Jesus' Last Week

Jesus’ Last Week
Matthew 21:1-27:60
The last week of Jesus' life was crammed with events, as we follow him from his glorious entry into Jerusalem on Sunday until his death on Friday. In the days in between, he preached, taught, presided over the Passover supper, stood trial, and was condemned to death.

Jesus Enters Jerusalem
8 Many people spread clothes in the road, while others put down branches which they had cut from trees. 9 Some people walked ahead of Jesus and others followed behind. They were all shouting, "Hooray for the Son of David! God bless the one who comes in the name of the Lord. Hooray for God in heaven above!" 10 When Jesus came to Jerusalem, everyone in the city was excited and asked, "Who can this be?"11 The crowd answered, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee."

After his warm welcome into Jerusalem, Jesus taught in the Temple for a few days.

Jesus in the Temple
12 Jesus went into the temple and chased out everyone who was selling or buying. He turned over the tables of the moneychangers and the benches of the ones who were selling doves. 13 He told them, "The Scriptures say, 'My house should be called a place of worship.' But you have turned it into a place where robbers hide."

The Plot to Kill Jesus
When Jesus had finished teaching, he told his disciples, 2 "You know that two days from now will be Passover. That is when the Son of Man will be handed over to his enemies and nailed to a cross."
3 At that time the chief priests and the nation's leaders were meeting at the home of Caiaphas the high priest. 4 They planned how they could sneak around and have Jesus arrested and put to death. 5 But they said, "We must not do it during Passover, because the people will riot."




At Bethany
6 Jesus was in the town of Bethany, eating at the home of Simon, who had leprosy. 7 A woman came in with a bottle of expensive perfume and poured it on Jesus' head. 8 But when his disciples saw this, they became angry and complained, "Why such a waste? 9 Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a beautiful thing for me. 12 She has poured perfume on my body to prepare it for burial.

Judas and the Chief Priests
14 Judas Iscariot was one of the twelve disciples. He went to the chief priests 15 and asked, "How much will you give me if I help you arrest Jesus?" They paid Judas thirty silver coins, 16 and from then on he started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus.

The Last Supper
26 During the meal Jesus took some bread in his hands. He blessed the bread and broke it. Then he gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and eat it. This is my body." 27 Jesus picked up a cup of wine and gave thanks to God. He then gave it to his disciples and said, "Take this and drink it. 28 This is my blood, and with it God makes his agreement with you. It will be poured out, so that many people will have their sins forgiven. 29 From now on I am not going to drink any wine, until I drink new wine with you in my Father's kingdom." 30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

Jesus Prays
36 Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane. When they got there, he told them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray."37 Jesus took along Peter and the two brothers, James and John. He was very sad and troubled, 38 and he said to them, "I am so sad that I feel as if I am dying. Stay here and keep awake with me."39 Jesus walked on a little way. Then he knelt with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, don't make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. But do what you want, and not what I want."40 He came back and found his disciples sleeping. So he said to Peter, "Can't any of you stay awake with me for just one hour? The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinners. 46 Get up! Let's go. The one who will betray me is already here."
The clinical term is “hematohidrosis.” “Around the sweat glands, there are multiple blood vessels in a net-like form.” Under the pressure of great stress the vessels constrict. Then as the anxiety passes “the blood vessels dilate to the point of rupture. The blood goes into the sweat glands.” As the sweat glands are producing a lot of sweat, it pushes the blood to the surface - coming out as droplets of blood mixed with sweat.

What was the source of Jesus great stress and anguish? Clearly he was in intense spiritual agony. Being the Son of God, he would have in detail everything that was about to happen to him. He knew that he was physically facing one of the most horrible forms of capital punishment there has ever been. His body was human, and he would feel everything at least as intensely as we would. Was this the source of his severe stress? It is doubtful.

The really great weight upon Jesus was the knowledge that he would soon bear the terrible trauma of taking the guilt for all of our sins upon him—my sins and yours. He knew that under this weight of sin, the Father would forsake him and thus he would endure a form of hell itself for lost sinners.






Jesus Is Arrested
47 Jesus was still speaking, when Judas the betrayer came up. He was one of the twelve disciples, and a large mob armed with swords and clubs was with him. They had been sent by the chief priests and the nation's leaders. 48 Judas had told them ahead of time, "Arrest the man I greet with a kiss."49 Judas walked right up to Jesus and said, "Hello, teacher." Then Judas kissed him.50 Jesus replied, "My friend, why are you here?" The men grabbed Jesus and arrested him. 55 Jesus said to the mob, "Why do you come with swords and clubs to arrest me like a criminal? Day after day I sat and taught in the temple, and you didn't arrest me." All of Jesus' disciples left him and ran away.

