last week of jesus bible study introduction · last week of jesus bible study introduction: ......
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Last Week of Jesus Bible Study
Introduction:
Leviticus chapter 23 there are seven feasts that the Lord instituted for the
nation of Israel:
Passover – sacrifice of a lamb as a blood protection deliverance.
Feast of Unleavened Bread – for one week after Passover all leaven was taken out of the house. The blood sacrifice come first to
help us understand that no one is saved by just putting sin out of their life and no one will put sin out of their life unless they are
saved – hence, the doctrine of Sanctification.
Feast of First Fruits – held the day after Passover Sabbath –
Sunday – and saved for when they came into the land. At the beginning of the harvest, the priest would wave a sheaf of grain
over the altar to pronounce that the whole harvest belonged to God. The day after the Passover Sabbath was also the day of the
resurrection of Christ who is the first fruit of the resurrection. Worshipping on Sunday is not the invention of the church but part
of God’s calendar.
Feast of Weeks/Pentecost – this was a new meal offering when the priest would offer two loaves of bread to the Lord instead of one
sheaf of grain symbolizing the day when God would join the Jewish nation and Gentile nation together. Pentecost means 50 – 40 days
our Lord ministered to people and 10 days the disciples waited on the promise of the Holy Spirit to the church. The Jewish nation had
rejected her Messiah and now would have to wait until after the
resurrection of the saints at which time God would deal again with Israel.
Feat of Trumpets – the re-gathering of Israel after the rapture.
Day of Atonement – Zechariah (12:10-13:1) calls this day a day
of mourning for the Jews. It will be a day when God separates the goats and sheep – lost and saved.
Feast of Tabernacle – seven days the Jewish people were to live
in booths to remind them of the provision God provided while in the wilderness. In Zechariah (14:6-21) the prophets talks about the
future Tabernacle in Millennium Kingdome where Christ reigns.
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When does Passover begin?
1. In Egypt:
The original sacrifice of the Passover (in Egypt) was of an unblemished
male lamb that was selected on Nisa 10th and kept until the evening of the 14th, when it was sacrificed and it’s blood applied to the two
doorposts and upper lintel of the house using a bunch of hyssop (Exodus 12:2-7, 22). The door was then closed and sealed allowing no
one to leave or enter until the following morning. The blood on the doors would function as a sign to God’s death angel to “pass over” the
house. During the night the lamb would be roasted and eaten with unleavened bread with bitter herbs (Exodus 12:8). This meal would
commemorate a feast to the Lord throughout all the generations and retold during the Passover Seder services (Exodus 12:14, 25-27).
2. In the Temple:
During the time of the Temple the slaughter of the Passover lambs was performed during the afternoon hours of Nisan 14, in observance
with the commandment: “In the first month, on the fourteenth day of the month, between the evenings, is Passover for the Lord” (Lev.
23:5). 23:5). Notice, Passover did not start until the “evenings’ or “first settings” of the sun. The first setting of the sun was in the
afternoon and the second was sundown until twilight. So, it begins sometime after noon but before twilight or simply put, “the
afternoons.” So the slaughter of the Passover lamb occurred on the later afternoon of Nisan 14th. The eating of the lamb, the Seder meal,
occurred later, just before sundown and continues throughout the night. Since the Jewish day begins after sundown (when the stars are
visible) the traditional Passover Seder would begin just before
sundown on Nisan 14 and would continue into the new day of Nisan 15, which is also the start of the seven day feast called “Feast of
Unleavened Bread (Lev. 23:6).
3. Passover Today:
Today the traditional Passover Seder begins on just before sundown on
Nisan 14 and runs into the first day of Nisan 15.
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Mark 11:12-19:
It’s Saturday and Jesus arrives at Bethany. Bethany is two miles East
of Jerusalem. John 12:1 says it was 6 days before Passover and that would Saturday. He’s at the house of Lazarus. The next day would be
Sunday. According to John 12 a large number of Jews came to Bethany to see Jesus and Lazarus who was raised from the dead. It
tells us that he chief priest plotted to kill Lazarus along with Jesus. They had plotted to kill them both. Mark 11:12 says, “The next day” –
that would be Monday. If Jesus came in on a Sunday, you have a day (Wednesday) when nothing happens. This is called by some a “silent
Wednesday.” But Jesus came in on a Monday because it fits the time line of the Gospels.
