Lucas 22
Traducción en lenguaje actual
Un plan contra Jesús
22 Faltaban pocos días para que los judíos celebraran la fiesta de los panes sin levadura. A esta fiesta también se le llamaba Pascua. 2 En esos días, los sacerdotes principales y los maestros de la Ley buscaban la manera de matar a Jesús en secreto, porque le tenían miedo a la gente.
3 Entonces Satanás entró en el corazón de Judas Iscariote, uno de los doce discípulos, y le puso la idea de traicionar a Jesús. 4 Judas fue a hablar con los sacerdotes principales y con los capitanes de los guardias que cuidaban el templo, y se puso de acuerdo con ellos para entregarles a Jesús. 5 Ellos se alegraron y prometieron darle dinero. 6 Judas aceptó, y empezó a buscar la oportunidad de estar a solas con Jesús para entregarlo.
Una cena inolvidable
7 Cuando llegó el día de la fiesta de los panes sin levadura, que es cuando se mata el cordero para la cena de la Pascua, 8 Jesús llamó a Pedro y a Juan, y les dijo:
—Vayan y preparen la cena de la Pascua.
9 Ellos le preguntaron:
—¿Dónde quieres que la preparemos?
10 Jesús les respondió:
—Vayan a Jerusalén, y a la entrada de la ciudad verán a un hombre que lleva un jarrón de agua. Síganlo hasta la casa donde entre, 11 y díganle al dueño de la casa: “El Maestro quiere saber en qué sala va a comer con sus discípulos en la noche de la Pascua.” 12 Él les mostrará una sala grande y arreglada en el piso de arriba. Preparen allí todo lo necesario.
13 Pedro y Juan fueron y encontraron todo tal como Jesús les había dicho. Enseguida prepararon la cena de la Pascua.
14 Cuando llegó la hora, Jesús y sus discípulos se sentaron a la mesa. 15 Jesús les dijo:
«He deseado muchísimo comer con ustedes en esta Pascua, antes de que yo sufra y muera. 16 Porque les aseguro que ya no celebraré más esta cena, hasta el día en que comamos todos juntos en el gran banquete del reino de Dios.»
17 Luego tomó una copa con vino, le dio gracias a Dios y dijo:
«Tomen esto y compártanlo entre ustedes. 18 Porque les aseguro que, desde ahora, no beberé más vino, hasta que llegue el reino de Dios.»
19 También tomó pan y le dio gracias a Dios; luego lo partió, lo dio a sus discípulos y les dijo:
«Esto es mi cuerpo, que ahora es entregado en favor de ustedes. De ahora en adelante, celebren esta cena y acuérdense de mí cuando partan el pan.»
20 Cuando terminaron de cenar, Jesús tomó otra copa con vino y dijo:
«Este vino es mi sangre, derramada en favor de ustedes. Con ella, Dios hace con ustedes un nuevo pacto.
21 »El que va a traicionarme está aquí, sentado a la mesa conmigo. 22 Yo, el Hijo del hombre, moriré tal como Dios lo ha decidido. Pero al que va a traicionarme le pasará algo terrible.»
23 Los discípulos empezaron a preguntarse quién de ellos se atrevería a entregar a Jesús.
El más importante de todos
24 Luego los discípulos empezaron a discutir sobre quién de ellos sería el más importante. 25 Entonces Jesús les dijo:
«En este mundo, los reyes de los países gobiernan a sus pueblos y no los dejan hacer nada sin su permiso. Además, los jefes que gobiernan dicen a la gente: “Nosotros somos sus amigos, y les hacemos el bien.”
26 »Pero ustedes no deberán ser como ellos. El más importante entre ustedes debe ser como el menos importante de todos; y el jefe de todos debe servir a los demás.
27 »Piensen en esto: ¿Quién es más importante: el que está sentado a la mesa, o el que le sirve la comida? ¿No es cierto que se considera más importante al que está sentado a la mesa? Sin embargo, vean que yo, el Maestro, les he servido la comida a todos ustedes.
28 »Ustedes me han acompañado en los tiempos más difíciles. 29 Por eso, yo los haré reyes, así como mi Padre me hizo rey a mí. 30 En mi reino, ustedes comerán y beberán en mi mesa, se sentarán en tronos y juzgarán a las doce tribus de Israel.»
