression of love and thanksgiving.
* She was unconscious of other people when she did this because she was concentrating on Jesus. This is how she could do such a bold thing.
* Her action was done by faith.
* Her action was sacrificial.
>3. How did those present react to this woman's actions?
* Mark 14:4-5 "Some of those present were saying indignantly to one another, "Why this waste of perfume? It could have been sold for more than a year's wages and the money given to the poor." And they rebuked her harshly."
* According to other gospels, one of those indignant was Judas the betrayer.
>Why?
* Outwardly it looked like they were being money conscious, as well as practical, and helpful to the poor.
* Inwardly they were just bitter people.
* Their issue wasn't the interruptions and the strong smell.
>What is the element of truth in their practical words?
* The money that could have been made on the sale of the perfume which could have benefited the poor. It was worth a years wages.
* Their objection sounded like a noble cause.
>What was wrong with their idea? (4,5)
* They did not see the act of this woman from a spiritual point of view. They couldn't see her heart devotion. They valued the money more.
* They would always have the poor with them, but we have to honor God which is more important.
* Most likely her act was a thanksgiving offering.
* They didn't know that his suffering, death and burial was approaching. So they didn't know that God compelled her to do it in preparation of his burial.
* There are times that we have to seemingly waste money.
* Anybody can waste the poor, but only Jesus' people can preach the gospel.
* Indirectly they didn't think that Jesus should be honored. They had low value of Jesus. They took Jesus for granted. Rather than making him the center of their religion, they made him only a part of their religion.
* Nothing is more important than Jesus.
* Loving Jesus seems like a waste to others.
>4. How did Jesus respond to her action?
* Mark 14:6 ""Leave her alone," said Jesus. "Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing to me."
* He defended her.
* He supported and complimented her.
* He rebuked those giving her a hard time.
* "a beautiful thing" -it came from the heart.
* If Jesus remained silent it would look like he agreed with them. He did not.
>Through her action, what did he teach about himself?
* Mark 14:7 "The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me."
* "any time you want" -Jesus did not say we shouldn't help the poor. What he is saying is that timing, priorities, and reasons are important.
* "any time you want" -Seems to imply that they could have helped the poor in the past with their own money if they were so concerned about the poor.
>What was the meaning of her action?
* Mark 14:8-9 "She did what she could. She poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has done will also be told, in memory of her."
* Most likely she did know know that Jesus' time was near, but Jesus saw that because she loved Jesus, God compelled her to do this.
* Gospel work is preaching this kind of beautiful act.
* "throughout the world" -Jesus points out the good news is going to be preached throughout the world.
>Why did Jesus respond as he did?
* He saw her heart devotion.
* He saw the significance of her actions.
* Our works of love for Jesus seem small to the world, but to Jesus they are great acts to remembered by all.
* Jesus seeks God's actions of preparations
>5. In what respect is Judas a contrast to this woman?
* Mark 14:10-11 "Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. They were delighted to hear this and promised to give him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over."
* In his heart was evil intentions.
>What do you think motivated him to betray Jesus to the chief priests?
* Money and selfishness and a hurt heart because of the rebuke.
* He probably saw everything Jesus was doing falling apart and wanted to get out of Jesus' following. He wanted to get out of Jesus what every he could.
* He had a strong concept of what the Christ should be like. Jesus did not fit into his idea.
* His heart wasn't right and he didn't know what he was doing and God used this for his glory and purpose.
