Look Again – Easter 2023

The Passion of Christ

The Passion of Christ (Note 1) describes the eighteen odd hours from when Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane (“… yet not as I will, but as You will”) until His death on the cross. During these hours Jesus is arrested, abandoned, tortured, tried, sentenced to death, and exchanged for the notorious prisoner, Barabbas. He was forced to drag His own cross on the road to Golgotha until, in His humanness, He collapsed and Simon of Cyrene was conscripted to carry it. At Golgotha Jesus was nailed to the cross, which was then hoisted up.

Note 1:

Isaiah 53:4-12

Matthew 26:36 – 27:55

Mark 14:32 – 15:40

Luke 22:39 – 23:49

John 17:1 – 19:37

Easter2023, 11/42

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, blessed and broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is My body.” Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you.  For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. But I say to you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.”  And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Matthew 26:26-30 NKJV  (Note 1)

In The Dim Light Of The Upper Room, Hallel

Hallel is a Jewish prayer of praise, joy, and thanksgiving for divine redemption.  Recited and sung from the time of Moses and the Judges, it is made up of parts or all of Psalms 113–118, and of the Great Hallel, Psalm 136. These six psalms are known collectively as Hallel psalms (“The Praise”) because of the Hallelujah! (“Praise the Lord”) endings.

The Hallel tradition was well established in Jewish liturgy by the time of Jesus. Psalms 113–114 were sung before the Passover meal and Psalms 115–118 after it. These were probably the hymns Jesus and His disciples sang after their Passover Seder meal. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Read that again. Jesus knew full well what was to come. Imagine being able to sing a hymn of praise in that moment  That is the definition of serenity. That’s blessed assurance. That’s realizing your Father is wise and good and that He can be implicitly trusted. It’s refusing to factor your own feelings into your faith decisions. It’s valuing His great redemptive plan above your own comfort and safety. And it’s choosing to recognize traces of life, and hope, and glory, and joy in the same situations where most can see only fear, and doubt, and anxiety, and self-pity.

But that’s what His suffering love has earned us the right to experience. Because of Christ’s sacrifice, the same song that brightened the shadow of the cross can cast its calming light into the room where you’re sitting today. His heart at rest can be music to your weary, worried soul.

We do not know what God plans for His people Israel and for His Church; He established them both.  But on this Easter, think of the marvelousness of our Jewish lineage. And of our Lord and Savior, a Jewish Rabbi.

Adapted from The Quiet Place, Nancy Leigh DeMoss

Note 1: Paul explicates: On the night when Judas betrayed Him, the Lord Jesus took bread, and when He had given thanks to God for it, He broke it and gave it to His disciples and said, “Take this and eat it. This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.” In the same way, He took the cup of wine after supper, saying, “This cup is the new agreement between God and you that has been established and set in motion by my blood. Do this in remembrance of me whenever you drink it.” For every time you eat this bread and drink this cup you are retelling the message of the Lord’s death, that He has died for you. Do this until He comes again. 1 Corinthians 11:23-31 TLB

Easter2023, 10/42

Passover, Jerusalem, 33 AD: A Drama in Three Acts

Jesus knows His time as Son of Man on earth is nearing an end. It is time for the Passover.  He instructs His disciples to prepare the Passover meal.

“On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”  “As you go into the city,” He told them, “you will see a certain man.   Tell him, ‘The Teacher says; My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.'”  So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.

When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the Twelve.   While they were eating, He said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”  Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”  He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me.  For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago.   But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him.  It would be better for that man if he had never been born!”  Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”  And Jesus told him. “You have said it.”

As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it.  Then He broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”  And He took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it.  He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and His people.   It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.  Mark my words – I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”  Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.”  Matthew 26:1-30 NLT

After dinner the group head for the Garden of Gethsemane.  There Jesus prays passionately to God, His Father.   We witness His humanness and despair.

“And they went to a place called Gethsemane.  And He said to His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”  And He took with Him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled.  And He said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even unto death.   Remain here and watch.”   And going a little farther, He fell on the ground and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.  And He said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you.  Remove this cup from me.  Yet not what I will, but what You will.”  And He came and found them sleeping, and He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep?  Could you not watch one hour?  Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation.  The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”  And again He went away and prayed, saying the same words.  And again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer Him.  And He came the third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?  It is enough; the hour has come.  The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.  Rise, let us be going, see, my betrayer is at hand.”  Mark 14:32-41 ESV

And from Luke.  “And there appeared to Him an angel from heaven, strengthening Him.  And being in agony, He prayed more earnestly; and His sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.”  Luke 22:43-44 ESV

Judas Iscariot arrives with the chief priests and elders, and a large armed mob.   Judas greets Jesus with a kiss, the prearranged sign to indicate who is to be arrested.   A scuffle breaks out but Jesus squelches the resistance – even healing a high priest’s servant whose ear had been cut off by Simon Peter.  Jesus allows Himself to be arrested.

“Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs, as if I were a criminal, to capture me?  Every day I was among you, teaching in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me.  But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.”.  Mark 14:48-49 HCSB

The scene changes suddenly.  Jesus’s disciples run away. Jesus is taken before Caiaphas and other Sanhedrin high priests.  Through the night Jesus endures a trial of mocking and lies.   He is eventually sentenced by Governor Pilate to death by crucifixion.

To be continued.