Mosaic Law says that a lamb has to be selected and set apart on the
10th of Nisan and sacrificed on the 14th of Nisan during Passover. So,
according to Mosaic Law and God’s time line:
Monday Jesus came into Jerusalem, left, went back to Bethany Monday night, returned Tuesday:
Tuesday he cursed the fig tree and cleansed the temple – (Nisan 11th).
Wednesday he had some controversy with leaders of Israel, preached some sermons on the Second Coming, and had Judas
betray him – (Nisan 12th). Thursday he had the Passover Seder with the disciples, was
arrested, and tried – (Nisan 13th). Friday he was crucified – (Nisan 14th).
Saturday he was in the grave. Sunday he rose from the grave.
That’s the week we will explore in our study.
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Day One – Monday.
Remember in Exodus, the lamb was selected on the 10 of Nisan and
sacrificed on the 14th. Here we are in 30 A.D. and Jesus will come riding in on a donkey and the people will begin to throw palm fronds on the road and
shout, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.” Why, always ask why. Did God plan this parade? Is this the coronation of a king,
King Jesus?
Coronations of Kings and Emperors. They are planned, announcements are sent, dignitaries are invited,
officials are present, and the position is for a time. This is spontaneous, not announcement, no dignitaries, no officials and by
the end of the week they are calling for Jesus’ death. Jesus’ true coronation is recorded in Philippians 2:9-11 and
Revelation 19:11-21.
So what is this, and how is this part of God’s plan?
1. Day One – Mark 11:1-11.
A. Time line: The date is 30 A.D., the first month Nisan the 10th on the Jewish
calendar, and the crucifixion is that Friday 14th. He is leaving the house of Lazarus in Bethany and heading for
Jerusalem. On his way he tells some of his disciples to go to the town opposite (probably Bethphage) and they would find a donkey
tied there. They are to get it and bring it to him. What is ironic is that Mary rode into the town on a donkey when
Jesus was born and now He rides into Jerusalem again on a donkey. His ministries completed, Jesus now goes to Jerusalem to die. Mark
45:10 – “The son of man did not come to be served but to serve
and give his life a ransom for man.”
B. The Triumphant Entry. Mark 45:10 – “The son of man did not come to be served but to
serve and give his life a ransom for man.” Up to this point Jesus had never allowed anyone to open declare
Him to be the Messiah. Why? Because from the beginning of His ministry Jewish leadership want him out of the way because of the
influence he had on the people. To openly declare him Messiah would open the possibility for things to go against God’s time table.
This act was initiated by God to inflame the Jewish leadership and get things moving on Jesus’ arrest and crucifixion.
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C. The entry:
Jesus came riding on a donkey that has not been ridden before. The crowd that has been at Lazarus house the weekend before has
followed him to Jerusalem, and they began to lay their clothing and cut palm limbs laying them on the road as he came into the town.
Jesus is not the only king to ride a donkey into Jerusalem. David did and so did Solomon (1 Kings 1:33). This is also a prediction of
Zachariah 9:9: “Behold your king is coming to you gentle and mounted on a donkey.”
Daniel predicted this exact day in his Seventy Week Prophecy (Daniel 9:24-27).
The significance of the Palm limbs was a sign of submission. The word “Hosanna” means ‘save now.’ What the crowd was saying is
“Save us now our King of David.” The Jewish leaders demand Jesus hush up the people. Jesus’ reply
was prophetic – “Even if I do, the stones would immediately cry
out” (Ps. 118:26). Luke 19:41-44 – must read.
This was it! This was all the Jewish leaders could take. This man had to die
and now! But there was the crowd of people again. They would wait for an opportune time. Jesus goes into the temple and looks around, and then
leaves to go back to Bethany with the twelve disciples. The next day he will be back and God will continue to put pressure on the Jewish leaders to
crucify Jesus.
