The Fullness of
Time
By Doug Schofield
Jesus’ Work and Ministry
When God instructed Abram to leave
The journey from
He went to a
considerable effort to bring the descendants of Abraham back out of
The location of
the land was such that it was an important trade route between
God used the Assyrians, the Babylonians,
the Persians, the Syrians, the Greeks the Romans and others over the course of
the centuries to prepare for the “fullness of time”, (Galatians 4:4). Rom 5:6, “For when we were yet without
strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly.” The arrival of Jesus on the scene of humanity
was not just by some random chance; it was predetermined and established by God
with great detail and specificity. In
Genesis 49 as Jacob is telling his sons of things to come, in verse 10 he
mentions the coming of
When that time came, there was relative peace,
an adequately permissive political atmosphere, an almost universal language,
(Greek). The Roman jurisprudence system was in place, (that system would serve
an important role in the events leading up to the crucifixion of our Lord); and
there were numerous good roads which would facilitate the rapid spread of the
gospel in a few short years.
The obscure birth
of a baby to a poor unknown couple in the stable of an inn in
One record that
we have of His teaching which has come to be called “The Sermon on the Mount” is
actually a compendium of all His teaching – indeed of God’s message to mankind
throughout all the ages. Matthew
chapters 5, 6 & 7 contain essentially all of Christ’s teaching, except the
plan of redemption.
When
we speak of the ‘Gospel writers’ we of course refer to Matthew, Mark, Luke and
John. Each of them gives his own account of the
events without any reference to the other accounts, Each of them wrote an
account of the good news (gospel) of the fulfillment of 4,000 years of promise,
prophesy and preparation in the coming of the Son of God to earth; and of His
life, death, burial, resurrection and ascension for the benefit of all who will
obey Him.
These men were
guided by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, (John
Ignatius who died
between 98 and 117 AD makes frequent reference to the Apostles in his
writings. On his way to be martyred in
the arena in
Irenaeus, born between 115 and 125, describes
himself sitting and listening to Polycarp tell about
his experiences with the Apostle John “and others who had seen the Lord”. Polycarp is said to
have been appointed an elder by one of the apostles; he was martyred in 155 AD,
having been a Christian for 86 years.
There are so many historical documents like this which verify the
validity of the gospel accounts that even the most severe skeptics are at a
loss to discredit them.
The Gospel Writers
About
the origins of the Gospels, Papias (who worked and
wrote in the 1st half of the 2nd century) wrote this:
"Mark having become the interpreter of Peter, wrote down accurately whatsoever he remembered. It
was not, however, in exact order that he related the sayings or deeds of
Christ. For he neither heard the Lord nor accompanied Him. But afterwards, as I
said, he accompanied Peter, who accommodated his instructions to the
necessities [of his hearers], but with no intention of giving a regular
narrative of the Lord's sayings. Wherefore Mark made no mistake in thus writing
some things as he remembered them. For of one thing he took especial care, not
to omit anything he had heard, and not to put anything fictitious into the
statements. Matthew put together the oracles [of the Lord] in the Hebrew
language, and each one interpreted them as best he could." Thus Papias reports he heard things that came from an unwritten,
oral tradition of the Presbyters, a "sayings" or logia
tradition that had been passed from Jesus to such of the apostles and disciples
as he mentions in the fragmentary quote.
As previously
mentioned, we also have some of the work of Polycarp,
who was a contemporary of the apostles, an elder in the infant church probably
appointed by the apostle John; of Irenaeus, a student
of Polycarp, of Ignatious
and Eusebius and of certain others who devoted their lives to the work of the
church. Of course, these uninspired
texts must never be considered as holding any authority, the Bible is the only
source of authority in all matters of faith; they simply help us to realize and
understand the great impact that the gospel of Christ has on people as it spread
throughout the world, and to underscore the reality of the lives of the
apostles and the validity of the scriptures.
When were the gospel accounts
written? Of course it doesn’t matter;
the dating of authorship is completely immaterial to the gospel message, but a
general understanding of the time frame can serve to reinforce our faith in the
inspiration of the scriptures and in their absolute accuracy and
infallibility. The Catholics assert that
Mark was written first (65 – 70); then Matthew and Luke (80’s), and finally
John (90’s). After some study, I
disagree, here’s why:
Papias, the historian, suggests that Matthew was the first
written, perhaps as early ad AD 50, and that could
well have been the case. He further
states that it was first written in Aramaic or Hebrew intended to convert
Jewish readers, and that later it was translated into Greek. Some have suggested that Matthew wrote his
gospel before leaving
Some scholars suggest that
Mark could have written as early as AD 55; and if Mark wrote earlier and
Matthew wrote later then Mark could well have been the first. However, the statement of Iraneus
that Mark wrote his gospel ‘after the death of Peter’, moves that marker up to
at least AD 67. Mark – between AD 67 and
70
Luke’s account, (and his
record of the acts of the Apostles, Acts) must surely have been prior to AD 62,
because he makes no mention of the death of James which occurred in AD 62, nor
of Nero’s persecution of Christians, which occurred in AD 64. Likewise, both Paul and Peter were still very
much alive at the time of Luke’s writing; but according to tradition, Paul died
in AD 64 and Peter in 65. There is no
question that the gospel of Luke was written before Acts. In Acts Luke makes reference to Festus as
Procurator; he was appointed to that position sometime between AD 55 and 59,
(according to Harper’s Bible Commentary).
Luke – perhaps as early as AD
58
The general consensus among
historians is that John was written no earlier than the early 80’s and perhaps
as late as the 90’s, or just before his death in AD 98. His Revelation account falls after 94,
probably around 95.
Mark
Luke
Matthew 9:9 - 11 And as Jesus passed forth from thence, he saw a man, named
Matthew, (notice how that Matthew
refers to himself by his new name, which in Hebrew means ‘Gift of Jehovah’),
sitting at the receipt of custom: and
he saith unto him, Follow me. And he arose, and
followed him. And it came to pass, as
Jesus sat at meat in the house, behold, many publicans and sinners came and sat
down with him and his disciples. And
when the Pharisees saw it, they said unto his disciples, Why eateth your Master with publicans and sinners?
On this
particular occasion Jesus was apparently residing at the home of Peter, (Mark
That Jesus would
call a Publican to be a follower of his, and further, that he would go into the
home of such a one, and even more so that he would eat with him, was a major
affront to the self-righteous Pharisees and Jewish leaders because of their special
hatred for Publicans. Jesus emphasized
their hypocrisy in Luke 18:10 – 14.
