On Saturday, Jesus arrived at Bethany, near the Mount of Olives, and a short walk to Jerusalem. He visited his friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, where he was anointed for burial with expensive oil. Judas asked why waste the expensive oil?
On Sunday, Jesus made his triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey he borrowed. The people shouted, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! . . . Hosanna to the Son of David”.
On Monday, Jesus drove out the money changers from the Temple rebuking them saying: “My house shall be called a house of prayer for all peoples’? But you have made it a den of thieves.!”
On Tuesday, Jesus’ authority is debated with the Jewish leadership, the Pharisees, Herodians, and Sadducees:
On Thursday, first Jesus was betrayed by Judas – for Judas, it was 30 pieces of silver – What about you? Jesus later washed the feet of his disciples and engaged them in the Last Supper, where he instituted the Eucharist. He gave some final teaching to his disciples. He then moved to the garden of Gethsemane and asked the disciples to keep watch with him for an hour. After that, he prayed: “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!”, The soldiers came, arrested Jesus, and his trials began.
On Friday, his trials continue as Jesus appeared before the Sanhedrin, Pilate, and Herod. At the verdict and scourging, Pilate tried to release Jesus but the crowd wanted him to die. Pilate asked “Why? What wrong has he done?” They shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!, Crucify him!” Jesus then was nailed to the cross.
The last words of Jesus on the cross provide us with a glimpse of Jesus’ concern and mindset in his final hours. Think about them….
“Father, forgive them; for they do not know what they are doing”.
“Amen, I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
“He said to his mother, ‘Woman, behold your son!’ He then said to his disciple, ‘Behold your mother!”.
“‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’.
“I thirst”. “It is finished”.
“Father, into your hands I commit my spirit”.