Matthew 21:1--28:20
The Triumphal Entry
21:1 Now when they approached Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, at the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples,
21:2 telling them, “Go to the village ahead of you. Right away you will find a donkey tied there, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.
21:3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and he will send them at once.”
21:4 This took place to fulfill what was spoken by the prophet:
21:5 “Tell the people of Zion,
‘Look, your king is coming to you,
unassuming and seated on a donkey,
and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.’”
21:6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them.
21:7 They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them, and he sat on them.
21:8 A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road. Others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road.
21:9 The crowds that went ahead of him and those following kept shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!”
21:10 As he entered Jerusalem the whole city was thrown into an uproar, saying, “Who is this?”
21:11 And the crowds were saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Cleansing the Temple
21:12 Then Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those who were selling and buying in the temple courts, and turned over the tables of the money changers and the chairs of those selling doves.
21:13 And he said to them, “It is written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer,’ but you are turning it into a den of robbers!”
21:14 The blind and lame came to him in the temple courts, and he healed them.
21:15 But when the chief priests and the experts in the law saw the wonderful things he did and heard the children crying out in the temple courts, “Hosanna to the Son of David,” they became indignant
21:16 and said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Jesus said to them, “Yes. Have you never read, ‘Out of the mouths of children and nursing infants you have prepared praise for yourself’?”
21:17 And leaving them, he went out of the city to Bethany and spent the night there.
The Withered Fig Tree
21:18 Now early in the morning, as he returned to the city, he was hungry.
21:19 After noticing a fig tree by the road he went to it, but found nothing on it except leaves. He said to it, “Never again will there be fruit from you!” And the fig tree withered at once.
21:20 When the disciples saw it they were amazed, saying, “How did the fig tree wither so quickly?”
21:21 Jesus answered them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and do not doubt, not only will you do what was done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ it will happen.
21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive.”
The Authority of Jesus
21:23 Now after Jesus entered the temple courts, the chief priests and elders of the people came up to him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things, and who gave you this authority?”
21:24 Jesus answered them, “I will also ask you one question. If you answer me then I will also tell you by what authority I do these things.
21:25 Where did John’s baptism come from? From heaven or from people?” They discussed this among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’
21:26 But if we say, ‘From people,’ we fear the crowd, for they all consider John to be a prophet.”
21:27 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.” Then he said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
The Parable of the Two Sons
21:28 “What do you think? A man had two sons. He went to the first and said, ‘Son, go and work in the vineyard today.’
21:29 The boy answered, ‘I will not.’ But later he had a change of heart and went.
21:30 The father went to the other son and said the same thing. This boy answered, ‘I will, sir,’ but did not go.
21:31 Which of the two did his father’s will?” They said, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “I tell you the truth, tax collectors and prostitutes will go ahead of you into the kingdom of God!
21:32 For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and prostitutes did believe. Although you saw this, you did not later change your minds and believe him.
The Parable of the Tenants
21:33 “Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.
21:34 When the harvest time was near, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his portion of the crop.
21:35 But the tenants seized his slaves, beat one, killed another, and stoned another.
21:36 Again he sent other slaves, more than the first, and they treated them the same way.
21:37 Finally he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
21:38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and get his inheritance!’
21:39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
21:40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?”
21:41 They said to him, “He will utterly destroy those evil men! Then he will lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him his portion at the harvest.”
21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
This is from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?
21:43 For this reason I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.
21:44 The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces, and the one on whom it falls will be crushed.”
21:45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them.
21:46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, because the crowds regarded him as a prophet.
The Parable of the Wedding Banquet
22:1 Jesus spoke to them again in parables, saying:
22:2 “The kingdom of heaven can be compared to a king who gave a wedding banquet for his son.
22:3 He sent his slaves to summon those who had been invited to the banquet, but they would not come.
22:4 Again he sent other slaves, saying, ‘Tell those who have been invited, “Look! The feast I have prepared for you is ready. My oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, and everything is ready. Come to the wedding banquet.”’
22:5 But they were indifferent and went away, one to his farm, another to his business.
22:6 The rest seized his slaves, insolently mistreated them, and killed them.
