It was now only two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a trick to arrest Jesus and kill him. But they said, “We must not do it during the feast, because the people might cause a riot.”
Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. While Jesus was eating there, a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.
Some who were there became upset and said to each other, “Why waste that perfume? It was worth a full year’s work. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.” And they got very angry with the woman.
Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She did an excellent thing for me. You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. This woman did the only thing she could do for me; she poured perfume on my body to prepare me for burial. I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her.”
One of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the leading priests to offer to hand Jesus over to them. These priests were pleased about this and promised to pay Judas money. So he watched for the best time to turn Jesus in.
It was now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. Jesus’ followers said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?”
Jesus sent two of his followers and said to them, “Go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. When he goes into a house, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: “Where is my guest room in which I can eat the Passover meal with my followers?” ’ The owner will show you a large room upstairs that is furnished and ready. Prepare the food for us there.”
So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened as Jesus had said, so they prepared the Passover meal.
In the evening, Jesus went to that house with the twelve. While they were all eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me—one of you eating with me now.”
The followers were very sad to hear this. Each one began to say to Jesus, “I am not the one, am I?”
Jesus answered, “It is one of the twelve—the one who dips his bread into the bowl with me. The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But how terrible it will be for the person who hands the Son of Man over to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born.”
While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his followers and said, “Take it; this is my body.”
Then Jesus took a cup and thanked God for it and gave it to the followers, and they all drank from the cup.
Then Jesus said, “This is my blood which is the newagreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many. I tell you the truth, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine again until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus told the followers, “You will all stumble in your faith, because it is written in the Scriptures:
‘I will kill the shepherd,
and the sheep will scatter.’
But after I rise from the dead, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
Peter said, “Everyone else may stumble in their faith, but I will not.”
Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, tonight before the rooster crows twice you will say three times you don’t know me.”
But Peter insisted, “I will never say that I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.
Jesus and his followers went to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I pray.” Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be very sad and troubled. He said to them, “My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch.”
After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. He prayed, “Abba, Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”
Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak.”
Again Jesus went away and prayed the same thing. Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to him.
After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That’s enough. The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people. Get up, we must go. Look, here comes the man who has turned against me.”
At once, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, came up. With him were many people carrying swords and clubs who had been sent from the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders.
Judas had planned a signal for them, saying, “The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him and guard him while you lead him away.” So Judas went straight to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” and kissed him. Then the people grabbed Jesus and arrested him. One of his followers standing nearby pulled out his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.
Then Jesus said, “You came to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal. Every day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened to make the Scriptures come true.” Then all of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.
A young man, wearing only a linen cloth, was following Jesus, and the people also grabbed him. But the cloth he was wearing came off, and he ran away naked.
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