Events of Passion Week Gene Rudd, MD

Day of the Week What was your birth date? What was your birth day? Does it matter?

What about the dates and days related to Jesus’ life? Julian Calendar, introduced in 46 BC Gregorian Calendar, also called the Christian Calendar, introduced in 1582 AD (it allowed for a correction of 11 minutes per year!) BC and AD ( Anno Domini ) devised in 525 AD, but not widely used until 800 AD Uncertainty regarding the year of Jesus’ birth; perhaps 4 BC. This would make His death in 29 AD.

Just the Right Time You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. Romans 5:6 Chronos vs. Kairous

God’s Redemptive Plan “The Lamb of God” Gen. 3:15 And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel. John 1:29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! Rev. 5:6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing in the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders.

Let’s Not Forget the Important Is. 53:3 He was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows, and familiar with suffering. Like one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Is. 53:4 Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. Is. 53:5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

Is. 53:6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to his own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all. Is. 53:7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth. Is. 53:10 Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering...

Explanation/Disclaimer Simply a “possible” scenario A hypothesis Not essential to the importance of the story Not essential to our faith My awareness occurred in 1988 Others: Kevin J. Conner, The Three Days and Three Nights Copyright 1988

Okay to be Skeptical; Discover for Yourself Acts 17:11 Now the Bereans were of more noble character than the Thessalonians, for they received the message with great eagerness and examined the Scriptures every day to see if what Paul said was true.

Background Information The Passover Lamb The Jewish Sabbaths Comments on the Jewish and Roman days/times

Exodus 12 “on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb” “males without defect” “Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight.” “The blood will be a sign for you on the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you.”

Passover Lev. 23:5 The LORD’s Passover begins at twilight on the fourteenth day of the first month. First Month in Jewish Calendar: Abib (called “Nisan” after the diaspora or captivity, e.g. Book of Esther)

So we see… Unblemished Lamb to be selected on the the 10 th of Abib (1st month of Jewish calendar; coincides most closely with our March) Brought in for “inspection” from the 10 th – 14 th Sacrificed on the 14 th (Passover) Passover meal served as 14 th ended and 15 th began

Lamb Metaphor, >30 times The Unblemished Lamb 1Pet. 1:18-19 For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed …, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect. 1 Cor. 5:7 For Christ, our Passover lamb, has been sacrificed. Heb. 9:14 How much more, then, will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death, so that we may serve the living God!

The Scarlet Thread of Scripture Exodus 12:13 when I see the blood, I will pass over you Heb. 9:22 In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness.

Weekly Sabbaths Gen. 2:3 And God blessed the seventh day and made it holy Ex. 20:8 Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. Lev. 23:3 There are six days when you may work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath

Feasts and Special Sabbaths

Special Day/ High Sabbaths Passover (Abib 14): this day was unique, set apart from other Feast of Unleavened Bread : begins on Abib 15, lasts for 7 days; first and last days were Special Sabbaths (Leviticus 23: 6-8) – Note: unlike weekly Sabbaths, these special celebrations fall on certain dates, not specific days of the week. Some weeks had 2 Sabba ths

An Important Clue in Scripture John 19:31 (NIV) Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. KJV: “for that sabbath day was an high day” (A misunderstanding of this verse may be what lead to the tradition of recognizing the crucifixion on Friday.)

Day of Preparation The day before a Sabbath – If a weekly Sabbath, the Day of Preparation would be Thursday evening to Friday evening – The Day of Preparation referred to in John 19:31 would be Abib 14, or Passover: killing and preparation of the lamb The John 19:31 “special Sabbath” = Feast of Unleavened Bread, not a weekly Sabbath

Days and Times Roman (and modern) Day: – began at midnight (12PM) Jewish Day – Began at sunset – Gen. 1:5 God called the light “day,” and the darkness he called “night.” And there was evening, and there was morning — the first day.

“the ___ hour” – Matthew, Mark, and Luke used Hebrew time “third hour” = 9 AM “sixth hour” = 12 AM “ninth hour” = 3 PM – John used Roman time “sixth hour” = 9 AM

Jesus’ words that led to this Study Matt. 12:38 “Teacher, we want to see a miraculous sign from you.” Matt. 12:39 He answered, “A wicked and adulterous generation asks for a miraculous sign! But none will be given it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. Matt. 12:40 For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of a huge fish, so the Son of Man will be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth. (Also see “3 days” in Matthew 26:60-61; Matthew 27:62-66)

Three Days Mark 8:31 He then began to teach them that the Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders, chief priests and teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and after three days rise again.

