Cornelius a Lapide
(Monotessaron, or Chronological Arrangement of the Years and Deeds of Christ, in Which the Four Gospels Are Set Forth in Correct Order of Time and Coordinated with One Another So As to Form a Single History of the Life of Christ)
Table of Contents
The Infancy, Adolescence, and Youth of Christ
The Deeds of Christ from His Conception up to His Completed Thirtieth Year, When He Was Baptized by John.
The Word, who was in the beginning with God, and therefore the light and life of the world created in time, was made flesh — that is, the Son of God became man, so as to make men sons of God — in the year 3950 from the creation of the world, which was the year 2293 from the flood, 2001 from Abraham, 751 from the founding of Rome, 591 from the Babylonian captivity, 453 from the weeks of Daniel, 165 from the Maccabees, 43 from the Julian years, about 42 of Augustus Caesar, John 1; and this came about in the following manner and order.
The Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, announces to Zechariah the conception of St. John the Baptist, who was to be the forerunner and herald of Christ; wherefore Elizabeth, his wife, conceived St. John. The same Gabriel, after six months, on March 25 of the aforesaid year, announces to the Blessed Virgin the conception of the Son of God; she consents and conceives, and in her the Word was made flesh. The Blessed Virgin visits Elizabeth, and fills both her and John with the Holy Spirit. John is born on June 24. Christ is born in Bethlehem on December 25 of the same year, and on the eighth day, namely the first day of January, He is circumcised and named Jesus, that is, Savior. Luke, chapters 1 and 2.
Matthew, chapter 1, and Luke, chapter 3, weave the genealogy of Christ from the patriarchs and kings.
On the 13th day from Christ's birth, namely January 6 of the following year, the Magi, led by a star, come to Bethlehem, adore Christ and offer Him gold, frankincense, and myrrh; fleeing Herod, they return to their own country by another way. Matt. 2:1.
On the 40th day from Christ's birth, namely February 2, the day of purification prescribed by law for a woman who has given birth, the Blessed Virgin presents the infant Jesus in the temple, whom St. Simeon, receiving in his arms, proclaims to be the Messiah, as does Anna the prophetess. Luke 2:22.
Herod, seeing himself deceived by the Magi, kills all the infants in Bethlehem, with the aim of killing Christ among them; but He had already been taken away to Egypt by Joseph and Mary at the angel's warning; and after Herod's death, He is brought back on January 7 and dwells in Nazareth, whence He is called the Nazarene. Matt. 2:23.
Christ at twelve years of age, going up with His parents to Jerusalem, was lost by them and after three days found in the temple among the doctors; returning with them to Nazareth, subject to them, He advanced in age, wisdom, and grace before God and men. Luke 2:42.
From His twelfth year until His thirtieth, Christ lived in obscurity and practiced the carpenter's trade. Luke 3:23; Mark 6:3; Matt. 13:55.
The Manhood of Christ
The Deeds of Christ from His Baptism to the Next Passover, Namely the Deeds During the Next Three Months, That Is, from the Beginning of January of Christ's Year 31 to March 25.
In the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, St. John the Baptist in the desert, near the Jordan, by God's command began to preach repentance, and to baptize and prepare the way for Christ. Luke 3:1.
In the same year, Christ, having completed His thirtieth year of age and begun His thirty-first by thirteen days, was baptized by John on January 6, the same day on which thirty years before He had been adored as a child by the Magi. Luke 3:21; Matt. 3:13; Mark 1:9; and then He was declared by God to be who He was, namely the Son not of Joseph but of God; for the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and the voice of the Father thundered: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matt. 3:16; Luke 3:21; John 1:23. From this voice John testified that He was the Messiah promised to the fathers, that is, the Redeemer and Savior of the world. Ibid.
Immediately after His baptism, namely on the same day of January 6, Christ withdrew into the desert, where, to prepare Himself for the work of preaching, He devoted forty days to prayer and fasting, after which, being hungry, He was tempted by the devil; having overcome him, the Angels ministered to Him as to their Lord. Matt. 4:1; Luke 4:1; Mark 1:12. Christ therefore began His Lenten fast on January 7 and ended it on the 40th day, which was February 15, on which day, having conquered the tempter devil, He returned to Galilee and remained fifteen days in Nazareth, says St. Epiphanius, Heresy 15.
On the 56th day from the Baptism, says St. Epiphanius, Heresy 51, namely on the first day of March (for that year was a leap year, and consequently February had 29 days), the Jews sent envoys to John, asking whether he was the Messiah. He denied it, and on the following day, which was March 2, John seeing Christ coming, pointed Him out with his finger, saying: "Behold the Lamb of God, behold Him who takes away the sins of the world." John did and said the same thing the next day, namely March 3, upon hearing which two of his disciples immediately followed Jesus, of whom one, Andrew, brought his brother Simon to Jesus the next day. The following day likewise, namely March 4, Jesus called Philip, who brought Nathanael; for so St. John narrates and records these events day by day, chapter 1, 2, 29, 35, 43, 45.
