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Passover to Pentecost

the great fifty days, the story in order

Walk the great fifty days of Jesus — six chapters from the Upper Room through Pentecost.

44 posts · 6 chapters

Contents

IThe Upper Room
IIGethsemane
IIIChrist on Trial
IVWords from the Cross
VResurrection
VIPentecost

Chapter I

The Upper Room

Passover night in Jerusalem — the meal that became a memorial

Why Jesus Laid Aside His Robe of Honor

Passover to Pentecost Why Jesus Laid Aside His Robe of Honor "Having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end." John 13:1 The Upper Room was filled with the fragrance of roasted lamb, bitter herbs, and warm bread. After entering the room, Jesus…

Why Did Jesus Choose Judas Iscariot

Why Did Jesus Choose Judas Iscariot "He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Him; and from them He chose twelve?" Luke 6:12-13 After a night of prayer- After a night- hours under the darknes…

Jesus Made A Vow That Involves You

Jesus Made A Vow That Involves You Jesus made a vow in the Upper Room that's easy to overlook. And that's no wonder. After all, it sits in the shadow of the foot washing, the bread, the cup, the honor given Judas, the High Priestly Prayer. But the vow is there- waiting to be h…

Jesus Replaced the Golden Rule with a Higher One

Jesus Replaced the Golden Rule With a Higher One "Love one another; as I have loved you." John 13:34 Judas has left the room. The seat he left still warm. The door still swinging. Peter remains at the table. His heart full of vows. "Lord, I will lay down my life for You." (Joh…

How Jesus Tries to Protect You from Yourself

HOW JESUS TRIES TO PROTECT YOU FROM YOURSELF "I am telling you now before it happens, so that when it does happen you will believe." - John 13:19 In the Upper Room Jesus warned them. All of them. Before a sword was drawn, or a rooster crowed. "Tonight you will all fall away be…

God's Terrifying Grace-A Personal Story

God's Terrifying Grace-A Personal Story "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you." John 14:27 I have lived through seasons when fear held a grip on my mind- my heart- a constrictor tightening until no breath of hope remained. …

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THE FOUR BREATHS OF GOD

THE FOUR BREATHS OF GOD "And with that He breathed on them and said, 'Receive the Holy Spirit.'" John 20:22 In the beginning, God spoke- and darkness gave way to light. Genesis 1:3 An empty sky filled with stars. Waters pulled apart and gathered into seas. Dry land rose from t…

101

Why Jesus Taught Us To Pray To The Father

Why Jesus Taught Us To Pray To The Father "In that day you will ask the Father in My name? for the Father Himself loves you." John?16:23,?27 The hour had come (John 17:1) The Cross cast its shadow over the table. And Jesus prayed. A prayer- spoken aloud to reveal what had b…

102

It Was Night

It Was Night "And it was night." Jn 13:30 The door closed behind Judas, and John wrote, "And it was night." To the city, it looked like any other Passover night- crowded streets, lamps burning inside homes, families lingering over the story. And it was night. When Judas took…

103

How the Father Lifts You

How the Father Lifts You When You're Down "I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser." John 15:1 It was a cold night when they left the Upper Room, cold enough that later the guards would warm themselves by a fire. As they stepped into the darkness, they sang the H…

Chapter II

Gethsemane

The garden before the cross — the cup, the prayer, the sweat

104

The Press in the Garden

The Press In The Garden "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death." - Mark 14:34 Gethsemane- olive press. A garden where olives were crushed and oil flowed. No wonder He went there. It was His custom to go there (Luke 22:39). He had prayed there (Luke 22:39-4…

105

The Wolf in the Garden

The Wolf in the Garden "Father, if You are willing, take this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done." - Luke 22:42 You may not know this about jesus but He felt it when He entered the garden- like stepping into a cave and knowing your worst nightmare wasn't a …

106

Why Jesus Called Judas "Friend"

Why Jesus Called Judas "Friend" "Friend, do you betray the Son of Man with a kiss?" (Luke 22:48) A kiss. A word. Two gestures in the Garden that seem like expressions of friendship. But neither means what it appears to mean. Judas' kiss wasn't affection. It was a signal. "The …

Chapter III

Christ on Trial

Annas, Caiaphas, Herod, Pilate — judged by every kind of man

107

Surrounded by an Invisible Army

Surrounded by an Invisible Army "When Jesus said to them, 'I am he,' they drew back and fell to the ground." - Jn 18:6 They thought they had Jesus surrounded. Two hundred soldiers. Torches. Armor. It looked easy- a rabbi cornered in a garden. You may not know this about Jesus…

