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The Easter Story.
We begin at Bephage, just on the other side of the Mount of Olives. From here Jesus rode on a donkey to Jerusalem,
either through the Golden Gate or through the Lion's Gate. Zechariah the prophet prophesied in great detail that this
would happen. In Zechariah chapter 9 verse 9,
we read. Rejoice greatly o daughter of Zion, shout daughter of Jerusalem. See your King comes to you,
righteous, and having salvation, gentle, and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.
As Jesus made His way into Jerusalem, a large crowd of Passover visitors went down the road to meet Him, waving
Palm branches and shouting "Hosanna! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord' the King of Israel."
Hosanna means, "Lord save us." This was a spiritual statment, but it was also a political statement.
We read in Luke chapter 19 verses 39-40. Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to Jesus, "Teacher rebuke Your
disciples." Jeasus said, "I tell you, if they keep quiet the stones will cry out."
As Jesus approached the city of Jerusalem He wept over it.
The Greek word for cry, here, means great heaving sobs.
Jesus had such a deep love and compassion for these people. They had completely misunderstood who Jesus was, and
what He had come to do. They expected the Messiah to come, and Passover was one of the dates in the Jewish calendar
when the Messiah could come, but they were looking for someone to come and set them free from Roman authority. Jesus
had not come to do this.
Jesus had come to save His people from their sins.
Read Matthew chapter 2 verses 20-21. They were not looking for a Servant Messiah, but a King Messiah.
Let us read Matthew chapter 23 vers 37. These are the words of Jesus. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill
the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks
under her wings, but you were not willing." The heart of Jesus was breaking for these people because they would not
respond to Him.
Jesus entered the Temple area and was righteously angry with what He saw was happening there. His Father's House
had been turned into a market. Jesus drove out those who were buying and selling there. He overturned the tables
of the moneychangers and the benches of those selling doves and would not allow anyone to carry merchandise through the Temple
courts.
Jesus said, "It is written My House will be called a House of Prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers."
The chief priests and the teachers of the Law heard this, and began looking for a way to kill Jesus, for they feared
Him, because the whole crowd was amazed at His teaching.
The Israelites were about to leave Egypt, but before they left, God gave them a special night to rebember which was called
the Passover, which would be kept every year.
Each household was to take a year old male lamb without defect, kill it, and eat it, and take some of its blood and put
it on the door frames of their house. That night the Lord passed through the land of Egypt and struck all the first
born of the Egyptians dead, but passed over every house where the lamb's blood was on the doorposts, and all inside those
houses were saved from death, because of the blood of the lamb. This is a vivid picture of what the Lord Jesus has done
for us. He is the Lamb of God that takes away the sin of the world. Jesus came as a willing Sacrifice for our
sin. That is why when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples, He gave the Passover a whole new meaning.
As Jesus and His discioles were sharing the Passover meal Jesus took bread, blessed it and broke it and gave it to the
disciples and said, "Take, eat, this is My Body." Then He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
"Drink from it all of you. This is My Blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the forgiveness of sins."
In Luke chapter 22 verse 19 Jesus said, "Do this in rembrance of Me."
Paul writing about the Lord's Supper in 1 Corinthians chapter 11 verse 26 writes, "As often as you eat this bread
and drink this cup you proclaim the Lord's death till He comes."
The Lord's Supper is for all believers to remember all that Jesus did for us, but we need to come to the Lord's Table
with grateful, loving and clean hearts. So we need to examine our hearts before we take part.
After sharing the Passover with His disciples, Jesus went with them to the Mount of Olives to the Garden of Gethsemane.
Jesus told His disciples to pray that they would not fall into temptation. He went about a stone's throw away from them
and prayed saying, "Father, if it is your will take this cup from Me, nevertheless not My will, but Yours be done."
An angel appeared from heaven to strengthen Him. Jesus being in agony, prayed more earnestly, and His sweat became like
great drops of blood falling to the ground. Jesus said, "My Soul is overwhelmed with sorrow, even to the point of death.
Jesus was near to physical death at that point. He was in such terrible agony. He was about to bear the weight
of everyone's sin on His Shoulders. He had to become sin to abolish sin and death for us all. after Jesus had
prayed, Judas, one of the twelve disciples who had accepted thirty pieces of silver from the chief priests for betraying Jesus,
appeared with soldiers and officals from the chief priests and Pharisees. Jesus said to them, "Who are you
seeking?" They said, "Jesus of Nazareth." Jesus said, "I AM HE." When Jesus had said this they moved back
and fell to the ground.
What made them respond like this?
Were they experiencing the awesome presence of God before them as Jesus said, "I AM He.?" They would have understood
this title was given to God alone. Afterwards they arrested Jesus and led Him away.
After Jesus had been taken to Annas and Caiaphas He was taken to Pontius Pilate the Roman Governor. As Pilate began
to question Jesus he saw that Jesus was not an evildoer, as the Jews had said. He told the Jews, "I find no fault in
Him at all." Pilate wanted to release Jesus. Pilate was very surprised that when Jesus could have defended Himself,
he would not answer. Jesus could easily have defended Himself, but He chose willingly to give His Life for our sins.
Such was His love for us. Isaiah prophesied what would happen. "He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He opened
not His mouth." The Jews did not want Pilate to release Jesus. Instead they wanted him to release Barabbas, who
was a guilty criminal. "What shall i do with Jesus." Pilate asked the crowd." They said, "Crucify Him!"
