<t /><p class="bodytext">Then<n id="1" /> he began to tell the people this parable: &#8220;A man<n id="2" /> planted a vineyard,<n id="3" /> leased it to tenant farmers,<n id="4" /> and went on a journey for a long time.

When harvest time came, he sent a slave<n id="1" /> to the tenants so that they would give<n id="2" /> him his portion of the crop.<n id="3" /> However, the tenants beat his slave<n id="4" /> and sent him away empty-handed.

So<n id="1" /> they asked him,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Teacher, when will these things<n id="3" /> happen? And what will be the sign that<n id="4" /> these things are about to take place?&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">While he was still speaking, suddenly a crowd appeared,<n id="1" /> and the man named Judas, one of the twelve, was leading them. He walked up<n id="2" /> to Jesus to kiss him.<n id="3" />

Then<n id="1" /> Jesus said to the chief priests, the officers of the temple guard,<n id="2" /> and the elders who had come out to get him, &#8220;Have you come out with swords and clubs like you would against an outlaw?<n id="3" />

Then a slave girl,<n id="1" /> seeing him as he sat in the firelight, stared at him and said, &#8220;This man was with him too!&#8221;

Then<n id="1" /> a little later someone else<n id="2" /> saw him and said, &#8220;You are one of them too.&#8221; But Peter said, &#8220;Man,<n id="3" /> I am not!&#8221;

<p class="bodytext">When day came, the council of the elders of the people gathered together, both the chief priests and the experts in the law.<n id="1" /> Then<n id="2" /> they led Jesus<n id="3" /> away to their council<n id="4" />

So<n id="1" /> Pilate asked Jesus,<n id="2" /> &#8220;Are you the king<n id="3" /> of the Jews?&#8221; He replied, &#8220;You say so.&#8221;<n id="4" />

A third time he said to them, &#8220;Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty<n id="1" /> of no crime deserving death.<n id="2" /> I will therefore flog<n id="3" /> him and release him.&#8221;

<t /><p class="bodytext">As<n id="1" /> they led him away, they seized Simon of Cyrene,<n id="2" /> who was coming in from the country.<n id="3" /> They placed the cross on his back and made him carry it behind Jesus.<n id="4" />

So<n id="1" /> when they came to the place that is called &#8220;The Skull,&#8221;<n id="2" /> they crucified<n id="3" /> him there, along with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left.

Then<n id="1" /> he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth,<n id="2" /> and placed it<n id="3" /> in a tomb cut out of the rock,<n id="4" /> where no one had yet been buried.<n id="5" />

and when they did not find his body, they came back and said they had seen a vision of angels,<n id="1" /> who said he was alive.

Then<n id="1" /> some of those who were with us went to the tomb, and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.&#8221;<n id="2" />

but they urged him,<n id="1" /> &#8220;Stay with us, because it is getting toward evening and the day is almost done.&#8221; So<n id="2" /> he went in to stay with them.p>

<p class="bodytext">When<n id="1" /> he had taken his place at the table<n id="2" /> with them, he took the bread, blessed and broke it,<n id="3" /> and gave it to them.

But the angel said to him, &#8220;Do not be afraid, Zechariah, for your prayer has been heard,<n id="1" /> and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son; you<n id="2" /> will name him John.<n id="3" />

So<n id="1" /> Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth<n id="2" /> in Galilee to Judea, to the city<n id="3" /> of David called Bethlehem,<n id="4" /> because he was of the house<n id="5" /> and family line<n id="6" /> of David.

<t /><p class="bodytext">Now<n id="1" /> there was a man in Jerusalem<n id="2" /> named Simeon who was righteous<n id="3" /> and devout, looking for the restoration<n id="4" /> of Israel, and the Holy Spirit<n id="5" /> was upon him.