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Day Two – Tuesday.
Jesus has spent Monday night in Bethany and is on his way back to Jerusalem. Mark 11:20 says it was in the morning, probably before the first
hour. The first thing he encounters on his way is a fig tree growing beside the road. He curses the little tree than enters city and cleanses the temple.
Day Two - Mark 11:12-19:
1. The Fig Tree.
A. A common source of food for the poor. It takes about 3 years for a fig tree to produce fruit.
This one was beside the road which means it was public domain. It had plenty of leaves on it about a month ahead of time.
The strange thing is it had no fruit.
Jesus addresses the tree personally – “Let no one eat fruit from you again” (vs. 14)
He was comparing the fig tree to Israel and its religious system. Jesus cursed the tree for its misleading appearance as He did
Israel’s religious system. Israel had committed spiritual hypocrisy. She had the appearance
of a Godly nation but her practice was fruitless. She had leaves but no fruit.
“Let no one eat from this tree again is a reference to the future of Israel who God was sitting aside for another people – the Church.
2. The Cleansing of the Temple.
Jesus had cleansed the temple before, at the beginning of His ministry – John 2:13.
Since that time, it had not gotten any better, only more corrupt.
So, he cleansed it again. God never stopped declaring his will to His rebellious people mo
matter how many times they rejected Him. The area we are talking about is called the “Court of the Gentles.” It
was kind of an open passage way within the temple. People traveled from one part of the town to another through this area
because it was a short cut. Animals were needed for a sacrifice and each animal had to be
inspected by the High Priest. It was more convenient for those who lived outside the Temple area to buy an animal for the priest rather
than carry it for miles only to have it rejected. So, everyone coming to the temple had to exchange monies for
Temple money at the rate of 10 to 12 %.
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But that wasn’t the only business going on in the area. People used
the Court of Gentile as a passage to carry merchandise from one side of town to the other.
So, in the Court of Gentiles, you had priest selling animals right beside the Priest inspecting the animals, beside the Priest who had
booths set up to exchange monies, and to top it off, people traveling through the area carrying merchandise from one side of
town to the other. Jesus has had enough! He takes a whip and begins to clean the
area. “My house shall be called the house of prayer for all people!” (Isa. 56:7).
The Court of the Gentiles was a place where all others than the Jewish people could come and worship God. The Jews had made it a
place of greedy business.
When the Chief Priest and the Scribes heard about this, they began to devise
a plan to kill Jesus. Everything was working exactly as God had it planned. That evening Jesus leaves again and returns to Bethany.
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Day Three – Wednesday.
The next morning Jesus and the disciple are leaving Bethany again and
heading to Jerusalem on the same road they took the day before. They run up on the fig tree that Jesus cursed and it was dead and dried up. Peter is
astonished. Blight has spread throughout the tree and root system. Jesus begins a study on prayer which seems strange with all that is going on. Let’s
understand why?
Day Three – Mark 11:20 -26.
1. Play or Pray. A. Disciples have been with Jesus for three years now.
Jesus has provided everything they needed. Disciples have become lax with their prayer life.
Soon they would be without Jesus.
B. Moving mountains. “Solving difficult problems and seemingly impossible task.”
Jesus is telling the disciples that if they will truly trust God and the unlimited power in Him, there is nothing impossible with Him.
Divine judgment is coming and it will start with the house of Israel and their unfruitful religious system which has shown to produce no
fruit for God’s kingdom. C. Three words that connects the fig tree and prayer together.
Remember: o This is the first destructive miracle of Jesus.
o The Temple was nothing but leaves (outside appearance) but produced no fruit (inwardly spiritual).
o “Have faith in God whether the circumstance is positive or negative.”
o Seasoned Christians know because they have experiences
with Christ. New Christians have to learn. o The foundation of effective prayer is remembering.
o The disciples will remember a lot of what Jesus said and did after He is gone.
Submit: o “Have faith in God and don’t doubt. He knows better than
you. o I John 5:14 – “Ask according to His will…”
o “Lord give me wisdom to understand your will, courage to do it and contentment to be satisfied with it.”
