William F. Cook III - Jesuss Final Week: From Triumphal Entry to Empty Tomb

Jesuss Final Week is a clear and concise study of the passion week of the Savior of the world. It is excellently written and will serve well the seasoned scholar or layperson who wants to examine the week leading up to and including the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus Christ. I personally will take advantage of this fine work.

Daniel Akin , president, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

As a seminary student, Dr. Bill Cook was one of my favorite professors. In Jesuss Final Week youll understand why. Cook writes with the accuracy of an accomplished New Testament scholar, the clarity of a gifted teacher, and the pastoral application of a seasoned minister. Reading this book will not only afford you a better understanding of Christs final days, it will deepen your devotion to our Savior.

Jason Allen , president, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

No portion of Gods Word is more fascinating than those chapters relating the final days detailing the redeeming death and resurrection of Jesus. For two millennia Christians have meditated on these painful yet glorious close-ups of the Savior. I know of no one better suited to lead twenty-first century Christians to examine the central drama of history than Dr. William F. Cook III. As a New Testament scholar, pastor, and devout man of prayer, he presents to the church a volume well-suited both for study and devotion. Ponder, then worship!

Ted J. Cabal , professor of philosophy of religion, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Too often, we have read about the final week of Jesus so many times that we almost skim it now. The events of that week, though, are so history-changing that we must meditate on them more. This book will help you do that. Dr. Cook carefully walks through that week, writing with the mind of a scholar and the heart of a pastor. You will learn more about the events themselves, consider practical implications and applications of the stories, and come out of each chapter singing the hymn of response Dr. Cook includes. This study is worth leading your entire congregation to do.

Chuck Lawless , vice president for spiritual formation and ministry centers and Richard & Gina Headrick Chair of World Missions, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary

I have had the privilege to know Dr. Bill Cook for many years now in two different contexts. First, he was my faithful pastor for six years. Second, he was my esteemed colleague at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for fifteen years. From my unique vantage point, I can say without hesitation that Dr. Cook has the mind of a scholar and the heart of a pastor. Both of those qualities come into full view in Jesuss Final Week . The reality is that it would be impossible to faithfully preach the four Gospels without being well versed in Jesuss final days and the events leading up to his death, resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, and ascension. With that said, this new work has instantly become my go to source for those final days leading to Jesuss ascension. As I read, my mind and heart were renewed and enthralled with the love and glory of Jesus and his all-sufficient and perfect work of redemption for all who believe.

Brian Payne , pastor, Lakeview Baptist Church, Auburn, AL

The most important event in all of history is the arrival of Jesus on this earth. And the most important week in his life is certainly his last. Bill Cook provides a simple, faithful, thorough, and meditative summary of Jesuss final week. Follow this expert guide as he leads you through the events that guide us toward salvation.

Patrick Schreiner , associate professor of New Testament and biblical theology, Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary

Jesuss Final Week

Copyright 2022 by William F. Cook III

Published by B&H Academic

Nashville, Tennessee

All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-0877-3756-0

Dewey Decimal Classification: 232.96

Subject Heading: JESUS CHRISTPASSION / JESUS CHRISTENTRY INTO JERUSALEM / JESUS CHRISTBETRAYAL AND ARREST

Scripture quotations marked CSB have been taken from the Christian Standard Bible, Copyright 2017 by Holman Bible Publishers. Used by permission. Christian Standard Bible and CSB are federally registered trademarks of Holman Bible Publishers.

Unless otherwise noted, hymns are taken from Baptist Hymnal 2008, public domain.

Where noted, text has been taken from The Southern Baptist Journal article The Passion of the Christ according to the Gospel of Mark, by William F. Cook III, Fall 2004. Used with permission.

Cover design and collage art by Emily Keafer Lambright.

Jesus in the Gethsemane Garden by Karl Geiger jozef sedmak / Alamy Stock Photo. Other images from iStock by ananaline, ajt, gan chaonan, lovleah, Kodochigov, Francesco Milanese, binik, MahirAtes, w-ings, and allanswart.

Printed in the United States of America

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For my grandchildren:

Will, Riley, Emery, Hadley, Ainsley, Lila, and Isabel.

Thank you for the joy and happiness you bring into Papas life!

May you love and serve Jesus, our Risen Savior, all the days of your lives.

Love, Papa

I would like to acknowledge several people as I complete this work. After more than thirty-eight years my wife, Jaylynn, remains the love of my life. Except for the gift of salvation, she is the greatest gift the Lord has ever given me. Thank you, sweetheart, for your love and devotion to me, our family, and especially our Savior.

I am indebted to my doctoral student and Garrett Fellow, Graham Faulkner, for his research assistance. My church member and friend, Walker Downs, was a significant help by reading the manuscript and making so many helpful suggestions as well as writing the study guide.

I want to express my gratitude to Dr. R. Albert Mohler for the privilege of serving at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary for the past twenty-one years.

Finally, I would be remiss not to express my gratitude for the kind folks at B&H. Madison Trammel, Audrey Greeson, and the editorial team have been kind and patient throughout the entire process.

T he climax of Jesuss messianic ministry began as he entered Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. He rode into the city on the back of a donkey as Israels Messiah-King. The week when these events occurred has been called Holy Week throughout much of church history. Some traditions refer to this week as Passion Week. The word passion comes from the Latin passio , meaning suffering. I will use the terms Holy Week and Passion Week interchangeably throughout this work. Holy Week is the most important week in human history!

The four Gospels recount the events leading up to Jesuss horrific death by crucifixion and culminate with his bodily resurrection, post-resurrection appearances, and ascension. The importance of these events can be seen in the amount of space the Gospels devote to them. For example, approximately 40 percent of Marks Gospel is dedicated to Jesuss final days (chs. 1116); about 30 percent of Matthew (chs. 2128); approximately 24 percent of Luke (19:2824:53); and more than 40 percent of John (12:1221:25). From this cursory glance, the Evangelists obviously considered the final events of Jesuss life to be of paramount importance. These events were at the center of the preaching of the early church as well (Acts 2:2336; 3:1326; 1 Cor 15:17).

One might wonder if another book on Passion Week is necessary. The publication of Eckhard J. Schnabels Jesus in Jerusalem: The Last Days (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans, 2018) is a monumental enterprise that in more than 600 pages addresses every important person, place, and event in Passion Week (truly an encyclopedic and magisterial work). Anyone doing extensive research on Jesuss final week will benefit greatly from its scholarly presentation. The length of the work, however, is somewhat daunting for students of the Gospels who want more of an overview of those events. An older work of even greater detail than Schnabels is the massive two-volume tome by Raymond E. Brown, The Death of the Messiah: From Gethsemane to the Grave (New York: Doubleday, 1994). Browns two volumes combined contain more than 1,600 pages without touching on the resurrection narratives! No scholar working on the Passion narratives can ignore either of these two volumes. Yet the sheer size of these works is overwhelming for many people.