On the third day thereafter from the calling of Peter and Andrew, namely March 5, which was the sixtieth day from the baptism of Christ, says St. Epiphanius, Heresy 51, Christ, invited to a wedding in Cana of Galilee, changed water into wine, and this was His first miracle, by which He revealed to the world who He was. John 2:1. He then went down to Capernaum. Ibid., 12.
First Year of Christ's Preaching
Namely, the Deeds of Christ from the First Passover after His Baptism to the Second Passover, That Is, the Deeds from March 25 of Christ's Year 31 to the End of March of Christ's Year 32.
Christ from the city of Capernaum, as the Passover approached, went up to Jerusalem, where, driving out with a whip those buying and selling from the temple, and preaching and performing many miracles, He attracted many to believe in Him. John 2:13 and 14. All these things occurred in March of the same year, which was Christ's 31st.
One of these was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews, to whom Christ showed the necessity of spiritual regeneration through baptism and faith in Christ who was to be crucified. John 3:1.
Christ therefore began in His thirty-first year of age, around Passover, to preach in person and through the Apostles to baptize in Judea from the beginning of April: wherefore many passed from John, with his own approval and encouragement, to Christ. Whence John, as though his office were completed, rebuking Herod for adultery, was cast by him around December into chains. John 3:22 and 23; Matt. 14:3; Mark 6:17; Luke 3:19. Wherefore Christ, fleeing Herod, left Judea at the beginning of the year 32 (as is evident from His own words: "There are yet four months, and the harvest comes," John 4:35), and proceeded to Galilee; and on the journey passing through Samaria, He converted the Samaritan adulteress, and through her the rest of the Samaritans, and after two days continuing His journey to Galilee, He was kindly received by the Galileans. Therefore around the beginning of February, going out to Cana of Galilee, being asked there by a royal official, He freed his feverish son from his fevers, and this was Christ's second miracle in that place, which many others followed, by which He confirmed His preaching in Capernaum. Matt. 4:12 and 13; Mark 1:14; John 3:22, and chapter 4, 1, 4, 45 and 46.
Then walking along the Sea of Galilee, through the miracle of the catch of fish He called Peter and Andrew, and soon James and John, to follow Him, and made them fishers of men. Matt. 4:18; Luke 5:1; Mark 1:16.
Entering with them the synagogue of Capernaum, preaching, He freed a demoniac from the demon, and entering Peter's house, He healed his mother-in-law from fevers and many others from various diseases. The next day He withdrew to a deserted place to pray, where, found by Peter and then by the crowds, in order to flee from them He commanded the disciples to cross the sea, and falling asleep in the boat, when a storm arose, being awakened by the disciples, He commanded the winds and the sea. Mark 1:21, 29, 32, 42; Luke 4:23, 31, 38, 40, 42; Matt. 8:14, 16, 18, 24. These and the following events seem to have occurred at the beginning of March of Christ's year 32, before Passover.
Crossing over, therefore, He came to the region of the Gerasenes, where He healed two demoniacs, permitting the demons at their request to enter the swine; who, having entered them, drowned two thousand of them in the sea. Wherefore, asked by the inhabitants to depart, crossing back again, He returned to Capernaum, where He healed a paralytic who had been lowered to Him through the roof. Matt. 8:28, and chapter 9:1; Mark 5:1, and chapter 2:1; Luke 8:26, and chapter 5:18.
Going out from there to the sea, He called Matthew sitting at the tax collector's booth to follow Him. Soon He raised Jairus's daughter from death, and on the way healed the woman with a hemorrhage from her flow of blood, and gave sight to two blind men and cast out a mute demon. Matt. 9:9, 18 and 27; Mark 2:14, and chapter 5:22; Luke 5:27, and chapter 8:41.
Second Year of Christ's Preaching
Containing the Deeds from the Second Passover after His Baptism to the Third, Namely from the End of March of Christ's Year 32 to the End of March of Christ's Year 33.
Christ, having set out from Galilee for Jerusalem for the second Passover, healed a man who had been ill for 38 years lying at the pool of Bethesda, and commanded him to take up his mat on the Sabbath day: wherefore the Jews accused this deed as a violation of the Sabbath, but Christ defended it with many arguments. John 5:2.
Likewise He confuted the Pharisees who censured His disciples for plucking ears of grain on the Sabbath when they were hungry (near the end of April of Christ's year 32). Luke 6:1; Matt. 12:2; Mark 2:23. He did the same when on another Sabbath He had restored someone's withered hand. Wherefore, avoiding the anger of the Jews, He betook Himself to the sea, where He taught the crowd and healed very many sick and demon-possessed people. Matt. 12:9 and 15; Mark 3:1, and Luke 6:6.
