What happened during Jesus' last hours on earth?

In Galatians 3:1 we read: "O senseless Galatians, who has bewitched you, before whose eyes has been placarded (or displayed, or painted, or portrayed, or depicted), Jesus Christ crucified." Paul had told them the story of that terrible day at Golgotha outside the gates of Jerusalem when the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified. Paul had told them that story till the Galatians saw it all. They saw the mocking, the scourging, the crown of thorns, the purple robe. They saw the holy Son of God go forth bearing His cross. They saw Him stripped of His clothes, and those cruel nails driven through His hands and feet. They saw Him hanging on the cross between two thieves and they gazed on all His agony. Then they had watched the sun darkened, and they had heard that bitter, bitter cry, "Eli, Eli, lama Sabachthani," — "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?" They had seen all this, even placarded before their very eyes. They had heard it all. They had heard that cry, "It is finished." But how little had it entered into their souls! True, no living man has ever known the depths of sorrow and anguish that our Lord Jesus suffered when the Lord "laid on Him the iniquity of us all." Isa. 53:6. No eye has ever seen the load our Saviour bore in those hours of darkness and not one can ever measure the depths of bitterness in that bitter cry, "Why hast Thou forsaken Me?" But this had been placarded before the eyes of the Galatians. They had seen it. They knew what Paul meant when he wrote "Grace to you, and peace, from … our Lord Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for our sins."

In Matt. 26, Matt. 27 we have the unutterably solemn and touching scenes of the Lord's earthly close. The Lord announces it; the chief priests and their associates plot; the last anointing is done for His burial; the traitor covenants; the Lord directs the paschal feast and eats it with the disciples; He institutes His supper; He goes out to Olivet, and He enters on His agony in Gethsemane; and then becomes the willing Captive, as later the Victim. The mock trial before Caiaphas follows; and Peter denies, and Judas in remorse casts down his silver in the sanctuary, and commits suicide. Pilate condemns the Holy One and releases Barabbas. Jesus is crucified, "the King of the Jews": for this alone is Pilate firm. All rail, even the robbers. He dismissed His spirit; and the veil of the temple was rent, and the earth quaked, and the rocks rent, as there had been supernatural darkness around the cross when the Messiah made sin was abandoned by His God. But if men designed otherwise, He was with the rich in His death, as the prophet said so emphatically.

Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, each describe the scene of the cross. It was a confederacy of the chief priests, scribes, and elders, held in due order at the palace of the high priest, that led to the murder of the Lord. (Matt. 26:3-4.) The chief priests paid the money. (Ver. 15.) The multitude that came to take Him were from the chief priests and elders of the people (ver. 47); there was a servant of the high priest among the number (ver. 51): and they led their prisoner at once away to Caiaphas the high priest, at whose palace the scribes and elders were assembled. (Vers. 57, 58.) Then comes the effort of the chief priests, the elders, and all the council to find false witnesses against Jesus to put Him to death. (Ver. 59.) Taken to the governor He answers nothing; but the people, to whom Pilate appeals in His favour, persuaded by the priests and elders, refuse the appeal, and demand that He should be crucified: "Let him be crucified." (Matt. 27:22-23: compare Mark 15:13-14; Luke 23:21-23; John 19:6.) Pilate proposes they should crucify Him (John 19:6); and in order to make Jesus speak, threatens to crucify Him. (John 19:10.) On the Jews again demanding Him to be crucified (John 19:15), he asks, Shall he crucify their king? They reply, they will have no king but Caesar. Pilate delivers Him to be crucified. (Matt. 27:26; Mark 15:15; John 19:16.) The Roman soldiers lead Him away to crucify Him. (Matt. 27:31; Mark 15:20.) Then they lay the cross upon Him. (John 19:17.) Afterwards, forcing Simon the Cyrenian to bear His cross (Matt. 26:32; Mark 15:21; Luke 23:26), they crucify Him in a place near to the city (John 19:20), and part His garments, casting lots. (Matt. 27:35; Mark 15:24; Luke 23:34; John 19:23-24.) And two thieves were crucified with Him; He, however, having had the superscription over His head. (Matt. 27:37-38; Mark 15:26-27; John 19:18.) This (from John 19:19, we find) was put by Pilate's order. And observe the scene; they that pass by are reviling Him, wagging their heads, and saying, If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. (Matt. 27:39-40; Mark 15:29-30.) The chief priests mock with the scribes and elders, saying, if He be the king of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. (Matt. 27:41-42; Mark 15:31-32); and the two thieves crucified with Him cast the same in His teeth. (Matt. 27:44, Mark 15:32.)

From chapter 13 to 17 He was alone with “His own” for a few brief hours, and when Judas, the traitor, had gone out into the night to join the forces of darkness that were combining to crush Him, He was able to disclose to them the deepest feelings of His heart, but that little while soon passed, and in chapter 18 His seclusion in the garden beyond the brook Cedron was broken upon by a band led by Judas and officers from the chief priest, who bound Him and led Him away to trial and suffering and death. Jew and Gentile, priests and rabble, Herod and Pilate, the whole world, Hebrew, Greek and Latin, were united at last; one purpose controlled them, and that purpose was to cast the Son of God out of the world. And God withdrew His restraint and let them have their way, and “They took Jesus, and led Him away. And He bearing His cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull; which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha: where they crucified Him . . . And He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost . . . And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true.”

