The Final Week of Jesus' Life, a Chronology

NewTheologicalMovement.blogspot.com ^ | Mach 2012 | Father Ryan Erlenbush

[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]

Since you’ve never read the NT, I will forgive your ignorance, but the travels of Yeshua all described his attendance at feasts and keeping of every sabbath. During those events he proclaimed his Torah, and commanded all to go and sin no more.

All of Paul’s voyages are described around his efforts to be at the feasts at various places along the route. He commended the Thessalonians keeping of the feasts as assurance that Yeshua would not come upon them as a thief as he would most. He told the Colossians not to allow the pagans persecution for their keeping of Sabbaths and feasts to bother them.

How do you miss all of this?
.

[editor-surveyor]

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

[cloudmountain]

By the way on old friend of mine (Presbyterian) and I went to the Holy Land on a tour with Steve and Janet Ray in 2011. He is a former Baptist minister and knew his Bible backwards and forwards. He does Holy Land tours. http://www.footprintsofgodpilgrimages.com

We went to Calvary too and I laid my rosary down onto the tomb of Jesus! I cried a lot as it was so moving. There is no more HILL of Calvary because the Romans leveled it in the third or fourth century. Ray said that it was done because there were TOO many Christian pilgrims visiting Calvary so now it's flat.
Jesus might have been born anywhere and had the entire Judaic history might have happened anywhere but it did all happen there by God's choice. He chose a literate society too, so His life, death, Resurrection and Ascension would be recorded.
They spoke Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek and Latin and Jesus' life was in the full glare of the Jews, Romans, Egyptians...all literate to record the events. And they did. I learned SO much on this tour. It was an adventure and a glimpse of where our Lord lived and died.

I personally think that every Christian ought to try to save his pennies and go on this tour.

P.S. We also walked the via dolorosa, the Way of the Cross! It was almost too much for me, many tears, so overwhelming!!!
The Holy Land was FULL of Christian visitors from all over the world.

[fatima]

I have a question,can we join in prayer and meditation for Holy week . ?

[Errant]

From the Bible:

Gospel Mt 26:14-25

CG page 221: [Mt 26:17.1] The KJV inaccurately translated the Greek text concerning "the protos of the Feast of Unleavened Bread" as "the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread." The "first day of the feast" is the 15th day of the month of the Aviv (Nisan) - which would mean that they had already missed the Passover Seder. The protos - beginning of the preparations for Unleavend Bread - is the situation of which Yeshua spoke. It takes several days to prepare for the Passover Seder. The disciples were preparing for Passover at a rented townhouse in Jerusalem, rather than where they had been staying in Bethany.

Also:

John 13:1 Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that his hour was come that he should depart out of this world unto the Father, having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end. 2 And [the last] supper being ended...

[cloudmountain]

Well I put way more in Josephus’ description of the devastation of Jerusalem than any commercial tourist trap babble. We know from recorded history that Constantine’s mother had a number of false relics erected in Jerusalem, many of them being worshiped as “stations of the cross” and other such deception.

Fine, you gainsay what the rest of the world says today, with all their archeological evidence. The entire world is wrong about this and you, a 21st century person, know better. Would you even believe the Romans? I doubt it.

====================================

From the Internet:
Flavius Josephus fully defected to the Roman side and was granted Roman citizenship. He became an advisor and friend of Vespasian's son Titus, serving as his translator when Titus led the Siege of Jerusalem, which resulted—when the Jewish revolt did not surrender—in the city's destruction and the looting and destruction of Herod's Temple (Second Temple).
Josephus recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the first century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, including the Siege of Masada, but the imperial patronage of his work has sometimes caused it to be characterized as pro-Roman propaganda.

===================================

Josephus: pro-Roman propagandist. I rest my case.
Ave Cæsar

[fatima]

Guess not,move to new forum to meditate and pray on the Passion of Our Lord.

[cloudmountain]

From the Internet:

Flavius Josephus fully defected to the Roman side and was granted Roman citizenship. He became an advisor and friend of Vespasian's son Titus, serving as his translator when Titus led the Siege of Jerusalem, which resulted—when the Jewish revolt did not surrender—in the city's destruction and the looting and destruction of Herod's Temple (Second Temple).
Josephus recorded Jewish history, with special emphasis on the first century AD and the First Jewish–Roman War, including the Siege of Masada, but the imperial patronage of his work has sometimes caused it to be characterized as pro-Roman propaganda

[Ezekiel]

There are other verses pertaining to the death and resurrection. This one in particular - the only one in the NT specifying 3 days and 3 nights* - included the metaphors I noted. "Heart of the earth" is not a literal phrase. "Grave" is an interpretation. Now maybe that's a correct assumption, but the fact is that the verse does not state a literal grave.

