The Plot to Kill Jesus
The Passover festival was drawing near—the time when God's people celebrated the Feast of Unleavened Bread. Meanwhile, the chief priests and religious teachers were secretly searching for a way to kill Jesus. They wanted him dead, but they were afraid of what the people might do if they acted openly against him.
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
Satan took control of Judas Iscariot, one of Jesus's twelve disciples. Judas went to the chief priests and the temple guards to talk about how he could hand Jesus over to them. The religious leaders were thrilled and promised to pay him for it. Judas agreed to their plan and started watching for the right moment to betray Jesus when no crowds were around.
Preparation for the Passover
The day of Unleavened Bread arrived—the day when the Passover lamb had to be killed. Jesus called Peter and John to him and said, "Go and get everything ready for us to eat the Passover meal." "Where do you want us to prepare it?" they asked him. Jesus answered, "Listen carefully. When you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a water jar. Follow him to whatever house he goes into. Then say to the owner of that house, 'The Teacher wants to know: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover with my disciples?' He will take you upstairs and show you a large room that's already set up with everything you need. Prepare our meal there." Peter and John left and went into the city. Everything happened exactly as Jesus had told them it would. They found the man with the water jar, followed him to the house, spoke to the owner, and were shown to the large upstairs room. There they prepared the Passover meal.
The Last Supper
When the time came, Jesus sat down at the table with his twelve apostles. He looked at them and said, "I have deeply wanted to share this Passover meal with you before I suffer. I'm telling you the truth—I won't eat this meal again until everything is complete in God's kingdom." Jesus picked up a cup of wine, gave thanks to God, and told his disciples, "Take this cup and share it among all of you. I promise you, I won't drink wine again until God's kingdom comes." Then Jesus took bread in his hands. He thanked God for it, broke it into pieces, and gave it to his disciples. "This is my body," he said, "which I'm giving for you. When you do this again, remember me." After they had finished eating, Jesus took another cup of wine and said, "This cup represents the new promise God is making through my blood, which will be poured out for you." Then Jesus's voice grew serious. "But listen—the person who will betray me is sitting right here at this table with me. Yes, the Son of Man will die just as God has planned, but how terrible it will be for the man who hands me over to my enemies." The disciples looked around at each other in shock and began asking among themselves, "Which one of us could possibly do such a thing?"
The Dispute About Greatness
A disagreement broke out among the disciples about which one of them should be considered the most important. Jesus spoke up and said, "The kings who rule over non-Jewish nations use their power to control their people, and those who have authority like to be called generous leaders who do good for others. But you must not act like them. Instead, whoever wants to be the greatest among you should behave like the youngest person in the group, and whoever wants to lead should act like someone who serves others." Jesus continued, "Think about this: who is more important—the person sitting at the dinner table being served, or the person doing the serving? Obviously, it's the one sitting at the table. But I have lived among you as someone who serves." Then Jesus told them, "You are the ones who have stayed with me through all my troubles and difficulties. Because of this, I am giving you a kingdom, just as my Father has given one to me. In my kingdom, you will eat and drink at my table, and you will sit on royal thrones as you rule and make decisions for the twelve tribes of Israel."
Jesus Predicts Peter's Denial
"Simon, Simon," Jesus said, "Satan has demanded permission to shake all of you like someone shaking grain in a basket to separate the wheat from the chaff. But I have prayed specifically for you, Simon, that your faith won't collapse completely. And after you come back to me, use your experience to make your fellow disciples stronger." Peter responded, "Lord, I'm prepared to go with you anywhere—even to prison or to death itself." But Jesus answered him, "I'm telling you the truth, Peter. Before the rooster crows to announce tomorrow's dawn, you will have denied three separate times that you even know me."
Jesus Speaks of Coming Hardships
Jesus turned to his disciples and asked them a question: "Do you remember when I sent you out to preach, and I told you not to take any money, traveling bag, or extra sandals? Did you go without anything you needed?" The disciples answered, "No, we had everything we needed." "But now things are different," Jesus told them. "If you have money, take it with you. If you have a bag, bring it along. And if you don't have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. I'm telling you this because something written in the Scriptures about me must come true. It says, 'He was counted among the criminals.' Yes, what was written about me is about to happen." The disciples looked around and said, "Look, Lord, we have two swords right here." Jesus replied, "That's enough."