¡Manténganse firmes!
31 Después, Jesús le dijo a Pedro:
—Pedro, escucha bien. Satanás ha pedido permiso a Dios para ponerles pruebas difíciles a todos ustedes, y Dios se lo ha dado. 32 Pero yo he pedido a Dios que te ayude, para que te mantengas firme. Por un tiempo vas a dejarme solo, pero después cambiarás. Cuando eso pase, ayudarás a tus compañeros para que siempre se mantengan fieles a mí.
33 Enseguida Pedro le dijo:
—Señor, si tengo que ir a la cárcel contigo, iré; y si tengo que morir contigo, moriré.
34 Y Jesús le dijo:
—Pedro, hoy mismo, antes de que el gallo cante, vas a decir tres veces que no me conoces.
Los discípulos no entienden a Jesús
35 Luego, Jesús les preguntó a sus discípulos:
—¿Recuerdan cuando los envié a anunciar las buenas noticias y les dije que no llevaran dinero, ni mochila ni sandalias? Díganme, ¿les hizo falta algo?
Ellos le respondieron:
—No Señor, nada nos faltó.
36 Entonces Jesús les dijo:
—Pues bien, yo ahora les digo: el que tenga dinero, que lo traiga; y si tiene mochila, que la lleve con él. Si alguno no tiene espada, que venda su manto y se compre una.
37 »La Biblia dice acerca de mí: “Y fue considerado un criminal”. Les aseguro que pronto me pasará eso.
38 Los discípulos dijeron:
—Señor, aquí tenemos dos espadas.
Y él les contestó:
—¡Ustedes no me entienden! Pero ya no hablemos más de esto.
Jesús ora con mucha tristeza
39 Jesús salió de la ciudad y se fue al Monte de los Olivos, como era su costumbre. Los discípulos lo acompañaron.
40 Cuando llegaron al lugar, Jesús les dijo: «Oren, para que puedan soportar las dificultades que tendrán.»
41 Jesús se alejó un poco de los discípulos, se arrodilló y oró a Dios: 42-44 «Padre, ¡cómo deseo que me libres de este sufrimiento! Pero que no suceda lo que yo quiero, sino lo que tú quieres.»[a]
45 Cuando Jesús terminó de orar, regresó a donde estaban los discípulos y los encontró durmiendo, pues estaban tan tristes que les había dado sueño. 46 Entonces les dijo: «¿Por qué duermen? ¡Levántense y oren, para que puedan soportar las dificultades que tendrán!»
Los enemigos apresan a Jesús
47 Jesús estaba hablando todavía cuando llegó Judas, uno de los doce discípulos. Con él venían muchos hombres. Judas se acercó para besar a Jesús. 48 Pero Jesús le dijo: «¡Judas! ¿Con un beso me traicionas a mí, el Hijo del hombre?»
49 Cuando los discípulos vieron lo que iba a pasar, le dijeron a Jesús:
—Señor, ¿los atacamos con la espada?
50 Entonces uno de ellos sacó su espada y le cortó una oreja al sirviente del jefe de los sacerdotes. 51 Pero Jesús dijo:
—¡Alto! ¡No peleen!
Luego, tocó la oreja del sirviente y lo sanó.
52 Los que habían llegado a arrestar a Jesús eran los sacerdotes principales, los capitanes de la guardia del templo y los líderes del pueblo. Jesús les dijo: «¿Por qué han venido con cuchillos y palos, como si yo fuera un ladrón? 53 Todos los días estuve enseñando en el templo delante de ustedes, y nunca me arrestaron. Pero, bueno, el diablo los controla a ustedes, y él les mandó que lo hicieran ahora, porque es en la oscuridad cuando ustedes actúan.»
Pedro niega que conoce a Jesús
54 Los que arrestaron a Jesús lo llevaron al palacio del jefe de los sacerdotes. Pedro los siguió desde lejos.
55 Allí, en medio del patio del palacio, habían encendido una fogata, y se sentaron alrededor de ella. Pedro también se sentó con ellos. 56 En eso, una sirvienta vio a Pedro sentado junto al fuego, y mirándolo fijamente dijo:
—Éste también andaba con Jesús.
57 Pedro lo negó:
—¡Mujer, yo ni siquiera lo conozco!
