1) Listen to Podcast
2)GG Questions 04/14/2019
Palm Sunday:The Last Week of Jesus’ Life Matthew, Mark, Luke and John!
1. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday: Doug Bookman, expert on the Passion Week of Christ, often asks the compelling question, ‘Given Sunday (the triumphal entry), why Friday (the cross)?’ His answer… ‘Monday and Tuesday’. What happened on Monday (Matt. 21:12-13) and Tuesday (Matt. 22:15; Mark 12:13) of Jesus last week of life? Who was he throwing down the gauntlet before? It appears that Jesus was giving the people who joyously embraced him on Sunday a hard and fast choice – me or the religious establishment (John 12:36-43, 48). What hard and fast choices has Jesus forced you to make?
2. Last Supper: Jesus’ words, “This cup … is the new covenant in my blood” (Luke 22:20) need a little unpacking. If we understand a ‘covenant’ as agreement defining the relationship between two parties, how does Jeremiah 31:31-34 describe the blessings we enjoy today as partakers of this covenant? Hebrews 9 teaches that “the [old] covenant was put into effect with the blood of an animal” (v. 18) but that the new covenant required “far better sacrifices” (v. 23). How does this help us understand how this covenant could be in Jesus’ blood?
3. Farewell Discourse: The moment Judas leaves the upper room (John 13:30), the countdown has begun! Jesus has an hour, maybe two, before Judas returns with the soldiers. What would you say to your disciples, if you had an hour to live? We call Jesus’ last words to his disciples the ‘Farewell Discourse’ (John 14-16). Skim these chapters. What stands out to you? The words Jesus spoke to his disciples, ‘Where I am going you cannot come,’ (13:33) apply to us too. How does this final discourse encourage you as you live in this troubling world (16:33) waiting for Jesus’ return?
4. Pilate: The only other time “Pilate” is referenced outside the gospels and Acts is in 1 Timothy 6:13 where Paul exhorts Timothy on the basis of Jesus “who in his testimony before Pontius Pilate made the good confession.” What are we meant to learn from the way Jesus handled himself before Pilate? Read the accounts of Jesus’ two private interviews with Pilate (John 18:33-38; 19:9-11). What do you see of poise in persecution and compassion in condemnation?