As a tax
collector, Levi (or Matthew) was likely an educated man; his business
necessitated detailed and accurate record keeping and knowledge of
commerce. His gospel record was
evidently written to Jewish Christians, and no doubt with the aim of converting
other Jews to Christ. His account is
abundant with quotations and references to Old Testament scriptures, (at least
93, according to Robertson’s Harmony of the Gospels). He makes it clear that Christianity is not a
repudiation of the Old Testament, but a fulfillment of its promises and
prophecies, the culmination of 4,000 years of preparation by the providence of
God.
Matthew, in his
gospel, presents Jesus as the Son of David, establishing for the Jews that He
was the Messiah, the promised one, in the lineage to sit on the throne of David. He details our Lord’s genealogy through the
ancestry of Joseph, thus establishing Jesus’ rightful claim to the throne of
David through the royal bloodline and from a legal point of view, because Jesus
was the legal heir of Joseph as his foster son.
In their worldly, materialistic minds however, the Jews expected Jesus
to establish an earthly kingdom; most of them didn’t comprehend the spiritual
nature of the Kingdom, just as many fail to do today. (*) Jesus emphasized the fact that His
kingdom is not of a worldly nature, (John 18:36; John 4:23-24). John wrote in 1 John
Matthew’s account
is quoted perhaps more frequently by the early church fathers and historians in
their writings that any other. It may
have been written as early as 15 to 20 years after the resurrection. Matthew mentions the kingdom more than 35
times, and specifically identifies Jesus as ‘the son of David’ at least 9
times. He mentions almost 2 dozen
miracles, and makes it clear that the
Mark
This writer is generally believed to have
been John Mark, whose mother was named Mary, (Acts
John Mark and his cousin Barnabas went
with Paul on his first missionary journey, probably around AD 47, going as far
as Perga in Pamphylia
before Mark returned to Jerusalem, (Acts 13:13). We aren’t told why he chose to return, Paul
apparently didn’t know, sometimes we don’t understand decisions people make
because we cannot see their perspective.
Later, we read of disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over this
incident in Act 15:36 – 40, “And some days
after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every
city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them
John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul
thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between
them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark,
and sailed unto
Clearly however,
they were reconciled, because Paul mentions Mark favorably in Colossians
Mark’s gospel was
intended primarily for a gentile audience; he includes explanations of Jewish
tradition for their benefit, (Mark 7:2-4); he converts the Greek currency into
Roman (
Luke
Luke was a well
educated Greek – a gentile; (remember that Alexander the Great had brought much
Greek influence to bear in
Luke was an early
convert to Christianity; in Acts 16:8-10 the context appears that Luke was in
Luke was a
personal observer of the miracles of healing performed by the apostles, and he
very likely interviewed various individuals who had been healed by Jesus
himself. As a physician he was certainly
a qualified observer. Authenticity is
also ascribed to Luke’s writings in that he is quoted by many early historians,
including Justin Martyr, Clement, Tertullian and
others.
Luke presents Jesus
as the Savior of man from the perspective of the vast majority of the
population of the world – gentiles. Luke
details for us the physical blood lineage of Christ through the ancestry of
Mary. Of course there was no actual
blood connection with the lineage of Joseph, his ancestral roots are traced
back to David by Matthew simply to establish Jesus’ rightful claim to David’s
throne as Joseph’s legal heir. Luke’s
genealogy is actually the blood lineage of Mary and thus of Jesus; although as
was customary, Mary’s husband’s name is inserted in the record where hers would
be in modern parlance. This demonstrates
dramatically the importance of so many Old Testament events which contributed
to His lineage.
Luke personally
interviewed many who were eyewitnesses to our Lord’s ministry and to His trial,
execution, burial and resurrection. Luke
had an opportunity to meet Peter and other apostles when he traveled to
John
John was probably
the younger brother of James the “greater”, son of Zebedee,
(Matthew 4:21-22, Mark 3:17). These boys
were nicknamed Boanerges, which in Hebrew means ‘sons
of thunder’; this likely because of their highly emotional enthusiasm. He was likely well educated, as may be observed
from his literary skills in his gospel and three letters; notwithstanding the
arrogant slur cast at him and Peter by the Jewish leaders in Acts 4:13. (It is not uncommon for us to think of
certain politicians today as idiots, even though they may hold several
degrees). The family business was
apparently successful and prosperous; Mark
In John 18:12-16
he gives the account of his having gone in with Jesus to the palace of the High
Priest, (evidently he was acquainted with Chiapas or someone in authority in
the palace); and followed all the way to the cross, (19:26). Jesus entrusted the care of his mother to
John, (evidence of the closeness of their relationship). We don’t know many details about his work,
yet his teaching is well recorded and documented. He was persecuted for his teaching and imprisoned
on the
John emphasizes
the eternal spiritual nature of Christ. His
Gospel record was probably written after the destruction of
John emphasizes
the deity of Christ, and presents many of His miracles, using them as signs of
that fact. His writing is profound yet
sensitive and moving; his purpose is summed up in chapter 20, verses 30-31:
"Many other signs therefore Jesus also
performed in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book;
but these have been written that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing
you may have life in His name." John was intimately
familiar with the life and work of our Lord, and seemingly selected a few of
the most outstanding examples to him in order to achieve his purpose. The concluding verse of his gospel (
Wayne Jackson has
listed some of the evidence presented by John to establish the divinity of
Christ:
A Brief history of the written word
By Doug Schofield
There exists evidence of
written agricultural records dating from shortly after Noah and his family
found dry land. Marks made in soft clay
with a wooden stylus were sufficient to keep records of crops and livestock and
of business transactions. By the time of
Abraham, the Chinese were developing a written language, and a series of
symbols which later would be called hieroglyphs emerged in
Exodus 31:18 “And he
gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon mount
Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of
God.”
Exodus 34:1 “And the LORD said unto Moses, Hew thee two tables of stone
like unto the first: and I will write upon these tables the words that were in
the first tables, which thou didst break.”
Deuteronomy 10:1-5 “At that
time the LORD said unto me, Hew thee two tables of stone like unto the first,
and come up unto me into the mount, and make thee an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words
that were in the first tables which thou didst break, and thou shalt put them in the ark.
And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed
two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the
two tables in mine hand. And he wrote on
the tables, according to the first writing, the ten
commandments, which the LORD spoke unto you in the mount out of the
midst of the fire in the day of the assembly: and the LORD gave them unto
me. And I turned myself and came down
from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the LORD commanded me.”