22:7 The king was furious! He sent his soldiers, and they put those murderers to death and set their city on fire.
22:8 Then he said to his slaves, ‘The wedding is ready, but the ones who had been invited were not worthy.
22:9 So go into the main streets and invite everyone you find to the wedding banquet.’
22:10 And those slaves went out into the streets and gathered all they found, both bad and good, and the wedding hall was filled with guests.
22:11 But when the king came in to see the wedding guests, he saw a man there who was not wearing wedding clothes.
22:12 And he said to him, ‘Friend, how did you get in here without wedding clothes?’ But he had nothing to say.
22:13 Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Tie him up hand and foot and throw him into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth!’
22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.”
Paying Taxes to Caesar
22:15 Then the Pharisees went out and planned together to entrap him with his own words.
22:16 They sent to him their disciples along with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are truthful, and teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. You do not court anyone’s favor because you show no partiality.
22:17 Tell us then, what do you think? Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not?”
22:18 But Jesus realized their evil intentions and said, “Hypocrites! Why are you testing me?
22:19 Show me the coin used for the tax.” So they brought him a denarius.
22:20 Jesus said to them, “Whose image is this, and whose inscription?”
22:21 They replied, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Then give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”
22:22 Now when they heard this they were stunned, and they left him and went away.
Marriage and the Resurrection
22:23 The same day Sadducees (who say there is no resurrection) came to him and asked him,
22:24 “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without having children, his brother must marry the widow and father children for his brother.’
22:25 Now there were seven brothers among us. The first one married and died, and since he had no children he left his wife to his brother.
22:26 The second did the same, and the third, down to the seventh.
22:27 Last of all, the woman died.
22:28 In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all had married her.”
22:29 Jesus answered them, “You are deceived, because you don’t know the scriptures or the power of God.
22:30 For in the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven.
22:31 Now as for the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was spoken to you by God,
22:32 ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living!”
22:33 When the crowds heard this, they were amazed at his teaching.
The Greatest Commandment
22:34 Now when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they assembled together.
22:35 And one of them, an expert in religious law, asked him a question to test him:
22:36 “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?”
22:37 Jesus said to him, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’
22:38 This is the first and greatest commandment.
22:39 The second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’
22:40 All the law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”
The Messiah: David’s Son and Lord
22:41 While the Pharisees were assembled, Jesus asked them a question:
22:42 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose son is he?” They said, “The son of David.”
22:43 He said to them, “How then does David by the Spirit call him ‘Lord,’ saying,
22:44 ‘The Lord said to my lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
until I put your enemies under your feet”’?
22:45 If David then calls him ‘Lord,’ how can he be his son?”
22:46 No one was able to answer him a word, and from that day on no one dared to question him any longer.
Seven Woes
23:1 Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples,
23:2 “The experts in the law and the Pharisees sit on Moses’ seat.
23:3 Therefore pay attention to what they tell you and do it. But do not do what they do, for they do not practice what they teach.
23:4 They tie up heavy loads, hard to carry, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing even to lift a finger to move them.
23:5 They do all their deeds to be seen by people, for they make their phylacteries wide and their tassels long.
23:6 They love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues
23:7 and elaborate greetings in the marketplaces, and to have people call them ‘Rabbi.’
23:8 But you are not to be called ‘Rabbi,’ for you have one Teacher and you are all brothers.
23:9 And call no one your ‘father’ on earth, for you have one Father, who is in heaven.
23:10 Nor are you to be called ‘teacher,’ for you have one teacher, the Christ.
23:11 The greatest among you will be your servant.
23:12 And whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
23:13 “But woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You keep locking people out of the kingdom of heaven! For you neither enter nor permit those trying to enter to go in.
23:14 [[EMPTY]]
23:15 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You cross land and sea to make one convert, and when you get one, you make him twice as much a child of hell as yourselves!
23:16 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the temple is bound by nothing. But whoever swears by the gold of the temple is bound by the oath.’
23:17 Blind fools! Which is greater, the gold or the temple that makes the gold sacred?
23:18 And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar is bound by nothing. But if anyone swears by the gift on it he is bound by the oath.’
23:19 You are blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that makes the gift sacred?
