1. Palm Sunday

The Easter Story begins with Palm Sunday. Everyone in Jerusalem was getting ready for the Jewish festival of Passover when they saw Jesus riding into town on a donkey.

Many people were longing for a leader, a promised king, who would set them free from the oppression of the Romans. They were convinced that Jesus was the one who had come to save them, the promised Messiah.

Crowds of people lined the streets, waving and cheering to welcome him. They spread their cloaks on the ground before him and threw palm branches in his path, just like a red carpet for a VIP.

‘Hosannah! Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!’ they shouted.

2. Foot Washing on Maundy Thursday

Jesus met with his friends to celebrate the Passover meal.

In a hot and dusty land, feet in open sandals would get very dirty. It was usually the job of the lowest slave in the household to wash the feet of guests when they arrived. But it was Jesus who took a towel and lovingly bent down to wash the feet of his disciples.

He told them that they must follow his example of humble service of others:

“Now that I, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also should wash one another’s feet. I have set you an example that you should do as I have done for you.” (John 13:14-15)

3. Bread and Wine on Maundy Thursday

On Maundy Thursday, Christians remember the night Jesus shared the Passover meal with his closest friends and disciples. He knew that his disciple Judas would betray him, and the rest would eventually desert him in fear, yet he wanted them to remember this last supper together.

As he broke the bread and gave it to them, he said:

"Take, eat, this is my body which is given for you.

Do this to remember me."

Again, when he offered them the cup of wine, he said:

"This is my blood poured out for you.

Drink this as a sign of God’s faithfulness

and his forgiveness of your sins."

Christians in churches of all traditions around the world today continue to break bread and drink wine together in the service of Holy Communion to remember Jesus and all he did for us.

4. The Garden on Maundy Thursday

After the meal was over, Jesus went out with his disciples to the Garden of Gethsemane. He wanted to pray to God, his Father, as he knew that he would soon be arrested and sentenced to death.

He asked his friends to keep watch with him, but they were very tired and fell asleep. In the darkness, Jesus felt very alone as he struggled to accept what was going to happen to him.

"Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; and with him there was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him and lead him away under guard.”

So when he came, he went up to him [Jesus] at once and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him. Then they laid hands on him and arrested him." (Mark 14:43-46)

5. The mocking of Christ

Jesus was kept prisoner by the high priests who were jealous of Jesus and wanted to get rid of him.

They brought him to trial before the Roman Governor Pontius Pilate. Pilate did not believe the accusations made against Jesus but was worried about his own popularity with the local people.

He gave the crowd the choice to save Jesus but they chose to free the criminal Barabbas instead.

So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing and that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying,

“I am innocent of this man’s blood;

see to it yourselves."

6. The Crucifixion on Good Friday

Jesus was condemned to death by the authorities and soldiers led him outside the walls of Jerusalem to Golgotha which means the place of the skull.

Abandoned by his friends, taunted and beaten by his enemies, a crown of thorns was placed upon his head. They nailed Jesus to the cross and fastened a sign to it that read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews."

The soldiers cast dice to see which one of them could have his clothes and when he became thirsty, they offered him a sponge soaked in vinegar.

Jesus said; "Father forgive them, they don’t know what they are doing." and died.

Christians believe that in that terrible moment, when darkness seemed to triumph and blot out the light, Jesus took upon himself all the sin and suffering of the whole world.

7. The Deposition on Good Friday

A rich man named Joseph, who had himself become a follower of Jesus, asked the Roman authorities for Jesus' body.

Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

Jesus lay in the tomb for three days between his death and resurrection. This would have been a devastating and terrifying time for his disciples who had lost their friend and teacher. All hope of Jesus being the promised Messiah seemed lost.

Sometimes when we go through a difficult situation, it can feel like that cold and silent Easter Saturday, when we can’t hear God’s voice and there doesn’t seem to be a way through.

8. Sunday: The Empty Tomb

Early in the morning, women came to Jesus’ tomb to dress his body with spices and perfume.

As they reached the entrance of his tomb, they were startled by the dazzling figure of an angel, who said:

"Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

For Christians, the empty tomb at Easter tells us that Jesus, the Son of God, rose from the dead. Christians believe that what seemed like total defeat became complete victory over death and all the evil in our world. This is the source of their hope.