Bay Area Vineyard Church in Silver Bay, MN

When Mel Gibson produced his movie, 'The Passion of Christ,' the whole world took notice. One could not have a non-opinion about the movie; either people loved it, claiming it changed their lives, or they hated it. People labeled it anti-Semitic, overly violent, or just plain impossible.

Along with all the hype came a lot of questions, such as: what does the word 'passion' in this context mean? Passion in the Bible refers to the sufferings of Jesus Christ from the Last Supper until his crucifixion. It is the week that changed the world forever. All the faith in the Old Testament was based on looking forward to this event. All the faith in the New Testament is based on looking back at this event. This week, out of all the weeks of history, became the pivotal moment on which the fate of the human race was dependent!

Pre-Passion

1. When things begin to go wrong
A key incident occurred in the region of Galilee that precipitated Jesus leaving the region for good to walk on 'the way' to Jerusalem, beginning the sequence of events that would lead to his crucifixion. The feeding of 5,000 people with only a few loaves and fish is the one miracle, besides the resurrection, that is recorded in all four Gospels.
In John’s account of this incident, it appears he is drawing on a tradition independent from the Synoptics.
John 6:14-15 After the people saw the miraculous sign that Jesus did, they began to say, 'Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.' Jesus, knowing that they intended to come and make him king by force, withdrew again to a mountain by himself.
John’s Gospel records that the people were coming out to Jesus because they saw in him the king who would lead them in their insurrection against Rome. In the words of one writer, they were not so much a congregation looking for a shepherd but an army looking for a captain.
Unfortunately, Jesus wasn’t going to make them happy.

2. Disciples Don't Quite Get It... yet
As Watts points out, it is one thing for the leaders and outsiders to be deaf and blind, but it is quite another when the insiders in the story are deaf and blind as well (Watts 1997:221). Certainly, Jesus’ ministry with his disciples was not yet complete.
So for the first time, Jesus told his disciples that he would die, be buried, and be raised on the third day. This would have sounded like insanity to them. To a Jew, a crucified Messiah was a contradiction in terms. Did the law not say, 'Cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree'? Would not the Messiah usher in the new age? Peter’s repugnance to such an idea aligns with classic popular expectations of the Messiah.
As Jesus entered into the toughest days of his life, he was alone with the Father. Not even his closest friends were on the same page.

3. The Transfiguration
Luke 9:28-36: He took Peter, John, and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray. As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. They spoke about his departure, which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem. Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him. As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, 'Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.' (He did not know what he was saying.) While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and enveloped them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. A voice came from the cloud, saying, 'This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.' When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and told no one at that time what they had seen.
Walking up to the summit, the three were no doubt lost in troubled thoughts. Given our reconstruction of the Jewish worldview, one could imagine they might be thinking, 'Surely this was the Christ... but Rome was still in power, the Temple not cleansed, and the exile clearly not over.'
It was the dead of night on the mountain. Luke tells us that the disciples were 'heavy with sleep' and Jesus was in prayer. At some point in their slumber, the disciples began to be aware that something was happening around them. Coming slowly to consciousness, they realized that Jesus' physical appearance was being changed before them.
The text says that his garments became as white as the light—the failed nature of his humanity now being somewhat removed.
Romans 8:19-20 The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed.
One might wonder if Adam and Eve had the same dazzling appearance before the tragedy of sin dulled their appearance.
The three suddenly became aware that Jesus was talking to two figures amidst the glory. The text doesn't tell us how, but they realized the figures were Moses and Elijah.
Luke tells us they were speaking to Jesus about his 'departure' (Exodus in Greek).
Both Moses and Elijah had failed in an attempt to lead Israel in the next exodus from bondage—Moses from Egypt and Elijah from captivity to Baal.
Suddenly, the glory cloud reached out and wrapped itself around Jesus' future torchbearers in the voice of God. Through a rift in the heavens, as it had done at Jesus' baptism, it declared, 'This is my beloved Son; listen to him!' The disciples had been forewarned—all that Jesus had been saying had been true.
Whether their minds became more lucid is impossible to know, but this moment could forever stay with them. They were to listen to everything Jesus said, even if they didn't understand it and even if they didn't like it.
After this, as Luke puts it, Jesus 'set his face like a flint,' i.e., pressed forward resolutely toward Jerusalem.
We are now nearing the time where we witness the fulfillment of Genesis prophesy: for the seed of the woman to crush the head of the serpent—but first the serpent would bruise the man's heel.

