The Final Week of Jesus' Life, a Chronology

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[Salvation]

The final week of Jesus' life, a chronology

Father Ryan Erlenbush

Mach 2012

 

As the Church prepares to enter into Holy Week, we do well to consider the final week of Jesus’ life, from Friday to Friday. In a later post, we will look at the last twenty-four hours (from the Last Supper to the death of Jesus on the Cross) in greater detail.

It will be helpful to review the Gospel accounts given by Sts. Mark and John, the two who offer the most explicit chronology of Holy Week. See Mark 11:1 – 15:37 and also John 11:54 – 19:30.

 

The Friday before the Passion

Jesus was in the city of Ephraim, in hiding since the Jewish authorities desired to kill him. On this day (before evening), Jesus and his disciples went up to Jerusalem, before the pasch to purify themselves (John 11:55).

They spent the night in Bethany, which is very close to Jerusalem.

Saturday before the Passion

Jesus therefore, six days before the pasch, came to Bethania, where Lazarus had been dead, whom Jesus raised to life. And they made him a supper there: and Martha served: but Lazarus was one of them that were at table with him. Mary therefore took a pound of ointment of right spikenard, of great price, and anointed the feet of Jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the odour of the ointment. (John 12:1-3)

The pasch (i.e. Passover) was on a Thursday that year (beginning Thursday eve with the Passover Meal), and so six days before, that is, on Friday, Jesus came to Bethany.

The next day, which is to say, Saturday, Jesus came to the feast there and was anointed by Mary of Bethany (that is, Mary Magdalene [here]). In this first anointing, Mary pours the oil over the Savior’s feet.

This meal and anointing occurred, most probably, at the house of Lazarus known as the Lazarium.

Our Savior spent the night in Bethany.

Palm Sunday

And on the next day, Sunday (John 12:12), Jesus rode triumphantly into Jerusalem upon an ass and upon a colt, the foal of an ass. This was the first Palm Sunday, when the children of the Hebrews bearing olive branches went forth to meet the Lord, crying out and saying, “Hosanna in the highest!”

Our Lord returned to Bethany for the night.

Monday of Holy Week

On the way into Jerusalem, Jesus sees a fig tree which has born no fruit – which tree he curses in the presence of his disciples.

Upon entering the city, our Lord goes up and cleanses the Temple for the second time (he had cleansed it once already, two years ago – cf. John 2:13ff [see our article, here]).

That eve, Jesus returned to Bethany (cf. Mark 11:19).

Tuesday of Holy Week

On the way to Jerusalem, Jesus’ disciples notice that the fig tree which he had cursed the morning before has now withered. They are amazed.

Entering the Temple area, Jesus preaches extensively and answers the questions of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

It is on this day that our Lord tells the parable of the vineyard workers who kill the owner’s son who is the heir to the vineyard. Also, on this occasion, the Lord answers the questions regarding the tribute to Caesar, the resurrection of the body, the greatest commandment, and whether the Christ will be the son of David.

Further, while in the Temple, our Lord sees a widow offer two small coins and declares her gift to be greater than those of the others.

Finally, Jesus foretells the destruction of the Temple and speaks of the final judgment.

He returns that night to Bethany.

Spy Wednesday

Now the feast of pasch and of the Azymes [i.e. Unleavened Bread] was after two days [i.e. in two days' time] ... and when [Jesus] was in Bethania, in the house of Simon the leper, and was at meal, there came a woman having an alabaster box of ointment of precious spikenard: and breaking the alabaster box, she poured it out upon his head. (Mark 14:1,3)

Spending the day in retirement, our Lord attends a feast at the house of a certain Pharisee, Simon the Leper. During this meal, Mary of Bethany (i.e. the Magdalene [here]) again anoints our Lord, but this time upon his head.

Update: I am aware of the fact that there is a good deal of diversity among the Church Fathers on whether Mary anointed Jesus on Spy Wednesday. I side partially with Origen, Chrysostom, and Theophylus (against Augustine and Gregory) in affirming that there were two anointings, one on Saturday and another on Wednesday; but then agree with Augustine and Gregory (against Origen and Chrysostom) insofar as I claim that there was one and the same woman, Mary of Bethany who is the Magdalene. St. Thomas Aquinas did not come down on one side or the other of the question, so there is clearly room for doubt.