Comparatively, in Numbers
Earliest writing implements
include wedge shaped stones, sharpened sticks, pieces of bone, bronze, and feather
quills. Various types of ink were tried,
including soot mixed with lamp oil, juice of different berries, and dyes
derived from various minerals. By the
time that Jáel, the wife of Heber drove the tent peg
through the head of Sisera (Judges
Stones, animal skins and
plant fibers have served as a writing medium for many thousands of years. Among the first used was soft clay formed
into tablets; impressions were made in the clay then the tablet was dried in an
oven or in the sun. Many thousands of
such tablets from ancient
Papyrus is a
wetland sedge, similar to bamboo and to cattail reeds. Writing material was made by slicing the reed
lengthwise and laying the pieces in a criss-cross pattern, moistening with
water and some form of glue, and pressing them together. Typically pages were
roughly 6 x 12, but some were made that were several feet in length. The use of papyrus dates from before 2700 BC
according to some sources. John mentions
paper and ink in verse 12 of his 2nd letter; but paper made from
wood fibers was not invented until shortly after the death of the last
apostle. However, it wouldn’t come into
widespread use for another 600 years because the Japanese guarded the secret of
how to make it so carefully. Leather
made from all kinds of animal skins was processed into vellum upon which were
written scrolls, many of which survive today.
Ezekiel was instructed to eat a scroll, (chapter 3).
By the end of the first
century copies of New Testament writings were being bound together in a manner
called codex to form the earliest version of books, as we know them today. Once again, we see the providence of God at
work as political conditions, education, travel and technology all came
together for “the fullness of time”.
Travels of Jesus
The Bible is
filled with details, like the names of countries, regions, cities and villages;
the names of seas, lakes, rivers and streams; of mountains, hills, plains and
valleys. Most of those places are identifiable today, and many of them have
been excavated by archaeologists. Jesus’
travels may be traced from His birth at
The gospel writers
give much detail about His travels. They
place Him in:
The Wilderness - Matt. 3:1
Capernanum – Matthew 4:13
Sychar - John 4:5
Nain - Luke 7:11
The country of the Gadarenes - Matt. 8:28
Various cities and villages - Matt
Gennesaret - Matt. 14:34
District of Tyre
and
Magdla - Matt. 15:39
Caesarea Philippi - Matt. 16:13.
Region of
Bethany - John 12:1
Bethany (
Prophecies of Jesus Fulfilled
The gospel
writers detail for us the fulfillment of all of the Old Testament prophecies,
completing the picture, as it were, of God’s Great Eternal Plan.
With our studies
in the Old Testament as a background, let’s examine some of the prophecies we
find fulfilled in the New Testament.
Matthew gives us
the Genealogy of Christ back to David, through Joseph – his foster father, (1:1-17);
John gives a spiritual genealogy, (1:1-18); and Luke traces the bloodline all
the way back to Adam through the lineage of Mary, (3:23-38). The coming of Jesus was first promised in
Genesis 3:15, and reiterated to Abraham, Isaac and
Jacob; the gospel writers demonstrate the fulfillment of that promise.
►The birth
of Jesus was foretold by:
Isaiah 7:14; 9:6-7 ~ fulfilled in Matthew 1:24-25; Luke 2:1-7
►God’s
declaration of Jesus as His Son was foretold by Psalms 2:7, and fulfilled in
Matthew 3:13-17; Mark 1:9-11; Luke 3:21-23 and John 1:29-34. These passages record the first formal
declaration of Jesus as the Son of God on the occasion of his being baptized by
John. A similar declaration was made on
the Mount of Transfiguration recorded in Matthew 17:5 and Mark 9:7; this being
for the purpose of showing Jesus as the ultimate source of authority, superior
to Moses and Elijah, designated by God to be the divine spokesman.
►God
promised that redemption would come through the seed of woman, (Genesis
►God gave
Abraham the promise that all nations of the earth would be blessed in his
lineage, (Genesis 12:3). Matthew 1:1
states that Jesus was the son of Abraham.
►God made a
similar promise to Isaac, (Genesis
►Isaiah 9:7
prophesies that Jesus would be heir to the throne of David. Luke 1:32, 33 is the
fulfillment of that prophesy.
Micah 5:2
foretells that He would be born in
►The time
of Christ’s birth was foretold by Daniel,
►Isaiah specifically
stated that He would be born of a virgin, (
►The
slaughter of young children was prophesied by Jeremiah in 31:15. Details of the fulfillment are in Matthew
2:16-18.
►His
ministry to be heralded by a forerunner is told is Malachi 3:1, and fulfilled
in Matthew 3:1-3; Mark 1:4; Luke 7:24,27.
►Christ’s
teaching in the region of
►That He
would be a prophet (teacher from God) is foretold in Deuteronomy 18:15, and
fulfilled according to Luke in Acts
►That He
would be rejected by his own people (the children of
►The
psalmist wrote that He would be a priest after the order of Melchizedek, Psalms
110:4. That fact is stated in Hebrews
5:5,6. Note
that Jesus makes reference to himself in the context of this Psalm in Matthew
22:43:45.
Melchizedek first appears in Genesis
14:18, as Abram is returning from having rescued
►Zechariah
9:9 tells of a very specific event in the life of Christ that is recorded by
all four gospel writers: Matthew 21:7-11; Mark 11:7, 9, 11; Luke 19:29-40; and
John 12:12-16. This singular event
should have been sufficient to alert the Jewish scholars and leaders that this
was indeed the promised Messiah. The
event is Christ’s triumphant entry into
The placing of garments and of palm fronds in the path was an
ancient custom to demonstrate honor. The
fact that Jesus gave instructions concerning the obtaining of the donkey and
her colt, and that those instructions played out in precise detail is notable
in and of itself. In Genesis 49 Jacob
sets out to tell his sons of things that are to come, and in verse 11 makes
specific reference to the tying of the colt, the foal of an ass. That he chose to ride the last mile or so
from the
►The
Psalmist foretold that the gospel would be preached to the Gentiles and that
they would believe it, Psalms 18:49, also 117:1. Likewise, Isaiah foretold it as well, in2
Samuel 22:50 and in Isaiah 11:1. The
fulfillment of these prophecies is demonstrated in Ephesians 2:11-22; in the
case of Cornelius, (Acts chapter 10), in Romans 15:7-13, and other passages.
►That Christ
would be betrayed by a friend is foretold in Psalms 41:9, and shown to be fulfilled in Matthew 26:14-16; Luke 22:47-48;
John 13:18 and 18:2-3. Disloyalty,
treachery, unfaithfulness and betrayal all are despicable traits on their own;
but when carried out by a trusted friend they reach the ultimate insult. Just six days earlier Mary the sister of
Lazarus had poured a pound of very precious ointment called spikenard on Jesus;
Judas made protest saying that this valuable cologne could have been sold for
300 pence ($132), ‘and given to the poor’.