4. The Resurrection of Lazarus
After leaving the region, Jesus traveled through the same wilderness where he had been tempted by the devil, no doubt causing him to think about those temptations to find a way around the cross as he neared Jerusalem to die.

John 11:1-6 Now a man named Lazarus was sick. He was from Bethany, the village of Mary and her sister Martha. 2 This Mary, whose brother Lazarus now lay sick, was the same one who poured perfume on the Lord and wiped his feet with her hair. 3 So the sisters sent word to Jesus, "Lord, the one you love is sick." When he heard this, Jesus said, "This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it." 5 Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus . 6 Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days.

John 11:17-22 On his arrival, Jesus found that Lazarus had already been in the tomb for four days. 18 Bethany was less than two miles from Jerusalem, 19 and many Jews had come to Martha and Mary to comfort them in the loss of their brother. 20 When Martha heard that Jesus was coming, she went out to meet him, but Mary stayed at home. "Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

John 11:23-27 Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again." Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day." Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; 26 and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?" "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

John 11:32-40 When Mary reached the place where Jesus was and saw him, she fell at his feet and said, "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died." When Jesus saw her weeping, and the Jews who had come along with her also weeping, he was deeply moved in spirit and troubled. 34 "Where have you laid him?" he asked. "Come and see, Lord," they replied. Jesus wept. Then the Jews said, "See how he loved him!" But some of them said, "Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?"

John 11:38-45 Jesus, once more deeply moved, came to the tomb. It was a cave with a stone laid across the entrance. 39 "Take away the stone," he said."But, Lord," said Martha, the sister of the dead man, "by this time there is a bad odor, for he has been there four days." Then Jesus said, "Did I not tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?" So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. 42 I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." When he had said this, Jesus called in a loud voice, "Lazarus , come out!" 44 The dead man came out, his hands and feet wrapped with strips of linen, and a cloth around his face. Jesus said to them, "Take off the grave clothes and let him go." Therefore many of the Jews who had come to visit Mary, and had seen what Jesus did, put their faith in him.

John 11:46-48 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin. "What are we accomplishing?" they asked. "Here is this man performing many miraculous signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our place and our nation."

Soon the news circulated throughout the region and helped spark what happened next. The miracle of Lazarus being raised from the dead was not just a private event; it became public knowledge, creating a wave of expectation and excitement among the people. Many began to wonder if Jesus was the long-awaited Messiah. The momentum was building, and it set the stage for Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem, an event that would mark the beginning of the final week of his earthly ministry.

5. The Triumphal Entry
The Feast of Unleavened Bread and Passover were at hand in Jerusalem. Pilgrims from all over the world had come for the week of feasting, with most staying throughout the month to take in Pentecost as well.
It is most likely that the triumphal entry took place on Monday. When Jesus rode into Jerusalem that day, the true Shekinah—the glory of Yahweh—was at last returning to Jerusalem, the city of peace.
John 12:12-16 The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Blessed is the King of Israel!' Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, 'Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt.' At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.
A kind of Jubilee had arrived. All restraint from Jesus' previous secrecy about his messianic identity was now gone.
With clear messianic overtones, Jesus appears to be reenacting passages from the book of Zechariah in the Old Testament. In chapters 8-9, Zechariah prophesies that God would return to Zion to bring blessing after a march from north to south to defeat the 'marauding forces' who would never again overrun his people.
In Zechariah 9:9 says that Zion's King would come to her riding on a donkey. Surely this was it!
Unfortunately, the crowd did not understand the significance of the humility of the King coming not on a horse of war but on a donkey, symbolizing a peaceful King who was submitted to the will of God.
John 12:17-19 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. Many people, because they had heard that he had given this miraculous sign, went out to meet him. So the Pharisees said to one another, 'See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!'
The crowds were in great anticipation. News of the raising of Lazarus had spread everywhere. It was said that when the Messiah came, he would come from the east—from the Mount of Olives into Jerusalem.
Indeed, rabbinic tradition said that the temple doors were left open at Passover for such an occasion. It is no wonder, then, that the Passover travelers began to shout loudly at the sight of Jesus coming up the hill from Bethany. Surely in Jesus, God was becoming King and returning to Zion at last.
The fact that people were shouting 'Hosanna' (Save, Lord!) and waving tree branches indicates that they were seeing in Jesus the fulfillment of Psalm 118.
Psalm 118:19-29 Open for me the gates of righteousness; I will enter and give thanks to the LORD. This is the gate of the LORD through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O LORD, save us; O LORD, grant us success. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD. From the house of the LORD we bless you. The LORD is God, and he has made his light shine upon us. With boughs in hand, join in the festal procession up to the horns of the altar. You are my God, and I will give you thanks; you are my God, and I will exalt you. Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.
Unfortunately, the revolution never came—at least not the one they were looking for.
Rather, the text says: Luke 19:41-42 As he approached Jerusalem and saw the city, he wept over it and said, 'If you, even you, had only known on this day what would bring you peace—but now it is hidden from your eyes.'
When Jesus crested the summit of the Mount of Olives with the city of Jerusalem now in panoramic view, he wept aloud.
The Greek verb used here does not denote the quiet weeping seen at Lazarus' tomb, but a loud wailing—a visible sign that he and his would-be followers were worlds apart.
The Shekinah was at last returning to the Temple, but the glory's return would not be to cleanse the temple and re-occupy it, but to announce its destruction as a symbol that had served its purpose and would now give way to that which was greater.
Jesus himself was the new temple.

