Back in the pre-spring of 2018, it came to me to do a study series on the Passion Week. By beginning on Sunday, March 4, I thought I could finish it by Easter; after all, Easter fell on April 1 this year, five Sundays forward. Turns out I was the April Fool. We didn’t finish it up until June 10, and the short summary of the events of that one week turned out not so short. Altogether, it reached 264 pages, enough to call it a small book, and even with that I know I didn’t cover all that happened during that week.
Anyway, I am loading it up here lesson by lesson. It was called, “A Week to Remember”.
JERICHO TO BETHANY
INTRODUCTION: THE 3 ½ YEARS PAST
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You sometimes get the impression from films that Jesus spent his ministry mostly in Judea and around Jerusalem. That is not the case. He was born in Judea and he died in Judea, but most of his life was spent in the northern providence of Galilee. He made a few jaunts up to Jerusalem for the festivals, but he did not do a lot of missionary trips in Judea, the southern providence of Israel. This may be because those in that area already had a lot of interest in killing him and it wasn’t time for his death yet.
He came south to be baptized by John the Baptist, but John was operating east of the Jordan, probably in Perea, rather than Israel.
Immediately after Baptism, Jesus did venture into the Judea wilderness for 40 days to debate with Satan, but then with five men that he met back at John the Baptist’s camp on his return, he headed north to Cana in Galilee.
Sometime later, he does travel back south for Passover with his new disciples, and does his
For the next 2 to 2-1/2 years Jesus leads three extensive preaching tours throughout Galilee. Halfway or so through his third Galilee tour he travels further north, out of Israel and into Syria-Phoenicia, then over to the east and the area of the Decapolis. This was Roman territory and lay east of both Israel and Perea. He does ramble into Judea again in the Autumn, going into Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles. He visits with his friends Martha and Mary of Bethany sometime in December, but then goes into Perea to escape the growing threats in Judea.
He comes venture back to Bethany near Jerusalem to raise Lazarus from the dead and then retires to the Judea town of Ephraim, but once again he leaves the providence of Judea for the relative safety of Perea, where he remains for around three months until the next Passover looms in the Spring.
This is where we are going to join the journey as Jesus reenters Judea heading for Jerusalem. He is on a road that will lead to the east side of Jerusalem at the Mount of Olives.
At this point, He and his disciples have come to Jericho which is going to lead us into some controversy with the accuracy of the Bible. We are going to use the most accepted guess of the year, which is 30 AD, although I am beginning to be drawn to the year 33 A.D myself. The days are dated by the Hebrew calendar. The Jewish month of Nisan would correspond with 30 days across both March and April depending on the year.
Explanation of color coded passages.
In each section I reference the Scripture verses being used. I harmonized the four Gospels into a single narrative. Each Gospel is indicated within the narrative by a different color. Matthew is purple, Mark is brown, Luke is orange and John is green. The one exception is red may sometimes be used for the words of Christ. Scripture quotes outside the four Gospels are in blue. My own comments are in black. Biblical text is in italics.)
SATURDAY -- NISAN 8-9
JERICHO TO BETHANY
Matthew 20:29-34, Mark 10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43
As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho, a large crowd followed him together. Then as they came to Jericho, two blind men were sitting by the roadside…
Whoa! Whoa, here is something that critics claim as a contradiction to the infallibility of the Bible. Did you catch it?
Matthew and Mark say, “As Jesus and his disciples were leaving Jericho", while Luke states, “As they came to Jericho.” The Gospels obviously don’t agree, right?
How can he both be leaving a place and coming to it?
“Ah ha”, say the critics, “Gotcha!”
Not really if you know history and geography. You probably recall something about Jericho way back in the Old Testament or sung about it. We use to sing this song in Sunday School when I was a little child. It used to be a popular tune, too, especially for trumpet players (which I was once upon a time).
Joshua fit the battle ob Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle ob Jericho
And the walls came tumblin’ down
You may talk about the men of Gideon
You may talk about the men of Saul
But there's none like the good old Joshua
At the battle ob Jericho
Jericho Jericho
Joshua fit the battle ob Jericho
And the walls came tumblin’ down
You may talk about the men of Gideon
You may talk about the men of Saul
But there's none like the good old Joshua
At the battle ob Jericho
They have since changed the lyrics since my youth for the sake of political correctness, making it, “Joshua fought the battle of Jericho”.
Jesus was traveling South on a Roman Road, a major route to Jerusalem. It passed between the villages of Old and New Jericho. Right! There were two Jerichos and they straddled that Roman Road about a mile apart. So, Jesus was leaving the vicinity of Old Jericho and coming into the vicinity of New Jericho, no discrepancy at all.
