Gethsemane was a garden in the Mount of Olives. Jesus had been going there with the disciples when they left Jerusalem, at least for several nights. It was quite possibly inside a gated garden spot. John records that Jesus "went out" from the garden spot to address the soldiers who had come to arrest Him.
John 18:4
Then Jesus, knowing all things that were coming upon Him, went out and said to them, Whom do you seek?

In the garden, Jesus asks his disciples to wait with Him. Their normal routine was probably to go to sleep. This is what they had been doing.

“…and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled…”
"Deeply distressed" means "struck with terror". "Troubled" means "to be ill at ease, uncomfortable on the inside". Jesus began falling to the ground and praying continually. This is a verb tense that means he repeatedly did this.

Luke says sweat came as great drops of blood. Doctors have said it is possible to be in such agony that a person can sweat drops of blood. That beautiful painting of Jesus praying in the garden…was it really serene? Jesus was in agony, so much that an angel was sent from heaven to strengthen him. Luke says Jesus knelt down, Matthew and Mark say he fell down on the ground. Luke records, “Father”. Mark records, “Abba, Father.” Abba is the Hebrew word, a more familial term, much like “Daddy”.

We made the observation before that Jesus spoke repeatedly about the Father, more so the closer He came to the time of the crucifixion. At this point He no longer called Him “Father”, but “Abba”, the more familiar term. Jesus was calling God, the Father, "Daddy".

When they came to arrest Jesus, he clearly demonstrated who was in control. He went willingly.

When Peter used his sword to strike the soldier he was using it as an offensive weapon (not the way Jesus wanted him to) and chances are he wasn’t going for the ear.

The young man in the linen garment...just who was he? Ponder this...suppose that this young man lived in the house where Jesus and the disciples ate their last meal together, the upper room. Suppose that he was curious and after dressing for bed (often people, especially wealthy ones, slept in a linen garment) decided to listen in on what Jesus and the disciples were doing. Looking at the accounts in the Chronological Bible for Nov. 14 reading, immediately following the display of the swords, they all left. Suppose this young man was still curious and decided to follow them, not taking the time to go and dress in anything other than the linen garment. Still being curious, he continued to follow them on to the garden and got caught up in the arrest of Jesus. Many think this young man could have been Mark, whose mother was wealthy and who had provided  necessary supplies for Jesus and the disciples. The upper room could have been in her house. Anyway, just some points to ponder....

Peter disowns three times being one of Jesus’ disciples. The other times he answers the questions of being with Jesus. There is a difference between being “with” Jesus and being one of Jesus’ own. It’s being with Him vs. knowing Him.

When Peter denies Jesus for the third time “The Lord turned and looked straight at Peter.”
The look in Jesus’ eyes was a confirmation of what He had told Peter earlier. Can we even begin to imagine how Peter must have felt? Peter was grieved and wept. In Scripture there are at least two meanings for the word wept. This one is the most sorrowful. It means to "wail aloud bitterly". But the good news is…keep reading for the answer!

We would urge you to read the passages in John 15 again and really ponder the message of staying connected to Him and being able to bear much fruit.
Secrets of the Vine is an excellent little book to read that explains this passage beautifully.

John 16:11
and in regard to judgment, because the prince of this world now stands condemned.
Satan may be prince of this world now, but he stands condemned at judgment.

We would urge you also to ead John Chapter 16 again.
John 16:23
In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name.
If you read this in full context, it becomes clear what Jesus is talking about in regards to what we are to ask for. (See James 1:5)

James 1:5
But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and with no reproach, and it shall be given to him.

When Jesus speaks to the disciples about sending the Holy Spirit, they didn't have a handle on exactly what that meant. They understood about the Holy Spirit "coming upon" someone temporarily but they really didn't understand about the Holy Spirit coming to dwell within. They didn't quite get the personal relationship that they could have with God, the Father and God, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus prays for Himself. He prays for the disciples. And lastly this…
John 17:20
"My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message,
That’s us!!! Jesus is praying for US! In His last hours on earth, He was praying for US! What an awesome and humbling thought!

