Passion Week Day 1

Our story begins on the 10th of Nisan (March 29) AD 33* in the city of Jerusalem, the Jews have gathered in the city for the upcoming Passover on the 14th. The yearly festival brings with it excitement and joy but this year it is also buzzing with messianic expectations. Would the 38-year-old “prophet” claiming to be the Son of God attend the festival this year? Could this Jesus be the promised Messiah? The religious leaders certainly had their clashes with him over his healings on the Sabbath and his teachings. But he is the son of a carpenter from Bethlehem and he certainly does not look like a conquering king that will free them from Roman oppression.

So begins the most important week of the most important person who ever lived ….
Today we will cover Sunday, March 29, AD 33 through the morning of Tuesday, March 31 AD 33. Some of the highlights include Jesus’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem and the cleansing of the temple. On his entry into the temple pay attention to the prophetic fulfillment of Zechariah 9:9 that states,

“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion!
Shout in triumph, O daughter of Jerusalem!
Behold, your king is coming to you;
He is just and endowed with salvation,
Humble, and mounted on a donkey,
Even on a colt, the foal of a donkey” (NASB1995).

Also, look at the imagery of Solomon’s entrance into Jerusalem when he was declared king (1 Kings 1:32-4. Also, the laying down of the palm branches creating a “royal red carpet” to their Davidic king (see 2 Kings 9:13). This prophecy and imagery will help you understand the Jews expectations of the messiah and how the disciples of Christ missed his predictions of this week throughout his time with them. The messiah was not expected to die let alone suffer the shame of death on a cross. Next, look at the cleansing of the temple and what does that tell us about the messiah and Christ’s authority?

As with all the readings, be sure to make careful note of the differences in the accounts particularly across the Synoptic Gospels (Matthew, Mark, and Luke) as it will help you paint a picture the events of the day. The daily activity recorded by the Gospel writers will increase with Thursday and Friday being the heaviest. So, the amount of reading will increase slightly although I will attempt to keep it about the same daily.
If you have any questions as always send me a PM or any observations or comments place them in the daily post.

Sunday, March 29, AD 33
Jesus Enters Jerusalem (Matt 21:1-11; Mark 11:1-10; Luke 19:29-44; John 12:12-19)
Jesus Predicts His Death (John 12:20-36)
Jesus Visits the Temple (Matt 21:14-17; Mark 11:11)

Monday, March 30, AD 33
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree (Matt 21:18-19; Mark 11:12-14)
Jesus Cleanses the Temple (Matt 21:12-13; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48)

Tuesday, March 31 AD 33 (Morning)
Teaching on the Lesson of the Fig Tree (Matt 21:20-22; Mark 11:20-26)

*The year of his birth and death are debated. Scholars generally agree that his birth was anytime between 7 and 5 BC and his death occurred anywhere between AD 30 and 33 (most do date his death AD 3. Kostenberger believes it to be AD 33 and birth between 6 or 5 BC. These dates are not important to our devotional reading.
**The events of the day are an estimate of their chronological order. For instance, Jesus predicting his death in John follows his entrance into Jerusalem and before he makes a brief visit into the temple.