Matthew 26
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- 1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he told his disciples,
- 2"You know that the Passover is 2 days away, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."
- 3Then the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders of the people gathered at the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas.
- 4They plotted to capture Jesus by deceit and kill him.
- 5But they agreed, "Not during the feast — the people might riot."
- 6While Jesus was in Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper,
- 7a woman came to him carrying an alabaster jar filled with extremely expensive ointment. As he sat at the table, she poured it over his head.
- 8When the disciples saw this, they were angry. "What a waste!" they said.
- 9"That ointment could have been sold for a fortune and the money given to the poor."
- 10Jesus knew what they were saying and told them, "Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has done something beautiful for me.
- 11The poor will always be among you, but you won't always have me.
- 12By pouring this ointment on my body, she has prepared me for burial.
- 13I tell you the truth: wherever this gospel is preached throughout the whole world, what this woman has done will be told in her memory."
- 14Then one of the 12 disciples, Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests.
- 15He asked them, "What will you pay me to hand him over to you?" They agreed with him for thirty pieces of silver.
- 16From that moment on, Judas looked for the right opportunity to betray Jesus.
- 17On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, "Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?"
- 18He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, 'The Teacher says: My time has come. I will celebrate the Passover at your house with my disciples.'"
- 19The disciples did as Jesus instructed and prepared the Passover meal.
- 20When evening came, Jesus sat down at the table with the 12 disciples.
- 21While they were eating, he said, "I tell you the truth: one of you is going to betray me."
- 22They were deeply upset, and one after another they asked him, "Lord, it isn't me, is it?"
- 23He answered, "The one who dipped his hand into the bowl with me — he's the one who will betray me.
- 24The Son of Man will go just as the Scriptures say he will. But how terrible it will be for the man who betrays the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born."
- 25Then Judas, the one who would betray him, asked, "Rabbi, it isn't me, is it?" Jesus replied, "You said it yourself."
- 26While they were eating, Jesus took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and handed it to his disciples. "Take this and eat it," he said. "This is my body."
- 27Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and passed it to them. "All of you, drink from it," he said.
- 28This is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for many for the remission of sins.
- 29I'm telling you, I will not drink this fruit of the vine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom."
- 30After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
- 31Then Jesus told them, "Tonight, every one of you will fall away because of me. For the Scriptures say, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'
- 32But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."
- 33Peter spoke up and said, "Even if everyone else falls away because of you, I never will."
- 34Jesus said to him, "I tell you the truth: tonight, before the rooster crows, you will deny me 3 times."
- 35Peter declared, "Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you." All the other disciples said the same thing.
- 36Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there to pray."
- 37He took Peter and the 2 sons of Zebedee with him, and deep sorrow and anguish came over him.
- 38He said to them, "My soul is very sorrowful, even to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me."
- 39Going a little farther, he fell face down and prayed, "My Father, if it's possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want, but what you want."
- 40He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "Couldn't you stay awake with me for just 1 hour?
- 41Be watchful and pray, so that you do not enter into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
- 42He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."
- 43He came back and found them sleeping again — their eyes were too heavy to stay open.
- 44So he left them once more, went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words.
- 45Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, "Sleep on now, and take your rest. Look, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners."
- 46“Get up, let us go. Look, the one who betrays me is near.”
- 47While Jesus was still speaking, Judas — one of the 12 — arrived with a large mob carrying swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.
- 48Judas had arranged a signal with them: "The one I kiss is the man you want. Grab him."
- 49He went straight to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi!" and kissed him.
- 50Jesus said to him, "Friend, do what you came to do." Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus, and arrested him.
- 51Suddenly, one of those with Jesus reached for his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest's servant, cutting off his ear.
- 52Jesus told him, "Put your sword back where it belongs. Everyone who lives by the sword will die by the sword.
- 53Don't you realize I could ask my Father right now, and he would instantly send more than 12 legions of angels?
- 54But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled? They say it must happen this way."
- 55Then Jesus spoke to the crowd: "Have you come out with swords and clubs as if I were a thief? I sat teaching in the temple day after day, and you never arrested me."
- 56But all this happened so that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled. Then all the disciples left him and fled.
- 57The men who arrested Jesus brought him to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders had already assembled.
- 58Peter followed at a distance all the way to the high priest's courtyard. He went inside and sat down with the guards to see what would happen.
- 59The chief priests, the elders, and the entire council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so they could sentence him to death.
- 60They couldn't find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, 2 men stepped up
- 61and said, "This man claimed, 'I can destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in 3 days.'"
- 62The high priest stood up and demanded, "Aren't you going to answer? What do you have to say about these accusations?"
- 63But Jesus remained silent. The high priest said to him, "I command you under oath by the living God — tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God."
- 64Jesus said to him, “You have said it. Nevertheless, I tell you that from now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven.”
- 65At that, the high priest tore his robes and shouted, "Blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? You've all just heard him blaspheme!
- 66What's your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves to die!"
- 67Then they spit in his face and punched him. Others slapped him,
- 68taunting, "Prophesy for us, Christ! Who just hit you?"
- 69Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant girl came up to him and said, "You were with Jesus the Galilean too!"
- 70But he denied it in front of everyone. "I have no idea what you're talking about," he said.
- 71When he moved out to the gateway, another servant girl noticed him and told the people standing there, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth."
- 72Again he denied it, this time with an oath: "I don't know the man!"
- 73A little later, some bystanders came over to Peter and said, "You're definitely one of them — your speech gives you away."
- 74Then Peter began to curse and swear, "I don't know the man!" Immediately, the rooster crowed.
- 75Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: "Before the rooster crows, you will deny me 3 times." He went outside and wept bitterly.