Then around the middle of May He withdrew to a mountain, and spending the night in prayer, in the morning He chose the twelve Apostles, to whom before an immense multitude of people He delivered the discourse which is called the Sermon on the Mount, and which embraces the sum of the Christian life and Evangelical perfection. Mark 3:13; Luke 6:12 and 17; Matt. 5:1.
Coming down from the mountain in the countryside of Capernaum, He cleansed a leper; and entering the city, He freed the Centurion's servant from paralysis, and at the entrance to Nain He raised the widow's son from death. Matt. 8:1 and 5; Mark 1:40; Luke 5:18, and chapter 7:1 and 11.
John, hearing these things in prison, sent two of his disciples to Him, that they might learn from Him whether He was the Messiah; as they were returning to John, Christ praises John and censures the Scribes and Pharisees for believing neither John nor Himself: therefore He prefers to them repentant tax collectors and prostitutes. Luke 7:18 and 24; Matt. 11:2 and 7.
Whereupon, dining at the house of Simon the Pharisee, He pardons the penitent Magdalene's sins and prefers her to Simon. Luke 7:36. Then in Capernaum He heals a demoniac who was blind and mute; and He confutes the Pharisees who disparaged these miracles as magic. Matt. 12:22, 24; Luke 11:14, 15; Mark 3:21.
His relatives come to seize Him as though He were mad. Mark 3:21. To those telling Him that His relatives are present, He replies that His brothers and relatives are those who hear and keep the Word of God. Matt. 12:46; Mark 3:31; Luke 8:19.
Going from the house to the sea, He taught the crowd there through various parables of the seed, the weeds, the mustard seed, and the leaven, which He explained to the disciples at home, adding others — the treasure, the pearl, and the net cast into the sea. Matt. 13:1; Luke 8:4; Mark 4:1.
Going to Nazareth, His hometown, and preaching there, He was not heeded by His own people; indeed, He was expelled from the city and nearly thrown from a cliff: therefore He went about with His followers, preaching the Gospel in the neighboring towns and the other villages and cities of Galilee. Mark 6:6; Luke 8:1.
He sends the twelve Apostles out in pairs to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick: they preach everywhere, cast out demons, and heal the sick by anointing them with oil. Jesus does the same, traveling throughout Galilee. Matt. 10:1, and chapter 11:1; Mark 6:7, 12.
Herod, hearing these things, suspects that Jesus is John, whom he had recently killed and who had now been raised from the dead. Luke 9:7; Matt. 14:1; Mark 6:14. Wherefore Jesus, avoiding his plots, withdrew with His followers across the Sea of Galilee into the desert, and there, teaching and healing the crowds that flocked to Him, He fed five thousand men with five barley loaves and two fish: wherefore, when the crowd wanted to make Him king, commanding the disciples to cross the sea, He Himself fled alone in the evening to a mountain to pray; but when the disciples were in danger on the sea, walking on the water, He lifted up Peter who was coming to Him but wavering in faith and was already sinking, and He calmed the storm, and landing on the shore of Gennesaret, He healed all the sick by the touch of His garment's fringe. Matt. 14:13, 22, 24, 34; Mark 6:30, 45, 48, 53; Luke 9:10; John 6:1, 15, 18.
The next day, when many followed Him because of the multiplication of the loaves, He led them to desire the spiritual and heavenly bread which gives life to the world and without which no one can live; and He asserts that He Himself is this bread; for His flesh is food, and His blood is drink, which confers eternal life. John 6:24.
Third Year of Christ's Preaching
Containing His Deeds from the Third Passover to the Approaching Fourth Passover, That Is, to the Raising of Lazarus; That Is, the Deeds of Christ from the End of March of Christ's Year 33 to the Beginning of March of His Year 34.
At this third Passover, Jesus did not go up to Jerusalem, as He was accustomed to do according to the law, because the Jews were plotting His death: He therefore withdrew into Galilee, where, when the Scribes accused His disciples of eating with unwashed hands, He taught that it is not what enters the mouth but what comes from the heart that defiles a person. John 7:1; Matt. 15:1; Mark 7:1.
Around the beginning of May, it seems, He went from Galilee into the region of Tyre and Sidon, where, won over by the mother's prayers, He freed the Canaanite woman's daughter from the demon; returning from there to Galilee, He drove away many infirmities, and healed a deaf mute by putting His fingers into his ears and touching his tongue with saliva. Matt. 15:21 and 29; Mark 7:32.
Then, having compassion on the crowd that was following Him and was hungry, He again fed four thousand men with seven loaves and a few small fish; then, boarding a boat, He came to the region of Magadan. Matt. 15:32 and 39; Mark 8:1, and chapter 7:10.