The last supper…not THE Passover supper, simply the last supper the disciples would have with Jesus before the crucifixion. During the Feast of Unleavened Bread, meals together were called Passover meals. Notice in this passage the disciples are now called apostles. Disciples are learners. Apostles are the “sent out ones”. They are being prepared by Jesus to be sent out.

When Jesus announces that one of them would betray Him, the disciples didn’t automatically think of Judas. This lets us know they didn't suspect Judas of any wrongdoing or at least they didn't suspect him of anythingthis wrong.

The passage about washing the disciples’ feet is so much deeper that just Jesus setting the example of servitude. It’s all about forgiveness. Jesus set the example of forgiveness of sins. He forgave their sins, they were in turn to forgive each other. We need to come to Jesus daily for the removal of the dirt of sin from our lives. If we are saved we are clean but our feet get dirty living in a sinful world.

John 14:1-4 is a very familiar passage that is quoted often.  In these verses Jesus tells His disciples and us that He is going to prepare a place.  For information about the significance of some of the Greek words in this passage, see the book These Last Days pages 328-331.

John 14:13
And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father.
Whatever prayers we lift up should bring the Father glory!

Mark 14:26
When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Go to this link for more information on just what that hymn might have been.

http://www.philandpatti.com/abiblicalviewofholyweek

Jesus warns His disciples about forsaking Him.  Peter adamantly responds that he will never forsake Jesus. He even says that he will die with Jesus if necessary. And all the other disciples said the same thing.  How about all of us as Believers in Jesus?  Are there times when we have forsaken Him?  Praise God that even in our weakness of forsaking Him, we have the assurance that He will never forsake us. (Hebrews 13:5)

When Judas bargained to betray Jesus, Scripture is very clear that Satan entered into Judas.  Satan knew that he couldn't send one of his lackeys to do the work, he had to go himself.

Some sad words in Scripture:
"Even after Jesus had done all these miraculous signs in their presence, they still would not believe in him."
Not much has changed today.

If ever there was a doubt concerning the Son of God appearing to the Old Testament people, this one lays that to rest.
John 12:41
Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

More sad words from Scripture:
"for they loved praise from men more than praise from God."
Again, not much has changed today.

As you continue reading, start paying close attention to the frequent mentioning of the Father by Jesus. He begins to mention the Father more and more the closer He gets to the crucifixion. I (Patti) tend to wonder how Jesus felt. When I was younger (before I met Phil) I always had a very loving relationship with the most important people in my life, my parents. Whenever I was hurt or upset or scared, I always sought the comfort of my parents, especially my daddy. Wonder if the human part of Jesus was feeling that way and He  was longing for the comfort of the Father. Something to think about…

There is so much to say about the Scripture in today’s reading and we have tried to keep things short…but this reading can’t be kept short. With so much talk from so many places today on the events of these last days, it is easy to get caught up in what people are saying. The question for us as Believers in Jesus is this:
What Did Jesus Say?

Jesus words are written in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21 concerning the signs of His coming and the events of the last days. Considering that at the time Jesus spoke these words He had only a few more days with the disciples before the crucifixion, we can logically conclude that the things Jesus would tell the disciples at this time would be extremely important. If they were important enough for Jesus to tell  to His disciples in the remaining few days before the crucifixion, shouldn’t they be important enough for us to pay close attention to today?

Jesus’ lessons had gotten progressively more intense than when He first began teaching. The heart of His teaching began to move away from taking care of the physical needs, the miraculous healings and the feeding of the multitudes, and became more focused on the coming kingdom.

This conversation took place three days before His crucifixion. Jesus and the disciples left the temple in Jerusalem. They journeyed on to the Mount of Olives, opposite the temple. Peter, James, John and Andrew asked Jesus privately what would be the sign of His coming and the end of the age.

Matthew 24:3
As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
These inner four disciples are asking, “When are you coming back to establish your kingdom to stay forever? What supernatural occurrence is going to happen to tell us that you are coming?” That’s what they were really asking.

