The Triumphal Entry
On the first day of the final week, Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey — fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9: "See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey." Crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the road and shouted: "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" (Matthew 21:9)
This was a deliberate royal procession — Jesus was presenting Himself publicly as the Messiah-King. But He came not on a war horse but on a donkey, the animal of peace. His Kingdom would not be established by military conquest but by sacrifice.
Cleansing the Temple
Jesus entered the Temple courts and drove out those who were buying and selling there, overturning the tables of the money changers. He declared: "My house will be called a house of prayer, but you are making it a den of robbers." (Matthew 21:13)
This act of prophetic confrontation challenged the religious establishment at its center of power. The chief priests and teachers of the law began looking for a way to kill Him. The cleansing of the Temple was not an outburst of anger — it was a deliberate act that set the final events in motion.
The Last Supper
On the night before His crucifixion, Jesus shared a Passover meal with His twelve disciples. He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and said: "This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me." Then He took the cup and said: "This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you." (Luke 22:19–20)
The Last Supper transformed the Passover — the Jewish celebration of liberation from Egypt — into a new covenant meal centered on Jesus Himself. He was the true Passover Lamb, whose blood would bring liberation from sin and death. Christians continue to celebrate this meal as Communion or the Lord's Supper.
Prayer in Gethsemane
After the supper, Jesus went to the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives to pray. He was in such anguish that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground. He prayed: "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done." (Luke 22:42)
This prayer reveals both the full weight of what Jesus was about to bear and His complete submission to the Father's will. He was not a passive victim — He chose the cross. His prayer in Gethsemane is one of the most profound moments in all of Scripture.
Betrayal, Arrest, and Trials
Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, had agreed to betray Jesus to the chief priests for thirty pieces of silver. He led a crowd armed with swords and clubs to the garden and identified Jesus with a kiss. Jesus was arrested and taken first to the high priest Caiaphas, then to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor.
The trials were a travesty of justice. The religious leaders sought false testimony to condemn Him. Pilate found no basis for a charge but yielded to the crowd's demand. Jesus was flogged, mocked, crowned with thorns, and sentenced to death — though He had done nothing wrong.
Crucifixion, Death, and Burial
Jesus was crucified at a place called Golgotha — "the Place of the Skull" — outside Jerusalem. He was nailed to a cross between two criminals. As He hung there, He prayed: "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing." (Luke 23:34) He also said to one of the criminals: "Today you will be with me in paradise." (Luke 23:43)
After six hours on the cross, Jesus cried out: "It is finished" (John 19:30) and breathed His last. A soldier pierced His side with a spear, and blood and water flowed out. His body was taken down and placed in a new tomb belonging to Joseph of Arimathea. A large stone was rolled across the entrance, and guards were posted.
Key Scriptures
Luke 22:19–20
"This is my body given for you; do this in remembrance of me... This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which is poured out for you."
Jesus' words at the Last Supper established the new covenant and gave the church the practice of Communion.
Luke 22:42
"Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."
Jesus' prayer in Gethsemane — the most costly act of submission in history.
John 19:30
"It is finished."
Jesus' final words on the cross — a declaration that the work of redemption was complete.
Explore More Scriptures
Matthew 21–27
Matthew's account of the final week, from the triumphal entry to the burial.
Mark 11–15
Mark's account of the final week and crucifixion.
Luke 19–23
Luke's account including the triumphal entry, Last Supper, Gethsemane, and crucifixion.
John 12–19
John's account including the anointing at Bethany, the Upper Room Discourse, and the crucifixion.
Isaiah 53
The Suffering Servant prophecy written seven centuries before the crucifixion.