6. God's Prophetic Judgment upon Israel

Matt 21:18-19: Early in the morning, as he was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again!' Immediately the tree withered.
The next morning, Jesus retraced his steps back into Jerusalem. On his way, he saw a fig tree. It was past time for the coming of winter figs, but if one was lucky, he could find a few late figs, which were the tastiest of all.
Finding none, Jesus saw in this barren fig tree a picture of Israel. At the time of the coming of the Messiah, they should have had the best figs of all for him to eat, but instead, they were barren.
They were the people of God for the world, but they had nothing to offer the nations except nationalistic violence and a self-righteous attitude of superiority.
This barrenness was the very reason Jesus had wept so uncontrollably the night before.
Thus, the dead fig tree was a sign to the Jewish people that they were spiritually dead and that Jesus alone now stood as the true Israel of God.

7. The Symbolic Destruction of the Temple
Matt 21:12-14 Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the benches of those selling doves. 'It is written,' he said to them, ''My house will be called a house of prayer,' but you are making it a 'den of robbers.'' The blind and the lame came to him at the temple, and he healed them.
Following Matthew and Luke's account, the first thing Jesus did upon entering Jerusalem was go straight to the temple. This made sense to many, as they believed that when God returned as King, the very first thing he would do was cleanse the temple.
In their minds, cleansing the temple began when the presence of God—the Shekinah glory—came, as it did in Solomon's day, causing the priests to fall down. Then God would call his people to arms to overthrow the Roman government.
But instead, they witnessed Jesus becoming uncharacteristically enraged. He was furious that the money exchange system used to purchase sacrifices had been set up in the outer court.
The prophet Isaiah had explained that the outer court was to be a house of prayer for all nations. It was the place in the temple architecture reserved for prayerful interaction between Gentiles and Jews.
This was all done in anticipation of Gentiles who would come to Jerusalem seeking God because they had heard of his fame. This was the area where Jews, coming from the inner courts of sacrifice, could explain to them the way to God through forgiveness of sins mediated by atoning sacrifices.
Instead, Jesus said they had made it a 'den of robbers,' quoting Jeremiah 7:11 'Has this house, which bears my Name, become a den of robbers to you? But I have been watching! declares the LORD.'
This act was symbolic on multiple levels.
Firstly, the use of Jeremiah's 'robbing' language and Jesus' cleansing of the temple was meant to remind them of their worldwide purpose. They were created to be a blessing to all nations.
Secondly, Jesus was enacting the judgment of God by stopping the sacrifices, showing that one greater than the temple had arrived and was rendering the old covenant system obsolete.
The temple had become a nationalistic symbol of revolution, but in the next few days, that whole idea would be upended by a new, more powerful revolution.
This entire temple system had now become obsolete and had been replaced by a new temple—the very person of Christ, in whom the Holy Spirit dwelled in fullness.
The Pharisees came to Jesus after this temple-cleansing event and demanded to know by what authority he did this. Jesus replied:
John 2:18-19 Then the Jews demanded of him, 'What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?' Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.'
Of course, the Pharisees did not understand that Jesus was speaking of his own body, which was now the new temple of God. Blinded by their own pride and self-righteousness, they only saw his statement as a threat to their national symbol of revolution—something that infuriated them even more.