Jesus answers their question with a warning to watch out and not be deceived. He tells His disciples that false prophets will come claiming to be the Messiah or claiming they know who and where the Messiah is. Some false prophets will also acknowledge that Jesus is the Messiah but will pervert and distort the gospel. False prophets will claim, without using evidence that the end is near. They will misquote Scripture. Many will be deceived. Jesus warns His disciples that if anyone claims that they alone know where He is, to not believe it because He says He will come so that no one can miss it. There will be wars and rumors of wars. Nations will rise up against nation, kingdom against kingdom, not necessarily against each other in battle but will just rise up beside each other. There will be new nations and kingdoms formed, greedy for power and wealth. There will be earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful events and great signs from heaven.

Jesus tells them not to be alarmed. These things will happen. They are the beginnings of birth pains but the end is still to come. As the time gets closer to Jesus’ coming, the events of these last days will be on an ever increasing scale. As time progresses, they will become more severe. They will increase in intensity and frequency, just as labor pains.

Next Jesus tells the disciples what will happen to them before all this takes place. Jesus tells them that they will be handed over to local councils and flogged in synagogues. They will stand before governors and kings and those in authority. They will be put in prison. They will be betrayed by parents, children, brothers, relatives and friends. They will be hated by all nations for no other reason than their faith in Jesus. They will be persecuted and even put to death. He warns them to be on their guard. He tells them not to worry beforehand about what they are to say in their defense. The Holy Spirit will be speaking for them with words and wisdom that none of their adversaries will be able to resist or contradict.

Jesus tells His disciples that when they see these things happen, they will know that the end is near, right at the door. Jesus also reminds the disciples that no one knows the day or hour, not the angels in heaven, or even Jesus Himself, only God the Father knows. And while we cannot know the day or hour, we can know the "season".

Jesus compared events of the last days to labor pains. As birth pains increase, become more frequent and closer together, so will the frequency and intensity of events that lead up to Jesus’ coming. Then many more false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform signs and miracles to deceive the elect-- if that were possible. There will be more wars and rumors of wars. More nations will rise up against nations, more kingdoms against kingdoms, greedy for power and wealth. There will be many more earthquakes, famines, pestilences, fearful events and great signs from heaven.

When all these things happen that Jesus predicted many people will be leading normal lives in their unbelief, eating, drinking, marrying, etc. just like they were in Noah’s day before the flood. They will be unaware that Jesus’ return is imminent. And they will not care. That is how it will be at the coming of the Son of Man.

The events of these last days will be startling when they take place to those who don’t know what to be watching for. Those who are learning about the events leading up to these last days will know the signs so that those days will not catch them by surprise. They will not be “comatose”. The day of the Lord will not come upon believers like a thief in the night. We are watching because we are children of light.

The events of these last days are nothing to fear. When we read of devastating events going on around us it can be very frightening. But in many ways it can be very comforting to know that these things must take place. We must endure these things as we wait for His glorious appearing.

There are some truths to be learned from the incident with the fig tree.  If the fig tree represents Judiasm, then it is full of leaves, but has no fruit.  The fig tree withered quickly.  Judiasm came quickly to an end.  They were given a chance to accept Jesus as the Messiah and bear much fruit for the kingdom.  They rejected Him and so figuratively speaking, Judiasm withered quickly.

Ponder this concerning the parable of the two sons.  The first son represents sinners who repent and accept Jesus as Savior, then go to work for the kingdom..  The second son represents "cradle Christians", those who grew up in the faith who practice "churchianity", but never do any real work for the kingdom. What if the man had three sons and the third son, said yes and then followed through with doing work for the kingdom?

The following verse leaped off the pages of the Bible for us when we read it. This is what could be referred to as a "rhema" word from the Lord.  That is when the Holy Spirit "quickens" a word or phrase or verse and gives new understanding.

Matt 22:2
"The kingdom of heaven is like a king who prepared a wedding banquet for his son.