As soon as they arrived in
►That he would be sold for thirty
pieces of silver is foretold in Zechariah 11:12-13, and fulfilled in Matthew
26:15 and Luke 22:6. The scripture says
that he bargained with them for thirty pieces of silver (about $52.80). The amount was equal to the price to be paid
for a slave gored by an ox, (Exodus
►Psalms
35:11 foretells his being accused by false witnesses, and we find that
occurring in Matthew 26:57-60 and Mark 14:56-58. After their cowardly arrest of Jesus the
chief priests and elders scurried about in search of false evidence against
him; and although they found many who were willing to commit perjury they
needed at least two who would tell the same story, (Deuteronomy 17:6). At last two were found who would testify that
they heard Jesus say that he would destroy the temple and built it in three
days. Of course that’s not what he had
said, his statement is recorded in John 2:19, then read John’s statements in
verses 20-22. How often we find examples
of scripture taken out of context, twisted just a little, with just a small
addition or omission to support false teaching – or false witness, in violation
of the 9th commandment!
►His silent
response to his accusers is prophesied in Isaiah 53:7, and we see in Matthew
27:14 and Mark 15:4-5. His accusers
presented no proof of the charges they brought against him; both Herod and
Pilate found him innocent of any crime.
It appears that even the slightest word in his own defense would have
resulted in the case against him being thrown out of the Roman court --- but he
opened not his mouth; knowing what would come, willingly laying down his life,
(John 10:18).
►The
demeaning treatment of our Lord by his enemies is foreseen in Isaiah 50:6, and
we see it occurring in Matthew 26:67; Mark 14:65; 15:15-20; Luke 22:63; John
18:22; 19:3. The mockery and humiliation
was wicked, cruel and repeated. There
were at least a half dozen specific events recorded for us, 1) the High Priest's servants; 2) Herod Antipas and
his soldiers; 3) the soldiers of the Roman garrison; 4) the general public; 5)
priests and scribes; and (6) the two crucified thieves. These things were much more than just man’s
inhumanity to man, they were the work of Satan, who was relentless in his
attempts to get Jesus to put a stop to these proceedings, to abandon his
purpose thus delivering the souls of all mankind into his hands.
►In Psalms
35:19 we read of his enemies hating him without a cause. Our Lord’s own words demonstrate this
fulfillment in John 15:24-25. Cain hated Abel because his works were righteous?
Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing; Joseph's brothers hated him because
his father loved him; Saul hated David because the Lord was with him;
Ahab hated Micaiah because of his prophecies; the
world hates righteousness. Consider John
►The vicarious nature of Christ’s
death is seen in Isaiah 53:4-6, {also the entire 22nd Psalm}; and
taught in Romans 5:6-8. The first time I
heard the word vicarious I was about 8 or 9 years old, but I remember well
Brother Rex Turner preaching a sermon on the subject. No, I don’t remember much of what he said,
but the word made a lasting impression on me as I grew to understand what it
means. It means to take the place of
another, to act as a substitute; it means that Jesus willingly received the
punishment which I justly deserve because of my sins, and in doing so He paid
the price that I could not pay, thus redeeming my soul and giving me salvation
through obedience to Him, by the grace of God.
The
vicarious death of Christ is at the center of man’s salvation; it was necessary
because of man’s sin, and man could not be reconciled to God without it.
Without the vicarious nature of Christ’s
death neither faith, repentance, confession nor baptism
would be of any value. Certainly we
cannot be saved without those things, but those are the steps of obedience by
which we accept the free gift of his love.
Was the death of Christ really necessary? Could God not have just spoken a universal
reprieve from the guilt of sin for all mankind and saved all people by
acclamation? That would be contrary to
His divine nature. The righteousness and
justice of God demands that sin be recompensed; it requires that the price of
guilt be paid, (Romans
Paul wrote: “For ye were bought with a price” (1
Corinthians
►That he
would feel forsaken by God, Psalms 22:1; given utterance in Matthew 27:46 and
Mark 15:34. This expression indicates
intense suffering; the humanity of Christ is visible here. Had God forsaken him? At that moment in time God turned His divine
face away, (Matthew 27:45; Mark
►That he
would die with criminals is foretold by Isaiah in 53:12; and fulfilled in
Matthew 27:38; Mark 15:27-28; Luke 23:32-33 and John 19:18. This was more than just an act of contempt
perpetrated against Jesus by the Romans, (remember, the Romans hated the Jews
and would seize any opportunity to humiliate them); His treatment as a criminal
began in the garden, (Matthew 26:55).
That they executed to others with him was in strict violation of the
Jewish law; (just one more of many). If
this was ordered by Pilate it could have been a means of making Jesus’
execution take on the appearance of being legal, especially since he had been
declared innocent by both Herod and by Pilate.
On the other hand, it could have been done at the urging of the Jewish
leaders to make Jesus appear to be a criminal on one hand, and to further
humiliate him on the other.
►That his
body would be pierced – Zechariah
►That
vinegar and gall would be offered him is foretold in Psalms 69:21, and has its
fulfillment in Matthew 27:34, 48; and Mark
►That
men would gamble for his clothing is foretold in Psalms 22:17-18, and seen in
Matthew 27:35-36; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24. Josephus says that the coat of the high priest was one
long vestment, so woven as to have an aperture for the neck and hands. According to John
►The
Psalmist foretold that none of his bones would be broken, Psalms 34:20. We see this fulfilled in John 19:32-36. The law in Deuteronomy 21:22-23 required that
those crucified not be left hanging overnight.
Even though they had violated a great number of their own laws in the
way they went about arresting, trying, convicting and condemning Jesus, they
showed great concern over public infringement of certain other laws and
traditions.
►Isaiah
foretold that he would be buried with the rich, Isaiah 53:9. Matthew 27:57-60; Mark 15:42-43; Luke
23:50-51 and John 19:38-42 all record the fulfillment of this. A man named Joseph, a secret follower of
Jesus, came forward – indeed Mark says that he went in boldly to Pilate. This act required one who was willing to
completely abandon all considerations of personal safety, status and position
in order to fulfill this important role.
Joseph. It was one named Joseph
whom God raised up in
Joseph lived in Arimathea,
a town located about 40 miles north-northeast of
The risk they took with their social,
political and economic standing – indeed with their very lives, was great; but
that was not all, they also forfeited their opportunity to participate in the
religious events of Passover Sabbath by touching a dead body. (Numbers 9:6-14; 19:11-13, 16). Why then were
these men suddenly willing to risk everything?