Dilemma How to account for 3 days between Good Friday burial (sunset) and Sunday morning empty tomb??? Was the resurrection really Sunday morning?

By Kevin J. Conner

By Michael J. Harris

Solution Crucifixion: Wednesday Resurrection: Saturday evening

Daily events beginning with Abib 9 (variations from different scholars) Abib 9: Thursday sunset to Friday sunset – Jesus arrives at Bethany Friday afternoon – John 12:1 “Six days before the Passover, Jesus arrived at Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.” – This gives us a solid point to begin showing what happened to Jesus on each day of Passion Week – They had dinner; Mary anoints Jesus’ feet; Judas complains about costs ( A second anointing of Jesus feet occurred at home of Simon the Leper probably on Abib 12)

Abib 10 Sunset Friday to sunset Saturday Weekly Sabbath John 12:12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. John 12:13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the King of Israel!” “Palm Sunday” was on a Sabbath, but Saturday

Triumphal Entry Jesus arrives on the weekly Sabbath while large crowd was there (anticipation of Passover week) He arrives late in the day, visits temple and leaves after short visit – Mark 11:11 Jesus entered Jerusalem and went to the temple. He looked around at everything, but since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the Twelve.

Abib th : Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset – First day of the Jewish week – A pattern was established by Jesus and His disciples Nights spent in Bethany at home of Lazarus, Mary and Martha Daily walked 2 miles into Jerusalem to preach – (To be “inspected,” just like the Passover Lamb) – Jesus curses unfruitful fig tree – Many parables taught

Abib 12 Sunday sunset to Monday sunset – Fig tree found weathered Matt. 26:2 “As you know, the Passover is two days away — and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.” Mark 14:1 Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the teachers of the law were looking for some sly way to arrest Jesus and kill him.

Abib 13 Monday sunset to Tuesday sunset Disciples sent to reserve a room and prepare for “Last Supper” Note that the usual time for the Passover meal was the next evening. Knowing what was to happen, Jesus arranged this early.

Abib 14 Passover Tuesday sunset to Wednesday sunset Lord’s Supper around sunset Judas Betrays Olivet Discourse: John Prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane Arrest Taken before Annas, Caiaphas, and Sanhedrin (illegally trial)

Clue After Arrest and appearance before Sanhedrin, then Pilot: – John 18:28 Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.

Abib 14 (continued) Passover Taken before Pilot and Herod (for capital punishment) Scourged Crucified – began ~9AM – Darkness 12 AM – 3 PM – Death 3 PM – Burial before sunset – Remember: this is the day that the Passover Lamb was slain

Abib 15 First Day of Feast of Unleavened Bread Wednesday sunset to Thursday sunset “Special Sabbath” Guard placed at Jesus’ Tomb – Matt. 27:62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.

Abib 16 Thursday sunset to Friday sunset A second Day of Preparation that week – Previous Day of Preparation: Passover, preparation for Feast of Unleavened Bread – This day: preparation for weekly Sabbath – Women collect spices to anoint Jesus’ body after the weekly Sabbath Luke 23:56 “Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”

Abib 17 Friday sunset to Saturday sunset Weekly Sabbath Luke 23:56b “But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.”

Abib 18 Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset First day of the week – Scholars generally agree that this was the day of resurrection, but… Nothing in Scripture says Jesus was resurrected on Sunday morning

Relevant Scriptures – Matt. 28:1 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. – Mark 16:2 Very early on the first day of the week, just after sunrise, they were on their way to the tomb – Luke 24:1 On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices – John 20:1 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark

Resurrection First Day of the Week Began Saturday at sunset Wednesday sunset >>> Saturday sunset – Three days and three nights

Support for Wednesday Crucifixion Early Church Leaders – Epiphanus – Victorinus of Petau (307 AD) – Lactantius – Wescott – Cassiodorus – Gregory of Tours Later: Finis Dake, R.A. Torrey, and now, may others

So, what should you believe? John 3:16 “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned John 3:36 Whoever believes in the Son has eternal life

1 Peter 1:3 Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead

The END No! Not for we who believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. Christ is Risen!