23:20 So whoever swears by the altar swears by it and by everything on it.
23:21 And whoever swears by the temple swears by it and the one who dwells in it.
23:22 And whoever swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and the one who sits on it.
23:23 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You give a tenth of mint, dill, and cumin, yet you neglect what is more important in the law – justice, mercy, and faithfulness! You should have done these things without neglecting the others.
23:24 Blind guides! You strain out a gnat yet swallow a camel!
23:25 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but inside they are full of greed and self-indulgence.
23:26 Blind Pharisee! First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may become clean too!
23:27 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look beautiful on the outside but inside are full of the bones of the dead and of everything unclean.
23:28 In the same way, on the outside you look righteous to people, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.
23:29 “Woe to you, experts in the law and you Pharisees, hypocrites! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the graves of the righteous.
23:30 And you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have participated with them in shedding the blood of the prophets.’
23:31 By saying this you testify against yourselves that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets.
23:32 Fill up then the measure of your ancestors!
23:33 You snakes, you offspring of vipers! How will you escape being condemned to hell?
23:34 “For this reason I am sending you prophets and wise men and experts in the law, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town,
23:35 so that on you will come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar.
23:36 I tell you the truth, this generation will be held responsible for all these things!
Judgment on Israel
23:37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often I have longed to gather your children together as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you would have none of it!
23:38 Look, your house is left to you desolate!
23:39 For I tell you, you will not see me from now until you say, ‘Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
The Destruction of the Temple
24:1 Now as Jesus was going out of the temple courts and walking away, his disciples came to show him the temple buildings.
24:2 And he said to them, “Do you see all these things? I tell you the truth, not one stone will be left on another. All will be torn down!”
Signs of the End of the Age
24:3 As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, his disciples came to him privately and said, “Tell us, when will these things happen? And what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?”
24:4 Jesus answered them, “Watch out that no one misleads you.
24:5 For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Christ,’ and they will mislead many.
24:6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Make sure that you are not alarmed, for this must happen, but the end is still to come.
24:7 For nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. And there will be famines and earthquakes in various places.
24:8 All these things are the beginning of birth pains.
Persecution of Disciples
24:9 “Then they will hand you over to be persecuted and will kill you. You will be hated by all the nations because of my name.
24:10 Then many will be led into sin, and they will betray one another and hate one another.
24:11 And many false prophets will appear and deceive many,
24:12 and because lawlessness will increase so much, the love of many will grow cold.
24:13 But the person who endures to the end will be saved.
24:14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the whole inhabited earth as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.
The Abomination of Desolation
24:15 “So when you see the abomination of desolation – spoken about by Daniel the prophet – standing in the holy place (let the reader understand),
24:16 then those in Judea must flee to the mountains.
24:17 The one on the roof must not come down to take anything out of his house,
24:18 and the one in the field must not turn back to get his cloak.
24:19 Woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing their babies in those days!
24:20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
24:21 For then there will be great suffering unlike anything that has happened from the beginning of the world until now, or ever will happen.
24:22 And if those days had not been cut short, no one would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short.
24:23 Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe him.
24:24 For false messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect.
24:25 Remember, I have told you ahead of time.
24:26 So then, if someone says to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out, or ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe him.
24:27 For just like the lightning comes from the east and flashes to the west, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.
24:28 Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.
The Arrival of the Son of Man
24:29 “Immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from heaven, and the powers of heaven will be shaken.
24:30 Then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man arriving on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.
24:31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The Parable of the Fig Tree
24:32 “Learn this parable from the fig tree: Whenever its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.
24:33 So also you, when you see all these things, know that he is near, right at the door.
24:34 I tell you the truth, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place.
24:35 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.
Be Ready!
24:36 “But as for that day and hour no one knows it – not even the angels in heaven – except the Father alone.
24:37 For just like the days of Noah were, so the coming of the Son of Man will be.
24:38 For in those days before the flood, people were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.
24:39 And they knew nothing until the flood came and took them all away. It will be the same at the coming of the Son of Man.
24:40 Then there will be two men in the field; one will be taken and one left.
24:41 There will be two women grinding grain with a mill; one will be taken and one left.
24:42 “Therefore stay alert, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come.
