RajahJun

The news about Jesus' resurrection didn't go viral in Jerusalem and the rest of Israel. The guards who witnessed the incident received 'hush money' from the chief priests and elders to keep their mouth shut. If ever the news broke out, the guards would spew out a fabricated lie that the disciples stole Jesus' body in the dead of the night while they were asleep (Matthew 27: 11-15). Upon Jesus' resurrection, the disciples and the women with them experienced fear, confusion, and doubt. It was not a glorious comeback. Jesus did not come back in glory with his heavenly army.  When the disciples actually saw Jesus, they did not immediately go out on the streets to proclaim boldly that their Master has risen. They still feared that the Jews would kill them as well. Jesus' resurrection should have emboldened his disciples. Instead, they maintained a low profile from the public for the next seven weeks or so. The four gospel writers wrote their versions about the st...

Jesus told the vine and the branches story to his disciples after the last supper or perhaps at the Garden of Gethsemane (John 15: 1-17). He left those words for his disciples before his arrest, crucifixion, and death. In John 15: 1, Jesus began his story saying, "I am the true vine and my Father is the gardener." In John 15: 5-6 Jesus added, "I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned." Jesus told that story to his disciples amid their personal drama after the last supper. He knew Peter would deny him three times. He knew Judas conspired with the Pharisees to kill him.  The disciples argued among themselves who will be the first in heaven. Eventually, they all deserted him upon his arrest. The human nature of selfishness and self-pr...

After the last supper, Jesus went to Mount Olives to pray. He brought his disciples with him. In John's account, they passed through Kidron Valley before reaching the olive groves (John 18: 1).  Online sources cited that Kidron valley lay beside the temple of Jerusalem. The valley is lower from where the temple stands. A brook known as Kidron brook meanders through the valley. Jesus and his disciples needed to cross that  brook to reach the olive groves at Mount Olives. Because of the terrain, the brook served as drainage for the blood of sacrificed animals, mostly sheep, from the Temple. During the Passover celebration held yearly, temple priests sacrificed huge number of animals for the purification ritual. Jews everywhere, even from afar, brought around 250,000 animals to be slaughtered for the ritual. Jesus knew that animals were killed at the temple for the purification ritual. As a devout Jew, he surely went to Jerusalem yearly to practice that ritual during his lifetime...

Jesus washed his disciples' feet during the last supper. John was the only gospel writer who wrote that account (John 13: 1-17). Perhaps, he wanted to share how special it was. The other gospel writers focused on writing the breaking of the bread and drinking of the wine.  The last supper happened after the triumphant entry of Jesus in Jerusalem. Jesus timed his entry before the Passover feast. A huge crowd came to greet him. A majority of them followed Jesus from Bethany where Lazarus rose from the dead. As Jesus entered Jerusalem, he rode on a donkey and the crowd waved palm branches and shouted (John 12:13), 'Hosanna!' 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!' 'Blessed is the King of Israel!' Surely, the disciples puffed up with pride when they saw the huge crowd shouting praises at their Master. Perhaps, they assumed that Jesus would become the religious/political leader of Israel driven by the wish of the people and the intervention of God. Ins...

John, one of the gospel writers, wrote an account of Jesus raising Lazarus from the dead (John 11: 1-44). Lazarus was the brother of Martha and Mary. The siblings lived in Bethany. Jesus was best friends with Lazarus. We can see this when the sisters sent word to Jesus saying, "Master the one you love is ill." After the raising of Lazarus, the siblings gave a dinner party for Jesus. Mary was the one who anointed Jesus with expensive perfume while Lazarus sat down with Jesus. In another story apart from the raising of Lazarus which is found in Luke 10: 40, Martha complained to Jesus to ask Mary to help her serve meal. Perhaps, we can assume that the sisters were friends with Jesus with the way they act and talk openly to him. Before the raising of Lazarus from the dead, Jesus made a lot of enemies in Jerusalem. The Jews nearly stoned him there because he claimed that he was the son of God. They were blasphemous words which made them furious. So, Jesus retreated to Jordan, nea...