Practice: o Vs. 25 – “Whenever you stand praying – forgive.” Unforgiven
sin in our hearts stops blessings of prayer in their tracks.
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Wednesday Morning Continued.
A. “By Whose Authority?”
This confrontation began on Tuesday when Jesus cleanses the Temple.
B. Jesus answers them “Was John’s baptism from heaven or man?” If they say heaven then why didn’t you believe him? Do what he
said? If they say man, then they would be in trouble with the people
because everyone believed John was a prophet sent from God. So they just said, “We don’t know.”
Jesus responds – “Then neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.
What Jesus is telling them is – “I through talking to you. I said all I’m going to say. Discussion is pointless with you.”
C. Authority is the key to understanding this dialogue.
“Authority” = ‘freedom to act.’ Matthew 28:18 – “All authority has been given to me in heaven and
on earth.” Mark 1:22 – Speaking of Jesus; “He taught as one with authority.”
Jesus never asks permission from anyone to do anything. He said that “he only does that which he sees the father doing” – John 5:19.
Jesus only had one authority in his life and that was the authority of God.
D. Jesus’ teaching without the approval of the religious authority struck a massive blow to their spiritual pride and continue to infuriate them.
E. Confrontation begins in chapter 11:27 and ends in chapter 12:40: Jesus has three conversations targeting the three different groups of
the Jewish religious system: Pharisees, Sadducees and the Scribes. In each conversation Jesus pronounces judgment on them.
F. This will be the final confrontation with religious leaders that began in
the beginning of His ministry.
Wednesday evening – Mark 14:1-11. A. It is still Wednesday, Wednesday evening, the chief priest and the
scribes are in Jerusalem discussing how to get Jesus. B. Jesus is spending the night at the house of Simon the leper in Bethany
(Matt. 26:6). Mary anoints Jesus’ feet with oil. Judas complains that it was
wasted and could have been sold for money to help the poor. This person is Judas who was the treasury for the disciples and use to
take money out for himself – John 12:6. C. Judas leaves and goes to make a deal with the chief priest to betray
Jesus – Luke 22:1-6.
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Day Five – Thursday Evening.
Day Five – Mark 14:12:
Introduction: How could Jesus celebrate the Passover on a Thursday when
in the gospel John clearly states that the Passover was Friday? Is the Bible incorrect?
Through the writing we find in the Mishnah and Josephus, the Galilean
Jews and the Pharisees celebrated the days from sunrise to sunrise. Judean Jews and the Sadducees celebrated the day from sunset to
sunset. There are several scriptures in Old and New Testament that indicates this. (Day to night = Mark 4:27; Luke 2:37; I Thess. 2:9; 2
Tim. 1:3. Night to Day = Acts 9:24; Rev. 7:4). In our culture we celebrate a day from midnight to the next midnight.
It is the 14th of Nisan, 30 A.D. Thursday night and Passover for the Galileans. This is the final legitimate Passover and marks the end of the Old
Testament and the beginning of the New. Jesus wants this time with His disciples to inaugurate the new memorial called “communion” and make the
transition. He also needs some time to leave some instructions for His disciples.
1. Preparation:
A. Morning – Mark 14:12-16.
John & Peter have gone to make preparations.
Thursday morning disciples ask –“where are we going to have
Passover?”
Why the secret place – Judas.
“In the city look for a man carrying water pot, follow him.”
B. Evening – Mark 14:1721.
It’s the evening of the Passover. Jesus announces that there is one who
will betray Him.
Law requires no less than 10 men and no more than 20 men at a Passover
meal. Here there are 11 disciples, Judas and Jesus.
Judas has already make a deal to betray Jesus – Luke 22:1-6.
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C. A Passover meal.
1st pray of thanks followed by 1
st cup of wine, then a ceremonial washing
of hands
After washing of hands came the eating of bitter herbs. This is when the
bread would be broken and distributed to the disciples. The bread was
dipped in a paste made from fruits & nuts
This was the first course. Then they sang a hymn (Ps 113 – 118)
After main course would be another cup of wine then hymn (Ps 115-118)
Then a final cup of wine & more hymns & leave. This was the evening.
