Holy Week, A.D. 33

In the Spring on A.D. 33 Jesus and his Disciples Traveled to Lazarus’ House in Bethany Which is Just Outside of Jerusalem (John 12:1):

Along the road to Jerusalem, Jesus predicted his pending death in Jerusalem to his disciples (Matthew 20:17-19, Mark 10:32-34 & Luke 18:31-34).

Palm Sunday (March 29th, A.D. 33):

Palm Sunday is a Christian moveable feast that falls on the Sunday before Easter (a.k.a., Pesah the Hebrew word for the Passover, or Pascha the Latinized spelling of the Hebrew word Pesah). Palm Sunday is 6 days prior to the feast of the Passover and it commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. On Palm Sunday Jesus left Lazarus’ house and He descended from the Mount of Olives, riding on a Donkey, and road into Jerusalem, with the cries of “Hosanna” ringing in his ears (Matthew 21:8-11, Mark 11:7-10, Luke 19:35-38, & John 12:12-18). That evening Jesus wept over Jerusalem and He returned to Bethany and lodged there with His friends.

Monday (March 30th, A.D. 33): Jesus Returned to Jerusalem and he Cleansed the Temple of the Money Lenders:

This second cleansing clearly symbolizes his sovereignty over the temple. It also provoked the Jewish authorities to plot his death (Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-18 Luke 19:45-48). Jesus also received a delegation of Greeks and he taught them and his followers (John 12:20-50).

Tuesday (March 31st, A.D. 33): Jesus Returned to Jerusalem for most of the day:

He spent much of the day in the temple precincts, answering questions posed by religious authorities seeking to entrap him (Matthew 21:15-17, 23-46; 22:15-46). The authorities baited Jesus with questions about who John the Baptist was, about paying tribute to Caesar, and about the resurrection. Jesus skillfully deflected their plots. He also taught about the real value of tithing (Mark 12:41-44), and sitting on the Mount of Olives, overlooking Jerusalem (on his way back to Bethany) he taught his disciples about the “end times” (Matthew 24, and Mark 13).

Maundy Thursday (April 2nd, A.D. 33): The Last Supper; i.e. the First Communion

The Last Supper; i.e. the First Communion (in Greek: koinonia which literally means joint participation, or common union). At the last supper, Christ was celebrating the Jewish Passover Festival, “the supper of the lamb” (a day early) and he established the new version of it, the communion celebration.

In the original Passover (recorded in the book of Exodus) the 10th plague of God upon Pharaoh and the Egyptian people, the spirit of the Lord passed over Egypt killing the first born child in every household. The Israelites were instructed to protect themselves from the plague by painting their door posts with the blood of an unblemished lamb (so the angel of death would pass over their houses). The Israelites knew that the following morning Pharaoh would relent and release them from slavery in Egypt, so they packed their belongings and cooked bread without waiting for it to rise (unleavened bread) so they could leave in a hurry when Pharaoh released them the next morning.

Jesus Christ consecrated the unleavened bread and the wine of the Last Supper Passover with new meaning “This is my Body.” and, “This is my Blood.” and He instructed his disciples (the 12 Apostles) to continue the practice after He was gone; “Do this as often as you shall drink it, in remembrance of me.”

The apostolic church understood communion as the sacrament of the “common union” between the faithful and Christ (i.e., God), and between each other (i.e., the communion of the saints), those present at the service, and those present at similar services elsewhere in the world and those who have “gone before” (i.e. the broadest possible understanding of communion).

After the meal Christ washed the feet of His disciples. The Messiah of God, Go’s son Jesus the Christ, serving those He had chosen to serve Him!

Late Thursday Night (April 2nd, A.D. 33) or Early Friday Morning (April 3rd, A.D. 33):

That evening, after the Passover meal, Christ withdrew from Jerusalem to the Garden of Gethsemane (which was adjacent to the Mount of Olives, on the road to Bethany), to pray. He pray for several hours while the disciples slept. Jesus prayed, that God would “allow this cup to pass from him“, but eventually He prayed “Not my will, but thy will be done.“