The Plot to Kill Jesus

22 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was near.^{(A) 2} The chief priests and the scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus^[a] to death, for they were afraid of the people.^(B)

³ Then Satan entered into Judas called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve;^{(C) 4} he went away and conferred with the chief priests and officers of the temple police about how he might betray him to them. ⁵ They were greatly pleased and agreed to give him money.^{(D) 6} So he consented and began to look for an opportunity to betray him to them when no crowd was present.

The Preparation of the Passover

⁷ Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover lamb had to be sacrificed.^{(E) 8} So Jesus^[b] sent Peter and John, saying, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us that we may eat it.”^{(F) 9} They asked him, “Where do you want us to make preparations for it?” ¹⁰ “Listen,” he said to them, “when you have entered the city, a man carrying a jar of water will meet you; follow him into the house he enters ¹¹ and say to the owner of the house, ‘The teacher asks you, “Where is the guest room, where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?” ’ ¹² He will show you a large room upstairs, already furnished. Make preparations for us there.” ¹³ So they went and found everything as he had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.