Countdown to the Passion

Jesus' Last Week in Jerusalem: The Countdown to the Passion

The ancients counted without the concept of a zero place value; therefore, Scripture records that Jesus was in the tomb for three days, from Friday to Sunday. The Jewish day began at sundown. There were four Night Watches, and daylight hours were divided into twelve seasonal hours. The Synoptic Gospels use Jewish time, but John's Gospel uses Roman time and Roman geographic place names. Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany... (John 12:1).

Day #1: Saturday, Nisan 9^th: Jesus ate the Sabbath dinner at the house of Lazarus and his sisters with His disciples and received His second anointing (Jn 12:1-11).

Day #2: Sunday, Nisan 10^th: Jesus made His triumphal ride into Jerusalem and cleansed the Temple a second time. He taught the people at the Temple (Mt 21:1-17; Mk 11:1-11; Lk 19:36-40; Jn 12:12-19). At night, Jesus left Jerusalem to spend the night at Bethany on the Mt. of Olives (Mt 21:17; Mk 11:19).

Day #3: Monday, Nisan 11^th: Jesus cursed the fig tree and cleansed the Temple a third time. The chief priests, scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees challenged His authority when He taught at the Jerusalem Temple (Mt 21:18-23; 22:15; Mk 11:12-19; Lk 20:1).

Day #4: Tuesday, Nisan 12^th: Jesus continued to teach at the Jerusalem Temple (Lk 21:37-38).

Day #5: Wednesday, Nisan 13^th: Jesus's last day teaching in Jerusalem. He condemned His generation and taught about the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. He prophesied His Second Advent, the Last Judgment, and that the "hour" (of His Passion) had come. At the announcement of His coming Passion, God the Father's voice was heard from Heaven, announcing His approval of God the Son. It is two days before the Passover (Mt 26:2; Mk 14:1). He had dinner with friends in Bethany at the house of Simon the (former) leper, where He received His third anointing. Judas betrayed him to the chief priests (Mt 23:34-25:37; 26:1-2, 6-16; Mk 13:1-37; 14:1, 3-11; Lk 21:5-36; 22:1-6; Jn 12:27-33; 13:1-2a).

Day #6: Thursday, Nisan 14^th: The day of the Passover sacrifice. Jesus sent Peter and John to prepare the room for the sacred meal of the Feast of Unleavened Bread (Mt 26:12-19; Mk 14:12-16; Lk 22:7-13) that began at sundown.

Day #7: Sundown was the beginning of Friday, Nisan 15^th: It is the appointed time of the sacred meal of the Passover sacrifice on the first night of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. During this feast, Jesus celebrated the Last Supper and instituted the Eucharist. Judas decides to betray Jesus and leaves without completing the meal. That night before dawn, guards arrested Jesus (Mt 26:47-50; Mk 14:43-50; Lk 22:47-53; Jn 18:2-11). The guards took Him to the former High Priest, Ananias (Jn 18:19-24), before His trial by the Sanhedrin (Mt 26:57-66; Mk 14:53-65). Peter denied Him three times before the night watch signal of the cockcrow at 3 AM (Mk 13:35; Mt 27:69-75; Mk 15:66-72; Jn 18:25-27). At dawn, the Jewish leaders took Him to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, who reluctantly convicted Him of treason (Mt 27:1-2; Mk 15:1; Lk 22:66; 23:1; Jn 18:28).

From the Crucifixion to the Ascension

Roman time, which is also modern time, began the new day at midnight, with dawn at the beginning of the 6^th hour. Noon was the 6^th hour Jewish time and the 12^th hour Roman time. When John 19:14 records that it was "about the 6^th hour when Jesus was with Pilate," it is 6 AM Roman time, in agreement with the Synoptic Gospels.

The Jewish leaders took Jesus to the Roman governor just after dawn (Mt 27:1-2; Mk 15:1; Lk 22:66-23:1; Jn 18:28).
Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Agrippa I because He was a citizen of Galilee. Herod found Jesus had not committed a crime and sent Him back to Pilate (Lk 23:6-11, 15).
Pilate found Jesus "without fault" (Lk 23:13-15; Jn 18:38; 19:4, 6). The Jewish leaders condemned Jesus of blasphemy (Mt 26:65-66; Mk 14:61-64; Lk 22:69-71) but coerced Pilate into pronouncing Him guilty of treason (Mt 27:23-24; Mk 15:9-15; Lk 23:22-25; Jn 19:12-16).
The Romans crucified Jesus at the 3^rd-hour Jewish time = 9 AM our time (Mk 15:25).
Jesus was tried, crucified, and died during the daytime of the Jewish day we call Friday, known as "Preparation Day" for the Jewish Saturday Sabbath (Mk 15:42; Jn 19:31). The Temple gates opened for the morning worship service and required Sacred Assembly for the Feast of Unleavened Bread at the 3^rd-hour Jewish time = 9 AM our time (Lev 23:6-8; Num 28:17-25). Darkness descended from the 6^th-hour Jewish time to the 9^th hour = 12 noon " 3 PM (Mt 27:45; Mk 15:33; Lk 23:44).
Jesus gave up His life on the altar of the Cross at the 9^th-hour Jewish time, 3 PM our time. As the ancients counted, Jesus suffered for six hours and gave up His life at the beginning of the seventh hour (Mt 27:45-50; Mk 15:34-37; Lk 23:44-46; Jn 19:25-30). He offered Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of humanity (2 Cor 5:14; 1 Jn 1:7).
After His death, Jesus descended to Sheol (Hades/the grave) to preach the Gospel to the souls waiting for His coming since the time of Adam, including those who died in the time of Noah (Mt 12:40; Acts 2:24, 31; Rom 10:7; Eph 4:9-10; Heb 13:20; 1 Pt 3:18-20; 4:6; Apostles' Creed).
On the first day of the week (our Sunday), Jesus arose from the dead on the day we celebrate as Easter Sunday (Mt 28:1-8; Mk 16:1-8; Lk 24:1-10; Jn 20:1, 9; 1 Cor 15:3-23). Sunday was the first day of the new creation and the first day of the old Genesis creation. It was the Jewish Feast of Firstfruits (Lev 23:9-12).
Jesus taught the Church for 40 days before His Ascension to the Father in Heaven (Acts 1:1-3, 9; vision witnessed by the prophet Daniel in Dan 7:13-14).

Jesus will return to judge the living and the dead (1 Cor 15:22-28, 51-53; 1 Thes 4:13-17; 2 Thes 1:7-10; 2:1-12).