Lesson
7
The
Road to Calvary
III. The Road To
Calvary
The last week of
Christ's life before His crucifixion, saw many prophecies fulfilled and
demonstrated the compassion of Jesus upon both His friends and enemies.
A. The Triumphal
Entry
Fulfilling Zechariah
9:9, Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This is commonly called His
"Triumphal Entry," and is found in Matthew 21:1-17, with parallel
accounts in Mark 11:1-11 and Luke 19:29-40. As Jesus and His disciples came
near Jerusalem, He sent two of them to a nearby village, with instructions to
return with a colt they would find. Jesus instructed him that, if anyone said
anything to them, they were to respond, "The Lord hath need of them,"
whereupon they would be allowed to take the animal. The disciples did so placing
their clothing on the back of the colt and setting Jesus thereon. A great crowd
of people greeted them, spreading their garments in the path of the colt.
Others placed the branches of trees on the ground for the colt to walk on.
Multitudes cried, "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that cometh
in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!" As the procession came
into Jerusalem, the people were moved and the cry went up, "Who is
this?" "This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth of Galilee,"
responded the multitude. It would be but a few days until the inhabitants of
the same city that cried, "Hosanna to the son of David," would be
screaming, "Crucify Him! Crucify Him!"
B.The Last Supper
The next event which
occurred during the week before the crucifixion is known as the Last Supper.
The record of this event is seen in Matthew 26:17-29, with parallel passages in
Mark 14:12-26 and Luke 22:7-23. Every year, on a certain day, the lews kept the
Feast of the Passover, in remembrance of their deliverance from Egyptian
slavery. During the week before Jesus was crucified,
at the Passover meal, Jesus instituted something new to the disciples:
"And
as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave
it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. And he took the cup,
and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; For this is
my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
sins" (Matthew 26:26-28).
Jesus
revealed to His disciples that this meal was to take on a new meaning. It was
to be called the Lord's Supper in the New
Testament church. Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us (I Corinthians 5:7).
Paul explained the new meaning in I Corinthians
11:23-26.
"For
as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death
till he come" (I Corinthians 11:26).
* The
bread represents Christ's body.
* The fruit of the
vine symbolizes His blood.
This ordinance is to
be observed "as oft as ye drink it," and should continue until the
Lord's return.
Before Jesus
introduced this new meaning of the Passover, He said, "Verily I say unto
you, that one of you shall betray me." The disciples were very sorrowful,
and began to ask, "Lord, is it I?" Jesus responded, "He that
dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me." Judas,
then, asked, "Master, it is I?" Jesus replied, "Thou hast
said." Judas then left the room, and went out to consummate his betrayal
of Jesus (John 13:26-30).
C. Gethsemane
Following the supper,
Jesus and His disciples came to the Garden of Gethsemane. He told eight of His
disciples to remain behind while He went to pray. He then took Peter, James and
John with him and went a little farther into the garden. He asked them to watch
with Him. He was becoming very sorrowful and heavy at the prospect of His
approaching betrayal and crucifixion. Jesus went about a stone's throw from
these three and fell on His face. He began to pray, "0 my Father, if it be
possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou
wilt." When He returned to Peter, James, and John, He found them asleep!
"What!" Jesus said to Peter, "Could ye not watch with me one
hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is
willing, but the flesh is weak" (Matthew 26:40-41).
D. Betrayed
Sometime later, after
much prayer, He woke them with these fateful words: "Rise, let us be
going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me" (Matthew 26:46). While
Jesus was still speaking, Judas came with a great multitude which was armed
with swords and staves. Judas came to Jesus, and said, "Hail,
master." Judas then kissed Him. This was the prearranged signal to
identify Christ to the mob. Jesus said to Judas, "Friend, wherefore art
thou come?" They then took Jesus away.
E. The Trial
Jesus' trial was a
mockery (Matthew 26:57-69). He was led to Caiaphas the high priest, where the
scribes and elders were gathered. Arrangements had been made for false
witnesses to testify against Jesus, so that He might be put to death. As far as
the high priest was concerned, Jesus had sealed His fate. He tore his garment,
and said, "He hath spoken blasphemy; what further need have we of
witnesses? behold, now ye have heard his blasphemy?" He asked the others, "What
think ye?" They agreed, "He is guilty of death." They then spit
in Jesus' face, hit Him, and smote Him with the palms of their hands. They
jeered, "Prophesy unto us, thou Christ, Who is he that smote thee?"
Following these tragic events, Jesus was led from the house of Caiaphas to
Pilate (John 18:28-40; 19:1-15). Pilate queried, "What accusation bring ye
against this man?" Pilate was the Roman governor over judea, and
responsible to carry out the death penalty on criminals. After questioning
Jesus, Pilate went out of the judgment hall and said to the Jews, "I find
in him no fault at all. But ye have acustom, that I should release unto you one
at the passover. Will ye therefore that I release unto you the King of the
Jews?" "Not this man," they cried, "but Barabbas."
Barabbas was a robber, insurrectionist and murderer (Mark 15:7). The crowd in
their frenzy rejected the Son of God and chose a criminal.
F. Jesus Beaten
As a result of their
request, Pilate took Jesus and had Him scourged, or beaten. Little did these
Jews know, nor did Pilate know, that their very actions were fulfilling
prophecies given by holy men of God many years previously. The prophet Isaiah,
in that great predictive chapter where, in so much vivid detail, described the
crucifixion of the Messiah. He said, "But he was wounded for our
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isaiah 53:5). The
stripes that Jesus took at the hand of Pilate's men paid the price for our
healing. Many years later. Peter said, "Who his own self bare our sins, .
. .by whose stripes ye were healed" (I Peter 2:24). The total redemption,
both from all sin, and all sickness, is seen in Psalm 103:3: "Who
forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth ail thy diseases!" The price
that Jesus paid was not a partial price, for some diseases, but a complete
price for all.
Healing of
the sick is one of the signs that follow believers. Jesus said, "These
signs shall follow them that believe; In my name. . .they shall lay hands on
the sick, and they shall recover" (Mark 16:17-18). Jesus gave instructions
for the healing of believers: "Is any sick among you? let him call for the
elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the
name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord
shall raise him up" (James 5:14-15). It is God's will to heal the sick.
All that is required is faith in the price Jesus paid, and obedience to the
Word of God.