Introducing Sundown to Sundown
This excerpt is the introduction to Sundown to Sundown, a new book by Chris Anderson, available now for preorder. Learn more >>
The most remarkable twenty-four hours in history began with a feast which marked the passing of the Old Covenant and the dawning of the New—just after sunset.
That day like no other—sundown to sundown—included Jesus’ time with the disciples in the upper room, Jesus’ high-priestly prayer, Jesus’ agony in Gethsemane, Jesus’ betrayal by Judas, Jesus’ abandonment by the disciples, Jesus’ arrest and trials through the night, and ultimately, Jesus’ crucifixion and cries from the cross.
Jesus’ death on the cross is the focus of the Scriptures.
Whereas the four Gospels spend sixty-six chapters on the first three years of Jesus’ ministry, they decelerate significantly during its final week. Nearly a third of the chapters in the Gospels focus on the last week before Jesus’ death. And the biblical record slows to a snail’s pace during these final twenty-four hours, zooming in and allowing us to marvel at the mystery of Jesus’ suffering.
Nearly a third of the chapters in the Gospels focus on the last week before Jesus’ death.
This means that thirteen chapters—almost fifteen percent of the Gospels—are taken up with this single day. John Stott points out, “John’s Gospel has justly been described as having two parts, ‘the book of the signs’ and ‘the book of the Passion,’ since John spends an almost equal amount of time on each.” He further notes that even the resurrected Christ focused His teaching primarily on the significance of His death—“not the living but the giving of his life.”1
Jesus’ public ministry crescendoed in a remarkable way during His final week. He had entered Jerusalem in triumph, presenting Himself as the Messiah to the multitudes crammed into the Holy City for the Passover (Matthew 21:1-11). He had wept over the city, His chest heaving as He mourned over the Jews’ rejection of Him and their approaching judgment (Luke 19:41-44). He had embarrassed several waves of insincere questioners with His infinite wisdom (Matthew 22:15-46). His final teaching sessions, focused on His future return and reign, were thunderous (Matthew 24-25).
Then came the final twenty-four hours. And everything. Slowed. Down.
Then came the final twenty-four hours. And everything. Slowed. Down.
It isn’t just the Gospels that focus our attention on Jesus’ final hours. The entire New Testament is a commentary on the cross. William Evans writes, “The New Testament is the Book of the Cross. Cut the New Testament anywhere, and it bleeds. Through every page runs the scarlet cord of redemption.”2
The Old Testament is surprisingly cross-centered as well. W. A. Criswell explains:
At least seventy-five percent of the prophecies concerning Christ in the Old Testament were fulfilled during this week!… It seemed that every step in His judgment and crucifixion was described accurately in the Old Testament and fulfilled exactly as it was described.3
Do you see? Do you understand the significance of this single day?
With unmistakable wonder, the four Gospels tether our attention to Jesus’ last day. Those precious hours were spent first with His friends and then with His foes—teaching, then suffering.
Jesus’ last twenty-four hours began with unrivaled teaching.
Jesus began His final fleeting hours with the twelve—then the eleven—not the multitudes. Those few hours are remarkable for their tenderness. As His own suffering approached, He spoke to His disciples intimately and encouragingly, preparing them for all that lay ahead.
Although I’ve often described the Sermon on the Mount as the greatest sermon ever preached, the upper-room discourse may change my mind. Jesus’ teaching and prayer in John 13–17 changed the world.
Jesus’ last twenty-four hours ended with unrivaled suffering.
In Gethsemane, following a season of agonizing prayer with the Father, Jesus was turned over to His foes. For the rest of the night, they berated and bullied Him through multiple trials and tortures. As morning dawned, they culminated their butchery with a barbaric crucifixion. Jesus’ suffering wouldn’t end until His lifeless body was taken down from the cross and laid in a borrowed tomb.
The Bible passages which draw our attention to the Lord Jesus are holy ground. The upper room is the ultimate encapsulation of divine wisdom. And the cross is the ultimate expression of divine love. Jerry Bridges writes,
There is no doubt that the most convincing evidence of God’s love in all of Scripture is His giving His Son to die for our sins…. If we want proof of God’s love for us, then we must look first at the Cross where God offered up His Son as a sacrifice for our sins. Calvary is the one objective, absolute, irrefutable proof of God’s love for us.4
If you pay attention, Jesus’ last twenty-four hours will change you. I’ve experienced it. This book took shape during a particularly challenging time in my life. Looking to Jesus’ words and wounds, day after difficult day, nourished my soul. I pray that the same will be true for you, and that you will never be the same. Grace.
NEW BOOK AVAILABLE FOR PREORDER!
What if you could step into the final 24 hours before Jesus’ crucifixion and witness His love, suffering, and sacrifice firsthand? Sundown to Sundown is a 31-day devotional that journeys through the most profound day in human history, following Jesus from the upper room to Gethsemane, from Gabbatha to Golgotha. Each meditation unpacks the depth of His words, prayers, and trials, helping believers slow down and behold the wonder of Christ’s love.
[1] John Stott, The Cross of Christ (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Books, 2006), 37–38.
[2] William Evans, Epochs in the Life of Christ (New York, NY: Fleming H. Revell Company, 1916), 126.
[3] W. A. Criswell, Preaching on the Life of Christ: Sermons on the Epochs in the Life of Christ (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 78, 83.
[4] Jerry Bridges, Trusting God (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2008), 146.