Somewhere in this stretch between the two Jerichos were two blind men begging along the road.
Or were there two or only one. Good golly, another contradiction!
This is common to different reports of an event. Matthew was an eyewitness to this event as the Apostles were traveling with Jesus. Quite possibly John Mark was as well, but may not have been. Luke was not, but was constructing a history of Jesus. John didn’t comment here.
Matthew in his report tells us two blind men were sitting along the road. This is probably the case. Mark gives a name to one of the men, Bartimaeus. Bartimaeus is the more active of the two and asks what is happening. He also jumps to his feet and throws off his cloak. The other man probably was less noticeable. Perhaps Matthew didn’t hear the man’s name given, but simply noted two men by the road since both men were cured,
Then as they came to Jericho, two blind men were sitting by the roadside. A blind man, Bartimaeus (which means “son of Timaeus”), was sitting by the roadside begging as Jesus approached.
When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.” When [he or] they heard that Jesus was going by, [he or] they shouted, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
The crowd rebuked them and many told them to be quiet, but they shouted all the louder, “Lord, Son of David, have mercy on us!”
Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him and said, “Call him.”
“So they called to the blind man, “Cheer up! On your feet! He’s calling you.”
Throwing his cloak aside, he jumped to his feet and came to Jesus.
“What do you want me to do for you?” Jesus asked. him.
“The blind man said, “Rabbi, I want to see.”
“They (both men together) answered, “we want our sight, Lord”
Jesus had compassion on them and touched their eyes. “Go,” said Jesus, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.”
Immediately they received their sight and followed Jesus along the road praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.
What faith did they show? It is not just they believed he had a gift of curing, but also in the way they addressed him. They showed a knowledge of who Jesus really was and also respect in addressing him as, “Lord, Son of David”.
Luke 19:1-10
And now an event the teachers often liked to tell us little tykes when I was in Sunday School.
Jesus entered [new]Jericho and was passing through. A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy [Boo! Hiss!]. He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way.
Oh my, here we are talking about fig trees again. If we want to get really, really technical here, we could note that since the fig tree was often symbolic of Israel, Zacchaeus was clinging for support to the old ways of Israel.
What we can say with more authority is that Zacchaeus would not have been welcomed by that crowd. He was a tax collector, in fact, the chief tax collector, and he was wealthy. Tax collectors were hated by the people, and certainly today that is much different. We love tax collectors, right?. But a Jew who was acting as a tax collector for Rome was viewed as a traitor. They generally bribed their way into such an office, got to set the fee over what the actual tax was and they skimmed money off the top of what they collected, making themselves rich by cheating their fellow Jews. Ironically, the name Zacchaeus means “pure, clean”.
The chief tax collector would also receive money from those he oversaw. No wonder he was wealthy. Jericho was the center of Balsam production and export. It was a lucrative town. A man in Zacchaeus position would be both important and wealthy. Although he was a big man in his position, he was a small man in stature. He could not see through the crowd and you can bet none of them would move aside for this guy. In a way, climbing up that tree was a humbling experience.
When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly.
Take note, without having met this man before, Jesus knew his name, just as he had known all about that Samaritan woman at the well. You can bet Jesus knew everything about Zacchaeus, too. He knows all about you and me as well.
All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.”
Let’s think about that crowd for a moment. Who makes it up? Why are they there? There are, of course, the Apostles and other disciples of Christ. There are probably some of those women who followed him and helped take care of him and the Apostles needs. There undoubtedly were many like Bartimaeus, people who heard that Jesus could cure ailments and came hoping for his touch. There were the curious. There were many, as we’ll hear a bit later, who came just to see if Jesus would actually show up, what with a price on his head. Perhaps some of those wished to earn that price. Zacchaeus was no greater or lesser a sinner than anyone in that crowd, but he did go out of his way to listen and he did repent.
But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything I will pay back four times the amount.”
The Lord spoke to Moses, saying, “If anyone sins and commits a breach of faith against the Lord by deceiving his neighbor in a matter of deposit or security, or through robbery, or if he has oppressed his neighbor or has found something lost and lied about it, swearing falsely—in any of all the things that people do and sin thereby— if he has sinned and has realized his guilt and will restore what he took by robbery or what he got by oppression or the deposit that was committed to him or the lost thing that he found or anything about which he has sworn falsely, he shall restore it in full and shall add a fifth to it, and give it to him to whom it belongs on the day he realizes his guilt. --Leviticus 6:1-5 (ESV)
Zacchaeus went further than required. He pledged to give back four times the amount he took, not just a fifth, plus he also promised half his possessions to the poor. Was he sincere? Sure, he was, we know by what Jesus said next.
Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”
Jesus specifies his mission here, to seek and save the lost.
The Parable of the Ten Minas
Luke 19:11-28
While they were listening to this, he went on to tell them a parable, because he was near Jerusalem and the people thought that the kingdom of God was going to appear at once.
Keep in mind, the Jews of that time were looking for the appearance of the Messiah, but not a suffering one who came to die at Roman hands. They believed the Messiah would come as a king, much like David and lead to the overthrow of Rome and restore Israel’s freedom and greatness. That was their idea of the kingdom of God. This Parable tells them the kingdom is not going to appear at once.
He said: “A man of noble birth went to a distant country to have himself appointed king and then to return.
So he called ten of his servants and gave them ten minas. ‘Put this money to work,’ he said, ‘until I come back.’
Who is he talking about? Who is this person of noble birth? And who are these servants representing?
He is speaking of himself. He is the person of noble birth who is going away to be crowned king. The servants are his followers, i.e., Christians. And he is going away entrusting them with a valuable coin that they are to put to work for him.
A minas was a Greek coin worth about $400, equivalent to the average wage for a worker over a four-month period, assuming a six-day work week. The noble gave each of the servants one mina. So, in the case of the one who earned ten more, this meant that servant now presents $4,400 back.
He gifted these servants with a valuable thing, but he also gives them a great commission. They are to take what he gave them and make it grow.
“But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We don’t want this man to be our king.’
This can get a bit confusing here. Who hates him? It says his subjects hate him, not the servants to whom he gave the minas. His subjects are the Jews. The Jews should revere him, but instead they hate him.
At least we can say this given the parable being told just before Jesus is going to go to the cross. However, a case can be made we are talking beyond the cross looking toward the second coming. After the resurrection, Jesus left on a long journey and he will come back a king. He has left the spread of his Word in the hands of his loyal subjects, Christians, giving them gifts to use in bringing others to him.
He was made king, however, and returned home. Then he sent for the servants to whom he had given the money, in order to find out what they had gained with it.
“The first one came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned ten more.’
“‘Well done, my good servant!’ his master replied. ‘Because you have been trustworthy in a very small matter, take charge of ten cities.’
“The second came and said, ‘Sir, your mina has earned five more.’
“His master answered, ‘You take charge of five cities.’
Those, who during his absence, increase the faith will receive great reward upon Jesus return, and perhaps great responsibility in the Kingdom.
“Then another servant came and said, ‘Sir, here is your mina; I have kept it laid away in a piece of cloth. I was afraid of you, because you are a hard man. You take out what you did not put in and reap what you did not sow.’
“His master replied, ‘I will judge you by your own words, you wicked servant! You knew, did you, that I am a hard man, taking out what I did not put in, and reaping what I did not sow? Why then didn’t you put my money on deposit, so that when I came back, I could have collected it with interest?’
“Then he said to those standing by, ‘Take his mina away from him and give it to the one who has ten minas.’
“‘Sir,’ they said, ‘he already has ten!’
“He replied, ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but as for the one who has nothing, even what they have will be taken away.
This is a recurring theme in Jesus' teaching. In Matthew 13:12 (also Mark 4) for instance, Jesus in explaining the Parable of the Sower says, “Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them.”
In Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus tells the Parable of the Talents. It is similar to the one told here, but has some important differences. It does end with the familiar warning: “So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
If we have shaky faith, one guided by fear and do not proclaim Christ and the Gospel to others, we will lose rewards or maybe worse. I do not want to be standing before Christ saying how much I believed in him and hear him say, “I never knew you.” (This is not some prosperity preaching here. Jesus is not telling us to go become rich in any worldly way.)
"But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them—bring them here and kill them in front of me.’”
The enemies here can be expanded from not just the Jews of the moment, but to the whole world of nonbelievers in the last days.
John 11:55-57
When it was almost time for the Jewish Passover, many went up from the country to Jerusalem for their ceremonial cleansing before the Passover. They kept looking for Jesus, and as they stood in the temple courts they asked one another, “What do you think? Isn’t he coming to the festival at all?” But the chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that anyone who found out where Jesus was should report it so that they might arrest him.
John 12:1; 9-11
Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead.
Meanwhile a large crowd of Jews found out that Jesus was there and came, not only because of him but also to see Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus as well, for on account of him many of the Jews were going over to Jesus and believing in him.
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