58 Al poco rato, un hombre lo vio y dijo:
—¡Tú también eres uno de los seguidores de Jesús!
Pedro contestó:
—¡No, hombre! ¡No lo soy!
59 Como una hora después, otro hombre insistió y dijo:
—Estoy seguro de que éste era uno de sus seguidores, pues también es de Galilea.
60 Pedro contestó:
—¡Hombre, ni siquiera sé de qué me hablas!
No había terminado Pedro de hablar cuando de inmediato el gallo cantó. 61 En ese momento, Jesús se volvió y miró a Pedro. Entonces Pedro se acordó de lo que Jesús le había dicho: «Hoy, antes de que el gallo cante, vas a decir tres veces que no me conoces.» 62 Pedro salió de aquel lugar y se puso a llorar con mucha tristeza.
63 Los guardias que vigilaban a Jesús se burlaban de él; 64 le tapaban los ojos, le pegaban, y luego le decían: «¡Profeta, adivina quién te pegó!»
65 Luego, lo insultaron diciéndole muchas otras cosas.
El juicio contra Jesús
66 Cuando amaneció, los líderes del pueblo, los sacerdotes principales y los maestros de la Ley se reunieron y llevaron a Jesús ante la Junta Suprema. Allí le preguntaron:
67 —Dinos, ¿eres tú el Mesías?
Él les contestó:
—Si les dijera que sí, ustedes no me creerían. 68 Si les hiciera una pregunta, ustedes no me contestarían. 69 Pero de ahora en adelante yo, el Hijo del hombre, tendré el poder y la autoridad que me da Dios todopoderoso.
70 Entonces todos le preguntaron:
—¿Así que tú eres el Hijo de Dios?
Jesús les dijo:
—Ustedes mismos lo han dicho.
71 Ellos dijeron:
—Ya no necesitamos más testigos. Nosotros lo hemos oído de sus propios labios.
Footnotes
- Lucas 22:42 43 En ese momento, un ángel bajó del cielo para darle fuerzas. 44 Jesús sufría mucho, pero oraba con más fuerza que antes. Su sudor caía al suelo como grandes gotas de sangre. Estos versículos no aparecen en los mss. más antiguos.
Luke 22
The Voice
22 This daily pattern continued as they came closer to the holiday of Unleavened Bread, also known as the Passover.
Jesus teaches of judgment to come and the destruction of the temple. All things move toward a collision of ideas and faith at the most important feast of the year.
2 The chief priests and religious scholars continued looking for a way to kill Jesus; they hadn’t been able to act yet due to their fear of the people’s reaction. 3 At this point, Satan entered into one of the twelve, Judas (also called Iscariot). 4 Judas set up a private meeting with the chief priests and the captains of the temple police to discuss a plan for betraying Jesus and putting Him in their hands. 5 This was just the kind of break they had been waiting for, so they were thrilled and agreed to a handsome payment. 6 Everything was settled, and Judas simply waited for the right moment, when the crowds weren’t around, to betray Jesus into their custody.
7 They came to the Day of Unleavened Bread, a holy day when a special lamb (called the Passover lamb) had to be sacrificed. 8 Jesus chose Peter and John and gave them instructions.
Jesus: Go and make all the necessary preparations for the Passover meal so we can eat together.
Peter and John: 9 Where do You want us to make preparations?
Jesus: 10 When you enter the city, you’ll encounter a man carrying a jar of water. Just follow him wherever he goes, and when he enters a house, 11 tell the homeowner, “The Teacher has this question for you: ‘Where is the guest room where I can share the Passover meal with My disciples?’” 12 He’ll show you a spacious second-story room that has all the necessary furniture. That’s where you should prepare our meal.
13 They did as He said and found everything just as He said it would be, and they prepared the Passover meal. 14 When the meal was prepared, Jesus sat at the table, joined by His emissaries.[a]
The meal that Jesus and His disciples shared is still celebrated today among followers of Jesus. We surround it with varied rituals and music, but the original meal took place in the midst of great drama and tension. The disciples were arguing, and Jesus was teaching them yet another lesson about life in the kingdom of God. Jesus even spoke of His own suffering and their betrayal and denial. Yet through it all, Jesus’ focus remained on the central theme of His life and mission: the coming of the kingdom of God.
