Old Testament Reading: Zechariah 9:9-10
New Testament Reading: Matthew 21:1-10
Palm Sunday Service
“From Gethsemane to Golgotha”
Selected Scriptures
Even unbelievers acknowledge the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus as the two essential doctrines of the Christian Faith. For without those events, we have no gospel.
- Because of that, we can understand several things about the Church and human history.
- The Church moved the day of Christian worship from the Sabbath Day to Sunday to celebrate Jesus’ resurrection.
- By the end of the first century, Sunday was called “The Lord’s Day” and reserved for corporate worship.
- In 325 AD the Church severed the annual celebration of the Lord’s resurrection from its connection to the Jewish Passover and instructed Christian churches to celebrate the resurrection in connection with the first day of spring.
- That decision distorted the truth and diminished the spiritual significance of the resurrection so much, that the celebration of “Easter” became more important than the
“Resurrection of Jesus Christ.”
Over time, the celebration of Jesus’ resurrection merged with “Easter”, or “Ishtar,” the name of a false god of fertility that was worshipped by pagans in Mesopotamia and Syria.
- Many Easter symbols originated in the pagan spring festivals of Europe, Egypt, and the Middle East, including the “rabbit” – a symbol of sexual pleasure and fertility.
- Connect the celebration of Ishtar – the rebirth of nature, with rabbits – the symbol of fertility, and we have the origin of the Easter Bunny…. that “lays eggs”!
Even those religious activities that God designed to keep our minds focused on the resurrection are not according to the timeline given to us in the Scriptures. In fact, the Good Friday-Easter Sunday tradition actually denies the only sign Jesus offered the religious leaders to prove His deity.
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“For as Jonah was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly, so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.”
John 12:40
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The miracle of Jonah was a “type”, or an illustration of the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus.
- Three days and three nights equal 72-hours, and it is impossible, by any method, to get 72-hours using the Friday Crucifixion – Sunday morning resurrection model.
- Matthew, Mark, and Luke wrote their gospel on Jewish time – “sunset to sunset,” or as God said in Genesis, “the evening and the morning were the first day.” John wrote his gospel much later and used Roman time.
- Beginning at 6:00 pm Saturday, (Sunday, Jewish time) and counting backward 72-hours, Jesus had to have been buried by 6:00 pm on Wednesday for the “sign” He gave the religious leaders to be true.
- In 1st Corinthians 15:4, the Apostle Paul said Jesus “was buried, and rose again the third day, according to the scriptures.”
COUNTDOWN TO THE CRUCIFIXION
Events recorded in: Mt. Mrk. Luke John
Friday – Nisan 8 – Six Days before The Passover
- Jesus arrived in Bethany 12:1
- Mary anoints Jesus for burial 12:1-8
- Plot to kill Lazarus 12:9-11
- Judas betrays Jesus for money 26:14-16 14:10-11 22:3-6
Saturday – Nisan 9 –Five Days Before the Passover – Regular Sabbath Day
- Jesus enters Jerusalem 21:1-11 11:1-10 19:29-44 12:12-19
- Jesus weeps over Jerusalem 19:41
- Returns to Bethany with disciples 11:11
Sunday – Nisan 10 – Four Days Before the Passover –
- Jesus curses barren fig tree 21:18-19 11:11-18
- Jesus cleanses the temple 21:12-13 11:15-18 19:45-48
- Plans to kill Jesus increases 11:18-19
- Greeks seek to see Jesus 12:20-36
- Jesus returns to Bethany 11:19
Monday – Nisan 11 – Three Days Before the Passover
- Fig tree is withered 21:18-22 11:20-26
- Jesus Teaches Publicly 21:23-25:46 11:27-13:37 20:1-21:36
- Parables – two sons, wicked husbandman, great supper, great commandment, paying taxes, woes to scribes and Pharisees
- Prophecy – Olivet discourse, destruction of the Temple, persecution, and the destruction of Jerusalem
- Parables – fig tree, flood, servants, ten virgins, talents
- Prophecy – sheep and goats/last judgment
Tuesday, Nisan 12 – Two Days Before the Passover
- Plans to kill Jesus increase 26:1-5 14:1-2 22:1-2
- Disciples prepare Upper Room 26:17-20 14:12-17 22:7-14
Wednesday, Nisan 13 – One Day Before the Passover (sunset)
- Jesus washes the disciple’s feet 13:1-20
- Jesus identifies His betrayer 26:21-25 14:18-21 22:21-23 13:21-30
- Last Supper Instituted 26:26-29 14:22-25 22:15-20
- Judas leaves the room 13:32
- Jesus gives new commandment 13:31-35
- Jesus warns all will flee 26:31-35 14:27-31 22:31-38 13:36-38
- Jesus Upper Room Discourse 14:1-31
- They sing a hymn and leave 26:30 14:26-31
- Jesus teaches along the way 15-17
- Jesus prays at Gethsemane 26:36-46 14:26-42 22:39-46
- Jesus betrayed, arrested 26:47-56 14:43-52 22:47-53 18:2-13
Midnight – Jesus taken to Annas for questioning
- 1:00-200 am – Jesus taken to Caiaphas for questioning
- 5:00-6:00 am – Jesus stands before Sanhedrin – mock trial
- 6:00-7:00 am – Jesus stands before Pilate for sentencing
- 7:00-8:00 am – Jesus stands before Herod for sentencing
- 8:00-9:00 am – Pilate and Herod found Jesus to be innocent
- 9:00-10:00 am – Jesus was beaten, scourged, mocked and paraded through the city of Jerusalem, carrying the top beam of the cross
- 12:00 noon – Jesus was nailed to the cross between two thieves
- 12:00-3:00 pm – Darkness covered the area for miles
- 3:00 pm – Jesus cried out “It is finished – Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit.”
- 3:00 pm – an earthquake occurred, the temple veil was torn, area graves were opened, the Roman Centurion confessed Christ.
Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus prepared the body and buried it in a tomb nearby; the Roman’s sealed it and guarded it
