Lesson 4: The Background Of Easter

 

A brief time line of the events of the Passion Week

 

Jesus was staying in Bethany with Mary, Martha & Lazarus. It began here & He returned each day from Jerusalem.

 

After studying the Background, Easter events unfold for the rest of the week.

 

This is a reminder of the daily events with little detail since the major events could all be lengthy messages in & of themselves.

 

Brief Overview

Saturday: Jesus arrives at Bethany; Lazarus was raised from dead recently so many believed in Jesus because of this.

 

• Not a coincidence that a resurrection type miracle occurs right before Calvary.
• ·

Sunday: Jerusalem & Triumphant entry as King of Israel. Jesus goes back to Bethany.

 

Monday: Jesus goes to Jerusalem and cleanses the temple

 

Tuesday: Teaches & converses with many. Judas starts bargaining with Sanhedrin

 

Wednesday: Jesus does much teaching (Matthew 24-25)

 

Thursday: The Last Supper preparations take place, communion is instituted & Judas leaves to betray Him

 

Friday: Gethsemane; Jesus prayed 3 – one-hour prayers. Jesus is arrested and brought to Caiaphas, Sanhedrin, Pilate, Herod, and Pilate. He is beaten, abused, whipped, and crucified.

Peter denies Jesus 3 times.

Jesus is buried.

 

Saturday: In grave, Jesus leads Old Testament saints from Abraham’s Bosom to Paradise.

 

Sunday: The resurrection. Jesus shows Himself to Mary & Disciples

 

Tuesday: Destruction of Jerusalem foretold

 

Wednesday:

• Sunset, 6 PM Tues – Sunset, 6 PM Wed, Roman (our) time (note: Jesus was in the tomb on Friday, Saturday & Sunday yet not 24 hrs. each day).
• ·
• “Two days before Passover”, chief priests plot to kill Jesus.
• ·
• Judas bargains with leaders
• ·
• Jesus retires to the Mount of Olives
• ·

Thursday:

 

• Sunset, 6 PM Wed – Sunset, 6 PM Thurs Roman (our) time
• ·
• Disciples to prepare upper room for Passover:
• ·
• They eat the Passover meal although; the Jews celebrate it the next day. Jesus is the Spiritual Lamb. This final Passover introduces a new celebration, communion. He knew that He would resurrect.

 

Friday

• Crucifixion
• ·
• The day before the Passover. Leviticus 23:5, which Jesus will bring to an end.
• ·
• Preparation day for Passover & the Feast of unleavened bread.
• ·
• Judas identified as the betrayer
• ·
• Jesus ate the Passover meal with his disciples, but a day early because He is the Lamb.
• ·
• Around midnight Roman time, Jesus retires to Gethsemane and is arrested- Matthew 26:30-56, Mark 14:26-52, Luke 22:39-53, & John 18:1-12.
• ·
• 12am to 6am Roman time, after 3 hours of prayer, the trials took place in the darkness of the morning.
• ·

Mark 11:20 And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots

 

His authority Questioned; Leaders ask many questions but stop after

Mark 11:27, 13:37

 

Widow’s mite

Matthew 24:1 Destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD foretold; the prophetic passages abound during this time.

 

 

• 6am Roman time (“sixth hour”), Jews tell Pilate: “We have no king but Caesar.”
• ·
• Crucifixion began at about 9 am (the third hour).
• ·
• All of this took place on what was the preparation day – not only for the 7th day Sabbath, but also for the upcoming Feast of Unleavened Bread.
• ·
• From Noon to 3 PM Roman time (6th-9th hour Jewish time) the sky is dark. This may have been a very literal fulfillment of Exodus 12:6 where the Passover lamb was to be killed “between the evenings”.
• ·
• From the moment Jesus was laid in the tomb, until sunset, the first day in the grave, even though it was
• ·only a few hours.
• ·
• Jesus dies from loss of blood, not a spear of destiny. The spear in the side revealed the water & blood – He came by both water & blood – necessary in our plan of salvation (repentance is death, blood, & water baptism) – He was already dead…then the spear.
• ·
• John 19:14

 

• Mark 15:25

 

• John 19:33- 34

 

• 1 John 5:6
  • Thieves legs broken because it was the preparation day and a Saturday was a “high day”

 

• John 19:31
  •  2 Mary’s watch Joseph and Nicodemus bury Jesus

 

• Saturday – Sabbath:
  • Sunset, 6pm
  • Chief priests and Pharisees ask Pilate to put a guard on tomb the next day (Sabbath) Matthew 27:62
  • o

Jesus descends into the lower parts of the earth to lead the righteous souls of Abraham’s Bosom to paradise.

 

Animals’ blood made them earth bound souls close to hell. The perfect blood of Jesus permitted them to be moved to Paradise.

 

Principal Scriptures:

Some scriptures are ‘guiding principals’ to understanding major truths. Here are a few:

 

 

 

Reason for the Creation: to bring us to glory to live with Him in eternity.

 

Hebrews 2:10 For it became him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect through sufferings.

 

• Method of Acquiring Righteous Souls: the Angels let Him down-how could He find sincere human souls, those made lower than the Angels?

 

Offer mercy & grace by taking our place as the Lamb of God, offering His own blood.

 

Bless those who are willing to accept the offer through believing & obedience, obeying Acts 2:38.

 

It depends upon His love & our love.

 

2 Thessalonians 2:10 And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved.

 

Salvation depends upon loving the truth!

 

Motivation: Jesus became human, but knew the torturous end He must experience.

 

How did He persevere?

Hebrews 12:2 Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God.

 

How Did Jesus Take Our Sins? Jesus never sinned. Yet, He felt God forsaken on the cross.

 

That was the point in time that Jesus took our sins upon Himself.

 

He cried with a loud voice & died. How? He was forced to die in a manor that provided for Him to become a curse for us.

Galatians 3:13 Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree:

 

Conclusion:

The main event, Resurrection, is left for the next study. Understanding how Jesus got there, what was His motivation, and how the sacrifice was accomplished is necessary to understand the magnitude of His love towards us.

 

Our Hero returns with a vengeance in our next study, which leads to building His bride, the church, for eternity.