✝️ The Plot to Kill Jesus (Week 3 – 🌿Hosanna in the Highest🌿)
Welcome back to Week 3 of our 🌿Hosanna in the Highest🌿 study!
You’ve made it this far, and I’m so proud of the time you’re setting aside to be in God’s Word. This week, we’ll walk closely with Jesus through His final moments before the cross. From the Last Supper to His time in Gethsemane, His betrayal, arrest, trial, and ultimately His crucifixion—we’ll see the depth of His love and the weight of His sacrifice. These passages invite us to slow down, reflect deeply, and stand in awe of our Savior who willingly laid down His life for us.
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Week 3 – The Plot to Kill Jesus
In the Gospel of Matthew, we see Jesus moving with purpose toward His ultimate plan to give his life for our salvation. These passages help us understand the depth of God’s love and the fulfillment of prophecy in every step toward the cross.
This week, we will reflect on:
- The Foretelling of the Betrayal – Jesus reveals that one of His closest friends will betray Him (Matthew 26:19–25).
- The Last Supper – Jesus shares a final meal with His disciples.(Matthew 26:17–26).
- The Institution of the Lord’s Supper – He breaks the bread and shares the cup, giving us a lasting way to remember His sacrifice (Matthew 26:26–29).
- Jesus Foretelling Peter’s Denial – He warns Peter that before the rooster crows, he will deny Him three times (Matthew 26:30–35).
- Jesus’ Prayer in Gethsemane – In agony, Jesus prays to the Father, surrendering fully to His will (Matthew 26:36–46).
- The Betrayal with a Kiss – Judas arrives with a crowd, marking Jesus for arrest with a kiss (Matthew 26:47–50).
- Prophecy Fulfilled – Every moment happens just as Scripture foretold, confirming that Jesus is the promised Messiah (Matthew 26:53–56).
❤️ As we meditate on these powerful scriptures, may we be reminded that Jesus willingly endured every step of this journey out of love for us. Let’s approach this week with humble hearts, ready to receive the weight and wonder of His sacrifice.
This Week’s Bible Reading Plan:
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This week’s Reflection & Discussion Questions
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Day 1
Jesus gathered with his disciples to celebrate the Passover. Most likely they had done this before, but this time was different. Jesus knew the events that were about to unfold and so right there He reveals the shocking truth, “one of you will betray me.”
Imagine the tension in the room. How could this be? They had done so much life together. They had walked with Jesus, witnessed his miracles, listened to his teach- ings and eaten many meals together and yet now one of his closest friends was about to hand Him over to die!
How could Jesus share the Passover meal with Judas, knowing that in a matter of hours, He would betray Him and set in motion the events that would lead to his trial? Judas’ betrayal would result in Jesus being flogged, mocked, and ultimately crucified; and yet He was able to recline at the table in peace with his betrayer.
Have you ever been betrayed by someone close to you? Perhaps your best friend or a close family member has deserted you. How does remembering the composure and grace that Jesus extended to Judas encourage you? In what way has Christ’s salvation brought you peace, even in painful times?
Day 2
The disciples must have eaten the Passover meal many times with their families, but this time was different. Eating it with Jesus gave it a whole new meaning. The Pass- over meal was a picture of God’s redemption of his people. It’s unlikely that the disci- ples understood the significance of Jesus leading the Passover meal that evening, but as He went through each part of the meal, He was sharing the salvation story.
As Jesus broke the bread and shared it with His disciples, He explained that it represented His body, soon to be broken on the cross for them. The breaking of bread points to Jesus’ willingness to be broken for us. He gave thanks, not because the cross would be easy, but because He was committed to fulfilling the Father’s re- demptive plan.
Jesus allowed his body to be beaten and bruised so that we could be saved and cleansed of all of our sin. Sit in that truth for a moment and soak it in. How does this impact your life today? When was the last time you thanked God for his sac- rifice for you? Take the time to write about the day you were saved and write a prayer of thanksgiving below.
Day 3
The Passover meal is a celebration of the miracle God performed for the Israelites in Egypt. When the death angel went through Egypt taking the life of the firstborn, it “passed over” and saved the lives of the Israelites who had painted their doorposts with the blood of a lamb.
There is life in the blood! And now Jesus, the Lamb of God, would shed his blood to save us from our sins. What a beautiful picture of love and sacrifice.
In the midst of our busy lives, we are tempted to forget. We forget about Jesus’ body broken for us. We forget about Jesus’ blood poured out that covers our sins. We forget how much we are loved, how much we are forgiven and how grateful we are to be.