108

What Happened Between the Garden and the Cross

What Happened Between the Garden and the Cross "The soldiers arrested Jesus and bound Him, and brought Him first to Annas." John 18:12-13 Most people know about Gethsemane and the Cross. Few know what happened between them. For four days a lamb lived in Jewish homes. Children …

109

The High Priest Condemned Our High Priest

The High Priest Condemned Our High Priest "You have heard His blasphemy. What is your decision?" And they all condemned Him to death." - Mk 14:64 You may not know this about Jesus, but after the first trial, they dragged Him to a second hearing at the home of Caiaphas, the high…

110

The God of Six Chances

The God of Six Chances "Everyone who is of the truth listens to My voice." - John 18:38 God didn't rush the verdict- He interrupted it at every turn, giving Pilate room to choose what was right, even though it held risk. The six trials of Jesus aren't just a story about His …

111

The Most Beautiful Word in Greek

The Most Beautiful Word In Greek "I came into the world- to bear witness to the truth." - John 18:37 When I studied Greek, I cherished one word. A word so beautiful, my wife and I would have given it to a daughter had God blessed us with one. Haletheia. Truth. It means rea…

Chapter IV

Words from the Cross

Golgotha — the place of the skull, the place of the love

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Jesus' First Word From the Cross

Jesus' First Word From the Cross "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they're doing." -?Lu?23:34 He hung there- suspended by nails through His wrists and feet. Soldiers laughing. Leaders sneering. The crowd mocking. Both criminals taunting Him (Lu?23:39), joining t…

113

Jesus Second Word From the Cross

Jesus Second Word From the Cross "Truly I tell you, today you will be with Me in paradise." Luke 23:43 One of the most encouraging stories in the Gospels is about the thief who hung on the cross beside Jesus. In the earliest minutes he joined the other thief and …

114

Jesus' Third Word From The Cross

Jesus' Third Word From The Cross "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?" (PS 22:1) When Jesus cried these words, He hadn't lost faith. Abandonment wasn't the story. Confusion wasn't the moment. It wasn't the cry of an abandoned child. It was the cry of a fulfilled prophec…

115

Jesus' Sixth Word From The Cross

Jesus' Sixth Word From The Cross "It is finished." - John 19:30 Jesus didn't whisper this word. He declared it. A single breath carrying the weight of His mission. In the ancient world, a man's charges were written on a scroll and nailed above his cell. It stayed there until …

Chapter V

Resurrection

Empty tomb — the morning the world changed forever

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Why Was the Stone Removed?

Why Was The Stone Removed? "They saw that the stone had been rolled away, though it was very large." (Mk 16:4) Before sunrise, the women came to the tomb- (Mk 16:2) Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of Joses, and Salome. They carried spices, not hope. The tomb was cut into lime…

117

Who Stole the Body?

Who Stole the Body? "Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in, and he saw and believed." - Jn 20:8 As she ran, Mary encountered Peter and John "They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid him." - Jn 20:2 The…

118

Why Jesus Appeared to Mary First

Why Jesus Appeared to Mary First "Woman, why are you weeping? Who are you looking for?" - Jn 20:15 Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she stooped and looked in. She saw two angels in white- one at the head, one at the feet where His body had lain. They asked h…

119

A Name Jesus Used for the First Time

A Name Jesus Used For The First Time "Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father?" (Jn 20:17) Mary reached for Him and held Him tightly, as if she could keep Him.. Jesus told her to let Him go because He couldn't stay at that time. A little later, Jesus met…

120

Where to Find Jesus

Where to Find Jesus "Did not our hearts burn within us as He spoke to us on the road, as He opened the Scriptures to us?" Lu 24:32 The road to Emmaus carried a strange quiet, as if Jerusalem's grief had followed them into the hills. Seven miles lay ahead of them. Cleopas walk…

Chapter VI

Pentecost

The Spirit given — the church began, tongues of fire, the wind

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The Day Jesus Handed Us the Mission

Devotional The Day Jesus Handed Us the Mission "You will be My witnesses?" (Ac?1:8) After the resurrection, Jesus did not remain with His disciples continuously. But He did appear to them on many occasions over forty days (Ac?1:3). He came to them, spoke with the…