There He rebuffed the curiosity of the Pharisees who demanded a sign from heaven. Crossing over again, He warns the disciples to beware of the leaven, that is, the hypocrisy of the Pharisees; and coming to Bethsaida, He gives sight to a blind man outside the village: then going to the region of Caesarea Philippi, on account of Peter's faith, by which he said: "You are the Son of the living God," He promises that he will be the rock of the Church; He then predicts that He will undergo the death of the cross at Jerusalem, and when Peter recoiled in horror at this, he was rebuked by Jesus and taught that whoever wishes to be saved must bear his own cross. Matt. 16:1, 13, 21; Mark 8:11, 22, 27, 31; Luke 9:18 and 22. This seems to have occurred near the end of July.
On the eighth day after that, which was August 6 (for on this day the Church celebrates the memorial of Christ's Transfiguration), He was transfigured before Peter, James, and John, and shining like the sun, He conversed with Elijah and Enoch about His death. The voice of the Father came: "This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him."
The next day, namely August 7, coming down from the mountain to the crowds, He healed a demoniac whom the disciples had been unable to cure, because this kind of demon is not driven out except by prayer and fasting. Traveling through Galilee, He again predicts His death and resurrection. Entering Capernaum, He commanded that the didrachma tax be paid to the tax collectors — one for Himself and another for Peter. Matt. 17:14, 22, 24; Mark 9:13, 29; Luke 9:37, 44.
There He revealed and rebuked the ambition of the Apostles, who had been disputing about preeminence on the journey; and He taught that scandals must be carefully avoided, and the manner in which an erring neighbor is to be corrected, and that if he has sinned, forgiveness must be given — which He proves by the parable of the merciless servant from whom the master reclaimed the entire debt he had already remitted. Matt. 18:1, 6; Mark 9:32, 41; Luke 9:46, and chapter 17:1.
Then in September He went up to Jerusalem for the Feast of Tabernacles (which is celebrated on the 15th of the month of Tishri, which that year seems to have fallen on September 29), but secretly: on the way, being badly received by the Samaritans, when John and James wanted them destroyed by lightning, He taught that His Spirit is not one of vengeance but of charity; and accordingly He healed a Samaritan leper and praised him for his gratitude above the others. Entering Jerusalem on the last day of the Feast of Tabernacles, namely October 6, He preached with such grace that the officers sent to arrest Him were themselves captivated; but in the evening He went out to the Mount of Olives. Matt. 19:1; John 7:2 and 14, chapter 8:1; Luke 9:51, and chapter 17:11.
Returning from the Mount of Olives the next day to the temple, He absolved the adulteress, putting to shame the Scribes who accused her: then teaching that He was the Son of God, when the Jews wanted to stone Him as a blasphemer, He secretly departed from the temple. Then He gave sight to a man blind from birth on the Sabbath day, anointing his eyes with mud made from spittle: and then, declaring Himself to be the Good Shepherd, He discoursed at length about this, and about the hireling and the sheep. John 8:2, 12, and chapter 9:1, and chapter 10:4.
Departing from Jerusalem, He traverses the villages and cities of Judea, and designating 72 disciples, He sent them out in pairs after the manner of the Apostles with instructions to every place where He Himself was about to go. When they returned to Him with joy, He admonishes them to humility and declares them blessed, and, rejoicing in spirit, He celebrates the wisdom of God, which reveals its mysteries to little ones and hides them from the proudly wise. Luke 10:1, 17; Matt. 11:25. Up to this point the order is certain. The order of what follows is probable, but not entirely certain.
Jesus, tested by a lawyer as to the way to eternal life, sets forth the commandment of love of God and neighbor: when the lawyer pressed Him as to who is one's neighbor, He declares this through the parable of the Samaritan who took care of the wounded man. Luke 10:25.
In the month of November He is received as a guest by Martha and Magdalene, and He prefers the latter's devout leisure to the former's anxious service. Luke 10:38.
Having finished praying, He gives the disciples a model for prayer: the Our Father, etc., and teaches that one must persevere in prayer, showing its power through the parable of the man who importunes his friend at night for bread for a guest. Luke 11:5, and chapter 18:1.
Invited by a Pharisee to the Pharisees' table, He rebukes their ritual washings, pride, hypocrisy, etc. Luke 11:37.
Interrupted by someone saying, "Tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me," He calls them away from avarice and anxiety about temporal things, and with many exhortations urges them toward the care of eternal things and hope in divine providence, showing the brevity of this life and the uncertainty of the Lord's coming. Luke 12:13.
Hearing that certain Galileans had been killed by Pilate, He urges all to repentance, lest they similarly be cut down like the barren fig tree. Luke 13:1.
