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Mark 15
PASSION WEEK – Friday morning The Scourging & Via Dolorosa We left Pilate in the previous post with fingers still dripping from washing his hands of the blood of Jesus. “So Pilate, when he saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water and washed his hands before the crowd,…
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Matthew 27

PASSION WEEK – Friday morning Jesus, Herod & Pilate (But first, Judas) Remember how Jesus quoted Psalm 41:9 about Judas? “Even my close friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted his heel against me.”Psalm 41:9 ESV This is from a psalm of David. And this particular line was probably written about…
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John 18
PASSION WEEK – Friday (before dawn) K, y’all… full disclosure… blogging my way through the Gospels has been the hardest thing yet. Even harder than Job and Ezekiel. Sometimes an event or parable is in only one gospel. Sometimes we get 4 versions of the same thing. And that is SO hard to keep straight!…
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John 16-17
PASSION WEEK – Thursday Night THE HOLY SPIRIT No wonder sorrow has filled the disciples’ hearts. Jesus has just said, “I’m leaving. Oh, and you’re going to be kicked out of the synagogue and probably killed.” Let’s put ourselves in their sandals. Their understanding of prophecy is that Messiah will come and restore Israel, annihilate…
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John 14-15

PASSION WEEK – Thursday Night The supper is over. Jesus has washed their feet. Peter has been warned. Judas has left the building. 🚪 While lingering around the table, Jesus encourages His young followers. The next few hours and days are going to be frightening and confusing. Jesus’ words were meant to calm and anchor…
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John 13
PASSION WEEK – Thursday Night WASHING FEET Just to recap… Jesus has just reframed the Passover meal as the inauguration and perpetual memorial of the New Covenant that had been promised through the prophets. The disciples have been trying to work out which among them were the greatest and Jesus has explained that in His…
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Luke 22

PASSION WEEK – Thursday If you have ever participated in a Jewish or Christian Passover meal you probably remember the Haggadah; the little book with the various blessings and readings and instructions for each part of the Seder. And it’s super interesting and instructive. But Jesus and His disciples didn’t follow the Haggadah. It wasn’t…
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Mark 14
PASSION WEEK – Thursday PREPARATION OF THE PASSOVER You might think that telling the disciples to follow some random dude carrying a pitcher of water to whatever house he was headed to would be a risky way to find a place to eat the Passover. But a man carrying a pitcher of water would’ve been…
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Matthew 26

PASSION WEEK – Thursday We have reached the day of the Passover. Now, Matthew 26 covers a LOT. It picks up at the end of the Olivet Discourse (probably on Wednesday) and recounts the preparation and the Passover, the betrayal in Gethsemane and all the way through Jesus’ mock trial. Mark 14 and Luke 22…
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Matthew 25
PASSION WEEK – Wednesday Jesus continues the Olivet Discourse with 2 parables and a description of the Judgment. The parable of the ten talents is very similar to the parable of the ten minas so I’m not really going to comment on it other than to say I feel rather strongly that it should not…
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Matthew 24

PASSION WEEK – Wednesday This is the only Bible chapter I am aware of that has its own song. Well, 2 songs actually; if you count Johnny Cash’s Matthew 24 Is Knockin’ At the Door. The song I know was recorded by George Jones, Porter Waggoner, and Kitty Wells along with a host of other…
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Mark 13

PASSION WEEK – Wednesday Mark 13 and Matthew 24 share a lot of the same content. And, unless you believe that Jesus returned in the first century, there are two aspects of what He said in these chapters. There are some aspects meant to warn the disciples of events that would happen in their lifetimes…