The theory about the Wednesday crucifixion was the subject of my post, as I was referring the content of the chart Errant posted.

*To find three days and a half (which would indicate a 3 day 3 night period) mentioned in conjunction with graves, there are verses Revelation 11:9 and 11:11. So hey perhaps they - the two witnesses - are "son of man" Ezekiel and "son of man" Daniel (cf. Dan 8:17). IDK, time will tell the meaning of the vision, but they apparently irritate a wicked and evil generation...

Revelation 11

8 And their dead bodies shall lie in the street of the great city, which spiritually is called Sodom and Egypt, where also our Lord was crucified.
9 And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.
10 And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.
11 And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.
12 And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Left out in a "grave" that is a place spiritually as Sodom and Egypt... Heart of the earth does paint an image of a great city that is a beehive of activity and is outwardly wealthy, but spiritually desolate.

[delchiante]

Our Savior spoke in Parables... yet for one time, the sign of Jonah, He is a literalist?

I actually believe Our Savior was the Word (Torah) that became flesh...I hope others do to..

I think Leviticus 23 tells us exactly what happened and no way to get three days and three nights with Leviticus 23..

And the book of Jonah tells us a sign...
What happened to Ninevah and what happened to Jerusalem is a sign..one city listenws to the prophet and repented and was saved.. one city did not...

And then, we have the added fact that for the first time, ever, the Savior was ‘swallowed’ up into the betraying hands of sinners, from that first night of gethsamane to the tomb...
He had three days and three nights of being punished for sins, who knew no sin- out of Our Heavenly Father’s loving, protecting hands for the first time. Ever..
I think Jonah’s prayer is a powerful description of being cast out from God..

Then there is some that see that Jonah preached for three days in Ninevah.. and some count three days of preaching repentance in Jerusalem for Messiah..

So I see at least three ways to look at the sign of Jonah that has nothing to do with a literal three days and three nights in a tomb..

He couldn’t be the passover lamb and first fruits with three days/nights I tomb.
Not with God’s calendar and feasts set in Leviticus.
14th- lamb slain, passover
15th- sabbath ( a high one for it was the feast of unleveaned bread
16th- first day of the week- feast of first fruits..

Our savior really was the Word ( includes Leviticus) that became flesh.

Kind of silly for any of us to proclaim the messiah of Israel as the Word that became flesh and say He fulfilled the feasts- but then ignore what the Word says..
I think the Gregorian calendar is a major part of the delusion...

Makes me want to apologize to the Jewish folks who try to reconcile God’s feasts with December 25th and Easter..

It’s almost like Christianity has a substitute Messiah..

[Iscool]

CG page 221: [Mt 26:17.1] The KJV inaccurately translated the Greek text concerning "the protos of the Feast of Unleavened Bread" as "the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread." The "first day of the feast" is the 15th day of the month of the Aviv (Nisan) -

I am absolutely certain you are wrong...Where do you get the information that the first day of the feast week is the 15th and not the 14th???

[editor-surveyor]

That would make him a catholic?

[Errant]

I am absolutely certain you are wrong...

Maybe you're getting confused by the day beginning at sundown?

[editor-surveyor]

Yeshua was not in the tomb for any part of First Fruits.

He arose as the sun was setting on the regular Sabbath.

[Errant]

Where do you get the information that the first day of the feast week is the 15th and not the 14th???

Pesach [Passover] begins on the 15th day of the Jewish month of Nissan. It is the first of the three major festivals...

http://www.jewfaq.org/holidaya.htm

[delchiante]

What day is the regular sabbath?

[editor-surveyor]

There was a regular day between Passover, and the regular weekly sabbath, the 6th day of the week separated them.

[editor-surveyor]

The 7th day of the Biblical week is the regular sabbath.

Passover was on the 5th Biblical day of the week

[delchiante]

Ezekiel 46:1
“’This is what the Sovereign LORD says: The gate of the inner court facing east is to be shut on the six working days, but on the Sabbath day and on the day of the New Moon it is to be opened.

How do we get two Sabbaths with what our Sovereign says to Ezekiel above?

Day 1.New moon day
Day 2-7. 6 work days
Day 8. Seventh day Sabbath

Now the Gregorian calendar certainly disregards scriptures like this and can certainly provde postponements and cancellation opportunities for people to do the same..

[editor-surveyor]

The scriptures do not declare any “Holy Week.”

How would one celebrate something that is not declared and described in the scriptures?