On a Sabbath, healing a woman who was bent over, and therefore rebuked by the ruler of the synagogue, He refutes his misplaced piety, and through the parable of the mustard seed and another of the leaven, He demonstrates that the Gospel preaching will advance from small beginnings to great increase. Luke 13:10.
Asked whether few would be saved, He affirmed it; therefore each person must take the narrow path of virtue, and do so quickly, lest we knock in vain at heaven's door when it is closed. On the same day, warned to beware of Herod, He replied that He was to be killed not by Herod, but by the people of Jerusalem, and therefore they would be devastated by Titus. Luke 13:22 and 31.
In the month of December, invited by a leader of the Pharisees to dinner, on the Sabbath He heals a man with dropsy, and proves it to be lawful, and teaches the guests humility — to take the lowest place; and the hosts, mercy toward the poor. Whence He introduces the parable of the host who gave a banquet, and when the rich excused themselves, called the poor gathered from everywhere — signifying that since the Jews were rejected for their pride, the humble Gentiles were to be called to the heavenly banquet of Christ. Luke 14:1.
He teaches the thronging crowd that whoever wishes to be His disciple must renounce earthly attachments and take up his cross; and therefore, like a builder and a warrior, must first examine his strength to see whether he is equal to such demanding things. Luke 14:25.
Returning to Jerusalem for the Feast of the Dedication, which was celebrated on the 25th of the month of Kislev — which mathematicians reckon that year fell on December 7 — asked by the Jews to declare plainly whether He was the Christ, He replied that His works demonstrated this, but they did not believe because they were not of His sheep; wherefore, withdrawing from their anger and treachery, He went to Bethabara, where John had baptized, and when many sinners and tax collectors also flocked to Him there, He taught and healed them in His usual manner. He confuted the murmuring Pharisees who objected that He received sinners, with three parables: the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the prodigal son. John 10:22, 40, 41; Matt. 19:2; Mark 10:1; Luke 15:1.
He then stirs them to almsgiving through the examples of the unjust steward and the rich man who feasted, Luke 16:1, by which He tacitly censures the avarice of the Pharisees.
In the same place He disputes with the Pharisees about divorce, and prefers celibacy to marriage. Matt. 19:3; Mark 10:2.
At the beginning of January, He warns the disciples about avoiding scandals, about faith like a mustard seed, about the servant who plows, etc. Luke 17:1, 5 and 7. Then in February He represses the pride of the Pharisees through the parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector, who, humbly confessing himself a sinner, was justified rather than the other. Likewise through the example of the little children, whom, when they were brought to Him, He blessed by laying hands on them: "Let the little children come to Me," He said, "for of such is the kingdom of heaven." Luke 18:9 and 15; Matt. 19:13; Mark 10:13.
He exhorts a rich young man who kept God's commandments to embrace the counsel of Evangelical poverty; but he, struck by so arduous a demand, drew back. Whence Christ shows how difficult it is for a rich man to be saved, and how wise are those who leave all things for love of God in order to follow Christ, to whom He therefore promises a hundredfold and eternal life. Matt. 19:23; Mark 10:17, 23; Luke 18:18, 24.
Finally, through the parable of the laborers hired at different hours to cultivate the vineyard, He teaches that in heaven the first will be last and the last first; for many are called but few are chosen. Matt. 20:1.
Fourth Year of the Preaching, Passion, and Resurrection of Christ
Containing His Deeds from the Raising of Lazarus to His Ascension into Heaven.
This raising of Lazarus occurred shortly before the fourth and last Passover, at which Christ was crucified — indeed, it was the cause, or rather the occasion, of Christ's death, as I shall say presently: for Christ lived 33 years and three months, which run from His birth to the Passover. Therefore this fourth year of Christ's preaching and passion was only begun, not completed — indeed, it encompasses only two months, namely March and April, and the beginning of May, during which He did and suffered all those things which are narrated in the Gospels from the raising of Lazarus to the Ascension: for Christ raised Lazarus after the beginning of March; He was crucified on March 25; He rose again on March 27; He ascended into heaven on May 5, in the fourth month of His 34th year of age, which had begun.
Christ raises Lazarus, dead four days, in Bethany from death; moved by this miracle, many believed in Christ: wherefore the chief priests and Pharisees, envying Him, in a council presided over by Caiaphas, decree that He must be killed. Knowing this, Jesus withdrew to the borders of Judea, to the town of Ephraim; then, as Passover approached, He went up to Jerusalem, and on the way He told the Apostles that the cross and death awaited Him, and that He was going to them of His own will. John 11:17, 46, 54, 56; Matt. 20:17; Mark 10:32; Luke 18:31.