135

Jesus Opened Their Minds

Commentary Jesus Opened Their Minds "Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures." Luke 24:45 Have you ever read Scripture and felt like you should understand it- but you don't? You know the words. You know the story. You know what happened. But the meani…

136

When Jesus' Presence Isn't Enough

Devotional When Jesus' Presence Isn't Enough "And remember, I am with you always, Even to the end of the age." Matthew 28:20 Jesus promised His presence as we step into disciple-making. But what does that presence mean? Is it a feeling I'd have if I were spiritual enough…

137

Why Wait for the Power

Commentary Why Wait for the Power "Stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high." Luke 24:49 Before Jesus sent them, He stopped them. Before the mission, He gave a command that didn't feel like a strategy. Stay. Wait. Don't move. Jesus knew…

138

The First Miracle Was Unity

Devotional The First Miracle Was Unity "All these with one accord were devoting themselves to prayer?" - Acts 1:14 Before the rushing wind of Pentecost. Before the flames that rested on each one. Before the tongues that spread the gospel. There was another miracle- quiet eno…

139

Healing the Wound Judas Left

Commentary Healing the Wound Judas Left "And they cast lots for them, and the lot fell on Matthias." (Acts 1:26) They had spent three years with Judas. Walking the same dusty roads. Sharing the same meals. Preaching the same kingdom. Healing the sick. Casting out de…

140

The Exodus Within

Devotional The Exodus Within Suddenly a sound like a mighty rushing wind came from heaven." - Acts 2:2 You may know the stories. Moses at the sea (Ex 14). Elijah in the sky (2 Kgs 2). Pentecost in the upper room (Acts 2). But almost none of us see how those moments-…

141

God’s Hand Filled the Gloves

Commentary God’s Hand Filled the Gloves And He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 The night before His death, while in the Upper Room, Jesus promised a Helper—the Spirit (Jn 14:16–17; 16:7). The disciples didn’t understand what He meant. And here…

142

The Indwelling

Devotional The Indwelling And He breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” John 20:22 They were waiting, and something waited for them. Holding onto Jesus’ last words— “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you.” They only knew He told them to stay…

143

The Sights and Sounds of Pentecost

Commentary The Sights and Sounds of Pentecost And suddenly a sound came from heaven, like a rushing wind filling the house. Acts 2:2 The disciples were in the upstairs room because Jesus told them to wait for the Father’s promise. God had always been with His people— in cloud…

144

The Day Fear Lost its Voice

Devotional The Day Fear Lost its Voice “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses.” Acts 1:8 The Great Commission began with authority. Pentecost began with power— Holy Spirit power, undeniable then, working today. Filled with …

145

One Thing the Holy Spirit Can’t Do

Commentary One Thing the Holy Spirit Can’t Do “You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you, and you will be My witnesses.” (Acts 1:8) Pentecost isn’t about noise, fire, or spectacle (Acts 2:2–3). It’s about one thing: the power Jesus promised— power to experien…

146

Suddenly Seeing—Slowly Understanding

Devotional Suddenly Seeing—Slowly Understanding “And they remembered His words.” — Luke 24:8 A person born blind who suddenly receives sight has vision— but they don’t yet know what they’re seeing. Light floods in. Shapes appear. Color explodes. But meaning takes time. So th…

147

The Secret of Jesus’ Power—and Ours

Commentary The Secret of Jesus’ Power—and Ours “The Son can do nothing by Himself; He can do only what He sees His Father doing.” — John 5:19 Many people think Jesus lived His earthly life with a kind of power we could never touch— moving through the world with power unavailab…

148

God Was in the Fire Not the Wind

Devotional God Was in the Fire Not the Wind “And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a violent rushing wind. Acts 2:2 They were waiting, in a room filled with anticipation. The soft shuffle of people gathered in one place. Then— The sound of a tornado rising above a…

149

The Day Jesus Recruited His Enemy

Commentary The Day Jesus Recruited His Enemy “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting”. Acts 9:5 Of all the people Jesus could have appeared to last, He chose the one least likely to believe. It was to His greatest enemy. Saul wasn’t searching for Jesus. He was hunting His foll…

150

Jesus Asked Isaiah, “Whom Shall I Send?”

Devotional Jesus Asked Isaiah, “Whom Shall I Send?” “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send, and who will go for Us?’ And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’” Isaiah 6:8 You may not know this about Jesus— He is the One who asked Isaiah that question. Isaiah s…

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