24:43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have been alert and would not have let his house be broken into.
24:44 Therefore you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.
The Faithful and Wise Slave
24:45 “Who then is the faithful and wise slave, whom the master has put in charge of his household, to give the other slaves their food at the proper time?
24:46 Blessed is that slave whom the master finds at work when he comes.
24:47 I tell you the truth, the master will put him in charge of all his possessions.
24:48 But if that evil slave should say to himself, ‘My master is staying away a long time,’
24:49 and he begins to beat his fellow slaves and to eat and drink with drunkards,
24:50 then the master of that slave will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not foresee,
24:51 and will cut him in two, and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
The Parable of the Ten Virgins
25:1 “At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.
25:2 Five of the virgins were foolish, and five were wise.
25:3 When the foolish ones took their lamps, they did not take extra olive oil with them.
25:4 But the wise ones took flasks of olive oil with their lamps.
25:5 When the bridegroom was delayed a long time, they all became drowsy and fell asleep.
25:6 But at midnight there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom is here! Come out to meet him.’
25:7 Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps.
25:8 The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, because our lamps are going out.’
25:9 ‘No,’ they replied. ‘There won’t be enough for you and for us. Go instead to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’
25:10 But while they had gone to buy it, the bridegroom arrived, and those who were ready went inside with him to the wedding banquet. Then the door was shut.
25:11 Later, the other virgins came too, saying, ‘Lord, lord! Let us in!’
25:12 But he replied, ‘I tell you the truth, I do not know you!’
25:13 Therefore stay alert, because you do not know the day or the hour.
The Parable of the Talents
25:14 “For it is like a man going on a journey, who summoned his slaves and entrusted his property to them.
25:15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey.
25:16 The one who had received five talents went off right away and put his money to work and gained five more.
25:17 In the same way, the one who had two gained two more.
25:18 But the one who had received one talent went out and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money in it.
25:19 After a long time, the master of those slaves came and settled his accounts with them.
25:20 The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, saying, ‘Sir, you entrusted me with five talents. See, I have gained five more.’
25:21 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful in a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
25:22 The one with the two talents also came and said, ‘Sir, you entrusted two talents to me. See, I have gained two more.’
25:23 His master answered, ‘Well done, good and faithful slave! You have been faithful with a few things. I will put you in charge of many things. Enter into the joy of your master.’
25:24 Then the one who had received the one talent came and said, ‘Sir, I knew that you were a hard man, harvesting where you did not sow, and gathering where you did not scatter seed,
25:25 so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
25:26 But his master answered, ‘Evil and lazy slave! So you knew that I harvest where I didn’t sow and gather where I didn’t scatter?
25:27 Then you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have received my money back with interest!
25:28 Therefore take the talent from him and give it to the one who has ten.
25:29 For the one who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough. But the one who does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.
25:30 And throw that worthless slave into the outer darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Judgment
25:31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne.
25:32 All the nations will be assembled before him, and he will separate people one from another like a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
25:33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
25:34 Then the king will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
25:35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in,
25:36 I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me.’
25:37 Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink?
25:38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or naked and clothe you?
25:39 When did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’
25:40 And the king will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did it for one of the least of these brothers or sisters of mine, you did it for me.’
25:41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you accursed, into the eternal fire that has been prepared for the devil and his angels!
25:42 For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink.
25:43 I was a stranger and you did not receive me as a guest, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’
25:44 Then they too will answer, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not give you whatever you needed?’
25:45 Then he will answer them, ‘I tell you the truth, just as you did not do it for one of the least of these, you did not do it for me.’
25:46 And these will depart into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
The Plot Against Jesus
26:1 When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples,
26:2 “You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”
26:3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people met together in the palace of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas.
26:4 They planned to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him.
26:5 But they said, “Not during the feast, so that there won’t be a riot among the people.”
Jesus’ Anointing
26:6 Now while Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,
26:7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfumed oil, and she poured it on his head as he was at the table.
26:8 When the disciples saw this, they became indignant and said, “Why this waste?
26:9 It could have been sold at a high price and the money given to the poor!”
26:10 When Jesus learned of this, he said to them, “Why are you bothering this woman? She has done a good service for me.