John and James, thinking that Christ was going up to Jerusalem to establish His kingdom, ask through their mother to hold the first places in this kingdom after Him; but Jesus offers them the cup of suffering instead of a kingdom. Matt. 20:20; Mark 10:35; Luke 19:11.
Jesus, passing through Jericho, converts the tax collector Zacchaeus who invited Him to his home: then proceeding to Jerusalem, He gives sight to two blind men, one of whom was named Bartimaeus, and six days before the Passover, namely on the Friday before Palm Sunday, He comes to Bethany. Luke 18:35, and chapter 19:1; Matt. 20:29; Mark 10:46; John 12:1.
There on the following day, namely the Sabbath, He dines in the house of Simon the Leper with Lazarus: Martha serves, Magdalene pours nard ointment on His head; the avaricious Judas, resenting this, is rebuked by Jesus. Matt. 26:6, 8; Mark 14:3, 4; John 12:2, 3.
The next day, namely Palm Sunday, which that year fell on March 20, going from Bethany to Bethphage, from there carried on a donkey with the cloaks of the disciples spread out, the people applauding with palm branches and crying out "Hosanna to the Son of David," He enters Jerusalem as though in triumph and as the Messiah; and as He drew near to the city, predicting its destruction, He wept. Matt. 21:1; Mark 11:1; Luke 19:29 and 41; John 12:12.
Entering the city, He first went to the temple, and cast out from it those buying and selling, and healed many sick, while the Pharisees gnashed their teeth on this account: the Gentiles are stirred to see and know Him. Whence a voice sent from heaven glorifies Jesus. Matt. 21:12, 13; Mark 11:15; Luke 19:45 and 39; John 12:20.
On the same day, namely the evening of Palm Sunday, leaving the city, He went to Bethany; the next morning, that is Monday, March 21, returning to the city, He cursed the fig tree that had no figs, and cast out the sellers from the temple: then, after the whole day He had been teaching in the temple, in the evening He again went out to Bethany. Matt. 21:17; Mark 11:11.
The next morning, which was Tuesday, March 22, returning to the city; when the disciples marveled that the fig tree cursed by Jesus had withered, He showed them how great is the power of living faith and prayer. Then, teaching in the temple as was His custom, He confutes the Pharisees who challenged Him and threatens them with destruction. They, to trap Him in His speech, put captious questions to Him about tribute, the resurrection, and the greatest commandment, all of which He resolved most wisely, and in turn, putting to them a question about the divinity of the Messiah, He shut their mouths and censured their hypocrisy, pride, avarice, and other vices. Matt. 21:20, 23, and chapter 22:15, 41, and chapter 23:1; Mark 11:20, 27, and chapter 12:13, 15, 38; Luke 20:1, 20, 41, 45.
Then, sitting opposite the treasury, He preferred a poor widow offering two small coins to all the other givers. Leaving the temple, and as the disciples were admiring the temple's structure, He predicted its ruin. Mark 12:41, and chapter 13:1; Luke 21:5; Matt. 24:1.
Leaving the temple for the Mount of Olives, when the disciples asked, "When will these things be, and what will be the sign of Your coming and of the end of the age?" He declared the signs of the end both of the city and of the world: yet that the day of His coming for judgment would be uncertain; and therefore that each person must keep watch and prepare for it, which He teaches through various parables: the wise and foolish virgins, the lazy servant, the thief, the flood of Noah. Matt. 24:3, 36; Mark 13:3, 32; Luke 21:7, 34. Finally He vividly depicts the form of the Last Judgment. Matt. 25:31.
On Wednesday, March 23, Jesus predicts that after two days, namely on the day of the Passover, He will be crucified. Whereupon Judas, to sell Him to the Jews, agrees with them on a price of 30 pieces of silver. Matt. 26:1, 3, 14; Mark 14:1, 10; Luke 22:1.
On Thursday, March 24, He sends Peter and John ahead into the city to prepare the Passover, that is, the things necessary for the supper of the Paschal Lamb; following them Himself, in the evening He celebrated the supper of the Lamb with the disciples, and after it washed the disciples' feet, and instituted the Eucharist and distributed it to the disciples. Then He predicted Judas's betrayal, and indicated the traitor to John by the sign of the morsel offered to Judas: Judas, feeling himself marked, went out to accomplish his crime. The disciples again contending about preeminence, He restrained them with the precept of humility, and issued the new commandment of love; He predicted His imminent arrest, and the flight of the disciples, and to Peter, who boasted of his constancy, His threefold denial; then, bidding farewell to the sorrowful disciples, He delivered the long discourse burning with love and spirit which St. John describes at length from chapter 14 to 18; finally, commending them to the Father, He concluded and bade them farewell. Matt. 26:17, 20, 26; Mark 14:12, 17, 22, 28; Luke 22:7, 14, 19, 21, 24, 26, 31; John 13:21, 20, 34, 36, and chapters 14, 15, 16, 17.