Update II: As I consider this further, I am beginning to lean more toward the side of Sts. Augustine and Gregory. Perhaps there was only one anointing (which would then be on Saturday) and Sts. Matthew and Mark mention it here as a way of connecting the betrayal of Judas more clearly with the incident.

Judas is now set against our Savior, and so goes to the priests to betray Jesus. And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, to betray him to them. (Mark 14:10)

Because it was this evening that Judas conspired against Jesus, the day is called “Spy Wednesday”.

Holy Thursday

Now on the first day of the unleavened bread, when they sacrificed the pasch, the disciples say to him: Whither wilt thou that we go, and prepare for thee to eat the pasch? (Mark 14:12)

Because the Passover meal would be consumed Thursday evening, Jesus sent his disciples to make the preparations for the pasch. They went from Bethany to Jerusalem and prepared the upper room.

On this evening, Jesus offered the Last Supper in which he instituted both the Eucharist and the Priesthood. Upon finishing the meal, our Lord and his apostles (excepting Judas, who left early) sang a hymn and then went forth to the Mount of Olives.

On this night, our Lord suffered the agony in the garden and was arrested. Jesus spends the night locked in the dungeon of the house of Caiaphas, after undergoing a secret night-trial by the Sanhedrin.

Good Friday

It was on Friday that our Lord suffered and died. Condemned to death at 10am, nailed to the Cross at noon, and dying at 3pm.

Christ was buried before 5pm and, the stone being rolled across the entrance, all departed.

 

[editor-surveyor]

Nobody would expect a catholic to care a whit about Yeshua nor his word.

Pagan holy weeks are against him and his word.
.

[Talisker]

He didn’t ask how long it took; he asked what day.

And I suggested that the event was outside of our understanding of time - whether length or day or anything else.

[Biggirl]

Acts 11:26.

[editor-surveyor]

Paul was commending the Colossians for their keeping of the Sabbath, feasts, and Biblical calendar.

The ordinances he mentioned were the same that Yeshua railed against in Matthew 15, and 23, the Takanot and Ma’asim of the Pharisees. Those were what Yeshua took to the cross with him.

The Sabbath was continually spoken of and kept throughout the NT. Paul didn’t reveal any church, Yeshua did when he spoke to his disciples in Matthew 16. Paul’s mystery that he revealed in Romans 7 was how Yeshua was to remarry his Bride that he had divorced. (through his dying for her)

[Biggirl]

“Acts 11:26
The Message (MSG)
25-26 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.”

[editor-surveyor]

Yes, but the disciples never called themselves Christians. They were called that by the locals there.

[Biggirl]

But that is the first mention of the word Christians.

Why the original objection to the title “Christians” anyways?

[editor-surveyor]

Just that it detracts from who he really was.

Christos could,and did refer to Zeus, Mythra, Tammuz, etc. millennia before it was mistakenly used toward the assembly of Yeshua.
.

[LurkingSince'98]

you care?

[LurkingSince'98]

“Paul was commending the Colossians for their keeping of the Sabbath, feasts, and Biblical calendar.”

That would be really funny to the Colossians who weren’t Jewish.

http://www.biblegateway.com/blog/2012/08/letters-to-the-church-colossians/

I’m Catholic and even the protestant bible gateway says they weren’t Jewish.

St Paul preached primarily to Gentile’s who cared not a wit about his thoughts on Jewish practices, just like we don’t care a wit about exactly how far off anybody’s reservation you have wandered.

For the Greater Glory of God

[LurkingSince'98]

“Christos could,and did refer to Zeus, Mythra, Tammuz,..”

could you kindly post a reference link to substantiate that?

do ANY of the other protestants on this forum actually believe that??

AMDG

[editor-surveyor]

I’ll just let you do your own research since you so openly disrespect everything.

I will give you one clue to help: It originated in the oiling of battle shields.

[editor-surveyor]

No, the Colossians weren’t Jewish, they were Northern Israelites of the dispersion.

All of the congregations to whom Paul ministered were Lost Sheep of Israel, as Yeshua had commanded.