They had seen the miracles of Jesus, had heard his teaching, Nicodemus
had even had a personal interview with him, but their faith remained silent
until now. What made the
difference? It was the cross; Jesus said
“And I, if I be lifted up from the earth will draw all men unto me,” (John
There is also much significance to these
rich men having provided for His burial.
It was customary for those who were executed as criminals, and other
poor persons, to be tossed into a shallow trench and covered with lime, (such
as may have been the practice in the Potter’s field). Families of modest but adequate means would
sometimes bury their dead in the earth until the process of decay was complete,
then exhume the bones and place them into a vessel called an ossuary. In October of 2002 the National Geographic
News published a story of the discovery of an ancient ossuary which had an
inscription on it, “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus”. The report stated that the burial box is made
of
1.
Joseph knew that Jesus was dead.
2.
Confirmation of the death of Jesus had been received by Pilate.
3.
Joseph and Nicodemus personally carried His dead body.
4.
They prepared it for burial; binding it with new linen cloth and
wrapping a cloth around his head, (as was customary to prevent the chin from
dropping during the funeral procession).
5.
They invested a considerable amount of money in the new linen and
the hundred pounds of burial spices.
6.
Witnesses saw them place the corpse in the tomb and roll the stone
door into its place. It was across this
stone closure that the Roman seal was placed to assure that no one tampered
with the tomb.
7.
A stone burial chamber with a sealed stone closure assured the
security of the body of our Lord – demonstrating that when on the third day the
tomb was found empty that it had to have been a miraculous event.
►The resurrection of Jesus from the
dead is foretold in Psalms 16:10 and 49:15.
Matthew 28:4-6; Mark 16:6; Luke 24:6-7; and John 20:1-8. Just as His vicarious death is a necessary
component for the redemption of mankind, certainly His resurrection is the main
pivotal fact of Christianity. Buddhism
has its statues; Judaism has its Wailing Wall; Islam its
►His ascension is foretold in Psalms
68:18, and accomplished in Mark 16:19; Luke 24:51; Acts 1:9; Ephesians 1:20-22. Jesus told his disciples of his coming
ascension, (John 14:3), and of his 2nd coming. In his first letter to Timothy Paul encapsulates
a summary of the life and work of Jesus, “And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was
manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto
the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory,” (1 Timothy 3:16).
He
prayed to be returned to the glory that was his before leaving Heaven, (John
17:5); and that prayer was granted, (Hebrews 1:3; 8:1; 12:2; Acts
Alleged Conflicts in the Gospel Accounts
The Bible claims
to be the inspired word of God. If it
is, there should not be any conflict or contradiction contained within its
pages, since God is perfect. Even the
slightest inaccuracy would cast doubt upon the whole and destroy the certainty
upon which the Christian faith is founded.
Enemies of the church, (agents of Satan), have from the very beginning
tried to find fault with the scriptures for thousands of years. Someone has said that critics of the Bible
have claimed that there are more than a hundred contradictions or
inconsistencies in the gospel accounts.
Neither
of the four gospels purports to be a complete account of the life and
activities of Jesus; rather, each is a much abbreviated account of key events,
from a slightly different perspective. John 20:30-31; 21:24-25 make it clear
that the Bible does not represent itself to be a comprehensive account of the
entire life of Christ, nor of the more than 3 years of His ministry. It contains snapshots of what has been
estimated to be approximately 30 to 35 days of His life. There has yet to be raised even one
unanswered allegation of conflict – not one!
If one examines
the scriptures looking for flaws he will tend to overlook those things that
actually prove their accuracy, and jump to preconceived, premature conclusions
before considering all of the possibilities.
Why is it that some people are so anxious to find a contradiction or
inconsistency – even the slightest flaw - in the scriptures? It is because they want to weaken or destroy
the authority of the scriptures in an effort to justify their own refusal to
submit to the authority of God.
Idioms and
nuances of language are sometimes difficult to understand. Consider our own English language for example
and the confusion that might surround just one word: The prospectors made a strike yesterday up in the
mountains. The union went on strike this morning. The batter made his third strike and was
called out by the umpire. Strike up with
the Star Spangled Banner. The fisherman
got a good strike in the middle of the lake.
Or, we polish the Polish table with furniture
polish; there was a row in the row of oarsmen about how to row; then there was
the soldier who chose to desert his dessert in the desert; and there is no egg
in eggplant, no ham in hamburger and neither apples nor pine in pineapple. The point is that we must often rely upon
context to aid in understanding.
Before declaring
a contradiction one must settle a number of issues: time, place, persons,
circumstances, perspective, possible variants, different facts which are all
true, etc. Just because two or more
writers may give a slightly different account of an event does not constitute
an inconsistency. Two or more truthful
witnesses may give differing accounts of something they witness, but the
differences in their accounts does not make either of them a liar. Someone may say that I came into the room
through an open door; another may say that the door to the room was closed. A contradiction? Hardly; the door to the room may have been
closed and I may have opened it to enter the room then closed it behind
me. In this case both men would be
correct, but each would be speaking from a different perspective.
■ Did Judas betray Jesus with a kiss or not? Matthew (26:49) and Mark (
■ Matthew
27:34 and John 19:28-30 are sometimes accused of being contradictory; however
such is not the case at all. The mixture
is offered as a mild anesthetic in Matthew and Mark’s account, (sour vinegar
mixed with Myrrh); he refused it because he intended to suffer to the
fullest. The offer in John’s account is
a drink from the sour wine supply that was commonly on hand for the soldiers,
merely a means of relieving thirst; he had already suffered, and after drinking
he died.
■ Matthew
records our Lord’s words from the Sermon on the Mount in chapter 5 verse 8 in
which He said, “Blessed are the pure in heart for they shall see God”. Exodus 33:20 states that no man shall see Him
and live; and John 1:18 says that “No man hath seen God at any time…”; did Jesus promise the impossible? Did John make an untrue statement? Jacob said “…I have seen God face to face
and my life is preserved,” (Genesis 32:30).
In Exodus 24:10 we read
that Moses, Aaron, Nadab and Abihu
and seventy of the elders of
The same words can convey different
meanings, depending upon their context.