The Sequence of Christ's Passion
Then on that same night, having said the hymn of thanksgiving, leaving the upper room and the city, He withdrew to the Mount of Olives into a garden to pray, and apart, in the presence of Peter, James, and John, from the vivid apprehension of His imminent passion He began to be afraid, to feel dread, to be sorrowful and distressed. Whence, praying, He said: "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not My will, but Yours be done." At length, entering His agony, He sweated water and blood; and therefore, being strengthened by an Angel, He then voluntarily offered Himself to be kissed by Judas and bound by the Jews, and restrained Peter who was drawing his sword. Matt. 26:36, 37, 39, 41, 51; Mark 14:27, 32, 33, 35, 44, 47; Luke 22:39, 40, 42, 47, 50; John 18:1, 3, 7, 10.
Jesus, therefore bound, was led first to Annas, then to Caiaphas, the high priest of that year; answering him freely, He was struck on the face by an officer: false witnesses having been produced and rejected for their falsity, when Jesus Himself was asked whether He was the Messiah, the Son of God, and He affirmed it, He was condemned as a blasphemer and mocked. Meanwhile Peter, asked by a maidservant and by the Jews whether he was a disciple of Christ, denied Him three times; but when Christ looked at him, repenting, he went out and wept bitterly. These things took place on Thursday night after the supper. John 18:13, 19, 26; Matt. 26:59, 63, 69, 67; Mark 14:53, 61, 66, 65; Luke 22:56, 63.
On Friday, March 25, in the morning, the council convened by Caiaphas condemned Jesus again, and handed Him over to Pilate, the Roman governor, for punishment. Judas, seeing this and despairing, hanged himself by a noose, having first thrown the silver coins into the temple, with which the Jews purchased a field for the burial of strangers. Luke 22:66, and chapter 23:1, 2; Matt. 27:1, 3, 6; Mark 15:1; John 18:28.
Pilate refused to condemn Jesus, even though He had been condemned by the chief priests, when handed over to him by them, without first hearing His case. They therefore accuse Him of making Himself King of the Jews and of stirring up unrest from Judea all the way to Galilee. Pilate therefore asks Jesus whether He truly is the King of the Jews. He affirms it, but adds that His kingdom is heavenly, not worldly, and that therefore Tiberius Caesar and his governor Pilate need not fear Him. And so Pilate, recognizing that Jesus is innocent and holy, tries in various ways to acquit and release Him. First, hearing the name Galilee, he asks whether Jesus is a Galilean; learning that He is, he sends Him to Herod, the ruler of Galilee, as one subject to him, and by this courtesy is reconciled with Herod. Herod, expecting signs and wonders from Jesus, when he saw nothing of the kind, treated Him with contempt, dressed Him in a white robe, and sent Him back to Pilate. John 18:29, 33; Luke 23:2, 6, 8; Matt. 27:11; Mark 15:2.
Second, Pilate, with Jesus sent back to him, tried to free Him by comparing Him with Barabbas, a seditious murderer, so that according to the custom at Passover of freeing one from death, they might choose Jesus and set Him free; but they, at the urging of the chief priests, demanded that Barabbas be freed and Jesus crucified. Matt. 27:15; Mark 15:6; Luke 23:17; John 18:39.
Third, Pilate, seeing the fury of the Jews against Christ, in order to quell it, ordered Him to be scourged; and having been disfigured by the scourges, and mocked with a crown of thorns and a purple garment, like a pretend painted king, he exhibited Him to the Jews for viewing, so that they might take pity on one so afflicted. But they, becoming more cruel, with loud voices demanded that He be crucified, and threatened Pilate that he would not be considered a friend of Caesar if he let Jesus, who had made Himself king, go unpunished. Therefore Pilate, having washed his hands, testified to the innocence of Jesus; and when the Jews cried out, "His blood be upon us and upon our children," he handed Him over to the Jews to be crucified, although shortly before he had been warned by his wife not to involve himself in the death of so just a man. Matt. 27:19, 23, 26; Mark 15:15, 16; Luke 23:15, 20; John 19:1, 7, 13, 15.
Jesus is therefore led out of the praetorium to Mount Calvary, bearing His cross on His shoulders. The Jews, fearing at the exit of the gate that Jesus might collapse under it, imposed the carrying upon Simon of Cyrene to bear it after Jesus. Pious women followed weeping, whom Jesus told to weep for themselves and their children, on account of the imminent destruction of the city guilty of deicide. Matt. 27:31, 32; Luke 23:25, 26, 27; Mark 15:21.