Jesus: 15 It has been My deep desire to eat this Passover meal with you before My suffering begins. 16 Know this: I will not eat another Passover meal until its meaning is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.
17 He took a cup of wine and gave thanks for it.
Jesus: Take this; share it among yourselves. 18 Know this: I will not drink another sip of wine until the kingdom of God has arrived in fullness.
19 Then He took bread, gave thanks, broke it, and shared it with them.
Jesus: This is My body, My body given for you. Do this to remember Me.
20 And similarly, after the meal had been eaten, He took the cup.
Jesus: This cup, which is poured out for you, is the new covenant, made in My blood. 21 But even now, the hand of My betrayer is with Me on this table. 22 As it has been determined, the Son of Man, that firstfruit of a new generation of humanity, must be betrayed, but how pitiful it will be for the person who betrays Him.
23 They immediately began questioning each other.
Disciples: Which one of us could do such a horrible thing?
24 Soon they found themselves arguing about the opposite question.
Disciples: Which one of us is the most faithful, the most important?
Jesus (interrupting): 25 The authority figures of the outsiders play this game, flexing their muscles in competition for power over one another, masking their quest for domination behind words like “benefactor” or “public servant.” 26 But you must not indulge in this charade. Instead, among you, the greatest must become like the youngest and the leader must become a true servant. 27 Who is greater right here as we eat this meal—those of us who sit at the table, or those who serve us? Doesn’t everyone normally assume those who are served are greater than those who serve? But consider My role among you. I have been with you as a servant.
28 You have stood beside Me faithfully through My trials. 29 I give you a kingdom, just as the Father has given Me a kingdom. 30 You will eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and you will have authority over the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 Simon, Simon, how Satan has pursued you, that he might make you part of his harvest. 32 But I have prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith will hold firm and that you will recover from your failure and become a source of strength for your brothers here.
Peter: 33 Lord, what are You talking about? I’m going all the way to the end with You—to prison, to execution—I’m prepared to do anything for You.
Jesus: 34 No, Peter, the truth is that before the rooster crows at dawn, you will have denied that you even know Me, not just once, but three times. 35 Remember when I sent you out with no money, no pack, not even sandals? Did you lack anything?
Disciples: Not a thing.
Jesus: 36 It’s different now. If you have some savings, take them with you. If you have a pack, fill it and bring it. If you don’t have a sword, sell your coat and buy one. 37 Here’s the truth: what the Hebrew Scriptures said, “And He was taken as one of the criminals,”[b] must come to fruition in Me. These words must come true.
Disciples: 38 Look, Lord, we have two swords here.
Jesus: That’s enough.
There is powerful consistency in Jesus’ life. Again and again, He withdraws from the crowds to pray in solitude. Now, at this dramatic moment, Jesus again withdraws to pray—in a solitude made more intense by the fact that He has asked His disciples to pray, too, but they have fallen asleep. And in this moment of anguished emotion, Jesus mouths a prayer that resonates with His consistent message of the Kingdom. He has taught His disciples to pray, “May Your kingdom come,” which is a request for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven. Now, drenched in sweat, Jesus Himself prays simply for God’s will to be done, even if it means He must drink the cup of suffering that awaits Him in the hours ahead.
We often speak of having faith in Jesus; but we seldom speak of the faith of Jesus, a faith He demonstrated consistently throughout His life and especially at its end. In a moment of agony, Jesus still trusted God, still yielded His will to God, and still approached God as “Father,” placing Himself in the position of a child, in trust—profound, tested, sincere.
39 Once again He left the city as He had been doing during recent days, returning to Mount Olivet along with His disciples. 40 And He came to a certain place.
Jesus: Pray for yourselves, that you will not sink into temptation.
41 He distanced Himself from them about a stone’s throw and knelt there, 42 praying.
Jesus: Father, if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Yet not My will, but Your will, be done.
[43 Then a messenger from heaven appeared to strengthen Him. 44 And in His anguish, He prayed even more intensely, and His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground.][c] 45 When He rose from prayer and returned to the disciples, He found them asleep, weighed down with sorrow. 46 He roused them.
Jesus: Why are you sleeping? Wake up and pray that you will not sink into temptation.
