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In celebration of the Lord’s death, burial and resurrection I decided to begin this new series of postings by sharing the first 9 of my favorite quotes from Jesus Christ’s last week of natural life before the crucifixion.
In my introductory post on this series, I reminded those that visit my site that only Jesus Christ has Words that contain life eternal.
Note: Every Word in the Bible comes from God and is important. The quotes I am sharing are from the books of Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, and Revelation. This is not a complete list of every word spoken by Jesus but those that ministered and jumped out to me. I am using the New King James Version Bible in this post.
I hope as you read through the following quotes that you take time to meditate on the final words of Jesus Christ who is the Word in the flesh. If you have not accepted His gift of eternal life, why wait?
“In the beginning, was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things were made through Him, and without Him, nothing was made that was made. In Him was life, and the life was the light of men.” – Jn 1:1-4
# 1 – The Stones Will Cry Out Quote
Jesus was riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, and multitudes of people began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen. However, the Pharisees did not like it one bit and wanted Jesus to rebuke the people.
“I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Jesus of Nazareth – Lk 19:40
For me, the significance of this amazing moment was that the Creator Himself was riding into Jerusalem. Jesus Christ the Creator was declaring Himself openly as the King of kings and Messiah. It seems the message was lost on the “religious leaders” in Israel. More likely it was ignored, for they knew the prophecies. Unfortunately, for many around the world, Jesus the Creator still is being ignored and rejected.
# 2 – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem
“How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! See!… I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”
Jesus of Nazareth – Found in Mat 23:37-39
After striving His best to save them, the world’s Redeemer was abandoning His people to the results of their sin, until the time spoken of in Zech 14:1-4. (F.B. Meyer commentary)
Likewise, Jesus continues to seek and save the lost today. How sad to think that many reject the gift of salvation and eventually will be judged for their rebellion.
#3 – Jesus Weeps Over Jerusalem
LK 19:41-44 tells us that as Jesus drew near the city He wept over it saying:
“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Jesus of Nazareth – LK 19:41-44
The Greek word used here for Wept does not portray a quiet weeping but a sobbing as He lamented the Jewish people’s refusal to accept that He was their Messiah. In their mind at that time, they were looking for a Messiah who would overthrow the Romans.
From the Commentary of David Guzik
Jesus mourns over the fact they did not know the time of the Messiah’s coming, that day prophesied by Daniel:
This was the day prophesied by Daniel that Messiah the Prince would come unto Jerusalem. Daniel said that it would be 483 years on the Jewish calendar from the day of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the day the Messiah would come to Jerusalem – and it was 483 years, by the Jewish reckoning of 360 day years, exactly to the day (Dan 9:25).
Jesus knew that their desire for a political Messiah would bring total destruction in less than a generation.
The historian Josephus describes in detail the embankment around Jerusalem; how it utterly shut up the city before the Romans totally destroyed them (Wars of the Jews, 5.12.1-3).
“All hope of escaping was now cut off from the Jews, together with their liberty of going out of the city. Then did the famine widen its progress, and devour the people by whole houses and families; the upper rooms of women and infants that were dying from famine, and the lanes of the city were full of the dead bodies of the aged; the children also, and the young men wandered about the marketplaces like shadows, all swelled with the famine, and fell down dead wheresoever their misery seized them.
For a time, the dead were buried; but afterward, when they could not do that, they had them cast down from the wall into the valleys beneath. When Titus, ongoing his rounds along these valleys, saw them full of dead bodies, and the thick petrification running about them, he gave a groan, and spreading out his hands to heaven, called God to witness this was not his doing.”
Josephus – Wars of the Jews
When judgment must be pronounced, there is weeping in the heart of God even though His judgment is perfectly just and righteous.
