Teachable Moment
the Teachable Moment
What occurred on Passion Week, the week before Easter?
Monday – Jesus and his disciples go to Jerusalem where Jesus overturns the tables of the corrupt money changers in the temple, heals people and teaches. Jesus then goes to the Mount of Olives to teach the multitudes and confronts the Pharisees who try to get him to say something against Rome. The disciple Judas goes to the chief priests offering to condemn Jesus, and the priests hold a meeting to plan the death of Jesus.
Tuesday – Jesus teaches the multitudes.
Wednesday – The disciples make preparations for the Passover meal. Jesus eats the Passover meal at midnight with the disciples, washes their feet, and establishes the Lord’s Supper. Jesus knows Judas is the betrayer so Judas goes to the priests.
Thursday – Jesus goes to the Mount of Olives and spends the day teaching the disciples. After sunset, Jesus takes Peter, James and John to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray. There Jesus is betrayed by Judas Iscariot and arrested by the Romans.
Good Friday – Jesus is questioned before the chief priests, then Caiaphas, then Pilate, then Herod and back to Pilate. Jesus is sentenced to death by crucifixion and drags his own cross toward Calvary where Roman soldiers nail him to the wooden cross about 9 a.m. Jesus dies about 3 p.m. and his body is laid in a borrowed tomb, where a huge stone is rolled in front of it. It is guarded by Roman soldiers because the priests fear that the disciples will steal the body. Judas hangs himself. Saturday – The Jewish Sabbath, Jesus’s body lies in the tomb. The disciples go into hiding.
Resurrection Sunday early – Several women including Mary Magdalene go to the tomb and discover that the large stone has been rolled away and Jesus is not there. An angel tells them, “He is not here, for He is risen.” Jesus makes at least five appearances that day: to Mary Magdalene, to Peter, to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, and to all of the disciples except Thomas. The resurrection of Jesus Christ is said to be the most important event of the Christian faith.
