The Greatest Week in History - Sunday

When the history of this world is finally written up with an eternal perspective, many events will vie as being worthy to be included. However, because of their significance to every person who has ever lived on this earth or who will ever live on it, the events of the last week of the Savior’s life—from the Sunday morning of his triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem to the Sunday morning of the resurrection—will undoubtedly be acclaimed as the greatest week in history. Without the events of that week, particularly those which took place in the Garden of Gethsemane and at the time of the resurrection, everything else is virtually meaningless.

Obviously an article such as this could barely list, let alone discuss, all the week’s events that are recorded in the scriptures. Thus, the article will discuss in some detail only one or two events from each day, and it will mention only briefly some of the others.

The Eighth Day - Sunday

Although the resurrection occurred on the eighth day, according to the actual time that had elapsed it was not yet a full week since Jesus had left Bethany the previous Sunday to go to Jerusalem.

John records that “it was yet dark” on “the first day of the week” (John 20:1) when Mary Magdalene and “the other Mary” came to the tomb of the Savior with their sweet spices to anoint his body. However, they found the tomb empty, and an angel soon explained to them why the body of the Savior was not therein: “Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said. Come, see the place where the Lord lay. And go quickly, and tell his disciples that he is risen from the dead. …” (Matt. 28:5–7.)

And so the darkness and the despair of Friday were changed into the light and joy of the day when the Savior was resurrected from the dead, breaking forever the bands of physical death and guaranteeing every person life after death. What event in all history is there to compare with this?

Before the day was ended, many witnesses could testify of the literalness of the resurrection, not only because of the appearances of the resurrected Christ but also because of the appearances of other resurrected beings, for Matthew records that “many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” (Matt. 27:52–53.)

The peoples of the Book of Mormon also had these additional witnesses, for just as Samuel the Lamanite had prophesied, after the resurrection of the Savior on the eastern continent many bodies of the saints in the Americas also “did arise and appear unto many and did minister unto them.” (3 Ne. 23:11.)

Within the next few weeks, the resurrected Christ appeared several times, including appearances to Mary Magdalene, to the other women, to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus, to Peter, to ten of the apostles on the day of his resurrection, to the eleven apostles (including Thomas) a week after his resurrection, to seven of the disciples on the shore of the Sea of Tiberias, to the eleven apostles on a mountain in Galilee, to more than 500 brethren at one time, and to the apostles at the time of his ascension into heaven. The Book of Mormon tells of additional appearances of the resurrected Christ, including one appearance to 2500 persons and later appearances to even larger groups.

The resurrection of Jesus Christ is one of the most carefully documented events in history, as it should rightfully be, for it was the crowning event in the most important week in the history of the world.

The apostle John listed the following reason for including in his gospel the major events of the last week in the earthly life of the Savior: “… these are written, that ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through his name.” (John 20:31.)

Daniel H. Ludlow, “The Greatest Week in History,” Ensign, Apr 1972, 34