47 Even as He said these words, the sound of a crowd could be heard in the distance, and as the crowd came into view, it was clear that Judas was leading them. He came close to Jesus and gave Jesus the traditional greeting of a kiss.
Jesus: 48 Ah, Judas, is this how you betray the Son of Man—with a kiss?
Disciples (realizing what was going on): 49 Lord, is this why You told us to bring the swords? Should we attack?
50 Before Jesus could answer, one of them had swung his sword at the high priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear.
Jesus: 51 Stop! No more of this!
Then He reached out to touch—and heal—the man’s ear. 52 Jesus turned to the chief priests, the captains of the temple, and the elders and spoke.
Jesus: Do you think I’m some sort of violent criminal? Is that why you came with swords and clubs? 53 I haven’t been hard to find—each day I’ve been in the temple in broad daylight, and you never tried to seize Me there. But this is your time—night—and this is your power—the power of darkness.
54 They grabbed Him at this point and took Him away to the high priest’s home. Peter followed—at a distance. 55 He watched from the shadows as those who had seized Jesus made a fire in the center of the courtyard and sat down around it. Then Peter slipped in quietly and sat with them. 56 But a young servant girl saw his face in the firelight. She stared for a while and then spoke.
Servant Girl: This fellow here was with Jesus. I recognize him.
Peter (denying it): 57 Woman, I don’t even know the man.
58 A little later, a man also recognized him.
Man: I recognize you. You’re one of Jesus’ followers.
Peter: Man, you’re wrong. I’m not.
59 An hour or so passed, and then another person pointed to Peter.
Another Person: This fellow is obviously Galilean. He must be a member of Jesus’ group.
Peter: 60 Look, I have no idea what you’re talking about.
And he hadn’t even finished the sentence when a nearby rooster crowed. 61 The Lord turned toward Peter, and their eyes met. Peter remembered Jesus’ words about his triple denial before the rooster would crow, 62 so he left the courtyard and wept bitter tears.
63 At this point, the men who were holding Jesus began to mock Him and beat Him. 64 They put a blindfold on Him.
Men Holding Jesus: Hey, Prophet! Use Your prophetic powers to tell us who just whacked You!
65 They kept on with this sort of insulting, degrading treatment for quite some time. 66 When dawn had given way to full day, the Sanhedrin council assembled, consisting of religious leaders of the Sadducean party, along with the chief priests and religious scholars. They took Him to their headquarters for interrogation.
Sanhedrin: 67 If you are the Anointed One whom God promised us, tell us plainly.
Jesus: If I give you an answer, you won’t believe it. 68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t answer it. 69 But this I will say to you: from now on, the Son of Man will take His seat at the right hand of the power of God.
Sanhedrin: 70 So You are the Son of God, then?
Jesus: It’s as you say.
Sanhedrin: 71 What more evidence do we need? We’ve heard it with our own ears from His own lips.
Footnotes
- 22:14 Literally, apostles
- 22:37 Isaiah 53:12
- 22:43-44 Some early manuscripts omit these verses.
Luke 22
EasyEnglish Bible
Judas agrees to catch Jesus
22 The Passover festival when the Jews eat flat bread was coming soon.[a]
2 The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law wanted to kill Jesus. They were talking together about how they could do this. It was difficult because they were afraid of the people.
3 Then Satan began to live inside Judas Iscariot. Judas was one of Jesus' 12 apostles. 4 He went to the leaders of the priests and he talked with them. The police that worked at the temple were also there. Judas told them how he could give Jesus to them secretly. 5 They were very happy and they promised to give him some money to do this. 6 So Judas said that he would do it. Then he waited for the right moment to help them to take hold of Jesus. He wanted to do it when the crowd was not there with Jesus.
Jesus eats his last meal with his apostles
7 The day came for Jewish people to eat the meal of flat bread which has no yeast in it. They had to kill a young sheep for the Passover meal on that day. 8 So Jesus said to Peter and John, ‘Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat. Then we can all come and eat it.’ 9 They asked him, ‘Where do you want us to prepare the meal?’
10 Jesus replied, ‘Listen. When you go into the city, a man will meet you. He will be carrying a jar of water. Follow him until he goes into a house. 11 You must then say to the master of that house, “Our Teacher sends this message to you: ‘Where is the room for visitors? I will eat the Passover meal there with my disciples.’ ” 12 The man will then show you a large room upstairs. It will have all that you need in it. Prepare the Passover meal there for us all.’
