The suffering for sin of our Lord Jesus Christ commenced in the Garden of Gethsemane where His soul-suffering is described as Him being ‘in an agony’, ‘exceeding sorrowful unto death’. Here our Saviour felt the judgment of God and the temptation of the devil. Here He lay alone without human support and carried the weight of His people’s sin.

Our Lord Jesus Christ left Jerusalem for the Mt of Olives and Gethsemane, crossing over the Kidron brook. Despite all that lay before Him His thoughts were upon the wellbeing of His people and He tells Peter and the disciples that though they all will be offended because of Him this night He has prayed for them that their faith fail not. Blessed Jesus!

Our Lord Jesus Christ instituted the Lord’s Supper on this evening before His death. When we share in the bread and wine of communion with faith we are showing forth His death and testifying of our hope and trust in the cleansing power of His blood. It is a precious witness to our souls and to one another.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is our passover. He told His disciples that one of them would betray Him to death, generating amongst them great sorrow, self-doubt and self-examination. Our Saviour also preached to them about divine sovereignty and human responsibility for sin.

Our Lord Jesus Christ was the anointed one of God, set apart to redeem, reconcile and save all God’s elect. Here at Bethany a dear lady anticipates the Lord’s death for His people by anointing His head with very precious spikenard. The act pleased the Saviour despite the murmuring of some disciples. He declared that her act would be remembered wherever the Gospel of Jesus Christ is preached through the whole world.

Our Blessed Saviour spent much of His final week busily teaching, preaching and ministering to His people and disciples. Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday had been days full of activity. On Thursday the Lord would eat the Passover and begin His soul-suffering in Gethsemane. But Wednesday is remarkably silent. None of the Gospel writers speak about the Saviour's activities on this day. It is Silent Wednesday. 

The Saviour warned His disciples to take heed, watch and pray and these admonitions apply not only to the times of the disciples’ lives but continue as a proper response from believers to the challenges of every age. The Lord has left His church with a task and a witness to every generation – to every man his work – to take heed, watch and pray, lest coming suddenly He find us sleeping.

When the Lord Jesus explained to His disciples about the coming destruction of Jerusalem, and the temple, He expressly gave warning and advice and comfort to His chosen people, His elect. For their sakes the days of terror would be lessened, they would not be seduced by the false prophets of freewill, works-religion, and they would all be gathered in by the coming of Christ in His power in the gospel.

The Lord Jesus Christ provided His disciples with ‘signs of the times’ for the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. He also warned them to be alert to false and deceptive Christs, to take heed to recognise and avoid false doctrine, and also of the need for the Lord’s preserving care for His church. These are lessons for all His people in every age.

The Lord Jesus Christ pointed out to His disciples a certain poor widow whose faith brought her to give a gift to the Lord in gratitude and praise for her Saviour. He taught them, and us, that our gifts of worship and service must be offered in faith and all we have body and soul is only what He has first given to us.