Overview of the Last Week of the Savior’s Mortal Ministry

As I researched about the Savior’s final week of mortality I realized that numerous events took place, but I would like to highlight details about certain events that helped me understand more about my Savior.

On his way to Jerusalem the Savior stopped in Bethany and ate with Martha, Mary and Lazarus. During this time Mary anoints Jesus’s feet with spikenard oil.

• What was so special about Mary anointing Jesus?

Elder James E. Talmage stated: “To anoint the head of a guest with ordinary oil was to do him honor; to anoint his feet also was to show unusual and signal regard; but the anointing of head and feet with spikenard, and in such abundance, was an act of reverential homage rarely rendered even to kings. Mary’s act was an expression of adoration; it was the fragrant outwelling of a heart overflowing with worship and affection” (Jesus the Christ, 512).

We also learn from JST of John 12:7 that this oil was used to anoint Christ in token of his burial which was to come soon after.

DAY 1

   Jesus arrives in Jerusalem and rides in on a donkey

• Why did Jesus ride on a donkey?

From the New Testament manual I learned that “In ancient times, the ass was a symbol of Jewish royalty. During the time of the monarchy in ancient Israel, following the enthronement of King Saul, the Jews held annual re-enthronement rituals that featured a king riding into Jerusalem upon a donkey. The rider approached Jerusalem from east of the city, through the Mount of Olives and the Kidron Valley, and then came to the temple. These rituals looked forward to the time when the Messiah would come to His people in this same way. Thus, at a time when Jerusalem was flooded with Jews, Jesus entered Jerusalem in a manner that demonstrated He was the Messiah, the King of Israel. Riding on a donkey also showed that Jesus came as a peaceful and “lowly” Savior, not as a conqueror upon a warhorse (see Zechariah 9:9–10).”

• Why did the Jews put down their garments for Jesus to ride upon?

Elder Bruce R. McConkie explained the significance of the multitude spreading garments and branches before the Lord as He entered Jerusalem: “Only kings and conquerors received such an extraordinary token of respect as this. (2 Kings 9:13.) … Amid shouts of praise and pleas for salvation and deliverance, we see the disciples strewing our Lord’s course with palm branches in token of victory and triumph.”

DAY 2

Jesus returned to the temple and threw out the “moneychangers” in the outer court

• Why did this make the priests upset?

According to the New Testament manual, “Temple priests oversaw the money changing that was taking place in the temple, thus profiting thereby. When Jesus overturned the tables and referred to the temple as “My house” (Matthew 21:13), He openly questioned their authority to do so.”

  DAY 3

  Jesus again comes to the temple and the priests challenge Jesus’s  authority by asking him “By what authority doest thou these  things?”

We learn from the New Testament manual that, “The priests claimed authority based on their ancestry; the scribes, based on their education; and the elders, based on their social standing and wealth. The Savior, however, had authority from His Father, which had been manifest in His teachings and works throughout His public ministry (see Matthew 7:29; Mark 1:27; John 3:2).”

   Jesus shares parables and openly condemns the priests as    hypocrites

 DAY 4

 Nothing is written in the gospels about this day.

•       I wonder what Jesus did this day?

Perhaps he prepared himself for the Passover and the agony in the Garden of Gethsemane that would follow the next day.

DAY 5

Passover meal with his Twelve Apostles in a “large upper room”

• What exactly is a “large upper room”?

 In the New Testament manual we read, “In cities of ancient Israel, upper rooms of houses were the choicest rooms because they were above the crowds of the city streets and provided privacy—an appropriate setting for the sacred events of the Last Supper.”

Jesus gives Judas sop and tells him to go do what he has to do (betray Jesus)

• What is a “sop” and why does this matter?

 According to the New Testament manual: “The “sop” described in John 13:26 was a small piece of bread that those dining would use to scoop broth and meat from a bowl. Since it was a gesture of kindness and respect for a host to dip a sop and give it to a dinner guest, the Savior by this act presented Judas with an offer of friendship, perhaps one final opportunity for him to abandon his planned betrayal. The Savior gave a sop to Judas, after which “Satan entered into him” (John 13:27). By saying to Judas, “That thou doest, do quickly” (John 13:27), the Lord showed that He already knew what Judas had determined to do and that the time had come for him to act upon his final decision.”

