A Day in the Life of Jesus

The day was a Wednesday about 1,990 years ago one week before the Passover celebration in Jerusalem when Jesus finalized his life's ministry with several extraordinary events. In one of those events Jesus' answer to a key question from his disciples is arguably the greatest speech ever delivered. Jesus' last major public sermon, his final doctrinal teachings to the people, his stunning rebuke of the religious leaders of the day, and his famous Olivet Discourse, which is the longest answer he ever gave to any question, all occur on Wednesday of the week before the Passover. That Wednesday is the focus of this book, but even the days leading up to Passover week were profoundly significant for Jesus' arrival in Jerusalem. It was on the prior Saturday, six days before the Passover, when Jesus arrived in Bethany at the home of Lazarus, Martha, and Mary. In the week before his crucifixion, it's no surprise that Jesus would seek comfort with his dearest friends who loved him and who had so faithfully tended to his needs for so many years. If you knew you had only a week to live, with whom would you spend your last days? You would very likely spend them with those who believed in you, who loved you, and who were a source of encouragement and support. Jesus loved Lazarus, Martha, and Mary, and they loved him, and they gave him all the honor due him because they knew who he was. Of course, they didn't know Jesus only had a week to live, but he knew. Imagine having that knowledge! Jesus knew exactly what was going to unfold in the following week with Judas' betrayal and his own crucifixion and burial, so these words have meaning to us now that they didn't have to those present at the time. Imagine what it must have been like for Jesus to know the future, but none of the others did. This book shares a realistic narrative of what it was like in those last days, and why we can now put Jesus' words into perspective and understand what is coming for us.