“O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?”

All Posts Archived Lessons New Testament Old Testament Book of Mormon Doctrine & Covenants Search “O Grave, Where Is Thy Victory?” CFMCorner Mar 31, 2023 16 min read Updated: Jun 24, 2025 CFM: April 3–9 Easter Videos and Podcasts Video/ Podcast ​Lesson Extension ​Additional Materials Scripture Central Easter ​ Follow Him E aster Part 1 , Part 2 Transcripts Line Upon Line Easter ​FHE Lesson Teaching with Power Easter ​ Don't Miss This Easter ​ ​CFM New Testament Easter Handout ​Unshaken E aster ( not yet posted ) ​ ​The Interpreter Foundation Easter ​Study helps by Jonn Claybaugh ​Teaching Helps with John Hilton Easter ​ ​Talk of Him Easter ​ ​Ponderfun Easter ​Talking Scripture E aster ( not yet posted ) Resources and Insights about this Week's Lesson This is my favorite time of the year, there are so many wonderful ways to Celebrate the Savior. With Conference this weekend, followed by Easter, there are many ways and opportunities to make this week especially meaningful. Here are a few ideas that might be fun. Grow Your Relationship with Jesus Christ during Holy Week 8 Fun Ways You Can Celebrate Easter with Your Family All Week Long Holy Week Free Easter Printables A Day-by-Day Guide to Celebrating Easter Week with Your Family How to Celebrate Easter Holy Week With Your Family Understanding Passover This week, in addition to Easter, Jews worldwide will celebrate Passover on the evening of April 5. Understanding the Passover experience can greatly enrich one's understanding and appreciation for the events of Holy Week. Our family has Jewish lines, and we have had the special opportunity to learn about and participate in several Jewish Festivals over the years, including Passover. During that time, many correlations between Jewish festival traditions and our modern Temple Practices have stood out. This should not be surprising because our Modern Temple ordinances were patterned after ancient Temple practices. While I was attending synagogue a few years ago, this topic came up. The Rabbi who was teaching the class knew I was LDS, and he pointed me out, saying, “You Mormons (this was prior to the name adjustment), we have many similarities; because you have the temple, you are able to focus on sacred spaces. We Jews are still waiting for our Temple, so until then, we have the special opportunity to focus on Sacred Times.” I loved this dear Rabbi's profound observation, and I have loved the tender insights that I have received in learning more about the beautiful traditions that unite our faiths and bring our tribes together. Some Jews are offended when Christians observe Passover, which is a justified response. This is a very sacred experience for them, similar in many ways to our Temple observance. If one chooses to participate in a Seder, one should do so with the utmost respect for our Jewish brothers and Sisters. Preferably, one should attend a Seder that is hosted by a Jewish Family or local Synagogue. This is a symbolically rich tradition that the Jewish people have faithfully preserved for 5783 years at a very high cost. It is a tradition that the Christian community rejected and discarded, a tradition that they actively tried to silence through violence, so one can understand why some members of the Jewish community might be hesitant and concerned. Several years ago, I put together a presentation for my family to demonstrate some of the symbolic connections between Passover and the Temple ( Sacred Times & Places ), focusing on the Jewish Traditions of the Haggadah. While this presentation is far from perfect, I am happy to share it with those who are interested. Other resources are listed in the links below, including some links to traditional Haggadahs and recipes for those who are interested in learning about this Ancient and Sacred Tradition. Video / Book: Feasts and Festivals of the Messiah by Lynda Cherry Symbols of the Messiah by Daniel Smith Days of Awe by Gayle Boyd Bird's Head Haggada: The oldest Haggadot in existence, dating back to the 13th Century. This was introduced to us by Daniel Rona, and it has been a family favorite for many years. Chabad Passover Recipes Per request, I am adding the recipe for the Charoset I made last year for Sunday School. Charoset Recipe 3 medium apples, such as Fuji or Honeycrisp, peeled and finely diced 1/8 c. lemon juice 1 c. toasted pecan, roughly chopped (I personally like putting in candied nuts) 1/4 c. craisins 1/4 c. grape juice 1 c . Medjool Dates (pitted) 1/2 tbsp. honey 1 tsp. lemon zest 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon Pinch kosher salt Chop pecans. Dice apples to desired cube size, place in a large mixing bowl, and add lemon juice to preserve color. Set to side. (I will frequently just run the apples through the food processor because I am lazy, but some like to cut into cubes because it looks prettier.) In a food processor, blend pitted dates, lemon zest, honey, cinnamon, salt, and