In ancient Hebrew to be in the presence of a king, (or to see him), was
considered a great favor; (Proverbs
■ Matthew, Mark and Luke do not place
any time frame on their accounts, and some have drawn the conclusion that they
seem to indicate that Jesus’ period of ministry was limited to just one
year. John, on the other hand, clearly
indicates a period of at least 3 years if not part of a fourth in that he
refers to 3 different Passovers during his ministry, does this constitute a
conflict? Certainly not! A written account of the highlights of the
life of President Regan might cover all of his 93 years,
or a brief compendium of his most famous quotations while President would
encompass only 8 years – neither would be a misrepresentation nor a
conflict.
■ Where did
Jesus preach the ‘Sermon on the Mount’?
Matthew 5:1 says that He went into a mountain, while Luke
■ In Matthew
■ How many
women went to the tomb on Sunday morning?
Matthew names two, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, (Matthew 28:1);
Mark identifies the other Mary as the mother of James and adds Salome, (Mark
16:1); Luke says it was the women who came with Jesus to Jerusalem from
Galilee, (Luke 23:55-24:1), and in 24:10 adds Joanna to the list; John names
Mary Magdalene, (John 20:1). The
accounts given by each writer are not identical, but neither of them excludes
other participants in the burial party.
In fact, there is a little word in Luke’s account,
(verse 10) specifically states that other women were with them. In John’s account, Mary Magdalene says to
Peter and John, “WE do not know where they have laid Him,” clearly
indicating others in the group.
■ What time
did the women go to the tomb? “In the
end of the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week”,
(Matthew 28:1); “…at the rising of the sun”, (Mark 16:2); “…very early in the
morning…,” (Luke 24:1); “…early, while it was yet dark…,”(John
20:1). We don’t know how far it was
from the place where these women spent the night to the tomb, but the garden
was outside the city. It would have been
a walk of at least sufficient duration for the sun to break over the horizon
had they started while it was still dark.
■ Matthew, in 27:54 records the words
of the Roman centurion when he said, “…truly this was the Son of God,”
consistent with Mark’s account in
■ Jesus ate the Passover meal with
his disciples on the night before he was taken prisoner in the garden; yet, in
John 18:28 we see his accusers being careful not to defile themselves by
entering the house of a gentile so that they could eat the Passover. Critics claim this to be a contradiction;
realize however that the “feast of unleavened bread” consisted of seven days, not just a single event; and, further,
since these men were likely members of the priesthood, they had certain
obligations concerning sacrifices which they must make, and of which they must
eat, (Numbers 28:17-25).
■
The accounts of the healing of blind Bartimaeus at
■ How many times did Jesus pray? Matthew 26:44 specifically states that Jesus
prayed 3 times in the garden; Mark (
■ What time did Jesus die? Mark
■ How many times did the rooster crow? All four gospel writers record Jesus’
prediction that Peter would deny Him three times before the crowing of the
cock. Mark’s account is more specific, (
Typically, in 1st
century Palestinian culture people relied upon the pre-dawn crowing of roosters
to arouse them to be ready for work at first light. According to some scholars, this crowing
usually started around 3:30 AM; it was preceded by an earlier round of crowing
shortly after midnight, but the pre-dawn crowing was referred to frequently in
the common vernacular as ‘the crowing of the cock’. This crowing is mentioned
by Jesus as recorded in Mark 13:35. This
pre-dawn crowing in particular was an
important component of daily life.
I remember when
the cotton mills had a steam whistle they would blow for the changing of each
shift. There were three shifts,
beginning at
■ What do the thorns in the parable of the sower represent? Satan’s
agents have pointed to the differences between the records of Matthew, Mark and
Luke of Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the sower, specifically as he
describes what happens to the seed that fell on thorny ground, and accused them
of being inconsistent. In Matthew
■ How many apostles saw Jesus shortly
after His resurrection? Some accuse Luke
of an error because he speaks of ‘the eleven’ being gathered, (24:33), when in
fact there were just ten – Judas was dead and Thomas was not present, (John
■
How many angels appeared at the resurrection
scene?
(Matthew 28:5-8; Mark 16:2-8; Luke 24:1-8;
John 20:11-18). A
careful study reveals that each writer gives information that supplements the
others – there is no contradiction, just additional details given by each of
the events of that most glorious and wonderful day. The things that took place during the first
few hours of daylight on that Sunday morning were a defining moment in all of
history as the God of Heaven kept the promise He had made to Eve thousands of
years previous.
■ What did
Pilate’s sign really say? This is a
favorite of Bible critics:
Matthew
27:37 This is Jesus the King of the Jews
Mark
Luke
John
What they fail to understand is that
neither account purports to be a direct quotation of the sign itself; rather
they simple relate the message conveyed by the sign. The sign was written in three different
languages, and the gospel writers simply give us the information that the sign
conveyed. It was not uncommon for a sign
of accusation to be affixed to the cross of a condemned man, and it appears
that Pilate was goading the Jews a little with his choice of words. None of the accounts is in contradiction or
conflict with the other.
■ When did
Jesus cleanse the temple? John 2:13-17
has the event taking place immediately after Jesus began his earthly ministry
following the wedding feast in Canna of Galilee; yet,
Matthew 21:12-13, Mark 11:15-17 and Luke 19:45-46 all place it in His final
days on earth, following his triumphant entry into Jerusalem. Is this a conflict? Most assuredly not! Upon careful examination it is clear that
these are two separate and distinct events, the first one recorded by John and
omitted by the other three, and the second one recorded in parallel by Matthew,
Mark and Luke and omitted by John; they took place more than three years
apart. Jesus’ words in the first event
(recorded by John) are that they should not make the House of God a place of
merchandise. In the second event, His
righteous indignation (“be angry and sin not,” Ephesians
■ What about God’s plan of salvation? Many today teach that we are saved by faith, indeed many passages bear out this truth. But others teach that we are saved by grace,
and so the Bible states. Are there
contradictory statements concerning salvation?
Certainly not; indeed, according to the scriptures we are saved by many
elements:
We are
saved by…
Jesus’ life Romans
Hope Romans
8:24
Baptism I Pet
Jesus John
Ourselves Acts
Preaching I Corinthians 1:21
The Word James
Endurance Matthew 10:22; Rev. 2:10
Belief Luke
Calling on Lord Acts
Grace Acts
Blood Romans
5:9
Work James
2:24
The Gospel I Corinthians 15:1-2; Romans
Mercy Titus
3:5
Confession Matthew
Promise I John 2:25
God I
Timothy
The Spirit I Corinthians
Christ I
Timothy
Faith Luke
7:50; Acts 16:31; 26:18; Gal 3:24,26
Calling on the name of the Lord Acts 20:21; Romans 10:13
Washing & Renewing Titus 3:5
Repentance Luke 13:3; Acts 11:18
Christ’s life Romans
Christ’s death Romans
Christ’s resurrection Romans
Man’s will Matt 23:37
Is there anything
is this list that is not a component of man’s salvation? I don’t think so. Deuteronomy 8:3; Matthew 4:4; Acts
20:27. The principle point is this: that
we are saved by every word that comes from the mouth of God, (Deuteronomy
8:3; Matthew 4:4).