Jesus introduces the ordinance of the Sacrament and tells the apostles to do this in remembrance of him

“Remembering was a primary purpose of many Jewish practices, such as the Passover meal. At Passover, as the people of Israel commemorated the Lord’s deliverance of their ancestors from bondage, the symbolic meal and its accompanying story of deliverance connected the past to the present. Observing Passover made a statement about how one would live and about one’s loyalty to the Lord and His people. Similarly, the sacrament, which the Savior instituted at Passover, is a symbolic “meal” of remembrance that replaced the Passover meal. By partaking of the sacrament, followers of Jesus Christ may experience anew the blessings of His Atonement, reaffirm their loyalty to Him and His Church, and recommit their lives to following Him.” (New Testament Manual)

Jesus washes the apostles feet (THIS IS MY FAVORITE PART)

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles explained that the Savior’s washing of the disciples’ feet showed His “unfailing devotion” to His disciples:

“In the midst of [the Last Supper], Christ quietly arose, girded himself as a slave or servant would, and knelt to wash the Apostles’ feet. (See John 13:3–17.) This small circle of believers in this scarcely founded kingdom were about to pass through their severest trial, so he would set aside his own increasing anguish in order that he might yet once more serve and strengthen them. It does not matter that no one washed his feet. In transcendent humility he would continue to teach and to cleanse them. He would to the final hour—and beyond—be their sustaining servant. As John wrote, who was there and watched the wonder of it all, ‘Having loved his own which were in the world, he loved them unto the end.’ (John 13:1.)

“So it had been, and so it was to be—through the night, and through the pain, and forever. He would always be their strength, and no anguish in his own soul would ever keep him from that sustaining role” (“He Loved Them unto the End,” Ensign, Nov. 1989, 25).

Jesus goes to the Garden of Gethsemane and suffers for the sins of the world

Elder James E. Talmage stated: “Christ’s agony in the garden is unfathomable by the finite mind, both as to intensity and cause. The thought that He suffered through fear of death is untenable. Death to Him was preliminary to resurrection and triumphal return to the Father. … He struggled and groaned under a burden such as no other being who has lived on earth might even conceive as possible. It was not physical pain, nor mental anguish alone, that caused Him to suffer such torture as to produce an extrusion of blood from every pore; but a spiritual agony of soul such as only God was capable of experiencing” (Jesus the Christ, 613).

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles spoke of the significance of the Savior’s plea to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane: “In that most burdensome moment of all human history, with blood appearing at every pore and an anguished cry upon His lips, Christ sought Him whom He had always sought—His Father … [Mark 14:36]. This is such a personal moment it almost seems a sacrilege to cite it. A Son in unrelieved pain, a Father His only true source of strength, both of them staying the course, making it through the night—together” (“The Hands of the Fathers,” Ensign, May 1999, 16). 

On another occasion Elder Holland commented further:

“Mark says [Jesus] fell and cried, ‘Abba, Father.’ This is not abstract theology now. This is a Son pleading with His Father, ‘All things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me’ (Mark 14:36).

“Who could resist that from any child, especially the perfect Child? ‘You can do anything. I know You can do anything. Please take this cup from me.’

“That whole prayer, Mark noted, was asking that if it were possible, this hour would be stricken from the plan. The Lord said, in effect, ‘If there is another path, I would rather walk it. If there is any other way—any other way—I will gladly embrace it.’ … But in the end, the cup did not pass.

“In the end, He yielded His will to the will of His Father and said, ‘Not my will, but thine, be done’ (Luke 22:42)” (“Teaching, Preaching, Healing,” Ensign, Jan. 2003, 41).

 Luke recorded that an angel appeared to the Savior to strengthen  Him as He suffered in Gethsemane. 

Elder Dallin H. Oaks taught that the angel came in answer to the Savior’s prayer:

“The gospel of Luke … describes how he knelt down and prayed: ‘Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me; nevertheless, not my will, but thine be done’ (JST, Luke 22:42).

“… The Father’s answer was to deny the plea of his Only Begotten Son. The Atonement had to be worked out by that lamb without blemish. But though the Son’s request was denied, his prayer was answered. The scripture records: ‘And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him’ (JST, Luke 22:43).

“Strengthened from heaven to do the will of the Father, the Savior fulfilled his mission” (“Faith in the Lord Jesus Christ,” Ensign, May 1994, 99–100).