When they had arrived at Mount Calvary, the Jews offered Christ wine mixed with gall, and then wine mixed with myrrh; He refused to drink either. Then, stripped of His garments and laid on the ground upon the cross, He was nailed to it with nails at the sixth hour, that is, at midday. The cross was then raised with the title of His charge, and on either side of Him two thieves were hung, as though He were their chief. Finally, in His sight the soldiers divided His garments among themselves. Matt. 27:34, 35, 37, 38, 39; Mark 15:23, 24, 26, 27; Luke 23:32, 33, 34, 38; John 19:18, 19, 23.
The chief priests and the people insult and revile Jesus on the cross; He prays to the Father for them. The thief hanging on the left likewise reviles Him, but the other rebukes him, and having confessed Jesus as the Messiah, entreats Him, and therefore hears from Jesus: "Today you shall be with Me in paradise." Matt. 27:39; Mark 15:29; Luke 23:39, 43.
He then commends His Mother to St. John. He laments that He has been forsaken by the Father. He cries out: "I thirst"; whereupon He is given vinegar to drink, and finally He cries aloud: "It is finished." At last, commending His spirit into the hands of the Father, He breathes it forth around the ninth hour. Meanwhile the sun is darkened, the earth is shaken, the rocks are split, the tombs are opened, the veil of the temple is torn, so that all creatures seem to mourn and bewail the death of their Creator; moved by which, the centurion and many of the people watching were struck with awe, and beating their breasts, returned home. John 19:25, 28, 30; Matt. 27:45, 46, 49, 51; Mark 15:33, 34, 37, 38; Luke 23:44, 46, 47.
After Jesus had died, the Jews broke the legs of the thieves who were still alive, so that they might die quickly; but they did not break those of Jesus. Instead, one of the soldiers opened His side with a lance, from which flowed blood and water. Then the body of Christ, taken down from the cross and anointed with spices, was honorably buried by Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus. Finally, guards were posted at the tomb by Pilate, and the mouth of the tomb was closed and sealed with a stone. John 19:31, 38; Matt. 27:57, 62; Mark 15:42; Luke 23:50.
The Sequence of the Resurrection of Christ
Jesus, on the third day after His death, namely on Sunday, which was March 27th, rose gloriously from the tomb before dawn, and passing through the stone that closed the tomb by the gift of subtlety, He went out. Then an angel removed the stone, and terrified the guards and put them to flight, so that the women who were coming might be able to enter the tomb.
Therefore the women, who had bought and prepared ointments to anoint the body of Jesus, when they came to the tomb at earliest dawn on Sunday, found the tomb open and the body of Christ taken away; they found only the linen cloths, and heard from the angels that Christ had risen. They immediately reported this to the Apostles; then Peter and John ran to the tomb, and the women followed them along with Magdalene. Peter and John, seeing only Christ's linen cloths, returned home in wonder. The women followed them back again; but Magdalene alone, lingering at the tomb and weeping, was the first to deserve to see Jesus in the appearance of a gardener, though she did not recognize Him. But hearing Him say "Mary," she immediately recognized Him. Then, following the women, she told them that she had seen Jesus, and behold, Jesus met them all, saying: "Hail." This is the first appearance of the risen Christ recorded in Scripture, made to Magdalene and the women. Matt. 28:1, 2, 3, 5, 9; Mark 16:3; Luke 24:1, 3, 4; John 20:1.
When the women testified that Jesus had risen, since the Apostles did not believe them, Jesus appeared a second time to Peter. Luke 24:34.
Third, on the same day, namely the Sunday on which He rose, Christ appeared to two disciples going to Emmaus, and in the evening at table He was recognized by them through the breaking of bread. Luke 24:13; Mark 16:12.
Fourth, on the same day and evening, He appeared to the eleven disciples in the upper room, in the absence of Thomas, and offered Himself to be touched, and ate with them and gave them the power of forgiving sins. Mark 16:14; Luke 24:36; John 20:19.
Fifth, He appeared to the same disciples on the eighth day, namely April 3rd, with Thomas now present, and offered him the scars of His wounds to see and touch. Therefore Thomas, now believing that He had risen, exclaimed: "My Lord and my God." John 20:24.
Sixth, He appeared on the shore to seven disciples who were fishing in the Sea of Tiberias, and was recognized by them through the great catch of fish. There He said to Peter: "Feed My sheep." John 21:1.
Seventh, He appeared to the Apostles and other faithful on a mountain in Galilee, which He had already designated to them beforehand, and there He commanded them to evangelize all nations and to confirm the Gospel with miracles. Matt. 28:19.
Finally, on the fortieth day after the Resurrection, namely May 5th, leading them out to the Mount of Olives, teaching and instructing them, and promising the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, having given His blessing, He gloriously ascended into heaven, and sits at the right hand of God, and from there governs His Church, and gradually gathers and draws it to Himself. Mark 16:19; Luke 24:50, 51.