13 So Peter and John went into the city. They found everything that Jesus had told them about. So they prepared the Passover meal.
14 When it was time to eat the meal, Jesus arrived. He sat down with his apostles to eat it. 15 He said to them, ‘I have wanted very much to eat this Passover meal with you. It has to happen before I die. 16 I tell you this: I will not eat another Passover meal in this world. Now it is a picture. But when God begins to rule in his kingdom, then this meal will become real. I will eat it again then.’
17 Then Jesus took a cup and he thanked God for the wine. ‘Take this cup,’ he said to them. ‘Each of you drink some wine from it. 18 I tell you this. I will not drink wine again until God begins to rule in his kingdom.’
19 Then he took a loaf of bread and he thanked God for it. He broke the bread into pieces and he gave some of it to each of them. He said, ‘This is my body. I am giving it to save you. When you eat this meal from now on, remember me.’[b]
20 After supper, Jesus took a cup of wine and did the same thing. He said to the disciples, ‘This cup shows the new promise that God makes because of my death. When I die, my blood will pour out of my body. I will do that for you. 21 But look! The person who will give me to the rulers is sitting at the table with me. He is eating the same food as I am. 22 The Son of Man must die in the way that God says. But it will be very bad for the man who gives me to my enemies.’
23 The 12 apostles asked each other, ‘Who is the man that would do this thing?’
Jesus tells who is most important
24 Then the apostles began to argue among themselves. They were arguing about which of them seemed to be the most important. 25 Jesus said to them, ‘Kings of other countries use great authority over their people. Leaders of those countries want people to say good things about them. 26 You must not be like that. The most important person among you must become like the least important person. The person who is your leader must become like your servant. 27 Tell me, which person is the more important one? Is it the person who sits at the table to eat? Or is it the servant that puts out the meal for him? Yes, it is the person who sits at the table. But I am here to be your servant.
28 You have never left me. You have been by my side when trouble came to me. 29 So now I tell you that you will rule with me. My Father has said that I will rule with him in his kingdom. I also say to you that you will rule with me. 30 In my kingdom you will sit at my table. You will eat and drink with me. You will sit like kings on thrones. You will judge the people of the 12 tribes of Israel.’
Jesus tells Peter what will happen
31 Jesus then said, ‘Simon, Simon, be careful to listen to me! Satan has asked to have authority over you all. He will shake you as a farmer shakes seeds.[c] 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that you will continue to believe in me. And this is what you must do: When you have turned back to me, you must help your brothers to be strong again.’
33 But Simon replied, ‘Master, I am ready to go to prison with you. I am even ready to die with you!’ 34 Jesus said to him, ‘I tell you this, Peter. Very soon, you will say that you do not know me. You will say that three times before the cockerel sings early tomorrow morning.’
35 Jesus then asked the disciples, ‘When I sent you out without a purse, a bag or shoes, did you need anything?’ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘nothing.’
36 ‘Now it is different,’ he said. ‘If you have a purse or bag, you should take it with you. If you do not have a sword, sell your coat. Use the money to buy one. 37 I tell you this: Long ago people wrote in the Bible what must happen to me. It says, “People will think that he is a wicked person.” And this must happen to me soon, so that it becomes true.’
38 The disciples said, ‘Look, Master, we have two swords here.’ Jesus replied, ‘That is enough.’[d]
Jesus prays on the Mount of Olives
39 Jesus left the city. He went to the Mount of Olives. This is what he usually did. His disciples went with him. 40 When they arrived there he said to them, ‘Ask God to help you, so that you do not want to do wrong things.’
41 Then he went away from them about as far as you can throw a stone. He went down on his knees and he prayed, 42 ‘Father, if you want, you can save me from this time of great pain. But I do not ask you to do what I want. Do what you want to do.’
43 Then an angel came to him from heaven. The angel made him stronger. 44 Jesus began to have troubles in his mind. He prayed again even more strongly. His sweat became like blood and it fell to the ground.[e]
45 Then Jesus finished praying and he stood up again. He returned to the disciples. He saw that they were sleeping. They were very weak and tired because they were so sad. 46 ‘You should not be sleeping,’ he said. ‘Get up and pray! Ask God to help you, so that you do not want to do wrong things.’