  Jesus bled from every pore

"The Savior’s unparalleled suffering—the extreme pressure caused by taking upon Himself the infinite sin, sorrow, and guilt of all mankind—caused a physical condition in his body known as hematidrosis. This condition leads to the rupture of capillaries just under the surface of the skin, causing the skin to exude a bloody sweat. Any other person would have died before this condition reached the point of bleeding from every pore, but the Savior was the Son of God and so was able to endure this great agony for us." (New Testament Manual)

      Jesus is betrayed by Judas

      Apostles are afraid and leave Jesus

"Though Jesus Christ was powerful enough to defend Himself against the armed multitude (see Matthew 26:51–54; Jacob 2:15), the disciples saw that He did not intend to do so, and they fled in fear (see Mark 14:50)." (New Testament Manual)

DAY 6

Jesus is brought before the Jewish council and judged 

"Mark’s account of Jesus’s hearing before the Jewish council is the longest found in the four Gospels. One important detail that Mark alone preserved is that the witnesses who testified against the Savior bore conflicting testimonies (see Mark 14:56–59). Since the law of Moses required at least two corroborating witnesses to convict anyone of a capital offense, the charges against Jesus were invalid (see Numbers 35:30; Deuteronomy 17:6; 19:15). The Savior remained silent, refusing to dignify the falsehoods with any response." (New Testament Manual)

Jesus Accused before Caiaphas

"Finally Caiaphas, the high priest, asked Jesus outright, “Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?” (Mark 14:61). The Savior’s affirmation in Mark is the most forthright preserved in the four Gospels: “I am.”

Mark 15:1–2. “The King of the Jews” (New Testament Manual)

Jesus is taken to Pilate

"As recorded in Mark 15:1–2, the Jewish council decided to take Jesus to Pilate, who represented the Roman authorities. The council wanted to charge Jesus not with blasphemy—a Jewish matter that would not have concerned the Romans—but with treason, which was a serious concern to the Roman leaders. If the Jewish council were to punish Jesus for blasphemy by stoning Him—as prescribed in the law of Moses (see Leviticus 24:14)—it could create a riot among the many people who believed in Jesus (see Mark 12:37). Such civil unrest would bring harsh retribution from the Roman authorities. But if the Jewish leaders could persuade the Romans that Jesus was trying to set Himself up as a king, the Romans themselves would put Him to death as a traitor to Caesar (see Luke 23:2)." (New Testament Manual)

Jesus is scourged and ultimately crucified

"The Old Testament alludes to a Jewish custom of using wine as an anesthetic to ease the suffering of a person who was dying (see Proverbs 31:6–7). Mark recorded that just before the Savior was nailed to the cross, He was offered “wine mingled with myrrh” (Mark 15:23). Jesus refused it, deliberately choosing not to dull His senses or decrease the pain of the Crucifixion; He was determined to remain conscious and experience all that would be involved in the remainder of His atoning sufferings (see Mark 14:25; Alma 7:11–13)." (New Testament Manual)

While on the cross our Father's Spirit is withdrawn from Jesus

Elder Jeffrey R. Holland discussed why the Father withdrew His Spirit from His Son:

“With all the conviction of my soul I testify that He did please His Father perfectly and that a perfect Father did not forsake His Son in that hour. Indeed, it is my personal belief that in all of Christ’s mortal ministry the Father may never have been closer to His Son than in these agonizing final moments of suffering. Nevertheless, that the supreme sacrifice of His Son might be as complete as it was voluntary and solitary, the Father briefly withdrew from Jesus the comfort of His Spirit, the support of His personal presence. It was required, indeed it was central to the significance of the Atonement, that this perfect Son who had never spoken ill nor done wrong nor touched an unclean thing had to know how the rest of humankind—us, all of us—would feel when we did commit such sins. For His Atonement to be infinite and eternal, He had to feel what it was like to die not only physically but spiritually, to sense what it was like to have the divine Spirit withdraw, leaving one feeling totally, abjectly, hopelessly alone.

“But Jesus held on. He pressed on. The goodness in Him allowed faith to triumph even in a state of complete anguish. … Because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so” (“None Were with Him,” Ensign or Liahona, May 2009, 87–88).

Jesus dies and his body is sealed in a tomb

DAY 7 (Sabbath)

Jesus's body remained in the tomb

DAY OF THE RESURRECTION

The Risen Lord appears to Mary Magdalene

In the evening the Resurrected Lord appears to his disciples

I know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. I know that he is my Savior and Redeemer. I know that through his gift of the Atonement I can repent and live with my Heavenly Father again. I know that there is no other way that we can be saved physically and spiritually. I will end with the words of John 20:31, "But these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name."