A Time line of the life and work of our
Lord
October, 7
B.C.
The Birth of John the Baptist
Gabriel Announces John's Birth (Lk
1:5-25)
The History of the Birth of
Jesus
The Genealogy of
Jesus (Mat 1:1-17; Lk 3:23-38).
July, 6 B.C.
Gabriel Announces to Mary (Lk
1:26-38).
Mary's Visits
An Angel Comes to Joseph (Mat 1:18-25).
The Decree of
Augustus Caesar and the Birth of Christ (Lk
2:1-7).
The First
Visitors - Shepherds (Lk
2:8-20).
The Second Visitors - Magi (Mat 2:1-12).
April, 5 B.C.
Jesus is Circumcised and Presented
in the
March, 4 B.C.
Out of
Herod the Great Dies
Jesus' Early Years
April, 8 A.D.
The Boy Jesus at
the
The Beginning of His Ministry
The
September, 25
A.D.
Jesus is Baptized in the
The Wilderness
The Temptation
in the Wilderness (Mat 4:1-11; Mk 1:12, 13; Lk
4:1-13).
The Eternal Word
(Jn
1:1-18).
The Testimony of
John (Jn
1:19-34).
The First
Disciples (Jn
1:35-51).
Turning Water to Wine (Jn
2:1-12).
Jesus Visits
The First Passover
April, 26 A.D.
Jesus was 30 Years of Age, A House
of Merchandise (Jn
2:13-25).
Unless One
is Born Again (Jn
3:1-21).
Jesus Baptizes (Jn
3:22, with 4:2).
He Departed Again to
The Woman at the
Well (Jn
4:4-42).
Jesus' Ministry in
He Taught in Their Synagogues (Mt 4:17; Mk 1:14,15; Lk 4:14,15; Jn 4:43-45).
A Certain Nobleman (Jn
4:46-54)
Physician, Heal Yourself! (Mat 4:13-16; Lk 4:16-31).
Peter, Andrew,
James, and John (Mat 4:18-22; Mk 1:16-20; Lk
5:1-11).
And Jesus Went About All
A Man With
an Unclean Spirit (Mk 1:21-28; Lk 4:31-37).
Simon's Wife's Mother Lay Sick (Mat 8:14-17; Mk 1:29-34; Lk
4:38-41).
Then a Leper Came to Him (Mat 8:2-4; Mk 1:40-45; Lk 5:12-16).
They Brought to Him a Paralytic (Mat 9:2-8; Mk 2:1-12; Lk 5:17-26).
Matthew the Tax
Collector (Mat 9:9; Mk 2:13, 14; Lk 5:27, 28).
The Second Passover
April, 27 A.D.
Healing at the
Pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath day (Jn
5:1-47).
Healing in the
Synagogue on the Sabbath day (Mat 12:9-14; Mk 3:1-6, Lk 6:6-11).
And in His Name Gentiles Will
Trust (Mat 12:15-21; Mk 3:7-12)
Then He Appointed Twelve (Mat 10:2-4; Mk 3:13-19; Lk 6:
12-19).
The Sermon on
the Mount (Mat 5-7; Lk 6:20-49).
A Certain
Centurion's Servant (Mat 8:5-13; Lk 7:1-10).
Nain
Raises the Dead
Son at Nain (Lk
7:11-17).
Are You the Coming One? (Mat 11:2-19; Lk 7:18-35).
My Yoke is Easy and My Burden is
Light (Mat 11:20-30).
The Woman With
the Alabaster Flask (Lk
7:36-50).
Mary Called Magdalene (Lk
8:1-3).
The Blasphemy of the Holy Spirit (Mat 12:22-37; Mk 3: 19-30; Lk
11:14-20).
Teacher, We Want to See a Sign
From You (Mat 12:38-45; Lk 11:16-36).
Woe to You, Scribes and Pharisees,
Hypocrites (Lk
11:37-54).
He Began to Say to His Disciples (Lk
12:1-59).
Parable of the
Fig Tree (Lk
13:6-9).
Parable of the
Sower (Mat 13:1-23; Mk 4:1-25; Lk 8:4-18).
Many Such
Parables (Mat 13:24-53; Mk 4:26-34).
Jesus Rebukes the Storm (Mat 8:18-27; Mk 4:35-41; Lk
8:22-25).
The Herd of Many
Swine (Mat 8:28-33; Mk 5:1-21; Lk
8:26-40).
He Came Again to His Own City (Mat 9:1; Mk 5:21 Lk 8:40).
The Parable of the Wineskins (Mat 9:10-17; Mk 2:15-22; Lk
5:29-39).
Jairus' Daughter and the Woman With the
Flow of Blood (Mat 9:18-26; Mk 5:22-43; Lk
8:41-56).
The Blind and the Mute (Mat 9:27-34).
A Prophet is Not Without Honor Except . . (Mat 13:53-58; Mk 6:1-6).
He Was Moved With Compassion For Them (Mat 9:35-38)
Sent His
Disciples Out With Power and Authority (Mat 10; Mk 6:6-13, Lk 9:1-6).
Machaerus
John the Baptist is Beheaded (Mat 14:1, 2, 6-12, Mk 6:14-16, 21-29; Lk
9:7-9).
Near
The Disciples
Return, Feeding Five Thousand (Mat 14:13-21; Mk 6:30-44; Lk
9:10-17, Jn 6:1-14).
They Saw Him Walking on the Sea (Mat 14:22-36; Mk 6:45-56; Jn
6:15-21).
The Third Passover
April, 28 A.D.
I Am the Bread of Life (Jn
6:22-65).
Do you also want to go away? (Jn
6:66-71).
Unwashed Hands (Mat 15:1-20; Mk 7:1-23).
A Woman of
Then Great Multitudes Came to Him
(Mat 15:29-31, Mk 7:31-37).
Feeding Four Thousand (Mat 15:32-39; Mk 8:1-9).
Seeking From Him a Sign From Heaven (Mat 16:1-4; Mk 8:10-12).
The Leaven of
the Pharisees and Sadducees (Mat 16:4-12; Mk 8:13-21).
Heals a Blind Man at
Caesarea Philippi
He Must Go to
And He Was Transfigured (Mat 17:1-13; Mk 9:2-13; Lk
9:28-36).
