The Details
Read
Matthew 26
Matthew 27
Matthew 28
Psalm 18
Notice
God still fulfills
Look out for
Jesus
Memorize
Matthew 28:5-6: But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for He has risen, as He said. Come, see the place where He lay."
Get Ready
This week we look at Jesus’ final days, His “Passion” week: the events leading up to, and surrounding, His crucifixion. When it finally hits, Jesus’ trial and execution are both startling and feel like the natural outcome of His ministry. Someone, somewhere, was going to make sure He was put out of the way. One promise fulfilled.
But the next one, that He would rise again? That one is tougher to predict…
A little more
A little background
Remember that Jesus has been insisting that He would be killed in Jerusalem, yet rise again on the third day. Matthew 26 leads off with this, just in case we needed reminding.
What is less clear, though, is why Jesus would go there to begin with. Mark 8 tells us that, immediately after Peter recognizes Him as the Christ, Jesus was determined to go to Jerusalem. Mark 11 makes it clear that He made a show of entering the city, almost encouraging His enemies to come after Him. He went into the Temple often, driving out the unscrupulous and drawing a crowd of listeners and abusers.
Make no mistake: the religious leaders had Jesus’ blood on their hands when it was all over. But Jesus was not trying not to get killed. This was the final sign, and Jesus made sure it happened.
A little timeline
Some weeks our readings cover almost a century; this week’s events are squeezed into just a few days. According to John, this was the third Passover that Jesus celebrated during His ministry tenure, probably between A.D. 28-30.
A little geography
As this week’s time is compressed, so is the space. Everything you read about happens right around Jerusalem. Bethany, where Jesus is anointed, was two miles from Jerusalem. Gethsemane was on the Mount of Olives, which overlooked the city. Golgotha, the Place of the Skull, was just outside Jerusalem, and the tomb would not have been far from there.
A little epilogue
Once you pass the resurrection, you can imagine how this story will unfold. Some will believe, and some will not. Some will try to shut down Jesus’ followers – most of Acts will be devoted to this threat – in ways that make Matthew 28:11-15 comically tame.
But these will be side issues. Obstacles, catalysts, but not the point. The big question of “What’s next?” will likely be driven by Jesus commission before He ascends: “Go therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.”
Getting deeper into the weeds
What can you learn about God’s character, personality, or priorities here?
There is just one miracle in this week’s readings, but it’s the biggest, most important one of all: Jesus returns from the grave. This is the one that firmly authenticates Jesus is in God’s Will, is really who He says He is. If God was dissatisfied, or not on board with Jesus’ program, Jesus would have remained in the tomb.
But God makes other statements around Jesus’ crucifixion – breaking a long silence – that tells you something unique is happening here. Read the signs in Matthew 27:45-54: darkness at midday; an earthquake; the veil of the Temple – the curtain that shielded the Holy of Holies – torn in two, from top to bottom; the dead shaken from their slumber, seen by many. Enough to make a Roman guard believe.
And keep your eye on Jesus, who is the visible presence of God-on-earth. How does Jesus deal with His disciples, when they can’t believe a woman pours expensive perfume on Him? How does He approach questions of betrayal and denial? How does He pray? What do you make of “You have said so” in response to accusations? What about His final hours…His final words before death…His final words in triumph?
How can parents help their kids through the readings?
When I lead a service commemorating the Last Supper, I always try to do it in a small room, where people will have to pack tightly together. Allow yourself to feel the compression of the space. The mounting tension. Thousands of people, and families, in town for a religious festival, and all the hope and fear and passion those entail.
In the West, it’s very hard for us to comprehend this kind of tension: there’s so much space, and so little religious passion of the kind we see here. Which is why you’ll have to try to manufacture that emotion for your children. These were not scenes of moving station-to-station on a clean stage. There was a tension, a desperation, over everything involved. In the midst of this tumult is Jesus – a straight and determined line.
This is the best advice I can give parents as they read about Jesus’ final week. Be ready to un-sanitize these stories as much as possible. You can paint the scenes without taking license or being gratuitous about the violence. So much swirling… then silence… then an earthquake… then an angel, bright as lightning.