7 Events that Happen between Palm Sunday and Jesus' Death
The Journey to a New Beginning
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week in the Christian calendar, which commemorates the events leading up to the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Here are some of the significant events that took place between Palm Sunday and the crucifixion:
1. Jesus curses a fig tree and cleanses the temple.
Jesus returned to the city and cursed a fig tree that had no fruit (Matthew 21:18–22).
Matthew 21:18–22 NIV
Early in the morning, as Jesus was on his way back to the city, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it but found nothing on it except leaves. Then he said to it, “May you never bear fruit again!” Immediately the tree withered. When the disciples saw this, they were amazed. “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?” they asked. Jesus replied, “Truly I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only can you do what was done to the fig tree, but also you can say to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and it will be done. If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.”
He also cleared the temple of money changers and merchants, declaring, “My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers” (Matthew 21:12–13).
Matthew 21:12–13 NKJV
Then Jesus went into the temple of God and drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. And He said to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
2. Jesus predicts his own death.
During the week, Jesus predicts his impending death and warns his disciples that one of them will betray him.
Jesus Predicts His Death — Matthew 16:21–23
21 From that time on Jesus began to explain to his disciples that he must go to Jerusalem and suffer many things at the hands of the elders, the chief priests and the teachers of the law, and that he must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.
22 Peter took him aside and began to rebuke him. “Never, Lord!” he said. “This shall never happen to you!”
23 Jesus turned and said to Peter, “Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns.”
3. The Last Supper
The Last Supper is a significant event in Christian history that is recorded in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, and Luke. It was the final meal that Jesus shared with his disciples before his crucifixion.
The Last Supper took place on the night before Jesus was arrested. During the meal, Jesus broke bread and shared it with his disciples, saying, “Take, eat; this is my body.” He also took a cup of wine and shared it with them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you. For this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” (Matthew 26:26–28).
These verses from the Gospel of Matthew describe the Last Supper:
“While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take and eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from it, all of you. This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins’” (Matthew 26:26–28, NIV).
The Last Supper was a symbolic act that represented Jesus’ impending death and sacrifice for humanity. It is a central event in Christian theology, and the breaking of bread and drinking of wine have become important elements of Christian worship in the form of Communion or the Eucharist.
4. Jesus' arrest:
According to the Bible, Jesus was arrested in the Garden of Gethsemane after praying to God the Father. He was betrayed by one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who had agreed to identify Jesus to the authorities with a kiss. A group of soldiers, along with the chief priests and elders of the Jewish people, came to arrest him.
One of Jesus’ disciples, Simon Peter, attempted to defend him by drawing a sword and cutting off the ear of one of the high priest’s servants. Jesus rebuked Peter and healed the servant’s ear. Jesus then willingly surrendered himself to the authorities and was taken to the high priest’s house for a trial.
5. Jesus' trial
Jesus was questioned by the high priest and members of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish council. He was accused of blasphemy and claimed to be the Son of God. After a brief trial, he was sent to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate, for judgment.
Pilate found no fault in Jesus, but the crowd demanded that he be crucified. Pilate ultimately gave in to the demands of the people and ordered that Jesus be scourged and then crucified. Jesus was then taken to Golgotha, where he was nailed to a cross and died.
6. The crucifixion:
While Jesus was on the cross, he endured immense physical suffering and ridicule from the Roman soldiers and Jewish leaders who were present at the scene. The soldiers stripped him and put a crown of thorns on his head, and he was mocked by passersby as well as the two criminals who were crucified alongside him.
During this time, Jesus spoke seven last statements that are recorded in the Gospels, including:
“Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do,” and “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”(Luke 23:34)
At around the sixth hour of his crucifixion, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, when Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “It is finished.” At that moment, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, and the earth shook, causing rocks to split.
“When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, ‘It is finished,’ and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit” (John 19:30).
Finally, Jesus gave up his spirit and died. After his death, a Roman soldier pierced his side with a spear to confirm that he was dead.
7. The burial:
After Jesus was taken down from the cross, his body was wrapped in linen cloths and spices by two men, Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. They placed his body in a new tomb that had been carved out of a rock in a garden nearby.
The tomb was sealed with a large stone and guarded by Roman soldiers to prevent anyone from stealing the body. The Jewish leaders had heard that Jesus had predicted that he would rise again after three days, so they wanted to ensure that his body would remain in the tomb.
We will get to the beauty of Easter in the next article.
Written with AI-assistance