8. Jesus' Final Week in Jerusalem
During this last week, Jesus made trips back and forth to the temple courts to teach and to pronounce judgment—particularly against the Pharisees and the religious leaders of that day.
In Matthew 23, we see Jesus pronouncing seven woes upon them.
The word 'woe' literally means 'how greatly one will suffer' or 'what terrible pain will come to one.'
Matt 23:27-28 'Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of dead men's bones and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.'
The word 'hypocrite' here literally means 'actors.'
In verse 33, Jesus becomes even more caustic in his statements toward Israel's fallen leadership:
Matt 23:33 'You snakes! You brood of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?'
Needless to say, this fueled the fire within the Jewish leadership, who, now infused with hate, were willing to go to any extent to see this young Jewish rebel destroyed in the most shaming, horrific way.
It was also during this week that Jesus prophesied about the coming judgment that was about to fall on Israel and Jerusalem—a foreshadowing of greater troubles that would come upon the whole world.
This collection of teachings is generally known as the Olivet Discourse, because it was given on Mount Olives during his final week.
If you're interested, you can check out Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. These three chapters will give you a glimpse of what is ahead for the world right before Christ returns a second time.
During the rest of his time, Jesus spent most of it healing the sick, giving sight to the blind, and teaching parables about the kingdom of God.

Passion

1. The Last Supper

A. Introduction:
- Aware of Judas's betrayal, Jesus arranged his last meal with his disciples in secret. It's significant to note that this supper was on Thursday evening, the day before Passover. While the Synoptic writers indicate that the Last Supper was a Passover meal, it was a day early — and if you notice, there was no lamb.
- I can't imagine what the disciples were thinking at this time. No doubt anxiety filled the room. This clearly was not going to be any ordinary meal, and they were very right. There were going to be a number of amazing things occurring, and just one of them would have been enough to knock their socks off.
B. Washing one another’s feet
- John 13:3-5 Jesus knew that the Father had put all things under his power, and that he had come from God and was returning to God; so he got up from the meal, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. After that, he poured water into a basin and began to wash his disciples' feet, drying them with the towel that was wrapped around him.
In honoring Jesus's request for privacy, the owner of the upper room did not supply a servant who would have washed everyone's feet.
- So after the meal, when Jesus got up and began to prepare himself to wash his disciples' feet, they all would have been shocked. This was so culturally inappropriate that such an act would have been unthinkable to the disciples.
- This is why you see them being indignant, objecting that the great rabbi should take upon himself the role of a servant.
- John 13:6-9 He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, 'Lord, are you going to wash my feet?' Jesus replied, 'You do not realize now what I am doing, but later you will understand.' 'No,' said Peter, 'you shall never wash my feet.' Jesus answered, 'Unless I wash you, you have no part with me.' Then, Lord,' Simon Peter replied, 'not just my feet but my hands and my head as well!'
- Clearly, Jesus was intentionally beginning to act out the role of Isaiah's servant and was modeling for them what he expected from them in the near future.

C. Betrayal
- When Jesus was finished and was reclining again with his disciples, eating had resumed. Then suddenly, Jesus announced that one in the room would betray him.
- John 13:21-22 After he had said this, Jesus was troubled in spirit and testified, 'I tell you the truth, one of you is going to betray me.' His disciples stared at one another, at a loss to know which of them he meant.
- Being deeply grieved, each disciple began to ask, 'Is it I?' Jesus then dipped a piece of unleavened bread into the sauce bowl on the table and handed it to Judas. He explained that the one to whom he had handed the bread was the betrayer and exhorted him to go out and do quickly what he planned to do.
- John's Gospel tells us: John 13:27 As soon as Judas took the bread, Satan entered into him.
- What a clear picture we are given for all that was about to transpire — an event that was to be brought about by human pawns manipulated by Satan. The real architect behind all that was about to take place was none other than Satan himself.
- I can't help but think of what Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians — our wrestling is not with flesh and blood, but with dark powers and principalities in high places.
- And of course, along with Judas's betrayal, Jesus also quoted the Scripture that said, when the shepherd was struck, the sheep would scatter — pointing to the fact that all the disciples would flee for their lives as Christ came to trial.
- Of course, we're all familiar with Peter's response to that whole scenario, which was total denial. He promised that he would die for Christ, and even if all others fled, he would stand by his side.
- Jesus's response, of course, was that before the rooster crowed three times, Peter would have denied him three times — which came to pass exactly as he said it would.

