The Passion: Before the Rooster Crows

The chapters

1. Chapter 1 · 5 min · Free

   Hosanna

   Passover, an occupied city, and a man riding in on a donkey while the crowd shouts “save us”.

   Sources: Mark 11:1–11; John 11:47–50; 12:1, 12–19; Matthew 21:1–11; Luke 19:28–44; Zechariah 9:9; Psalm 118:25–26

2. Chapter 2 · 5 min · Free

   Den of Robbers

   Tables crash in the Temple, a Roman coin answers a trap, and a disciple strikes a deal.

   Sources: Mark 11:15–19, 27–33; 12:13–34; 13:1–2; 14:1–11; Matthew 26:14–16; John 2:13–17; Isaiah 56:7; Jeremiah 7:11; Leviticus 19:18

3. Chapter 3 · 5 min

   The Last Supper

   Bread, a cup, a towel and a basin. Then torches among the olive trees.

   Sources: Mark 14:12–52; John 13:1–35; 18:1–11; Luke 22:7–53; Matthew 26:52; 1 Corinthians 11:23–25

4. Chapter 4 · 5 min

   Before the Rooster Crows

   A hearing by night, three denials by a fire, and a Roman judge at dawn.

   Sources: Mark 14:53–15:15; Luke 22:54–23:25; John 18:12–19:16; Matthew 27:15–26; Philo, Embassy to Gaius 299–305; Josephus, Antiquities 18.55–62, 85–89

5. Chapter 5 · 5 min

   Golgotha

   Rome kept this death for slaves and rebels. A placard names his crime in three languages.

   Sources: Mark 15:16–47; Luke 23:26–56; John 19:16–42; Matthew 27:27–61; Deuteronomy 21:23; Josephus, Antiquities 17.295; Appian, Civil Wars 1.120

Who’s who

The people you meet. Each one is a hero card you can collect.

• CaiaphasHigh Priest · Keeper of the Temple
• Judas IscariotOne of the Twelve
• The Beloved DiscipleThe Disciple Whom Jesus Loved
• Herod AntipasTetrarch of Galilee · That Fox
• Joseph of ArimatheaCouncil Member · Giver of the Tomb
• Pontius PilatePrefect of Judaea · Judge of Jesus

What you’ll be able to tell

This story belongs to the journey “The Last Week”. By the end of it, you can tell what happened between Palm Sunday and Easter, who decided what, and why the Gospels tell it four ways.

Stories in this journey

1. The Passion: Before the Rooster Crows
2. The Empty Tomb: He Is Not Here