Luke
The Feast of Unleavened Bread,
called the Passover,
was approaching.
The chief priests and the religious teachers were trying to find
a way to kill Jesus, for they were afraid of the people.
Then Satan entered into Judas who was called Iscariot, one of the twelve.
He went and discussed with the chief priests and officers how he might
betray Jesus to them.
They were delighted and offered to pay him.
He
agreed, and started looking for a good opportunity to betray Jesus to them
when the crowd was not there.
The first day of Unleavened Bread arrived, when the Passover lamb had
to be sacrificed.
Jesus sent Peter and John, saying to them, “Go and
prepare the Passover meal for us so we can eat it together.”
They asked him,
“Where do you want us to prepare it?”
He said to them, “When you go into
the city a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him and go
into the house he enters,
and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher
asks you, “Where is the room where I may eat the Passover with my
disciples?”’
He will show you a large furnished upstairs room. Prepare the
meal there.”
They went and found everything just as he had told them, and
they prepared the Passover.
When the time came, he sat down with the Apostles.
He said to them, “I have been longing to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer.
For I tell you, I will not eat it again until it is fulfilled in the Kingdom of
God.”
He took a cup, and after giving thanks he said, “Take this and
share it among yourselves.
I tell you that I will not drink of the fruit of the
vine
from now on until the Kingdom of God comes.”
He took some
bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it and gave it to them. “This is my
body given for you; remember me by doing this,” he said to them.
In the
same way he took the cup after supper and said, “This cup is the New
Covenant ratified by my blood which is being poured out for you.
But
notice that the hand of the one betraying me is with mine on the table.
For the
Son of Man will go as it has been determined, but alas for that man by whom
he is betrayed!”
They began to discuss among themselves which one of
them it might be who was going to do this.
They also began to dispute about which of them would be considered the
greatest.
Jesus said to them, “Gentile kings lord it over their subjects, and
those with authority are even called ‘benefactors.’
But you are not to be like
that. Whoever is greatest among you should become like the lowest, and the
leader should be like a servant.
For who is greater — the one at the table, or the
one serving? Is it not the one at the table? But I am among you as the one
serving.
“You are the ones who stayed with me through my trials.
Just as my Father covenanted a Kingdom to me, I covenant a Kingdom to you,
that you may
eat and drink at my table in my Kingdom, where you will sit on thrones governing the twelve tribes of Israel.
“Simon, Simon, Satan has demanded to sift you all like wheat,
but I have prayed for you that your own faith might not fail. When you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”
But Peter replied, “lord, I am ready to go with
you, to prison and to death!”
Jesus said, “I am telling you, Peter, the rooster
will not crow today until you have denied three times that you know me.”
He asked them, “When I sent you out without a money belt, bag, or
sandals, did you need anything?” They answered, “No, nothing.”
He said to
them, “But now, let everyone who has a money belt take it, and a bag as well.
And if you do not have a sword, sell your coat and buy one.
For I am telling
you, this Scripture must be fulfilled in me: ‘He was considered among
the criminals.’ Indeed what is written about me is now being fulfilled.”
They
said, “Look, lord, here are two swords.”
He replied, “That is enough.”
He left and went as usual to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples
followed.
When he got there he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter
into temptation.”
He left them and went about a stone’s throw away, where
he knelt down and prayed,
“Father, if You are willing, please take this cup
of suffering from me; yet not my will, but Yours be done.”
Then an angel
appeared from heaven to strengthen him.
In agony, he prayed even harder,
and his sweat became like drops of blood falling onto the ground.
When he
rose from prayer he went over to the disciples and found them asleep, worn
out from sorrow.
“Why are you sleeping?” he asked them. “Get up and pray
so that you do not give in to temptation.”
While he was still speaking, a crowd arrived, led by Judas, one of the
twelve. Judas went up to Jesus to kiss him.
But Jesus said to him, “Judas,
are you going to betray the Son of Man with a kiss?”
When those with Jesus
saw what was going to happen they said, “lord, shall we use our swords?”
And one of them struck the high priest’s servant and cut off his right ear.
At this Jesus said, “Stop! No more of this.” He touched the man’s ear and
healed him.
Then Jesus said to the chief priests, officers of the Temple, and
elders who had come against him, “Did you need to come out with swords
and clubs as if you were coming after a criminal?
When I was with you
every day in the Temple, you did not arrest me. But this time and the power
of darkness are yours.”
They seized him and led him away, and brought him to the high priest’s
house. Peter followed at a distance.
They lit a fire in the middle of the
courtyard and sat around it. Peter sat there with them.
A servant girl noticed
him as he sat there in the firelight, and stared at him.
“This man was with him,” she said. But Peter denied it. “Woman, I do not know him,” he replied.
A little while later someone else looked at him and said, “You are one of
them too!” But Peter said, “No, I am not!”
About an hour later, another
person insisted, “I am certain that this man also was with him. He is clearly a
Galilean.”
But Peter replied, “Man, I do not know what you are talking
about!” And immediately, while he was still speaking, a rooster crowed. The
lord turned and looked at Peter,
and Peter remembered the lord’s word, how
he had said to him, “Before a rooster crows today, you will deny me three
times.”
And he went out and wept bitterly.
The men holding Jesus prisoner were mocking him and beating him.
They put a blindfold on him and said to him, “Prophesy — who just hit
you?”
They blasphemed with many other insults against him.
When day came
the elders’ council assembled, including chief priests
and religious teachers, and led him away to their council chamber. They said,
“If you are the Messiah, tell us.” But Jesus said to them, “If I tell you, you
will not believe,
and if I ask a question, you will not answer.
But from
now on the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the power of
God.”
They all said, “So are you the Son of God then?”
He replied,
“Yes, I am.”
They said, “Why do we need any more evidence from others?
We have heard it for ourselves from his own mouth.”
Luke