A Visual Guide to Bible Events

Jesus moved from the quieter and more peaceful moments in Galilee to the turbulent days in Jerusalem as he faced his crucifixion and resurrection. The busy city corresponded with a faster pace and sharp exchanges between Jesus and Jerusalem’s corrupt Temple leaders, sometimes translated into English as “the Jews.” It was in this city, where the Temple had witnessed hundreds of thousands of sacrifices, that the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world surrendered his life. All the events of Jesus’s last days occurred in and around Jerusalem for a reason.

One event after the other during these final weeks in the Gospels finds new depth of meaning in its relationship to this city. A major catalyst to the events leading to the cross was the raising of a dead man, Lazarus, about forty days earlier in Bethany, a suburb of Jerusalem (John 11:1–44). The blessing and backlash of this miracle quickly followed. When Jesus made this strategic ride into Jerusalem during his “triumphal entry” (also referred to as “Palm Sunday”), his mode of transportation and the scene it overlooked confirmed prophecies, and the crowds corroborated that by shouting: “Hosanna to the Son of David!” The celebration further disturbed those who saw Jesus as a threat. They advanced their plan to have him executed. Jesus returned to Bethany, and when he went back to Jerusalem on Monday, he provided his disciples with a lesson on authentic faith, illustrated by visual aids along the way: a fig tree, the Herodium, and the Dead Sea.

As we come to the momentous conclusion of the final days up through his crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension, we find the events of Jesus’s life taking on new meaning and power in their settings. We will explore his celebration of Passover in Jerusalem, in the upper room, and around a special table. We will walk with Jesus to Gethsemane and see how this familiar and comforting place takes on a darker hue as it adds to his struggle and provides an opportunity for his arrest. We will probe the setting of Jesus’s interrogations before Caiaphas and Pilate, the location of his crucifixion, and the place of his burial in order to gain fresh insights into the familiar events that revolutionize our life. And finally, we will return to Galilee, where Jesus began his proclamation of God’s Kingdom and his first recorded miracles. We will see that he made postresurrection appearances to commission and reassure the apostles in Galilee after he had shown himself to them following his resurrection in Jerusalem (Luke 24:1–3, 13–15, 33–36). From Bethany to the Mount of Olives to the cross, the tomb, the resurrection, and the ascension, we will see that the events of Jesus’s last days on earth happened where they did for a reason.

Tomb of Lazarus at Bethany.

Greek Orthodox painting of Peter cutting off the ear of the servant of the high priest (Church of the Holy Sepulcher).

Heel bone of a crucified man, which was horizontally pierced by an 11.5-centimeter (4.5-inch) nail.

Jerusalem at the time of Jesus

Model of the Jerusalem Temple (view looking west). The Sadducees controlled the business activities related to the Temple.

Herod’s palace. The elongated building in the model represents the palace of Herod the Great, which was later used by Pontius Pilate during his visits to Jerusalem (AD 26–36).

Model representing the location of the Bethesda pools (foreground) where Jesus healed a crippled man (John 5:1–15).