The ordinance of communion, practiced by the church body in community, forc- es us to slow down, be still, reflect and together remember our gift of salvation. We are told in 1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.” This is a rhythm instituted by Jesus for our sake because He knows how easily we forget. We are to remember his death until He comes!
As you consider the saving blood of Jesus Christ, is there a friend, family mem- ber, or neighbor that has not yet cried out to Jesus for salvation? Write their names below and seek ways to share the gospel with them this week.
Day 4
After dinner, Jesus sang a hymn with his disciples and then headed out to the Mount of Olives. In this somber moment, Jesus warned them that they were about to fall away. Peter could not even imagine such a thing happening and so he quickly spoke up and said, “Not me! I never will!”
Oh, how I love the heart of Peter! He was a man who loved Jesus deeply, but he was also human. When times are easy—it’s easy to love Jesus. But he did not realize how weak he truly was, and how hard times were about to become. Peter was about to deny Jesus three times before dawn and Jesus knew this and yet still loved Him.
Friends, how many times have we failed Jesus? God is never surprised by our failures. He knows our weaknesses and yet He still loves us. His grace is greater than our failures. God was not done with Peter here; He went on to be a great man of faith and a leader in the early church.
In what ways do you feel like you have failed God? Is there an area where you tend to think you are stronger than you are? Acknowledge your weaknesses below and trust that God is not done with your story. He wants to use you even in the midst of your weaknesses and failures.
Day 5
Jesus was troubled not only because He knew the tremendous level of physical suf- fering He was about to endure, but also because of the weight of guilt and shame He was about to bear as He became the final sacrifice for our sin.
Can you imagine how heavy that must have felt? When we imagine the weight of the most horrible sin, and then combine that with all of the sin of human history, that is what Jesus took upon Himself. No wonder He was overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death!
In his darkest moment, Jesus invited his closest friends to stay with Him and watch and pray. But they fell asleep. “The Spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
How often have you fallen asleep in prayer? Don’t you find that your heart is so willing, but your flesh is just simply weak. Even the disciples struggled, while Jesus remained faithful.
Jesus’ command to “watch and pray” is not just for his disciples. It is for us today as well. How is your prayer life? Are you remaining spiritually alert, or have you grown weary?
Day 6
Judas’ betrayal must have devastated the other eleven disciples. I am sure they stood and watched in disbelief as Judas betrayed Jesus with such an intimate act as a kiss. Yet, even in the face of betrayal, Jesus responded calling Judas his “friend”.
Jesus’ response shows how deep his unfailing love and grace runs. He knew Ju- das would betray Him and yet He never stopped being his friend. This serves as a reminder to us that Jesus was human, and He too suffered heartbreak and rejection. If someone close to you has hurt you, you are not alone. God sees your pain and He knows your heartache.
Later in Matthew 27, we see that Judas regretted his betrayal saying, “I have sinned.” Friends, we don’t always know the heart of a betrayer and why they make the choices they make but we can rest in knowing that at times, they know what they have done is wrong. It was too late for Judas. What had been done was done.
Reflect on a time when you felt betrayed. How does Jesus’ response challenge you to give that person more grace? How does remembering that Jesus was not immune to heartache help you in the midst of your own hurt?
Day 7
Have you ever considered that Jesus chose his suffering? He could have chosen not to go through the beatings, humiliation, pain, and death; but He knew that there was no other way to save us. This was God’s plan for salvation from the beginning. The Scriptures had to be fulfilled.
I love how Jesus reminds the disciples of his divine power. He said that with a single word, He could have summoned twelve legions of angels. One Roman legion during Jesus’ time consisted of around 6,000 soldiers. So, twelve legions would be 72,000 angels! What an overwhelming force that would have been! And yet, He chose restraint and obedience to the Father. Why? To fulfill scriptures and fulfill God’s greater plan of salvation.
Obedience to God is a choice. Like Jesus, it is a choice we must make ahead of time to obey God no matter how hard it may be or how much it costs us. Is there a difficult choice God is asking you to make? Have you been tempted to come up with another plan? How do you see that obeying God brings about his will in your life?
This Week’s Verses of the Day:
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Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
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🙌 I can’t wait to see how God reveals himself personally to each of us, as we prepare our hearts to celebrate Easter and find rest for our souls as we lift our voices in praise—Hosanna in the Highest!
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Keep walking with the King,
COURTNEY
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