Anchor My Faith

Author: Stephen Weller
Back to h638
580 words, 3 minutes read time

Passion Week Timeline

Match the numbers in the squares with the points below:

1. On Saturday, Jesus and the disciples are in Bethany with Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Maratha was serving a meal (John 12:2) in the house of Simion the leper (Mark 14:3).

2. Passover is about to happen and is an event that begins on the tenth day of the month of Nisan (Exodus 12:3) when a lamb is selected without blemish (Exodus 12:5). The lamb must be visible for four days so that everyone can observe its perfection.

3. At twilight, on the 14th day, the lamb is to be killed, prepared (day of preparation), and eaten that evening, which would then be the 15th day of Nisan. Jesus is our Passover Lamb, who enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, Nisan 10, and remains sinless through his time of death with the other Passover Lambs on Nisan 14, our Thursday. (See lesson H632) (Jesus may have died between 3 and 4 PM)

^19:31 “Since it was the day of Preparation, and so that the bodies would not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken and that they might be taken away.” (John 19:31 ESV) Friday was a Sabbath day (a high day) as was Saturday. Tradition overlooks this high day sabbath and as a result we have an error of one day (I believe).

4. ¹⁵ And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” ¹⁷ And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. ¹⁸ For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine ^{Mt 26:29} until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.” (Luke 22:15 – 18; Matthew 26:29 ESV) (See lesson H641)​

5. ³⁹ “An evil and adulterous generation seeks for a sign, but no sign will be given to it except the sign of the prophet Jonah. ⁴⁰ For just as Jonah was three days and three nights in the belly of the great fish, so will the Son of Man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:39 – 40 ESV).

6. What if Jonah was thrown overboard on Thursday. Thursday would be day one, Thursday night would be night one, Friday would be day two, Friday night would be night two, Saturday would be day three and Saturday night would be night three. Assume the fish delivered Jonah to the shore just before sunrise on Sunday morning, ready to start his journey to Nineveh. Thursday to just before daylight on Sunday morning would be three days and three nigh​ts. Jesus said he would be in the earth three days and three nights like Jonah was in the great fish. Is it possible that tradition placed the death of Jesus on Friday when it really was on Thursday?

^20:1 “Now on the first day of the week Mary Magdalene came to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the stone had been taken away from the tomb.” (John 20:1 ESV)