D. Jesus the Passover Lamb
- The third thing that would've totally blown the disciples away is what he did during the meal with the bread and wine.
- Matt 26:26-29 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks and broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, 'Take and eat; this is my body.' Then he took the cup, gave thanks and offered it to them, saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. I tell you, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it anew with you in my Father's kingdom.'
- The disciples must have been stunned! In all of Jewish literature, there is no precedent for interpreting the bread or the wine as someone's body and blood.
- The eating of unleavened bread takes the Passover observer immediately back to the Exodus, where Israel had no time to wait for their bread to rise because their redemption was coming at any moment.
- Thus, breaking the bread and calling it his broken body was shocking enough. But then when Jesus asked the disciples to eat it, they would have been blown away. Then to call the wine his blood and ask them to drink it would have been beyond comprehension.
- What Jesus was doing was initiating a new covenant prophesied by Jeremiah, Zechariah, and Isaiah. It would not be until after Jesus's death and resurrection that the disciples would begin to realize what Christ had done with them.
- As with the words over the bread, saying that it was his blood and not the blood of the Passover lamb that would be poured out for the nations, he was making a complete break with Judaism as it had been historically defined.
- He was instituting something altogether new — the beginning of a new exodus from the bondage of sin and death, thus bringing a complete end to exile.
- But at this moment, no doubt, they were thoroughly confused.

2. Gethsemane
Luke 22:39-46 Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, 'Pray that you will not fall into temptation.' He withdrew about a stone's throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed, 'Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.' An angel from heaven appeared to him and strengthened him. And being in anguish, he prayed more earnestly, and his sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. When he rose from prayer and went back to the disciples, he found them asleep, exhausted from sorrow. 'Why are you sleeping?' he asked them. 'Get up and pray so that you will not fall into temptation.'
Certainly, Jesus's humanness comes out here, but it may not be what many people think it is. Many believe that his suffering centered on his aversion to the awful death he was about to experience.
But there is another theological reflection that might shed more light on his pain. The source of his pain might be best explained by the fact that he was going to be separated from the Father for the first time in all eternity.
Yet because of his great love for us and the love of his Father, Jesus pledges his undying obedience — 'Not my will but yours be done.'
Here we have a true example of living the Christian life. Out of love, we willingly lay down our lives for the sake of someone else.
It wasn't long after that when the soldiers came, being led by Judas to take Jesus away. You all know the story — Judas betrays Christ with a kiss. Jesus did not fight back. Peter attempted to, grabbing a sword and cutting the ear off the servant of the high priest.
But Jesus rebuked him and then healed the high priest's servant. What an amazing expression of self-giving love. Even when he had been wrongly accused and imprisoned, out of compassion he moved and healed a man without a second thought.