From chapter 13 to 17 He was alone with "His own" for a few brief hours, and when Judas, the traitor, had gone out into the night to join the forces of darkness that were combining to crush Him, He was able to disclose to them the deepest feelings of His heart, but that little while soon passed, and in chapter 18 His seclusion in the garden beyond the brook Cedron was broken upon by a band led by Judas and officers from the chief priest, who bound Him and led Him away to trial and suffering and death. Jew and Gentile, priests and rabble, Herod and Pilate, the whole world, Hebrew, Greek and Latin, were united at last; one purpose controlled them, and that purpose was to cast the Son of God out of the world. And God withdrew His restraint and let them have their way, and "They took Jesus, and led Him away. And He bearing His cross, went forth into a place called the place of a skull; which is called in the Hebrew, Golgotha: where they crucified Him … And He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head and gave up the ghost … And he that saw it bare record, and his record is true."

From the first He was refused by the leaders of Israel, and 'the world knew him not.' From the mount of transfiguration, where God gave Him honour and glory, He descended to suffer at the hands of men, though His death was according to "the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God." Because of this enmity of man, He retired beyond Jordan till the time came for the counsels of God to be accomplished in His death. During that period He visited Bethany to raise Lazarus, but again retired into the wilderness till six days before the Passover. He then presented Himself to Zion as her king, cleansed the temple of God, and judged with divine wisdom all the questions by which they sought to entrap Him. Then approached the 'hour' of man and of 'the power of darkness.' Jesus, knowing that this hour was at hand, ate the last Passover with His disciples, and instituted the Lord's supper. He then crossed the Kidron valley into the garden of Gethsemane. There His soul was 'exceeding sorrowful even unto death' in the anticipation of the cup which He had to drink, but, in the submission which flowed from His perfect accord with the Father's will, He received the cup from the Father's hands, and went forth to drink it. On the cross the judgement of God as to sin was fully executed; God was glorified as to it, and redemption was accomplished, hence a dying malefactor who turned to Jesus could that day be with Him in Paradise. He gave up His life, and the blood and water which flowed from His dead side witnessed that expiation and cleansing for man are alone found in His death. His death also laid the righteous ground for God to effectuate His counsels with regard to man, and to fulfil His promises.

In Mark 14 come the profoundly interesting and instructive scenes of our Lord with the disciples, not now predicting, but vouchsafing the last pledge of His love. The chief priests and scribes plot in corruption and violence for His death; at Simon's house in Bethany a woman anoints His body to the burying, which discerns many hearts among the disciples, and draws out the Master's, who next is seen, not accepting an offering of affection, but giving the great and permanent token of His love — the Lord's Supper. The state of Judas's heart appears in both cases — conceiving his plan in the presence of the first, and going out to accomplish it from the presence of the last. Thence our Lord goes forth; not yet to suffer the wrath of God, but to enter into it in spirit before God. We have seen all through the gospel that such was His habit, to which I merely call attention now in passing. As the cross was of all the deepest work and suffering, so most assuredly the Lord did not enter upon Calvary without a previous Gethsemane. In its due season comes the trial before the high priest and Pilate.

The end approaches in Mark 14, His final rejection, His death, resurrection, and ascension, yet "working with them" still as the Lord. The chief priests plot, but God's will is done. Love anoints the Lord's body for His burial; the traitor makes his sad bargain with the rejoicing chief priests; the last passover is eaten, and the Lord's supper instituted. Peter is warned, and all three sleep while the Lord goes through the agony in Gethsemane. Judas then leads the band that takes Jesus, and the high priest condemns Him, not for the false witness of others but for His own confession of the truth, while Peter denies Him thrice and with oaths.

The last Passover approached (Luke 22) and found the chief priests and the scribes plotting, when Judas Iscariot gave them the desired means. On the day of sacrifice He sent Peter and John to prepare, and the Lord instructed them divinely when and how: for as He said, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer," and its cup He bade them take and divide it among themselves. Then He institutes His supper. As yet He had given no sign to mark the traitor, though He had long alluded to the fact. But alas! they were even then contending which of them would be accounted greatest; whilst He explains that such is the way of the Gentiles and their kings, whilst they were to follow His example — "I am in the midst of you as he that serves." Yet He owns their continuance with Him in His temptations, and appoints to them a kingdom. He tells Simon of Satan's sifting, but of His supplication that his faith should not fail, and bids him, when turned again, or restored, to stablish his brethren. After further warning Peter, He clears up the change from a Messianic mission to the ordinary ways of Providence in verses 35-38, and then goes out to the mount and passes through His agony with His Father (39-46) while the disciples sleep. Then a crowd comes, and Judas draws near to kiss, and the Lord lays all open. He heals the high priest's bondman, whose right ear was cut off; but remonstrates, yet allows Himself to be taken Who could have overwhelmed them with a word. Peter denies Him thrice. The men revile the Lord with mockery and blows; and as soon as it is day, He is led to the Sanhedrin, and when asked if He is the Christ, He tells them of the place the Son of Man will take, and owns Himself Son of God. It is quite general here in verse 3: "And [not Then] Satan entered into Judas." The precise time is shown in John 13:27, where then is expressed; here the statement is general, as often in the third Evangelist. So in 24:12, it should be And or But, not Then. (B.T.)

At the Supper, as a Victim, He bound Himself to the horns of the altar. In Gethsemane, immediately afterwards, He renews this surrender of Himself to His Father. When the soldiers come to take Him, they cannot touch Him till He pleases. But in due time He puts Himself, as a willing captive, into their hands. He passes from the traitor-kiss of one of His own into the hands of the Jews, and from them into the hands of the Gentiles — because such things had been prophesied of him. Every jot and tittle of Scripture is fulfilled, even to His saying, "I thirst." All His foretold sorrow, in all its manifold forms of endurance and insult, was realized; the very garments also in which He suffered, and the company that were with Him on the cross. His disciples forsake Him, the sheep of the flock are scattered abroad, for thus had the Prophets written. And then, when all was finished, and the paschal hour had fully come, He went into the three hours of darkness under the bruising of the hand of God as His Lamb for the sacrifice.