How to Kill Jesus
1When Jesus finished teaching the people, he told his disciples, 2“You know that in two days it will be Passover. [1] That’s when the Son of Humans will be arrested and crucified.”3Leading priests and Jewish elders called a meeting. They met at the palace of the high priest, a man called Caiaphas. 4They hatched a plot to secretly arrest Jesus and kill him. 5They said, “We can’t arrest him during this festival. The people would riot.”
6When Jesus was in Bethany, [2] visiting in the house of Simon the leper, [3] 7a woman came over to him. She carried a jar crafted from alabaster stone and filled with an expensive perfume. [4] She poured the perfume over the head of Jesus while he reclined [5] beside the table.
8When his disciples saw what she was doing, they got mad. They said, “What a waste! 9This perfume could have been sold for a lot of money, which could have been given to the poor.”
10Jesus knew what was going on and said, “Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has done something kind for me. 11Look, you’ll always have the poor people you can help. But you’re not always going to have me. 12When this woman poured the perfume on my body, she anointed me for my burial. 13I’ll tell you something else, and it’s the absolute truth. Whenever the good news is preached anywhere in the world, people will hear the story of what she has done for me. She’s going to be remembered.”
Judas Turns on Jesus
14At that point, Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, slipped out and went to see the leading priests. 15He asked them, “What are you willing to give me if I betray him and give him to you?” They negotiated the deal and agreed to pay 30 silver coins. [6] 16From then on, Judas started watching for a good time to have Jesus arrested.Prep for One Last Supper for Jesus
17On the first day of the Festival of Yeast-free Bread, the day for slaughtering the Passover lamb, the disciples of Jesus asked him, “Where do you want us to set up the Passover meal?” 18He told them, “Go into town. When you find a certain man [7] tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time has come. I will celebrate the Passover in your house with my disciples.”’”19So the disciples did what Jesus told them to do. They set up the Passover meal.
Jesus Predicts His Betrayal
20That evening, Jesus and his disciples reclined [8] by the table to eat. 21While they were eating, Jesus said, “What I’m about to tell you is the truth. One of you is going to betray me.”22That shocked the disciples. They started asking him, one after another, “It’s not me is it, Master? It can’t be me!”
23Jesus said, “The one who has shared my dipping bowl will betray me. 24The Son of Humans will die, as the Scriptures predicted. As for the betrayer, it would be better if he had never been born.”
25That’s when Judas, who would betray him, asked, “It’s not me, is it, Teacher?”
Jesus answered, “You said it.” [9]
Jesus Says, “This Is My Body and Blood”
26While they were still eating, Jesus picked up some bread. He said a prayer of thanks, then he broke the bread and passed it out to his disciples. He told them, “Take this and eat it. It’s my body.”27Then he picked up a cup of wine and said a prayer of thanks. He passed the cup off to his disciples and said, “I want each of you to take a drink. 28This is my blood. It will establish God’s new agreement with people. [10] My blood will be poured out so that many people will find forgiveness for their sins.
29“I’ll tell you this, I won’t drink wine again until I drink a new kind of wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
30They sang a hymn. Then they all went outside and walked over to the Mount of Olives. [11]
Jesus Says Peter Will Chicken Out before the Rooster Crows
31As they walked, Jesus told the disciples, “All of you will desert me tonight. It’s written in the Bible: ‘Kill the shepherd, and all the sheep in the flock will scatter.’ [12] 32But I’ll be raised from the dead. After that, I’ll go ahead of you back to Galilee.”33Peter told Jesus, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I won’t!”
34Jesus told Peter, “Here’s the truth. Before this night is over and before the rooster crows twice, you’ll deny that you ever knew me. And you’ll do it three times.”
35Peter said, “Absolutely not! Even if it killed me, I would never deny knowing you!” Every one of the disciples said the same.
Jesus Prays before He’s Arrested
36Jesus and the disciples arrived at a place called Gethsemane. [13] Jesus told his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”37Jesus took three of his disciples with him: Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. [14] He quickly became troubled and depressed. 38Jesus told them, “My soul is aching. The pain is crushing me, and I feel like I could die. Stay here. But stay alert.”
39Jesus walked on a little farther to be alone. He fell down to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it’s okay with you, please don’t make me drink this cup of death. But I don’t want my way if it’s not your way.”