3. Jesus's Trial
Obviously, there are a lot of things that happened between four o'clock in the morning and nine o'clock when he was crucified. So let me mention a few key points in this list of events.
The first thing the soldiers did was find Jesus and lead him back into Jerusalem to the house of Annas. He was the former high priest who had been deposed by the Romans 15 years earlier. Caiaphas was his son-in-law, and by sending Jesus to him first, Caiaphas hoped to solicit his important support. Jesus remained silent through this interview.
After that, Jesus was dragged before the whole Sanhedrin, who had gathered to hear the charges. Matthew says that false witnesses were sought, but Mark explained that their testimonies did not agree. They needed something political to charge him with if they were going to gain a Roman indictment.
Frustrated by the lack of progress, Caiaphas pushed Jesus to answer the charges. But Jesus remained silent. In a last-ditch effort to get Jesus to talk, Caiaphas straight-out asked...
Mark 14:61-64 Again the high priest asked him, 'Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?' 'I am,' said Jesus. 'And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming on the clouds of heaven.' The high priest tore his clothes. 'Why do we need any more witnesses?' he asked. 'You have heard the blasphemy. What do you think?'
Under normal circumstances, a silent defense might have been strategic — but in answer to Caiaphas's question, Jesus suddenly replied, 'I am.'
He alluded to both Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13. In effect, Jesus was saying he was Daniel's Son of Man, and that after his suffering he would be vindicated and received by the Ancient of Days into an eternal kingdom.
Though the temple leaders were claiming the authority to judge Jesus, it would be Jesus who would one day judge them — from being God's right-hand man.
Caiaphas knew exactly what Jesus was saying and tore his robes, shouting blasphemy. Jesus had set himself up against the temple and the anointed high priests and was in fact claiming to supersede the old order.
This was enough now to get that Roman indictment. Caiaphas felt he could clearly show that Jesus was a danger to the whole Jewish system. They all condemned him as worthy of death.
Next, they were off to see Pilate, the Roman governor. It was during this trip that Peter denied Christ three times, and when the rooster crowed, Jesus's eyes met Peter's. Peter knew that what Jesus had said about him had come true, and he ran off to weep bitterly.
It was also during this time that Judas had a change of heart and tried to undo what he had done. But the high priests would have none of it, so in great remorse, Judas went off and committed suicide.
Pilate hated the Jews and would do anything to embarrass Caiaphas, even though he had been instructed by Rome not to interfere in Palestinian affairs. Pilate's first interview with Jesus was significant.
John 18:33-38 Pilate then went back inside the palace, summoned Jesus and asked him, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' 'Is that your own idea,' Jesus asked, 'or did others talk to you about me?' 'Am I a Jew?' Pilate replied. 'It was your people and your chief priests who handed you over to me. What is it you have done?' Jesus said, 'My kingdom is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jews. But now my kingdom is from another place.' 'You are a king, then!' said Pilate. Jesus answered, 'You are right in saying I am a king. In fact, for this reason I was born, and for this I came into the world, to testify to the truth. Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.' 'What is truth?'
Once again, we are taken out of the physical world and given a glimpse into the spiritual one.
And in doing so, Jesus highlights the question that all of us must ask: what is truth? Of course, if you have been traveling with Jesus, you would have discovered that he claimed to be the truth. The truth was not just a set of absolutes, but the very personhood of Christ Jesus.
Pilate could find no wrong with him, but when he discovered that Jesus was from Galilee, he decided to pass the problem to Herod, who was the governor of Galilee.
Jesus then went off to see Herod, who was excited to see him and wanted Jesus to perform a miracle. Jesus did not comply, so Herod sent him back to Pilate.
Pilate, no doubt frustrated to see Jesus back, confronted the Jews with the fact that neither he nor Herod had found Jesus guilty of any crime.
In trying to get Jesus off the hook, he offered to release Barabbas, a known murderer. He had no idea of the spiritual significance of what he was proposing — that a son of Abraham/Adam who was guilty of sin would be exchanged for another son of Abraham/Adam who was innocent. Thus, working behind the presenting events was the bigger story of human redemption.
Of course, the crowd would not have it and cried out that Jesus be crucified while Barabbas was freed. This was beyond Pilate's ability to understand. He knew they knew Jesus was innocent, and he also understood that they were jealous of him, but the absolute hatred being expressed toward Christ, who was innocent, was beyond him.
Who was this man they called the Christ? What made him so unique that he caused all this anger and hatred? Then something was said that made Pilate afraid.
John 19:7-11: The Jews insisted, 'We have a law, and according to that law he must die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.' When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, and he went back inside the palace. 'Where do you come from?' he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer. 'Do you refuse to speak to me?' Pilate said. 'Don't you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?' Jesus answered, 'You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore, the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.'
At this point, Pilate was really panicking and did everything he could to see Jesus freed, but he was unsuccessful. So, in a symbolic act, he washed his hands clean of the matter and turned Jesus over to the mob.