Easter2023, 9/42

Passover was approaching.  The leading priests and teachers of religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the people’s reaction.  Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who was one of the twelve disciples, and he went to the leading priests and captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.  They were delighted, and they promised to give him money.  So he agreed and began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus so that they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t around.  Luke 22:1-6 NLT

Judas consummates a deal for 30 pieces of silver.   It is humanly impossible to conceive of such an act of betrayal. But that is before taking the Evil One into account. Whatever Judas’s motivation, it ended up a bad deal for him.  He later felt remorse, and, after returning the silver, hung himself:  “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Matthew 27:4a CSB

Easter2023, 8/40

It is Passion Week. Tuesday finds Jesus continuing to teach and heal.

When He had returned to the Temple and was teaching, the chief priests and other Jewish leaders came up to Him and demanded to know by whose authority He had thrown out the merchants the day before.

“I’ll tell you if you answer one question first,” Jesus replied. “Was John the Baptist sent from God or not?”

They talked it over among themselves. “If we say, ‘From God,’” they said, “then He will ask why we didn’t believe what John said. And if we deny that God sent Him, we’ll be mobbed, for the crowd all think He was a prophet.” So they finally replied, “We don’t know!” And Jesus said, “Then I won’t answer your question either.” Matthew 21:23-27  TLB

Later that day, Scripture records a conversation between Jesus and the Disciples (Matthew 24).    A lengthy discussion ensues regarding end times, persecution, the great tribulation, and fig trees.  Jesus speaks directly as the Messiah.  He warns of false prophets and phony messiahs. Jesus’s final word on His return:  “No one but the Father knows the day and the hour. Let every generation live as though I were returning tomorrow.”

Easter2023, 7/40

In this final week before Passover, Jesus went to the temple every day to teach and heal.  He knew that the time available for his earthly mission was running short.  And His human patience was also running short.  We witness an example of righteous anger.

On Monday “Jesus went straight to the Temple and threw out everyone who had set up shop buying and selling.  He kicked over the tables of loan sharks and the stalls of dove merchants.  He quoted this text: ‘My house was designated a house of prayer; you have made it a hangout for thieves.’  Now there was room for the blind and crippled to get in.  They came to Jesus and He healed them.”  Matthew 21:12-14 MSG

At the same time, the chief priests and scribes were becoming increasingly agitated about this Rabbi and his teachings.  Even though it was Passover week, it was becoming more and more urgent that they find a way to kill Jesus.  They could see that He was a threat to their personal and political power.

Easter2023, 6/40

This, then, is Palm Sunday, the beginning of the final week of Jesus’s ministry on earth, and the day of His triumphant entry into Jerusalem. It was Passover week. Multitudes were arriving in Jerusalem for the Passover celebration. The significance of the timing will become apparent as the Passion of Christ unfolds.

Herewith the description of that long ago Sunday from the Gospel of John:

The Passover, a Jewish holy day, was near, and many country people arrived in Jerusalem several days early so that they could go through the cleansing ceremony before the Passover began. They wanted to see Jesus, and as they gossiped in the Temple, they asked each other, “What do you think? Will he come for the Passover?” Meanwhile the chief priests and Pharisees had publicly announced that anyone seeing Jesus must report him immediately so that they could arrest him. John 11:55-57 TLB

Six days before the Passover ceremonies began, Jesus arrived in Bethany where Lazarus was—the man he had brought back to life. A banquet was prepared in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, and Lazarus sat at the table with him. Then Mary took a jar of costly perfume made from essence of nard, and anointed Jesus’ feet with it and wiped them with her hair. And the house was filled with fragrance. John 2:1-3 TLB

The next day, the news that Jesus was on the way to Jerusalem swept through the city, and a huge crowd of Passover visitors took palm branches and went down the road to meet him, shouting, “The Savior! God bless the King of Israel! Hail to God’s Ambassador!”  Jesus rode along on a young donkey, fulfilling the prophecy (Note 1) that said: “Don’t be afraid of your King, people of Israel, for he will come to you meekly, sitting on a donkey’s colt!”  (His disciples didn’t realize at the time that this was a fulfillment of prophecy; but after Jesus returned to his glory in heaven, then they noticed how many prophecies of Scripture had come true before their eyes). John 2:12-16 TLB

Note 1: Zechariah 9:9

Easter2023, 5/40

As Jesus approached Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, He sent two of the disciples and said, “Go into the village ahead of you. As you enter it, you will find a colt tied there, on which no one has ever sat. Untie it and bring it. If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ say this: ‘The Lord needs it.’”  So those who were sent left and found it just as He had told them. As they were untying the colt, its owners said to them, “Why are you untying the colt?” “The Lord needs it,” they said.  Then they brought it to Jesus, and after throwing their clothes on the colt, they helped Jesus get on it. As he was going along, they were spreading their clothes on the road. (Note 1)

Now He came near the path down the Mount of Olives, and the entire crowd began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the miracles they had seen: “Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the Lord. Peace in heaven and glory in the highest heaven!”  (Note 2)  Some of the Pharisees from the crowd told him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He answered, “I tell you, if they were to keep silent, the stones would cry out.”

As He approached and saw the city, He wept for it, saying, “If you knew this day what would bring peace – but now it is hidden from your eyes. For the days will come on you when your enemies will build a barricade around you, surround you, and hem you in on every side. They will crush you and your children among you to the ground, and they will not leave one stone on another in your midst, because you did not recognize the time when God visited you.”  Luke 19:29-44  CSB

Note 1: This fulfilled the words of the prophet Zechariah of some 500 years earlier: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey – riding on a donkey’s colt.”  Zechariah 9:9 NLT

Note 2:  The Gospel of John expands on the majesty of this procession. They “took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Him, and cried out: Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!  The King of Israel!”  John 12:13 NKJV

Easter2023, 4/40