 April's featured article
When Was Jesus Crucified?
When purchasing a house or acreage one always takes the precaution of having it surveyed to insure against the unpleasant surprise of finding that half your new home has been built on your neighbour's property, or the dam is not on your land. To prove the accuracy of the map or plan of your purchase, the surveyor will first locate a government "trig" station or absolute, then fix one corner of your property from this constant as his datum post. And from this known fixed point he will accurately measure and confirm all the other boundaries of the site.
Ancient masons who built the great cathedrals first established the precise location of one point. Here they laid the cornerstone from which the whole structure was measured. In a recent teaching we learned that Christ is the head of the corner or capstone, from which the temple of the living God or Church is measured. Tonight we're going to revisit the last supper and crucifixion and drive in a few datum posts, or establish some constants, measured from the Absolute or "trig" station of God's Word to make sure the story we are believing is the mind of God, and not Roman Catholic traditions from our denominational past. Scripture has provided us with a series of FIXED days and FIXED dates we can plot on the calendar to determine the events which occupied the last week of our Lord's life on earth, and establish the precise day of His crucifixion. Throughout this lesson I ask you to bear in mind that the Hebrews reckoned their day from sunset to sunset instead of from midnight. We will set forth Jesus' activities as they might have happened in the week before Calvary.
I am not teaching this as doctrine and I may have some details out of order. This will help us to organise our thinking and paint an ordered picture in our own mind. After the resurrection of Lazarus was reported, the chief priests and Pharisees became concerned at the many following and believing on Jesus because of His Supernatural vindication. They feared for their exalted station over Israel, and their status with the Roman rulers. Caiaphas interposed with the solution: "It's expedient for the hierarchy, that one man should die for the people, to preserve the (religious status quo) of our nation" (John 11:47-57). To these Hebrews, any utterance of the high priest was regarded as inspired. Caiaphas had announced a conspiracy to have Jesus put to death by Rome; God used his tongue to prophesy. Thereafter Jesus hid himself from the Jews who were ordered to report any sightings of Him.
The Passover was approaching. This year Jesus was to be that Lamb (John 1:29-34), so He began making His way back towards Bethany which lies on the side of the Mount of Olives, eastward from Jerusalem. He had to be there by Nisan 10 as the Law required the lamb should be separated from the flock on that day (Exodus 12:3-6). It was to be kept in the home for the next four days to be examined for and protected from any blemishes. Jesus was separated and taken into the home of his friends, Mary, Martha and Lazarus. From here He was presented to the people and their denominational religious leaders for examination, but even Pilate declared, "I find no fault in Him".
Nisan 7, our Thursday sunset to Friday sunset Jesus spent our Thursday night (Nisan 7) near Jericho, at the home of Zacchaeus the businessman (Luke 19:1-10). On Friday morning He preached the "parable of the pounds" and set off towards Jerusalem (Luke 19:11-28). Bypassing Bethany, they came to Bethphage, where He sent His disciples to fetch an ass and a colt (Matthew 21:1-7).
Jesus is followed by a multitude from the village rejoicing at the fulfilment of Zechariah 9:9, "Rejoice greatly O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, your King comes to you: He is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass".
Down in Jerusalem, however, nobody was expecting this Kinsman that Zechariah said would come in peace to be a ransom for their souls. Jesus entered the Temple courts where money changers were selling the Temple half shekel as they did at each Passover season. Every adult male must pay the annual ransom that furnished the continual burnt offerings and Temple necessaries. Jesus was that continual burnt offering. In righteous indignation He cast out the money changers who were making unjust profit, and overturned their tables. This was a full day's work and Jesus was exhausted when He arrived at the home of Mary, Martha and Lazarus in Bethany on Friday night our time (Matthew 21:8-17; John 12:1).
Nisan 8, our Friday sunset to Saturday sunset John 12:1 takes us to Nisan 8. From Friday sunset until Saturday sunset our time. "SIX days before Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, to the home of Lazarus whom He had raised from the dead". Jesus spent the Sabbath of Nisan 8 in the home of Lazarus and his sisters. Nisan 9, our Saturday sunset to Sunday sunset After sunset and the close of the Sabbath "They made Him a supper; Martha served: but Lazarus sat at the table with Jesus and their guests" (John 12:2). This is the first of three banquets and two anointing (three in the Gospels, the first in Capernaum - Luke 7:36-50) in the four days before the crucifixion. Lazarus' sister, Mary anointed Jesus' feet in token of His burial (John 12:3-11).
To READ ON Easter - When Was Jesus Crucified?
The Journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary Cross and Resurrected from the dead
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjJLvUKwBH0
April 2015 The Journey of Jesus Christ to Calvary Cross
Matthew 27 When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put Him to death.
2 And when they had bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
Jesus Faces Pilate
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"
Jesus said to him, "It is as you say."
12 And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"
They said, "Barabbas!"
22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"
They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"
23 Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?"
But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"
24 When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it."
25 And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."
26 Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"
30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.
31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.
The King on a Cross
32 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. Him they compelled to bear His cross.
33 And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull,
34 they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.
35 Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:
"They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots."
36 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" that is, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?"
47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, "This Man is calling for Elijah!"
48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.
49 The rest said, "Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him."
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.
54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God!"
55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,
56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
Pilate Sets a Guard
62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,
63 saying, "Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, 'After three days I will rise.'
64 Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead.' So the last deception will be worse than the first."
65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how."
66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
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