4. The Crucifixion of the Christ
Even by Roman standards, crucifixion was a torturous, inhumane way to die and was reserved for only the worst criminals. Because no vital organs were pierced, it was a slow, agonizing death.
It should be noted that the early Christians would never have thought to use the cross as a Christian symbol because it was too horrifying. Instead, they used the symbol of a fish.
The victim was usually stripped naked and placed face away from the crosspiece, then flung to the ground over the wood. They would literally nail his hands to the cross, as well as his feet.
The key to staying alive on the cross was being able to breathe, which could be maintained by using their legs to push up, allowing their lungs to get a breath of air. Eventually, their muscles would give out, and they would drown in their own fluids.
It was upon the cross that Jesus said seven things — each unlocking a mystery of the kingdom of God:
a. John 20:23 'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.'

b. John 19:27 'Woman, behold thy son… behold thy mother.'

c. Luke 23:43 ‘I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.'

d. Matthew 27:46 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?'

e. John 19:28 'I thirst.'

f. John 19:30 'It is finished.'

g. Luke 23:46 'Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.'

Matthew 27:51-53 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus's resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

5. Jesus's Burial
As sundown was drawing near, the Jews were anxious to get Jesus into a tomb. At their behest, one of the Roman soldiers broke the legs of the two revolutionaries, but when he came to Jesus, he found him already dead.
Just to make sure, one of them rammed a spear into Jesus's side. Both blood and water gushed out, symbolizing that he was dead. No one could survive that if they had not already died.
John 19:38-41 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews. With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away. He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. Taking Jesus's body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.

Post-Passion

1. Jesus' Resurrection
Matt 28:1-10 After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb. There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men. The angel said to the women, 'Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples: He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him. Now I have told you.' So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. Suddenly Jesus met them. 'Greetings,' he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.'
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship had an interesting article written by Curtis Chang, refuting some of the claims made by Anada Gupta that the Bible, in regard to the resurrection of Jesus, was bad history and that the men who wrote it were just myth-makers. Chang writes:
'The names that are specifically mentioned for the first trip to the tomb are all consistent: they are women, with Mary Magdalene figuring prominently in all accounts, as Gupta concedes.'
This consistent detail is significant for distinguishing the male, Jewish authors of the Gospels from myth-makers or fabricators.
As Boston College professor of literature Peter Kreeft reminds us: 'In first century Judaism, women had low social status and no legal right to serve as witnesses. If the empty tomb were an invented legend, its inventors surely would not have had it discovered by women, whose testimony was considered worthless. If, on the other hand, the writers were simply reporting what they saw, they would have to tell the truth, however socially and legally inconvenient.'
John 20:3-9 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb. Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. He bent over and looked in at the strips of linen lying there but did not go in. Then Simon Peter, who was behind him, arrived and went into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, as well as the burial cloth that had been around Jesus' head. The cloth was folded up by itself, separate from the linen. Finally, the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went inside. He saw and believed. (They still did not understand from Scripture that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)
Notice the little detail — that the cloth was folded up by itself — which was a sign that any slave would have recognized. When the master was done eating, he simply threw the napkin down on the table as is. But when the master wanted the servant to know he was coming back, he folded up the napkin neatly and put it on the table.
Thus, the message here is clear: I'm not done... I'm coming back!

2. Jesus' Post-Resurrection Appearances
John 20:19-23 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, 'Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.' And with that he breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive anyone his sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.'
John 20:24-29 Now Thomas (called Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. So the other disciples told him, 'We have seen the Lord!' But he said to them, 'Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe it.' A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, 'Peace be with you!' Then he said to Thomas, 'Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.' Thomas said to him, 'My Lord and my God!' Then Jesus told him, 'Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.'
1 Cor 15:3-8 For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Peter, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born.
Lee Strobel put it like this: If we were holding a trial to determine the facts concerning the resurrection, and if we were to call to the witness stand every witness who personally encountered the resurrected Jesus and we cross-examined them for only 15 minutes, and if we went around the clock without a break, we would be listening to first-hand testimony for more than 128 hours — that's over 5 days' worth of testimony. Who could possibly walk away unconvinced?
The stories — they are too close. The written history is too strong to deny what they saw and what they experienced.
One psychologist even said, 'Over 500 people having the same hallucination would be more of a miracle than the resurrection itself!'

3. Jesus' Great Commission
Matt 28:18-20 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.'
Once again, we see the Genesis calling declared: multiply (make disciples), fill the earth with my image (teaching them everything I have commanded you), and rule.
Mark 16:15-18 'Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will accompany those who believe: In my name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues; they will pick up snakes with their hands; and when they drink deadly poison, it will not hurt them at all; they will place their hands on sick people, and they will get well.'