A Plot To Kill Jesus

(Matthew 26.1-5,14,16; Mark 14.1,2,10,11; John 11.45-53)

22 ^(A) The Festival of Thin Bread, also called Passover, was near. ² The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus, because they were afraid of what the people might do. ³ Then Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot,^[a] who was one of the twelve apostles.

⁴ Judas went to talk with the chief priests and the officers of the temple police about how he could help them arrest Jesus. ⁵ They were very pleased and offered to pay Judas some money. ⁶ He agreed and started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus when the crowds were not around.

Jesus Eats with His Disciples

(Matthew 26.17-25; Mark 14.12-21; John 13.21-30)

⁷ The day had come for the Festival of Thin Bread, and it was time to kill the Passover lambs. ⁸ So Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”

⁹ But they asked, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”

¹⁰ Jesus told them, “As you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water.^[b] Follow him into the house ¹¹ and say to the owner, ‘Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’ ¹² The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there.”

¹³ Peter and John left. They found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

The Lord's Supper

(Matthew 26.26-30; Mark 14.22-26; 1 Corinthians 11.23-25)

¹⁴ When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, ¹⁵ he said to them, “I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ I tell you I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God's kingdom.”

¹⁷ Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, “Take this wine and share it with each other. ¹⁸ I tell you that I will not drink any more wine until God's kingdom comes.”

¹⁹ Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!”

^20 (B) After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement. ^21 (C) The one who will betray me is here at the table with me! ²² The Son of Man will die in the way that has been decided for him, but it will be terrible for the one who betrays him!”

²³ Then the apostles started arguing about who would ever do such a thing.

An Argument about Greatness

^24 (D) The apostles got into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. ^25 (E) So Jesus told them:

Foreign kings order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone's friends.^{[c] 26 (F)} But don't be like them. The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant. ^27 (G) Who do people think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn't it the one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant.

²⁸ You have stayed with me in all my troubles. ²⁹ So I will give you the right to rule as kings, just as my Father has given me the right to rule as a king. ^30 (H) You will eat and drink with me in my kingdom, and you will each sit on a throne to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus' Disciples Will Be Tested

(Matthew 26.31-35; Mark 14.27-31; John 13.36-38)

³¹ Jesus said, “Simon, listen to me! Satan has demanded the right to test each one of you, as a farmer does when he separates wheat from the husks.^{[d] 32} But Simon, I have prayed that your faith will be strong. And when you have come back to me, help the others.”

³³ Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to jail and even to die with you.”

³⁴ Jesus replied, “Peter, I tell you that before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don't know me.”

Moneybags, Traveling Bags, and Swords

^35 (I) Jesus asked his disciples, “When I sent you out without a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals, did you need anything?”

“No!” they answered.

³⁶ Jesus told them, “But now, if you have a moneybag, take it with you. Also take a traveling bag, and if you don't have a sword,^[e] sell some of your clothes and buy one. ^37 (J) Do this because the Scriptures say, ‘He was considered a criminal.’ This was written about me, and it will soon come true.”

³⁸ The disciples said, “Lord, here are two swords!”

“Enough of that!” Jesus replied.

Joseph and Potiphar's Wife

39 The Ishmaelites took Joseph to Egypt and sold him to Potiphar, the king's^[a] official in charge of the palace guard. ^2-3 (A) So Joseph lived in the home of Potiphar, his Egyptian owner.

Soon Potiphar realized that the Lord was helping Joseph to be successful in whatever he did. ⁴ Potiphar liked Joseph and made him his personal assistant, putting him in charge of his house and all of his property. ⁵ Because of Joseph, the Lord began to bless Potiphar's family and fields. ⁶ Potiphar left everything up to Joseph, and with Joseph there, the only decision he had to make was what he wanted to eat.

Joseph was well-built and handsome, ^7 (B) and Potiphar's wife soon noticed him. She asked him to make love to her, ⁸ but he refused and said, “My master isn't worried about anything in his house, because he has placed me in charge of everything he owns. ⁹ No one in my master's house is more important than I am. The only thing he hasn't given me is you, and that's because you are his wife. I won't sin against God by doing such a terrible thing as this.” ¹⁰ She kept begging Joseph day after day, but he refused to do what she wanted or even to go near her.

¹¹ One day, Joseph went to Potiphar's house to do his work, and none of the other servants were there. ¹² Potiphar's wife grabbed hold of his coat and said, “Make love to me!” Joseph ran out of the house, leaving his coat there in her hands.

¹³ When this happened, ¹⁴ she called in her servants and said, “Look! This Hebrew has come just to make fools of us. He tried to rape me, but I screamed for help. ¹⁵ And when he heard me scream, he ran out of the house, leaving his coat with me.”

¹⁶ Potiphar's wife kept Joseph's coat until her husband came home. ¹⁷ Then she said, “That Hebrew slave of yours tried to rape me! ¹⁸ But when I screamed for help, he left his coat and ran out of the house.”

¹⁹ Potiphar became very angry ²⁰ and threw Joseph in the same prison where the king's prisoners were kept.

While Joseph was in prison, ^21 (C) the Lord helped him and was good to him. He even made the jailer like Joseph so much that ²² he put him in charge of the other prisoners and of everything that was done in the jail. ²³ The jailer did not worry about anything, because the Lord was with Joseph and made him successful in all that he did.

(A psalm by David for the dedication of the temple.)

A Prayer of Thanks