Jesus Prays on the Mount of Olives
Jesus left the city and went to the Mount of Olives, as he often did, and his disciples went with him. When they reached the place where he wanted to pray, Jesus said to his disciples, "Pray that you won't be led into temptation." Then Jesus walked away from them about as far as someone could throw a stone. There he knelt down and began to pray. "Father," he said, "if you are willing, please take this suffering away from me. But I want your will to happen, not mine." An angel from heaven came and appeared to Jesus, giving him strength. Jesus was in great distress, and he prayed even harder than before. His sweat became like drops of blood that fell to the ground. When Jesus finished praying and came back to where his disciples were, he found them sleeping. They had fallen asleep because their sadness had worn them out. Jesus asked them, "Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray so that you won't be led into temptation."
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
While Jesus was still talking to his disciples, a crowd of people appeared. Leading them was Judas, one of Jesus's twelve closest followers. Judas walked up to Jesus and leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. But Jesus looked at him and asked, "Judas, are you really going to hand over the Son of Man by giving him a kiss?" The disciples who were standing nearby could see what was happening. They asked Jesus, "Lord, should we fight them with our swords?" Before Jesus could answer, one of the disciples drew his sword and swung it at the high priest's servant, slicing off the man's right ear. "Stop! That's enough!" Jesus said firmly. He reached out and touched the injured man's ear, healing it completely. Then Jesus turned to face the crowd that had come to arrest him. Among them were the chief priests, the temple guards, and the religious leaders. He said to them, "Why have you come here with swords and clubs, as if I were some dangerous criminal? I was with you in the temple courtyard every single day, teaching and talking with people. You never tried to arrest me then. But now is your time—this is when darkness has its moment of power."
Peter Denies Jesus
The soldiers grabbed Jesus and led Him away to the house of the high priest. Peter followed behind them, but he kept his distance so no one would notice him. The people who had gathered there built a fire in the center of the courtyard and sat around it together. Peter sat down with them, trying to blend in. As the flames danced and cast light across the courtyard, a servant girl spotted Peter sitting there. She stared at him closely and then spoke up: "This man was with Jesus too." But Peter quickly denied it. "Woman, I don't know Him," he said firmly. A little while later, someone else noticed Peter and said, "You're one of His followers too." Peter responded, "Man, I am not." About an hour passed, and then another man spoke with certainty: "This man was definitely with Him – I can tell because he's from Galilee, just like Jesus." Peter's voice grew urgent: "Man, I have no idea what you're talking about." Even as these words left his mouth, a rooster crowed somewhere in the distance. At that moment, the Lord turned and looked directly at Peter. Their eyes met across the courtyard, and suddenly Peter remembered exactly what the Lord had told him earlier: "Before the rooster crows today, you will deny Me three times." The weight of what he had just done crashed down on Peter. He got up and walked outside into the darkness, where he broke down and wept with deep, bitter sobs.
The Guards Mock Jesus
The guards who were holding Jesus prisoner began to make fun of him and hit him repeatedly. They covered his eyes with a blindfold and then struck him, calling out, "If you're really a prophet, tell us who just hit you!" They continued saying many other insulting and disrespectful things about him.
Jesus Before the Sanhedrin
When the sun came up, the council of Jewish leaders gathered together. This included the chief priests, the teachers of the law, and the elders of the people. They brought Jesus before their court, the Sanhedrin, and began questioning him. "If you are the Messiah, tell us plainly," they demanded. Jesus responded, "If I tell you the truth, you won't believe me. And if I ask you questions, you won't answer them. But I tell you this: from this moment on, the Son of Man will sit at the right hand of God's mighty power." When they heard this, they all pressed him further: "So you are claiming to be the Son of God?" Jesus replied, "You have said it yourselves—that is what I am." At this, the leaders exclaimed, "What more proof do we need? We have heard his own words with our own ears!"