Friday, April 18, 2014
THE WEEK THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
THURSDAY: DAY OF SACRIFICE ... and VICTORY
- Jesus' Betrayal and Arrest (Very early Friday morning) -
When Jesus had spoken these words [of His High Priestly Prayer], and when they had sung a hymn, He went to the Mount of Olives as He was accustomed, and His disciples also followed Him. They went over the brook Kidron, and they came to a garden named Gethsemane. Then Jesus said to them, "All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night, for it is written: 'I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.' But after I have been raised I will go before you to Galilee."
In that hour Jesus said to the chief priests and captains of the temple and elders who came to Him, "Have you come out, as against a robber, with swords and clubs to take Me? I sat daily with you in the temple, teaching, and you did not lay hands on Me. But this is your hour, and the power of darkness." All this was done that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then the disciples forsook Him and fled.
- Jesus Before the Jews -
Then the detachment of troops and the captain and the officers of the Jews arrested Jesus and bound Him. And they led Him away and brought Him into the high priest's house. Now it was Caiaphas the high priest who gave counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for the people. And the high priest asked Him, saying to Him, "I adjure You by the living God that You tell us if You are the Christ, the Son of God, the Son of the Blessed?" And Jesus said, "I am. It is as you said. Nevertheless I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming on the clouds of heaven." Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has spoken blasphemy! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, now you have heard His blasphemy. What do you think?" And they all condemned Him to be worthy of death. They answered and said, "He is deserving of death!"
- Jesus Before Pilate (Early Friday morning) -
Then the whole multitude of them arose, bound Jesus, and led Him away from Caiaphas to the Praetorium and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor; and it was early morning. Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "My kingdom is not of this world. If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight so that I should not be delivered to the Jews; but now My kingdom is not from here." Pilate therefore said to Him, "Are You a king then?" Jesus answered and said to him, "It is as you say. You say rightly that I am a king. For this cause I was born, and for this cause I have come into the world, that I should bear witness to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is truth?" And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to the chief priests and the crowd, "I find no fault in this Man. I find no fault in Him at all."
And wanting to gratify the crowd, Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they requested. And he released Barabbas to them, the one they requested, who for insurrection and murder had been thrown into prison. And so Pilate delivered Jesus to them to be crucified. The soldiers took Jesus' purple robe off Him, and put His own clothes on Him. They took Jesus, and led Him out to crucify Him; and He, bearing His cross, went out.
- The King on a Cross -
Now it was the third hour [9:00 am, Jewish time] when they crucified Him. Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they do." Now Pilate wrote a title or inscription of His accusation over Him. And the soldiers put it above His head on the cross. And it was written: "THIS IS JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS." One of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us!" But the other answering rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong." Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom!" And Jesus said to him, "Truly I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, "Woman, behold your son!" Then He said to the disciple, "Behold your mother!" And from that hour that disciple took her to his own home.
And it was about the sixth hour [12:00 noon]. Then the sun was darkened. And there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour [3:00 pm]. And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!" Which is translated, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" And when some of those who stood by heard that, they said, "Look! This Man is calling for Elijah." After this, Jesus, seeing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, "I thirst." Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there. Then immediately someone ran, and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed, on hyssop, and put it to His mouth, and offered it to Him to drink. He and the others said, "Let Him alone! Let us see if Elijah will come to save Him and take Him down." So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, "It is finished!" And when Jesus had cried out again with a loud voice, He said, "Father, into Your hand I commend My spirit." And having said this, He bowed His head, and gave up His spirit, and breathed His last.
-- Selected and Adapted from Orville Daniel's "A Harmony of the Gospels" (NIV84)