40Jesus went back to the three disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Really? You men are sleeping? Weren’t you able to stay on guard for one hour? 41Stay alert. Pray that you won’t be tempted. The spirit wants to do what’s right. But sometimes the body is too weak to do it.”
42Jesus went off by himself again and prayed, “My Father, if this is something you want me to do, let’s do it.”
43He returned and found the three disciples sleeping again because they were exhausted. 44So he let them sleep, and he went away a third time to pray what he had prayed before.
45Jesus went back to the three disciples again and said, “Still sleeping? Getting your rest? You think we’ve got lots of time? Time’s up. The Son of Humans has been betrayed and is about to get arrested by sinful people. 46Get up. Let’s go. Take a look, the man who has betrayed me is here.”
Jesus Is under Arrest
47Jesus was still talking when Judas, one of the 12 disciples, showed up. He came with a crowd carrying swords and clubs. They were sent by Jewish leaders, top priests, and the elders. 48Judas had arranged to give the arresting officers a signal that would pick Jesus out of the group. He told them, “I’ll greet Jesus with a kiss. That’s when you arrest him.”49Judas walked right up to Jesus and greeted him with a kiss, saying, “Hello there, Teacher.”
50Jesus told him, “Friend, go ahead and do what you came to do.” The arresting officers came forward, grabbed hold of Jesus, and took him into custody.
51One of the people [15] with Jesus pulled his sword and sliced off one of the ears of a man—a servant of the high priest.
52Jesus told the man, “Put your sword away. Everyone who lives to fight will die fighting. [16] 53Do you really think I don’t have any pull with my Father? Don’t you realize that if I asked him, he would immediately give me command of an army of 6,000 angels—12 legions? 54But if I called them, how would the prophecies of Scripture be fulfilled?”
55Jesus turned to the crowd that came to arrest him. He said, “Have you really come with swords and clubs to arrest me like I’m some kind of a dangerous robber? I was out in the Temple courtyards every day this week. You didn’t arrest me. 56But the predictions of the prophets needed to be fulfilled.” [17]
At that point, the disciples scattered. They all ran away, deserting him.
Overnight Trial
57The men who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest. That’s where Jewish elders were meeting with religion scholars known as scribes. 58Peter followed Jesus from a safe distance. He eventually blended into the group of people waiting in the courtyard of the high priest. Peter sat beside some Temple guards. He wanted to see how this would end.59The ruling priests and the entire Jewish Council [18] convened to hear the case against Jesus. They scrambled to find people willing to testify against Jesus because they wanted to execute him. 60But they couldn’t find any credible witnesses. They produced a lot of liars, though. Eventually two men stepped forward. 61They testified, “We heard this man say, ‘I have the power to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62The high priest stood up. He said to Jesus, “Are you just going to stand there? Or are you going to defend yourself against these charges?” 63Jesus didn’t say a thing. Then the high priest said, “I’m putting you under oath. As God is your witness, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
64Jesus said, “You said it. [19] And I’ll tell you something else. You’ll see the Son of Humans sitting at the right hand of God Almighty. Look to the clouds in the sky because that’s where I’ll be coming from.”
65The high priest ripped his robe in anger [20] and said, “Blasphemy! Why waste our time with more witnesses? You’ve all heard him slander God. 66What’s your verdict?”
The council said, “He deserves to die!” 67They spit in his face. They pounded him with their fists. Some slapped him. 68They said, “How about a prophecy, Messiah? Prophesy this: Who just hit you?”
Peter Chickens Out
69While all this was going on, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came over to him and said, “You were with Jesus of Galilee.”70Peter denied it right there in front of everyone. He said, “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” 71Peter went out by the gate.
Another servant girl saw him and said to the people around her, “This guy was with Jesus the Nazarene.”
72Peter denied it again, this time with a vow: “I swear I don’t know that man!”
73A little while later, some of the people standing around came over to Peter and said, “Come on. You know you’re one of them because you have the same accent they do.”
74Peter swore a curse on himself, inviting something bad to happen to him if he wasn’t telling the truth. Then he said, “I swear that I don’t know this man!” On cue at that very moment, the rooster crowed.
75Suddenly Peter remembered what Jesus had said. “Before the rooster crows, you’ll deny knowing me three times.” Peter left, sobbing.