The soldiers catch Jesus
47 While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd of people came towards him. Judas led the crowd to that place. He was one of the 12 apostles. He came near to Jesus to kiss him. 48 Jesus said to him, ‘Judas, why do you want to kiss me, the Son of Man? You are helping my enemies to take hold of me!’
49 The people near to Jesus saw what was happening. They asked him, ‘Lord, should we use our swords to fight?’ 50 One of them hit the servant of the leader of the priests. He cut off the servant's right ear. 51 ‘That is enough!’ Jesus said. He then touched the man's ear and made him well again.
52 Then Jesus spoke to the people that had come to take hold of him. They were the leaders of the priests, and the leaders of the police in the temple. Other important Jews were also there. He said to them, ‘You have come here with swords and heavy sticks. Do you really think that I am leading people to fight against our country's rulers? 53 No! But I was with you every day in the yard of the temple. You did not try to take hold of me then. But now really is the time and the place for you to work. Now it is a bad dark time, when the Devil has authority.’
Peter says that he does not know Jesus
54 Then they took hold of Jesus. They took him away and they brought him to the house of the leader of the priests. Peter was following them, but he did not go near Jesus. 55 People lit a fire in the yard of the house and they sat round it. Peter went and he sat with them. 56 A girl who worked there then saw Peter in the light from the fire. She looked carefully at him and she said, ‘This man also was a friend of Jesus.’ 57 Peter replied, ‘Woman, that is not true! I do not even know him.’
58 After a short time, someone else looked at him. ‘You also are one of their group,’ he said. Peter replied, ‘Man, I am not one of them.’
59 After about an hour, another man said, ‘I am sure that this man was a friend of Jesus. He also is from Galilee.’ 60 Peter replied, ‘Man, I do not know what you are talking about.’ While Peter was still speaking, a cockerel sang loudly. 61 Then the Lord Jesus turned round and he looked at Peter. Peter remembered what Jesus had said to him: ‘You will say tonight that you do not know me. You will say it three times before the cockerel sings in the morning.’
62 Then Peter went out of the yard and he wept a lot.
The soldiers laugh at Jesus and they hit him
63 The men that were holding Jesus were laughing at him. They hit him many times. 64 They covered his eyes with a cloth and they said to him, ‘Show us that you are a prophet. Tell us who hit you!’ 65 And they said many other bad things against him.
The Jewish leaders ask Jesus questions
66 When it became day, the Jewish leaders met together. The leaders of the priests and the teachers of God's Law were at the meeting. Then other men brought Jesus to stand in front of them. 67 They asked him, ‘Are you the Messiah? If you are, tell us.’ Jesus replied, ‘If I do tell you, you will not believe me. 68 I could also ask you a question. But if I do that, you will not answer me. 69 But from now on, the Son of Man will be sitting in the most important place. He will be sitting at the right side of the Most Powerful God.’
70 ‘So, are you the Son of God?’ they all said. Jesus replied, ‘You say that I am.’
71 Then they said, ‘We do not need anyone else to speak against this man. We ourselves have heard what he has said about himself.’
Footnotes
- 22:1 ‘Flat bread’ is bread which has no yeast in it. We can read about the Passover meal in Exodus 12.
- 22:19 Most people that obey Christ still meet for this special meal. They remember what Jesus did for them. They eat bread and they drink wine together. They are obeying him when they do that.
- 22:31 The Devil wants to do bad things to those who obey Jesus. He wants them to stop obeying Jesus.
- 22:38 Jesus did not mean that they had enough swords. They had not understood him, so he said, ‘That is enough.’ He meant, ‘We have spoken enough about this.’
- 22:44 ‘Sweat’ is the water that comes through your skin when you are hot. Verses 43 and 44 are not in some old copies of Luke's book.
Copyright © 2000 by United Bible Societies
The Voice Bible Copyright © 2012 Thomas Nelson, Inc. The Voice™ translation © 2012 Ecclesia Bible Society All rights reserved.
EasyEnglish Bible Copyright © MissionAssist 2019 - Charitable Incorporated Organisation 1162807. Used by permission. All rights reserved.