And Jesus Rebuked the Demon (Mat 17:14-21; Mk 9:14-29; Lk
9:37-43).
Speaks Again of His Death (Mat 17:22, 23; Mk 9:30-32; Lk
9:43-45).
Miracle of the Coin in the Fish's
Mouth (Mat 17:24-27).
Which One is the Greatest? (Mat 18:1-35; Mk 9:33-50; Lk
9:46-50).
He Who is
Not Against Us is On Our Side (Mk 9:38, 39; Lk 9:49, 50).
The Feast of Tabernacles
Set His Face to Go to
The Lord Appointed Seventy Others
(Lk
10:1-16).
The Ten Lepers (Lk
17:11-19).
Teaches in the
The Parable of
the Good Samaritan (Lk
10:25-37).
The Report of
the Seventy (Lk
10:17-24).
The House of
Mary and Martha (Lk
10:38-42).
Jesus Teaches His Disciples to
Pray (Lk
11:1-13).
The Feast of Dedication
I Was Blind, Now I See (Jn
9:1-41).
My Sheep Hear My Voice (Jn
9:39-41; 10:1-21).
They Picked Up Stones To Stone Him
(Jn
10:22-39).
Bethabara
Beyond the
Jesus Raises
Lazarus from the Dead (Jn
11:1-46).
Ephraim
The Declaration
of Caiaphas (Jn
11:47-54).
The Woman Who Was Bent Over (Mat 19:1, 2; Mk 10:1; Lk 13:10-35).
Take the Lowest Seat (Lk
14:1-24).
Count the Cost (Lk
14:25-35).
More Parables,
Prodigal Son (Lk
15:1-32; 16:1-13).
Exposes the
Hypocrisy of the Pharisees (Lk
16:14-18).
The Rich Man and
Lazarus (Lk
16:19-31).
Increase Our Faith (Lk
17:1-10).
Teaches the Pharisees About the Coming of the Kingdom (Lk
17:20-37).
The Pharisee and
the Tax Collector (Lk
18:1-14).
Marriage and
Divorce (Mat 19:3-12; Mk 10:2-12).
Let the Little Children Come to Me
(Mat 19:13-15; Mk 10:13-16; Lk
18:15-17).
Rich Young Ruler (Mat 19:16-22; Mk 10:17-22; Lk
18:18-24).
The Parable of
the Vineyard (Mat 20:1-16).
Again Foretelling His Death (Mat 20:17-19; Mk 10:32-34; Lk
18:31-34).
Can I Sit at Your Right Hand? (Mat 20:20-28; Mk 10:35-45).
Blind Bartimaeus
(Mat 20:29-34; Mk 10:46-50; Lk
18:35-43).
Zacchaeus
who was a Chief Tax Collector (Lk
19:1-10).
The Parable of
the Minas (Lk
19:11-28).
Mary Anoints the Feet of Jesus (Jn
12:1-9).
Triumphal Entry into
Jesus Enters the temple (Mat 21:12, Mk 11:11; Lk 19:45).
Drives the
Vendors Out of the
The Blind and Lame Came to Him (Mat 21:14).
He Was Teaching Daily in the
The Withered Fig Tree (Mat 21:17-22; Mk 11:12-14, 20-22).
The Parable of the Two Sons (Mat 21:28-31);
The Parable of the Vinedressers (Mat 21:33-46; Mk 12:1-12; Lk
20:9-19);
The Parable of
the Great Supper (Mat 22:1-14; Lk 14:16-24).
Tested By the Pharisees (Mat 22:15-22; Mk 12:13-17; Lk
20:20-26).
Tested By the Sadducees (Mat 22:23-33; Mk 12:18-27; Lk
20:27-40);
Tested By a Lawyer (Mat 22:34-40; Mk 12:28-34).
Beware of the Scribes and the
Pharisees (Mat 23; Mk 12:38-40; Lk 20:45-47).
A Certain Poor
Widow (Mk 12:41-44; Lk 21:1-4).
The Prophecy of Isaiah About their Blindness (Jn
12:37-50).
Foretells the
Destruction of the
He Saw the City and Wept Over It,
(Mat 23:37; Lk 19:41-44).
The Parables of the Ten Virgins
and The Talents (Mat 25:1-30).
The Sheep and the Goats (Mat 25:31-46).
Anointed with
the Flask of Spikenard (Mat 26:6-13; Mk 14:3-9; Jn 12:1-8).
The Last Passover
April, 29 A.D.
The Last
Passover (Mat 26:17-30; Mk 14:12-25; Lk
22:7-20).
Began to Wash
the Disciples' Feet (Jn
13:1-17).
The Hand of My Betrayer is With Me
(Mat 26:23; Mk 14:18-21; Lk 22:21;
Jn 13:18).
What You Do .
. Do Quickly (Mat 26:21-25; Mk 14:18-21; Lk
22:21-23; Jn 13:21-30).
Teaches About the Holy Spirit (Jn
14; 15; 16).
Jesus'
Intercession (Jn
17).
The Prayer in
Betrayed and Taken (Mat 26:47-56; Mk 14:43-54, 66-72; Lk
22:47-53; Jn 18:2-12).
The Trial (Mat 26:57, 58, 69-75; Mk 14:53, 54, 66-72; Lk 22:54-62; Jn 18:13-18, 25-27).
Delivered to Pilate (Mat 27:1, 2, 11-14; Mk 15:1-5; Lk
23:1-5; Jn 18:28-38).
He Sent Him to Herod (Lk
23:6-12).
Tried Before Pilate (Mat 27:15-26; Mk 15:6-15; Lk
23:13-25; Jn 18:39, 40; 19:1-16).
Mocked by the Soldiers (Mat 27:27-31; Mk 15:16-20).
Crucifixion
Led Him Away to be Crucified (Mat 27:31-34; Mk 15:20-23; Lk
23:26-32; Jn 19:16, 17).
Crucified (Mat 27:35-56; Mk 15:24-41; Lk
23:33-49; Jn 19:18-30).
Joseph of Arimathea
(Mat 27:57-66; Mk 15:42-47; Lk
23:50-56; Jn 19:31-42).
The Resurrection
He is Risen
(Mat 28:2-15, Mk 16:1-11 Lk
24:1-12; Jn 20:1-18).
Has Appeared to Simon (Lk
24:34; 1Cor 15:5).
Road to Emmaus
Appears to Two Disciples on the
Road to Emmaus (Mk 16:12, 13: Lk 24:13-35).
Ascension (Luke
24:50-51).