Paul was commissioned to preach to the gentiles of northern Israel. Northern Israel had already become Goyim (out of covenant)long before they were cast out of the land.

Remember, Yeshua came only to the lost sheep of Israel.

[LurkingSince'98]

“Christos could,and did refer to Zeus, Mythra, Tammuz,..”

could you kindly post a reference link to substantiate that?

[Salvation]

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3144794/posts?page=64#64

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3144794/posts?page=66#66

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3144794/posts?page=67#67

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/religion/3144794/posts?page=73#73

[one Lord one faith one baptism]

ok, i see i have three responses to my challenge to produce one verse in the NT stating anyone was instructed to keep the 7th day sabbath or indeed did keep the 7th day sabbath AFTER Jesus rose from the dead. for ease, i will deal with all three responses.

all three failed my challenge, of course i knew they would ahead of time since the NT does not contain any such verses.

but the verses provided actually prove my case.

iscool points to col 2:14-18, where Paul instructs Not to let anyone judge you on the sabbath. WHY? because 2:14 the law was nailed to the cross. if we are supposed to keep the 7th day sabbath, people should pass judgement on us if we aren’t keeping it, but Paul says this is not to be done.

delchiante points to Acts 17:2 where it states Paul went to the synagogue as was his custom. WHY was it his custom? to worship? to keep the 7th day sabbath? to rest according to the commandment? NO, NO, NO! Paul went there to work, to proclaim Jesus Christ as Messiah to the unbelieving Jews!
Paul did not keep the sabbath, since to do so would mean his faith in Jesus would be of no help and he would be obligated to keep the WHOLE LAW.

finally, editor-surveyor points to the Council of Jerusalem in Acts 15 which is the clearest example of WHY CHRISTIANS DON’T KEEP THE 7TH DAY SABBATH IN THE BIBLE. even back then the party of Pharisees rose up and said “ it is necessary to circumcise them and to CHARGE THEM TO KEEP THE LAW OF MOSES” Acts 15:5.
did everyone get that? the question put to the Council was not just about whether the Gentile converts needed to be circumcised, but whether THEY HAD TO KEEP THE LAW OF MOSES!
what was part of the law of Moses? The commandment to keep the 7th day sabbath was included in the law of Moses. and what did the Council decide? No, the law of Moses did not have to be followed! WHY? Because Christians are obligated to follow THE LAW OF CHRIST, NOT THE LAW OF MOSES.
so the newly converted pagan gentiles, who would have no idea what it means to keep the 7th day sabbath, ARE NEVER INSTRUCTED IN THE NT TO KEEP THE 7TH DAY SABBATH. NEVER!

of course, Church History bears this out as the One, Holy Catholic and Apostolic Church has always worshipped on the first day of the week, and never observed the sabbath. Jesus is our Sabbath, Christians rest in Him every day.

Paul has a grave warning to the current Pharisees, looking to be justified by keeping the law of Moses:

Galatians 5:4 “you are severed from Christ, you who would be justified by the law, you have fallen away from grace”

let him who has an ear hear.

[editor-surveyor]

Your challenge was dishonest.

Even though it has been proven conclusively that all of Yeshua’s followers Kept all of his commandments diligently for several centuries after his resurrection, you hide your head in the sand obstinately.

There is no NT scripture that in any way disagrees with the keeping of Sabbaths and feasts. No, not one. The one that the pretenders like to point to in Colossians is exactly the opposite. The Colossians were all Israelites, and kept the Sabbaths and feasts completely.

[rwa265]

Save us, Savior of the world, for by your cross and resurrection, you have set us free.

Have a blessed Holy Week and a happy Easter, Fatima.

[delchiante]

Rev 14:12
Here is the patience of the saints; here are those who keep the commandments of God and the faith of Joshua.

21 “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. 22 Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ 23 And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

17 “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill. 18 For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled. 19 Whoever therefore breaks one of the least of these commandments, and teaches men so, shall be called least in the kingdom of heaven; but whoever does and teaches them, he shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

[one Lord one faith one baptism]

1 John 3:23: And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, even as he gave us commandment.

this is the commandment Christians are obligated to follow,the law of Christ. the law of Moses was nailed to the cross.