The Plot Against Jesus^(A)

26 When Jesus had finished saying all these things,^(B) he said to his disciples, ² “As you know, the Passover^(C) is two days away—and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

³ Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled^(D) in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,^{(E) 4} and they schemed to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him.^{(F) 5} “But not during the festival,” they said, “or there may be a riot^(G) among the people.”

Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus^(A)

¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve—the one called Judas Iscariot^(B)—went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and asked, “What are you willing to give me if I deliver him over to you?” So they counted out for him thirty pieces of silver.^{(C) 16} From then on Judas watched for an opportunity to hand him over.

³⁷ Each day Jesus was teaching at the temple,^(A) and each evening he went out^(B) to spend the night on the hill called the Mount of Olives,^{(C) 38} and all the people came early in the morning to hear him at the temple.^(D)

³ Then Satan^(A) entered Judas, called Iscariot,^(B) one of the Twelve. ⁴ And Judas went to the chief priests and the officers of the temple guard^(C) and discussed with them how he might betray Jesus. ⁵ They were delighted and agreed to give him money.^{(D) 6} He consented, and watched for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to them when no crowd was present.

The Last Supper^{(E)(F)(G)(H)(I)}

⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.^{(J) 8} Jesus sent Peter and John,^(K) saying, “Go and make preparations for us to eat the Passover.”

⁹ “Where do you want us to prepare for it?” they asked.

¹⁰ He replied, “As you enter the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him to the house that he enters, ¹¹ and say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ ¹² He will show you a large room upstairs, all furnished. Make preparations there.”

¹³ They left and found things just as Jesus had told them.^(L) So they prepared the Passover.

Belief and Unbelief Among the Jews

³⁷ Even after Jesus had performed so many signs^(A) in their presence, they still would not believe in him. ³⁸ This was to fulfill the word of Isaiah the prophet:

³⁹ For this reason they could not believe, because, as Isaiah says elsewhere:

⁴¹ Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus’ glory^(D) and spoke about him.^(E)

⁴² Yet at the same time many even among the leaders believed in him.^(F) But because of the Pharisees^(G) they would not openly acknowledge their faith for fear they would be put out of the synagogue;^{(H) 43} for they loved human praise^(I) more than praise from God.^(J)

⁴⁴ Then Jesus cried out, “Whoever believes in me does not believe in me only, but in the one who sent me.^{(K) 45} The one who looks at me is seeing the one who sent me.^{(L) 46} I have come into the world as a light,^(M) so that no one who believes in me should stay in darkness.

⁴⁷ “If anyone hears my words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world.^{(N) 48} There is a judge for the one who rejects me and does not accept my words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them^(O) at the last day. ⁴⁹ For I did not speak on my own, but the Father who sent me commanded me^(P) to say all that I have spoken. ⁵⁰ I know that his command leads to eternal life.^(Q) So whatever I say is just what the Father has told me to say.”^(R)