Book of Common Prayer

¹⁰ The prophets of God long ago told about this way of being saved. They tried to find out about it and asked much about it. They spoke words from God telling about the blessing God would give you.

¹¹ The Spirit of Christ in them showed them that Christ would have troubles and after that he would be great. They tried to find out when these things would happen or how things would be when they did happen.

¹² The Spirit showed them that they told these things not for themselves, but for you. And now the men who told you the good news have told you these same things. They spoke by the power of the Holy Spirit who was sent from heaven. Even the angels wanted very much to know about these things.

¹³ So think clearly. Keep awake. When Jesus Christ comes, he will bring you blessing. Set all your hope on that.

¹⁴ Be children who obey. Do not be like what you were before you knew Christ. Then you did anything you wanted to do.

¹⁵ But be holy in all the things you do. Be holy because the one who has called you is holy.

¹⁶ God says in the holy writings, `You must be holy, because I am holy.'

¹⁷ You call God your Father. He does not think one man is better than another. He judges everyone by what he has done. So then you must fear him as you live your life here on earth.

¹⁸ You know this. You lived the way your fathers taught you to live, and it was not a good way to live. You were bought and set free from that way of life. But you were not bought with silver or gold money, which can spoil.

¹⁹ You were bought with blood that is worth much. It is like the blood of a sheep that is perfect with nothing wrong in its body. You were bought with the blood of Christ.

²⁰ Before the world was made God chose Christ to do it, and Christ came at the end of time for your sake.

³⁶ Simon Peter said to him, `Lord, where are you going?' Jesus answered him, `You cannot go with me where I am going now. Later on you will go with me.'

³⁷ Peter said to him, `Lord, why can I not go with you now? I am willing to die for you.'

³⁸ Jesus answered him, `Will you die for me? I tell you the truth. Before the cock calls, you will say three times that you do not know me.'

³⁸ A man named Joseph, from the town of Arimathea, was a disciple of Jesus. But he did not say so because he was afraid of the leaders of the Jews. After all this had happened, he went to Pilate. He asked him to let him take Jesus' body away. Pilate let him. So he came and took his body.

³⁹ Nicodemus also came. He was the one who had come to Jesus at night. He brought with him a heavy bag of sweet-smelling spices called myrrh and aloes. It was mixed together.

⁴⁰ They wrapped linen cloth around the body of Jesus and put the myrrh and aloes in with the cloth. That is how Jews bury a person.

⁴¹ There was a garden at the place where Jesus was nailed to the cross. In the garden was a new grave cut in the rock. No one had ever been laid in it.

⁴² They laid Jesus' body there because it was the day before the Sabbath day, and the grave was near.