A timeline of Holy Week events from the Four Gospels

Fr Richard writes ...

I've always loved Holy Week, the week that leads up to Easter. I love the sense of progression as the week unfolds, and following all the different events that take place, from Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to the turning over of the tables in the Temple, the prolonged teaching and discussion that Jesus undertakes, the Last Supper, the agony in Gethsemane, and of course the Cross. I love the sense of drama, and the different moods that these events evoke. As I observe the services of Holy Week, I try and enter into the story afresh, and experience it as though I was an eyewitness 2000-odd years ago.

I've also always been intrigued about how the different Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) depict different events in the life of Jesus. It's interesting to see how little details differ between the four accounts. These two interests - Holy Week and the Four Gospels - come together in the timeline of Holy Week events which I have created. You can access it as a PDF from the link below. 

I have arranged the events as near as possible onto the various different days, and included the various Bible references so that you can look up the stories for yourself. A few interesting points can be noted by way of a quick overview. Matthew, Mark and Luke, for example, have the cleansing of the Temple straight after Jesus enters Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, though in Mark it happens the next day. In John, the cleansing occurs earlier in the Gospel. In John, we jump straight from the entry on Palm Sunday to the Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, with no description of what happens in between. There is more detail in the other Gospels, though only Mark appears to distinguish between the Monday and Tuesday. Matthew and Mark both include the anointing at Bethany on the Wednesday evening, whereas Luke has it occurring earlier in his Gospel and in John it happens the night before Palm Sunday. All four Gospels show the Last Supper taking place on Maundy Thursday, but John focusses on the foot washing while the other three tell us about the institution of the Eucharist. Events surrounding the arrest and trials of Jesus also differ slightly. In Matthew and Mark Jesus is taken to the Sanhedrin on Thursday night and then to Pilate the next morning. In Luke, the Sanhedrin trial takes place on Good Friday morning and there is an additional trial before Herod. In John, Jesus appears only before Annas on Thursday night rather than the full Sanhedrin. All four Gospels agree that Jesus was crucified on Friday and then buried sometime Friday evening before the Sabbath began at sundown.

I hope this brief guide will be of help and interest as you observe this most holy of weeks, and meditate afresh on these remarkable events.

Holy Week Timeline