26:11 For you will always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me!
26:12 When she poured this oil on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.
26:13 I tell you the truth, wherever this gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.”
The Plan to Betray Jesus
26:14 Then one of the twelve, the one named Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
26:15 and said, “What will you give me to betray him into your hands?” So they set out thirty silver coins for him.
26:16 From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray him.
The Passover
26:17 Now on the first day of the feast of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
26:18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near. I will observe the Passover with my disciples at your house.”’”
26:19 So the disciples did as Jesus had instructed them, and they prepared the Passover.
26:20 When it was evening, he took his place at the table with the twelve.
26:21 And while they were eating he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”
26:22 They became greatly distressed and each one began to say to him, “Surely not I, Lord?”
26:23 He answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.
26:24 The Son of Man will go as it is written about him, but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.”
26:25 Then Judas, the one who would betray him, said, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus replied, “You have said it yourself.”
The Lord’s Supper
26:26 While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks he broke it, gave it to his disciples, and said, “Take, eat, this is my body.”
26:27 And after taking the cup and giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
26:28 for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, that is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
26:29 I tell you, from now on I will not drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.”
26:30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
The Prediction of Peter’s Denial
26:31 Then Jesus said to them, “This night you will all fall away because of me, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
26:32 But after I am raised, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”
26:33 Peter said to him, “If they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away!”
26:34 Jesus said to him, “I tell you the truth, on this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
26:35 Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same thing.
Gethsemane
26:36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
26:37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and became anguished and distressed.
26:38 Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”
26:39 Going a little farther, he threw himself down with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if possible, let this cup pass from me! Yet not what I will, but what you will.”
26:40 Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, “So, couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour?
26:41 Stay awake and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
26:42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will must be done.”
26:43 He came again and found them sleeping; they could not keep their eyes open.
26:44 So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same thing once more.
26:45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is approaching, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
26:46 Get up, let us go. Look! My betrayer is approaching!”
Betrayal and Arrest
26:47 While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.
26:48 (Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I kiss is the man. Arrest him!”)
26:49 Immediately he went up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi,” and kissed him.
26:50 Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and took hold of Jesus and arrested him.
26:51 But one of those with Jesus grabbed his sword, drew it out, and struck the high priest’s slave, cutting off his ear.
26:52 Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back in its place! For all who take hold of the sword will die by the sword.
26:53 Or do you think that I cannot call on my Father, and that he would send me more than twelve legions of angels right now?
26:54 How then would the scriptures that say it must happen this way be fulfilled?”
26:55 At that moment Jesus said to the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me like you would an outlaw? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple courts, yet you did not arrest me.
26:56 But this has happened so that the scriptures of the prophets would be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Condemned by the Sanhedrin
26:57 Now the ones who had arrested Jesus led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, in whose house the experts in the law and the elders had gathered.
26:58 But Peter was following him from a distance, all the way to the high priest’s courtyard. After going in, he sat with the guards to see the outcome.
26:59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were trying to find false testimony against Jesus so that they could put him to death.
26:60 But they did not find anything, though many false witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward
26:61 and declared, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
26:62 So the high priest stood up and said to him, “Have you no answer? What is this that they are testifying against you?”
26:63 But Jesus was silent. The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
26:64 Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
26:65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Now you have heard the blasphemy!
26:66 What is your verdict?” They answered, “He is guilty and deserves death.”
26:67 Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists. And some slapped him,
26:68 saying, “Prophesy for us, you Christ! Who hit you?”
Peter’s Denials
26:69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A slave girl came to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
26:70 But he denied it in front of them all: “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”
26:71 When he went out to the gateway, another slave girl saw him and said to the people there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.”
26:72 He denied it again with an oath, “I do not know the man!”
26:73 After a little while, those standing there came up to Peter and said, “You really are one of them too – even your accent gives you away!”
26:74 At that he began to curse, and he swore with an oath, “I do not know the man!” At that moment a rooster crowed.
26:75 Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went outside and wept bitterly.
Jesus Brought Before Pilate
27:1 When it was early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to execute him.
27:2 They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas’ Suicide
27:3 Now when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders,
27:4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You take care of it yourself!”