May the people here in the USA repent before the same happens to us…
# 4 – A Den of Thieves…
“It is written, ‘My house shall be called a house of prayer,’ but you have made it a ‘den of thieves.’ ”
Jesus of Nazareth – Mat 21:13
What was taking place at the temple? The outer court of the temple is the only area where Gentiles (non-Jewish people) could come and pray. Money changers (swindlers as I like to call them), in cooperation with the priests, robbed visitors to the temple by forcing them to purchase “approved” sacrificial animals and currencies at inflated prices.
Likewise, every Jewish male had to pay a yearly temple tax. It had to be paid in the currency of the temple, and the money changers (swindlers) would exchange your money for the temple money, at outrageous rates.
Therefore, this place of prayer was made into a 3-ring circus.
The Pharisees, Sadducees, and Scribes, Oh My!
#5 – The Pharisees Entrapment…
The Pharisees & Sadducees were always hounding every step Jesus took and every word He spoke. Luke tells us that the Pharisees sent spies who pretended to be righteous, that they might “seize on His words”, in order to deliver Him to the power and the authority of the governor. Thinking they could snap the trap closed they asked Jesus “Is it lawful for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
“Why do you test Me? Show Me a denarius. Whose image and inscription does it have?”
They said, “Caesar’s.” And He said to them,
“Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” – Luke 20:20-26
Strike One!
#6 – The Sadducees Entrapment…
Then we read that some of the Sadducees, who deny that there is a resurrection, (that is why they are Sad – You – See…) came to question Him concerning marriage in heaven… Jesus’ response:
“Those who are counted worthy to attain that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.
Even Moses showed in the burning bush passage that the dead are raised, when he called the Lord ‘the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ For He is not the God of the dead but of the living, for all live to Him.”
Jesus of Nazareth – LK 20:27-40
Ouch! Strike Two!
#7 – The Scribes take a Turn
A lawyer, testing Jesus, asked “ which is the greatest commandment in the law?”
“‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
Jesus of Nazareth – Mat 22:34-40
Strike Three and they are out!
#8 – Busted! Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees!
“The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore, whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do. For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but they themselves will not move them with one of their fingers.
Jesus of Nazareth – see Mat 23:1-36
Sounds like that hypocritical saying “do as I say, and not as I do“. Jesus went on to say that their works were only done for men to see and admire. (my paraphrase)
Do you know any scribes and Pharisees that say one thing from the pulpit but act differently? Jesus calls them wolves in sheep’s clothing. False teachers… Unfortunately, there are many leading the masses astray.
#9 – Nothing Done for the Glory of God is Forgotten
Jesus was at eating a meal at the house of Simon the leper. A woman came to Jesus and poured a flask of very costly fragrant oil on Jesus’ head as He sat at the table. His disciples were indignant that she wasted the oil when it could have been sold and given to the poor. Here is what Jesus said to them:
“Why do you trouble the woman? … For in pouring this fragrant oil on My body, she did it for My burial. Assuredly, I say to you, wherever this gospel is preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Jesus of Nazareth – Mat 26:6-13
WOW! I love this story! It reminds me that nothing a person does to bring God glory is overlooked. What we do for the glory of God no matter how small it may seem is written down in heaven for all eternity!
I pray that something here in this post ministered to your spirit and encouraged you. What are some of your favorite quotes from Jesus? Leave them below in the comment section. I would enjoy reading them.
In my next post, I will share my favorite quotes of Christ from His last Passover meal through the crucifixion. Then on Resurrection Sunday, I will celebrate the Lord’s resurrection by sharing my favorite quotes of Jesus from the resurrection to the ascension. Let me ask you a question…
Maranatha! Until next time, I am Passionately Loving Jesus, the Anchor of my Soul.
Maranatha! Until next time, I am Passionately Loving Jesus, the Anchor of my Soul.
Resources of Interest
- 4 Surprising Facts About the Messiah – Jews for Jesus
- Messiah – Key beliefs in Judaism – GCSE Religious Studies …
- Who Were The Sadducees and Pharisees?
- Passover Week Introduction- Messianic Style
