All Things Testify of Him

We can refer to this entire week as Holy Week, from Palm Sunday to Resurrection Sunday, or Easter. There are some specific things that happen on each of the days—at least as far as we know or can derive from scripture, some significant memorable events. But there are better places than here to get all the details. (I really enjoyed this video, and this one also. There are also a number of videos of the life of Jesus produced by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints; some are used within the first video, and I have used screenshots from several of those as well.) I’ll just cover a few things that stand out to me.

There’s a practice surrounding Passover, where the unblemished sacrificial lamb is chosen, and kept with the family for several days, to make sure it is indeed unblemished.

the family selects a sacrificial lamb, and cares for it for four days,
before making the sacrifice for Passover, screenshot from here

This is symbolic of the Savior, the Lamb of God, who was sacrificed for us. It was always about Him, even when it was a practice to honor the time when the Destroying Angel passed over (thus Passover) the children of Israel. A lamb’s blood was brushed on the door posts to identify the homes of the Lord’s people. And this last plague, the loss of the Firstborn, was the one that finally got the children of Israel out of Egypt.

To those of us with eyes to see, so much of the Old Testament testifies of the Savior. And I believe the people then knew that these things testified of their coming Messiah.

 

sacrificial lamb painting, screenshot from here

The lamb was chosen and then kept by the family for about four days. This would have coincided with Jesus’s entrance into the city on Palm Sunday. The gospels differ on the timeline, but if John’s version is accurate, Jesus would have been examined by the high priest at the same time the sacrificial lambs were being examined for their purity. And, again, on that timeline, Jesus would have died on the cross at the very hour the sacrificial lambs were being killed. It was required that they be killed without breaking any bones; Jesus, unlike the other two prisoners crucified that day, had no bones broken.

houses were cleared out of leaven ahead of the Passover celebration,
screenshot from here

Also as part of the Passover celebration, houses were cleaned out, and all leavening was removed, which was considered corrupting; the unleavened bread also indicated the haste with which the children of Israel had to leave. But, about that household cleansing: what happens after Jesus’s entrance into the city? He goes to the temple, His Father’s house, and cleans it from the corruption of those doing business there. 

Jesus drives the moneychangers from the temple,
screenshot from here

During this Holy Week, the Lord holds a supper in an upper room (a Passover meal according to all the gospels except John), with his chosen twelve. He uses the meal to create with them a covenant—they eat and drink in remembrance of Him, and they will always have His Spirit to be with them.

Later that night, in the Garden of Gethsemane, the sacrifice begins. And then He is apprehended, and examined—as the sacrificial lamb is. The next day He is killed, on the cross, in the most cruel of execution methods.

What we call Good Friday is the day He was killed and taken down from the cross—before sundown, which marked the beginning of the Sabbath.

He was laid in a borrowed tomb. Guards were set there, to make sure no one could take His body and claim He had risen—although even His close disciples, whom He had told about the coming death and resurrection, failed to understand what was about to happen.

Early that Sunday morning, the women went to the tomb, bringing spices, as preservatives for the body. This would have been their first opportunity, since He was laid there just prior to the Sabbath, and it was dark again by the time the Sabbath ended. They found the stone rolled away and the guards missing. And two angels are there, telling them the Savior is risen (Matthew 28:1-10).

angels tell the women that Jesus is not in the tomb,
screenshot from here

They ran to tell the apostles (nice short video here), some of whom thought this must be the idle tales of women. But Peter and John both ran straightaway. They found the tomb empty, and angels told them He had risen (John 20: 1-10). We don’t know how they thought through this news. But we know Mary waited outside the tomb, and when she saw a person she thought was the gardener, she asked where he might have taken her Lord.

Mary waits outside the empty tomb,
screenshot from here

And He said, “Mary,” calling her by name. And she realized it was her beloved Lord and Savior (Mark 16:9; John 20:10-18).

This is the first of many encounters His disciples had with Him. He meets with the remaining apostles in their room later (Mark 16:14; John 20:14)—all the remaining except Thomas, who then says he’ll need to see Him with his own eyes. Which happens later (John 20:24-29). He eats with them. He has them verify the wounds in His hands and feet, and in His side, where the spear pierced Him to verify His death.

He meets with a couple of the disciples on the road to Emmaus, talking with them for some time without revealing His identity until they are about to part (Mark 16:12; Luke 24:13-35).

two travelers on the road to Emmaus meet Jesus, and talk with
him, not recognizing him until He leaves them,
screenshot from here

He meets His disciples on the sea shore, again telling them to cast their nets on the other side of the boat—as He had done in the miracle of the fish when He first called them to follow Him (John 21:2-14). Peter then recognizes Him and jumps in to swim to Him. Jesus has prepared a fire and a meal for them. And He goes through the questioning of Peter, three times, “Do you love me,” to which Peter declares that he does. And the Savior tells Him, “Feed my lambs,” and "Feed my sheep." Peter is to continue the ministry. 

Peter and several of the apostles return to fishing,
screenshot from here

Jesus asks Peter to "Feed my lambs,"
screenshot from here

There is a period of time when He meets with a rather large congregation of followers, 500, and teaches them for some time. And when He leaves, two angels are there, asking why they are staring up into heaven, and foretelling that, when He returns, for His triumphal reign, He will descend in a similar manner to how they saw Him ascend into heaven.

He was more than a Spirit. He had a body (Luke 24:39). He asked Mary not to hold Him, because He was yet to ascend to His Father (John 20:14-17); but He had a body to hold. And He had people touch Him (Luke 24:39-40; John 20:25-29).

He ate fish and honey with the disciples (Luke 24:42-43).

Trying to figure the numbers of witnesses from that time, there was Mary Magdalene, Peter, the ten plus others with them (not Thomas), the eleven plus others when Thomas was there, Cleopas and another on the road to Emmaus, seven who were fishing, apostles on a mountain in Galilee, apostles on the Mount of Olives, 500 believers (I Corinthians 15:6), Stephen at the time of being stoned to death, Saul/Paul on the road to Damascus (Acts 9:1-6).

That’s a lot of witnesses. (There’s a good collection of these witnesses’ accounts, and their scripture references, here.) 

It seems impossible that so many separate witnesses could be deceived. It seems extremely unlikely that so many followers of Jesus would lie. No explanation other than His resurrection explains all those witnesses. 

And we can pray and ask, and the Holy Spirit will testify the truth to us directly.

He lives. He is the firstfruits of them that slept (1 Corinthians 15:20). As with so many things related to His life, death, and resurrection, He was raised on the day that was celebrated as the firstfruits offering of the barley. All things testify of Him.

the firstfruits offering of barley was threshed and ground,
and mixed with oil and frankincense,
screenshot from here

We celebrate His resurrection again this year, as His followers have done since around 33 AD. Even the way we count years denotes His reality.

If this most important of all stories is true, then our lives have meaning: we are here for a purpose, and we will continue to live with purpose after we die.

And we are in the foretold times, the last days, when we prepare for His coming again, this time to rule and reign as King of Kings. A being powerful enough to conquer death—yet loving enough to sacrifice Himself for our sakes—this being is worthy of our love and devotion. And it is by choosing to be on His side in the battle against evil that makes His imminent return a Great rather than Dreadful Day for us.

Hallelujah! And Hosanna! He is risen!