27:5 So Judas threw the silver coins into the temple and left. Then he went out and hanged himself.
27:6 The chief priests took the silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.”
27:7 After consulting together they bought the Potter’s Field with it, as a burial place for foreigners.
27:8 For this reason that field has been called the “Field of Blood” to this day.
27:9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one whose price had been set by the people of Israel,
27:10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
Jesus and Pilate
27:11 Then Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.”
27:12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he did not respond.
27:13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they are bringing against you?”
27:14 But he did not answer even one accusation, so that the governor was quite amazed.
27:15 During the feast the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd, whomever they wanted.
27:16 At that time they had in custody a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas.
27:17 So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?”
27:18 (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy.)
27:19 As he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man; I have suffered greatly as a result of a dream about him today.”
27:20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed.
27:21 The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
27:22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” They all said, “Crucify him!”
27:23 He asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted more insistently, “Crucify him!”
Jesus is Condemned and Mocked
27:24 When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!”
27:25 In reply all the people said, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
27:26 Then he released Barabbas for them. But after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
27:27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole cohort around him.
27:28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe around him,
27:29 and after braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand, and kneeling down before him, they mocked him: “Hail, king of the Jews!”
27:30 They spat on him and took the staff and struck him repeatedly on the head.
27:31 When they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
27:32 As they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to carry his cross.
27:33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”)
27:34 and offered Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. But after tasting it, he would not drink it.
27:35 When they had crucified him, they divided his clothes by throwing dice.
27:36 Then they sat down and kept guard over him there.
27:37 Above his head they put the charge against him, which read: “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
27:38 Then two outlaws were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
27:39 Those who passed by defamed him, shaking their heads
27:40 and saying, “You who can destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross!”
27:41 In the same way even the chief priests – together with the experts in the law and elders – were mocking him:
27:42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! He is the king of Israel! If he comes down now from the cross, we will believe in him!
27:43 He trusts in God – let God, if he wants to, deliver him now because he said, ‘I am God’s Son’!”
27:44 The robbers who were crucified with him also spoke abusively to him.
Jesus’ Death
27:45 Now from noon until three, darkness came over all the land.
27:46 At about three o’clock Jesus shouted with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
27:47 When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.”
27:48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.
27:49 But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah will come to save him.”
27:50 Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up his spirit.
27:51 Just then the temple curtain was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks were split apart.
27:52 And tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had died were raised.
27:53 (They came out of the tombs after his resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.)
27:54 Now when the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what took place, they were extremely terrified and said, “Truly this one was God’s Son!”
27:55 Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and given him support were also there, watching from a distance.
27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
Jesus’ Burial
27:57 Now when it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.
27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
27:59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
27:60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away.
27:61 (Now Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, opposite the tomb.)
The Guard at the Tomb
27:62 The next day (which is after the day of preparation) the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate
27:63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
27:64 So give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. Otherwise his disciples may come and steal his body and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
27:65 Pilate said to them, “Take a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you can.”
27:66 So they went with the soldiers of the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
The Resurrection
28:1 Now after the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.
28:2 Suddenly there was a severe earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.
28:3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow.
28:4 The guards were shaken and became like dead men because they were so afraid of him.
28:5 But the angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.
28:6 He is not here, for he has been raised, just as he said. Come and see the place where he was lying.
28:7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead. He is going ahead of you into Galilee. You will see him there.’ Listen, I have told you!”
28:8 So they left the tomb quickly, with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples.
28:9 But Jesus met them, saying, “Greetings!” They came to him, held on to his feet and worshiped him.
28:10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee. They will see me there.”
The Guards’ Report
28:11 While they were going, some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened.
28:12 After they had assembled with the elders and formed a plan, they gave a large sum of money to the soldiers,
28:13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came at night and stole his body while we were asleep.’
28:14 If this matter is heard before the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.”
28:15 So they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story is told among the Jews to this day.
The Great Commission
28:16 So the eleven disciples went to Galilee to the mountain Jesus had designated.
28:17 When they saw him, they worshiped him, but some doubted.
28:18 Then Jesus came up and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.
28:19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit,
28:20 teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”