grape juice. Pour mixture in with diced apples, and add in chopped pecans and craisins. Mix together thoroughly and refrigerate until ready to serve. (I personally think this is plenty sweet, but some like it sweeter, so if you are one of those people, feel free to add a bit of brown sugar.) The_Chabadorg_Haggadah .pdf Download PDF • 11.83MB Last Week of Christ's Mortal Ministry Chronology There has been an ongoing debate among scholars regarding the chronology of the last week of Christ's life. The traditional account holds that Christ was crucified on a Friday and rose from the dead on Sunday (2 days). However, some scholars argue that Christ was actually crucified on a Thursday, which would have resulted in two Sabbath days, the Passover Sabbath on Friday and the regular Sabbath on Saturday (3 days). This alternative timeline is gaining more validity among scholars due to biblical evidence that supports the notion of a Thursday crucifixion. James Tabor's article " The Last Days of Jesus: A Final 'Messianic' Meal " explains some of these details, The confusion arose because all the gospels say that there was a rush to get his (Christ's) body off the cross and buried before sundown because the “Sabbath” was near. Everyone assumed the reference to “the Sabbath” had to be Saturday, so the crucifixion must have been on a Friday. However, as Jews know, the day of Passover itself is also a “Sabbath” or rest day, no matter what weekday it falls on. In the year 30 AD Friday, the 15th of the Jewish month Nisan was also a Sabbath, so two Sabbaths occurred back to back, Friday and Saturday. Matthew seems to know this as he says that the women who visited Jesus’ tomb came early Sunday morning “after the Sabbaths” ( Matthew 28:1 uses the plural form σαββάτων “of the Sabbaths,” indicating two Sabbaths ). As is often the case, the gospel of John preserves a more accurate chronology of what went on. John specifies that the Wednesday night “last supper” was “before the festival of Passover” ( John 13:1 ). He also notes that when Jesus’ accusers delivered him to be crucified on Thursday morning they would not enter Pilate’s courtyard because they would be defiled and would not be able to eat the Passover that evening (John 18:28). John knows that the Jews would be eating their traditional Seder meal Thursday evening. (John 19:31 ( INT ) also refers to the day of Preparation and the next day being a special Sabbath. The word preparation, Paraskevi , is the Greek name for Friday ) While the differences in the dates do not detract from the importance of the events in any way, the difference in the timelines may help to clear up some confusion that many have had regarding the last days of Christ's life and the events leading up to his crucifixion, such as why is there a huge gap in information on Wednesday, when all of the other days are so packed? This revised timeline may also make some events even more poignant and meaningful. For example, If Christ died at 3:00 PM on Thursday, this would have been the exact time that the priests were shedding the blood of the sacrificial lambs on the Temple Mount. Additionally, this alternative chronology better correlates with the overall timeline of the story, an understanding of Jewish tradition, and it more accurately depicts Christ's predictions regarding Jonah, that he would be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights, as well as his statement that everything written about him by the prophets would be accomplished. In conclusion, it does not really matter if one wants to subscribe to the traditional or the alternative timeline for the last week of Christ's life; the events still happened, and the overall story remains the same. This perspective may simply clarify some of the specifics, making more sense to those who like to get into the nuts and bolts, helping us all better understand the Savior and his life through the lens of Jewish culture and tradition. The outline below follows the alternative dates compiled from the different gospels. Major Topics & Events Major Events/ Doctrines ​Location ​Scripture Source ​Cross-References ​Videos ​Pre-Holy Week ​ ​ ​ ​Arrival in Bethany, Raising of Lazarus ​​Bethany ​ John 11:1–44 ( INT ); 12:1–2, 9–11 ( INT ) ​ Church Video , MoC Video ​Mary of Bethany Anoints Jesus' feet ​Bethany ​John 12:1-8 ( INT ) ​ ​MoC Video , Jesus anointed at Bethany ​Judas Criticizes Mary, Jesus rebukes Judas ​Bethany ​John 12:4-8 ( INT ) ​ ​ ​Priests plot to kill Jesus and Lazarus ​​​​Jerusalem ​John 12:10-11 ( INT ) ​ ​ ​ Palm Sunday ​ ​ ​ ​MOC Video ​​Colt: prophesy Fulfilled ​Mount of Olives ​​ Matthew 21:1-6 ( INT ), Mark 11:2-7 ( INT ), Luke 19:30-35 , ( INT ), John 12:12–15 ( INT ) ​​ Zechariah 9:9 ( INT ), 1 Kings 1:33 ( INT ) ​ ​Triumphal Entry ​​​Jerusalem ​ Matthew 21: 7-11 ( INT ) ​ Zechariah 9:9 ( INT ) ​Church Video Significance of Palm Branches & Hosanna Shout ​Jerusalem ​ Matthew 21:8–11 ( INT ); Mark 11:9 ( INT ), John 12:13 ( INT )