Pilate had Jesus whipped. Jesus had already been beaten and mocked when He was taken to Caiaphas. Pilate's soldiers
made a crown of thorns and put it on Jesus' Head and put a purple robe on Him and hit Him, and mocked Him. Pilate went
to the crowd again and said, "What crime has He committed?" they shouted all the more, "Let Him be crucified."
When Pilate saw a riot was starting he finally gave in to the crowd. He freed Barabbas and had Jesus led away to be
crucifed.
When Jesus was led away to be crucified. Simon of Cyrene was compelled to carry the cross for Jesus. Jesus
was led to Golgotha which was the place of a skull which was outside the city of Jerusalem. Jesus was crucified between
two criminals. One of them blasphemed Jesus, but the other criminal asked Jesus to remember him when He came into His
Kingdom. Jesus promised him that he would be with Him that day in Paradise.
Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews. The chief priests said,
"Do not write the King of the Jews, but He said, "I am the King of the Jews." Pilate said, "What I have written
I have written." Many passed by and blasphemed Jesus and hurled insults at Him. The chief priests and scribes
mocked Him. They said, "If He is the King of Israel let Him come down from the cross and we will believe in Him."
Jesus said, "Father forgive them, for they know not what they do." The soldiers shared out the clothing of Jesus, casting
lots for it. This was fortold in Psalm 22 verse 18. "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing
they cast lots,"
When Jesus was on the cross there were three hours of darkness over all the land. At the ninth hour Jesus cried
out with a loud voice, "My God, My God, why have You foresaken Me?" This was foretold in Psalm 22 verse 1. Jesus
was bearing the weight of the sin of the whole world, and at that point in time, Jesus experienced separation from His Father
because God is Holy and cannot tolerate sin. Our sin was coming between Jesus and His Father. This was a devestating
experience for Jesus, but it meant freedom for us. Now all our sin was completly paid for by Jesus. He bridged
the gap between us and God, and now we can experience forgiveness and a close relationship with God our Father, all because
of what Jesus did for us. As Jesus was about to give up His Life willingly for us, He said, "It is finished!"
John chapter 19 verse 30. This was not a cry of someone who was defeated, but it was a triumphant shout of victory.
"Finished!" This meant that the battle with sin and death were over. Jesus had finished the work that His Father
had given Him to do. Suddenly amazing things began to happen. The heavy Curtain in the Temple that separated the
Holy of Holies was torn in two from top to botom. This meant that the Priests who were ministering in the Temple at
that time, could look straight into the place were no one was allowed to go, except the High Priest who went in once a year.
The way to God was made open through what Jesus had done for us on the cross. Now, man could come straight to God through
the Lord Jesus, and did not have to go to God through a priest, or bring a sacrifice any longer. There was a great earthquake,
and the rocks were split and the graves were opened, and many believers who had died were raised from the dead. When
the Centurion and those that were with him, who were guarding Jesus saw these amazing happenings they were very frightened,
and said, "Truly, this Man was the Son of God."
Joseph of Arimathea who was a secret disciple of Jesus went to Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus. Pilate commanded
that the Body of Jesus to be given to him. Nicodemus also came and brought a mixture of spices. Joseph and Nicodemus
bound the Body of Jesus in linen strips with the spices. They laid Jesus in Joseph's own new tomb and rolled a large
stone against the door of the tomb. Very early, at day-break on the Sunday morning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
came to see the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake, and an angel of the Lord descended from heaven and rolled
back the stone from the door, and sat on it. The guards shook with fear, and became like dead men. The angel said
to the women, "Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucifed. He is not here for He is risen as
He said. Come see the place where the Lord lay. Go quickly and tell the disciples He is risen from the dead, and
He is going before you into Galilee. There you will see Him." So the women quickly left the tomb with fear and
great joy. Jesus appeared to the disciples during the 40 days before He went back to heaven. You would find it
helpful to read Matthew chapter 28, Luke chapter 24, Mark chapter 16 and John chapters 20 and 21. The disciples were
in no doubt now that Jesus was alive. He had conquered sin and death and He was alive for evermore. Before Jesus
went back to heaven He was seen by 500 bretheren at once. Jesus is a living Saviour who lives today in the hearts of
all those who have turned from sin and asked His forgiveness, and have asked Him to be Lord of their lives.
Before Jesus went back to heaven, He took His disciples to the Mount of Olives. Jesus told them to stay in Jerusalem
and wait for the Holy Spirit to come as He had promised. After Jesus had said these things, He was taken up to heaven
in a cloud. As the disciples were watching Him as He went up, two men stood by them in white apparel. They told
the disciples that Jesus would come back again in the same way as He had gone to heaven. Jesus is coming back to take
His Church, that is, all who are trusting Jesus for Salvation, to be with Him in heaven. We do not know when Jesus is
coming back. 2 Peter chapter 3 verse 10 tells us, "The day of the Lord will come like a thief comes in the night." (A
thief never announces when he is coming!) If we are not trusting Jesus for our Salvation, we need to do so now, as when
Jesus comes again, it will be too late. If we have put our trust in Jesus, we need to be ready to meet Him, serving
Him wholeheartedly, expecting Him to come at any time.
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