God is the King who is preparing a wedding banquet for His Son, Jesus and Jesus’ bride (that would be us!) This gives us a foretaste of the banquet that is to come, the heavenly banquet as we prepare to take up residence in our eternal home. Our temporary life here should be lived in anticipation of our eternal life to come. In light of the uncertainties and uneasiness of the political climate of today, the most important thing is to keep our eyes on eternity. For additional writing on how to live our lives as Christians in a fallen world email us for the writing Kingdom Living in a Foreign Land.

See the book These Last Days for other details on the heavenly banquet to come.


The religious leaders continue to prod Jesus with questions, hoping to trap Him into making a seditious statement against the Roman authorities.  Jesus continued to astound them with His answers.

When Jesus was asked by one of the teachers of the law about the commandments, He, in effect condensed all ten commandments into two.  The first four commandments concern our relationship with God.  Jesus condensed those four into "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."
The last six commandments concern our relationships with others.  Jesus condensed those six into "Love your neighbor as yourself."  
Keep in mind that Jesus has only a few more days before the crucifixion.  He's wrapping up the law.  Judiasm has only a few final days. Isn't it interesting that this particular teacher of the law answered by acknowledging that all the law really boils down to these two.  Jesus responded to that revelation by saying, "You are not far from the kingdom of God."  The teacher of the law is almost there but not quite.

Jesus had no problem condemning self-righteousness, false religion, legalism, injustice, hypocrisy, and persecution.  All those words sound sinful in nature, descriptions of non-believers...right???  Not so!   Jesus was speaking of the religious leaders of the day. Jesus said the religious leaders were like white-washed tombs.  They looked good on the outside but were full of dead men's bones.  The religious establishment was full of spiritually dead people. Any connections to today???

A very crucial verse is the one that tells us that Mary anointed Jesus in Bethany six days before the Passover.   This little verse establishes the entire timeline of Holy Week. Scripture tells us the next day (Saturday, not Sunday) was the triumphant entry.
For clarification see the website writings A Biblical View of Holy Week.
http://www.philandpatti.com/abiblicalviewofholyweek

Bethany was the home of Mary, Martha, Lazarus, and also Simon the Leper. It was about two miles from Jerusalem.

Many in the crowd that met Jesus and shouted Hosanna to Him were expecting a conquering Messiah. They were expecting a political ruler who would free them from the oppression of the Romans (among others).

John 12:16
At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

The disciples still do not understand. Many people think of the disciples as being well versed in Jewish law and scripture but they may not have been. They may not have been regular worshipers at all and may have know very little of the prophecies of the Messiah. That may explain why they did not understand so many things, even after Jesus explained things to them. They didn’t understand many things until Jesus was glorified.

The Pharisees were worried that "the whole world has gone after him!" Since there were people from all over the known world, they perceived Jesus to be a real threat to them.

"The next day as they were leaving Bethany...". Jesus and the disciples left Jerusalem on that Saturday (the Triumphal Entry) and traveled back to Bethany. The next day would have been Sunday when they arrived back in Jerusalem and Jesus cursed the fig tree.

Jesus was very indignant when he overturned the tables of the moneychangers in the temple. He did the same thing at the beginning of His mission. Since Jesus lived a perfect life, His actions tell us that righteous indignation is not a sin.

When Jesus quoted scripture, He was quoting from the law which the chief priests and teachers of the law knew very well. They knew the law. Jesus knew they knew the law. That’s why He quoted it!

The crowd said they had heard in the Law that the Christ must remain forever. This is why they were confused when Jesus said He must be crucified. The Law in this case means all of the Old Testament writings, not just the first five books of Moses or just the Ten Commandments.

When Jesus say “Father, glorify your name!” a voice spoke from heaven. Some said it thundered, others said an angel had spoken. Why the difference? Could it be that non-believers heard thunder, believers heard an angel? Why would people have thought they heard thunder? Was there a presence of dark clouds? Are we as believers listening for the voice from heaven? If we are, maybe, just maybe we may hear it!