D. This Passover is different.
Luke 22:15-16 – “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you
before I suffer.” Christ must end one era and begin a new one
John 13 says, “He loved His own, who was in the world, to the end.”
Will there ever be another legitimate Passover? Yes! Luke 22:16 – “Until
the fulfillment of the kingdom.” It will not be a memorial of the O.T.
Passover but the N.T. cross.”
E. “One of you will betray me.” (Ps. 55:12-14)
Jesus knew his betrayer was Judas. The disciples were unaware.
Vs. 19 – the disciples were grieved and said to one another “Is it I?”
Jesus said, “The one who dips the morsel” (Matt 26:23)
Matthew 26:25 – Judas asks “Is it I?” and Jesus replies, “You have said
it.”
John 13:27 – Jesus says to Judas, “What you do, do quickly.”
Judas, like any counterfeit acts on his own motives, his own choices, his
own free will.
At this point Judas leaves and goes to the leaders of the Sanhedrin and
tells them where to find Jesus.
Something to remember: Jesus waited until Judas was gone before having
communion with His disciples.
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Thursday Evening – Jesus institutes the Lord’s Super.
Mark 14:22 - 25 (Matt. 26:26-29; Luke 22:17-23).
The Trial of Jesus – Mark 14:53 – 15:23
To understand the tragedy of the trial you have to go back to Deuteronomy 16:18-
20 and understand the Jewish Judicial System. Deuteronomy are the laws that the
Jewish society was to live by in the Promised Land instituted by God. These were
laws that would govern both religious and secular life. Over time the Jews had
developed a very sophisticated system of justice.
All courts, judges, court officials, prosecutors, and defenders were to
deliver a fair and partial justice.
A town of 120 men were required to have a local court called the
Sanhedrin which consisted of 23 men from the town. Notice that the
number on the ruling court were odd. A small town had a smaller
number.
The Supreme Court was the Great Sanhedrin in Jerusalem composing of
70 men plus the High Priest.
Laws of the court were absolute and binding. Once a verdict was given
there would be no exception.
All trials had to be public.
All trials had to provide a prosecutor and a defender.
No accusations were accepted without 2 to 3 witnesses. A false witness
was perjury and punishable by the witness suffering the same penalty as
the accused.
In case of a death penalty, there was a 24 hour wait to make sure nothing
else was forthcoming that might have baring on the case.
Judges were required to fast during a capital punishment trial because of
the seriousness of the case.
No criminal could be tried at night or in the afternoon.
No trials could be held during a feast or the day before.
If the judges were unanimous, the criminal was set free. Jewish courts
believed that in such a case there were suspicion of file play; and mercy
shown by the court.
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The trial of Jesus violated every aspect of the Jewish Law.
When Jesus was arrested the Sanhedrin was already waiting for him. In
John 18 it says that after the Roman commander arrested Jesus in the
garden, he was immediately taken to Annas who is the father-in-law of
Caiaphas the High Priest. Annas was dismissed from the Sanhedrin for
taking bribes. Although not a part of the high court, he was still the brains
behind his son-in-law.
Jesus was also asked to testify against himself which was illegal. When
Jesus wouldn’t say anything to defend himself, Caiaphas asked him if he
was the Christ. When Jesus said yes, that was all they needed. Caiaphas
does a little show of tearing his cloak. They beat Jesus and send him to
Pilate because the Jewish Court had no authority to condemn anyone to
death.
Jesus went through two trials: The Gentile trial and the Jewish trial. Each trial had
three phases to them. Each phase was accelerated so that it would be over before
dawn when the people would be awake.
The Jewish Trial – Mark 14:53-72.
The Gentile Trial – Mark 15:1-23
Jesus is crucified – Mark 15:24-41.
Jesus is buried – Mark 15:42-47
Jesus is resurrected – Mark 16:1-18
Jesus ascension – Mark 16”:19-20