Jesus Is Questioned by the Council
57 After Jesus had been arrested, he was led off to the house of Caiaphas the high priest. The nation's leaders and the teachers of the Law of Moses were meeting there. 58 But Peter followed along at a distance and came to the courtyard of the high priest's palace. He went in and sat down with the guards to see what was going to happen.59 The chief priests and the whole council wanted to put Jesus to death. So they tried to find some people who would tell lies about him in court. 60 But they could not find any, even though many did come and tell lies. At last, two men came forward 61 and said, "This man claimed that he would tear down God's temple and build it again in three days."
62 The high priest stood up and asked Jesus, "Why don't you say something in your own defense? Don't you hear the charges they are making against you?"
63 But Jesus did not answer. So the high priest said, "With the living God looking on, you must tell the truth. Tell us, are you the Messiah, the Son of God?"64 "That is what you say!" Jesus answered. 65 The high priest then tore his robe and said, "This man claims to be God! We don't need any more witnesses! You have heard what he said. 66 What do you think?" They answered, "He is guilty and deserves to die!" 67 Then they spit in his face and hit him with their fists.

69 While Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, a servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus from Galilee."70 But in front of everyone Peter said, "That isn't so! I don't know what you are talking about!" 71 When Peter had gone out to the gate, another servant girl saw him and said to some people there, "This man was with Jesus from Nazareth."72 Again Peter denied it, and this time he swore, "I don't even know that man!" 73 A little while later some people standing there walked over to Peter and said, "We know that you are one of them. We can tell it because you talk like someone from Galilee."74 Peter began to curse and swear, "I don't know that man!" Right then a rooster crowed, 75 and Peter remembered that Jesus had said, "Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you don't know me." Then Peter went out and cried hard.

Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
Early the next morning all the chief priests and the nation's leaders met and decided that Jesus should be put to death. 11 Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor, who asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" "Those are your words!" Jesus answered. 12 And when the chief priests and leaders brought their charges against him, he did not say a thing.13 Pilate asked him, "Don't you hear what crimes they say you have done?" 14 But Jesus did not say anything, and the governor was greatly amazed.
15 During Passover the governor always freed a prisoner chosen by the people. 16 At that time a well-known terrorist named Jesus Barabbas was in jail. 17 So when the crowd came together, Pilate asked them, "Which prisoner do you want me to set free? Do you want Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" "Barabbas!" they replied.22 Pilate asked them, "What am I to do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?" They all yelled, "Nail him to a cross!"23 Pilate answered, "But what crime has he done?" "Nail him to a cross!" they yelled even louder.24 Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do and that the people were starting to riot. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of them and said, "I won't have anything to do with killing this man. You are the ones doing it!" 26 Pilate set Barabbas free. Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.

Pilate believed Jesus was innocent, but because he was afraid that the crowds might riot, he allowed the Jewish court of elders to make the decision to execute Jesus. The crucifixion, however, was done by Pilate's soldiers, because the Temple guards who reported to Caiaphas did not have the power to put anyone to death by crucifixion.

The Romans had several methods of executing criminals. Crucifixion, in which people slowly suffocated from the burden of their own weight on their chests, was both the most painful and the most humiliating.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
35 The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes. 36 Then they sat down to guard him. 37 Above his head they put a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews." 38 The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.39 People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and 40 shouted, "So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days! If you are God's Son, save yourself and come down from the cross!"

One of his arms is already tied down and a workman pounds the round-headed square iron nail through the Savior's hand while a soldier holds down the feet of Christ as his body writhes in agony.

The Death of Jesus
5 At noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until three o'clock. 46 Then about that time Jesus shouted, "My God, my God, why have you deserted me?" 50 Once again Jesus shouted, and then he died. 55 Many women had come with Jesus from Galilee to be of help to him, and they were there, looking on at a distance. 56 Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were some of these women.

History tells us that on the instant Jesus gave up his mortal life, thunder crashed, lightning split the clouds and a tremendous earthquake shook the land with a roar. The solid stone of Calvary split wide and the Babylonian Veil in the temple was split from top to bottom. People abandoned the burning sacrifices and ran screaming into the streets. A darkness like midnight came down upon Jerusalem at three o'clock and lasted for the rest of the day. The frightful impact of the wrath of God was voiced by the Roman Centurion Abenadar when he bowed his head and murmured, "Assuredly, this man was the Son of God."

57 That evening a rich discipl7e named Joseph from the town of Arimathea 58 went and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate gave orders for it to be given to Joseph, 59 who took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 Then Joseph put the body in his own tomb that had been cut into solid rock and had never been used. He rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb and went away.
Christ was born to die. Without his blood there could be no forgiveness of sins.
Heb 9:22.. For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness.

He gave his own life to pay our penalty for us so that we might live.



In remembrance

Jesus asked the disciples to eat the broken bread to remember him. He wanted them to remember his sacrifice the basis for forgiveness of sins.


In Old testament times God agreed to forgive peoples sins if they would bring animals for the priest to sacrifice.

Jesus instituted a new covenant(agreement) between God and his people. Under the new agreement, Jesus would die in place of sinners. His blood would remove the sins of all who put their faith in Him.


John the Baptist called Jesus the lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Aren’t who so grateful for his amazing grace.