1Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away. And the chief priests and the scribes were seeking how to arrest him by stealth and kill him.
2For they were saying, “Not during the feast, lest a riot break out among the people.”
3And while he was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, as he was reclining at the table, a woman came with an alabaster flask of very expensive perfume of pure nard. She broke the flask and poured it over his head.
4But some who were there said indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of perfume?
5For this perfume could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her.
6But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you causing her trouble? She has done a beautiful deed to me.
7For you always have the poor with you, and you can do good for them whenever you want, but you will not always have me.
8She has done what she could; she has anointed my body beforehand for burial.
9Truly I say to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
10Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to hand him over to them.
11And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he began seeking a good opportunity to hand him over.
12On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the Passover lamb, his disciples said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
13So he sent two of his disciples and said to them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him,
14and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’
15And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Prepare for us there.”
16And the disciples went out and came into the city and found everything just as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover.
17And when evening came, he arrived with the Twelve.
18And while they were reclining at the table and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will hand me over—one who is eating with me.”
19They began to be distressed and to say to him one by one, “Surely not I?”
20He said to them, “It is one of the Twelve, one who is dipping bread into the bowl with me.
21For the Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is handed over! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
22And as they were eating, he took bread, and after blessing it, he broke it and gave it to them, and said, “Take; this is my body.”
23And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24And he said to them, “This is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many.
25Truly I say to you, I will not drink again of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
27And Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’
28But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”
29Peter said to him, “Even if all fall away, I will not.”
30And Jesus said to him, “Truly I say to you, this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you yourself will deny me three times.”
31But he kept insisting all the more, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the others were saying the same.
32And they came to a place named Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I pray.”
33And he took Peter and James and John with him, and he began to be deeply distressed and troubled.
34And he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death. Remain here and keep watch.”
35And going a little farther, he fell to the ground and began to pray that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36And he was saying, “Abba, Father, all things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
37And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not keep watch for one hour?”
38“Keep watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
39And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words.
40And when he came again, he found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy, and they did not know what to answer him.
41And he came a third time and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer has drawn near.”
43And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. And with him was a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders.
44Now his betrayer had given them a signal, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Seize him and lead him away under guard.”
45And as soon as he came, he went up to him and said, “Rabbi!” and kissed him.
46And they laid hands on him and seized him.
47But one of those standing by drew his sword and struck the slave of the high priest, and cut off his ear.
48And Jesus said to them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to capture me, as you would against a robber?
49Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But this is so that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.”
50And they all abandoned him and fled.
51And a certain young man was following him, wearing nothing but a linen cloth over his body, and they seized him.
52But he left the linen cloth behind and fled away naked.
53And they led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes gathered together.
54And Peter had followed him from a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he was sitting with the guards and warming himself by the fire.
55Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put him to death, but they found none.
56For many were giving false testimony against him, but their testimonies were not consistent.
57And some stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying,
58“We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’”
59Yet not even in this was their testimony consistent.
60And the high priest stood up in their midst and questioned Jesus, saying, “Have you no answer? What is it that these men testify against you?”
61But he remained silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him, saying to him, “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?”
62And Jesus said, “I am. And you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
63Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “What further need do we have of witnesses?”
64“You have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision?” And they all condemned him as deserving of death.
65And some began to spit on him, and to blindfold him, and to strike him, and to say to him, “Prophesy!” And the guards received him with slaps.
66And while Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant girls came.
67And seeing Peter warming himself, she looked intently at him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.”
68But he denied it, saying, “I neither know nor understand what you are saying.” And he went out into the forecourt.
69And the servant girl saw him and began to say again to the bystanders, “This man is one of them.”
70But again he denied it. And after a little while, the bystanders again said to Peter, “Truly you are one of them, for you are a Galilean.”
71But he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know this man you are talking about.”
72And immediately a rooster crowed a second time. And Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Open in the interactive reader →