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Read the Gospels in 40 Days

Read through the four Gospels--Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John--in 40 days.
Duration: 40 days
Expanded Bible (EXB)
Version
John 17-18

Jesus Prays for His Followers

17 After Jesus said these things, he ·looked [L raised his eyes] toward heaven and ·prayed [L said], “Father, the ·time [L hour; C the time of his death and resurrection] has come. ·Give glory to [Glorify; Honor] your Son so that the Son can ·give glory to [glorify; honor] you. You gave the Son ·power [authority] over all ·people [T flesh] so that the Son could give eternal life to all those you gave him. And this is eternal life: that people know you, the only true God, and that they know Jesus Christ, the One you sent. Having ·finished [completed] the work you gave me to do, I ·brought you glory [glorified/honored you] on earth [C by leading people to praise God]. And now, Father, ·give me glory [glorify/honor me] ·with you [or in your presence]; give me the ·glory [honor] I had with you before the world ·was made [existed; began].

“I ·showed what you are like [L revealed your name; C God’s reputation/character] to ·those [L the people] you gave me from the world. They belonged to you, and you gave them to me, and they have ·obeyed your teaching [L kept your word]. Now they know that everything you gave me comes from you. [L Because] I gave them the ·teachings [words; utterances] you gave me, and they ·accepted [received] them. They knew that I truly came from you, and they believed that you sent me. I am ·praying for them [asking on their behalf]. I am not ·praying for [asking on behalf of] people in the world but for those you gave me, because they are yours. 10 ·All I have is yours, and all you have is mine [L All mine are yours and all yours are mine]. And ·my glory is shown [I am glorified] through them. 11 I am coming to you; I will not stay in the world any longer. But they are still in the world. Holy Father, ·keep them safe by the power of [or keep them loyal to] your name, the name you gave me, so that they will be one, just as you and I are one. 12 While I was with them, I kept them safe by the power of [or kept them loyal to] your name, the name you gave me. I ·protected [guarded] them, and only one of them, the ·one worthy of destruction [L son of destruction/perdition; C Judas], was lost so that the Scripture would ·come true [L be fulfilled; Ps. 41:9].

13 “I am coming to you now. But I ·pray [L say] these things while I am still in the world so that ·these followers [these disciples; L they] can have all of my joy [ L made complete; fulfilled] in them. 14 I have given them your ·teaching [word]. And the world has hated them, because they don’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world. 15 I am not asking you to take them out of the world but to ·keep them safe [protect them] from the ·Evil One [or evil; C the Evil One is the Devil]. 16 They don’t belong to the world, just as I don’t belong to the world. 17 ·Make them ready for your service [Sanctify them; Consecrate them; C setting them apart for service] through your truth; your ·teaching [word] is truth. 18 I have sent them into the world, just as you sent me into the world. 19 For their sake, I am ·making myself ready to serve [sanctifying/consecrating myself] so that they can be ·ready for their service of [sanctified/consecrated by] the truth.

20 “I ·pray for these followers [L ask not only for these], but I am also ·praying [L asking] for all those who will believe in me because of their ·teaching [message; proclamation; L word]. 21 Father, I ·pray [L ask] that they can be one. As you are in me and I am in you, I ·pray [L ask] that they can also be ·one in us [L in us]. Then the world will believe that you sent me. 22 I have given these people the ·glory [honor] that you gave me so that they can be one, just as you and I are one. 23 ·I will be in them and you will be in me [L I in them and you in me] so that they will be ·completely one [in perfect unity]. ·Then […so that] the world will know that you sent me and that you loved them just as much as you loved me.

24 “Father, I want these people that you gave me to be with me where I am. ·I want them to […so that they may] see my ·glory [honor], which you gave me because you loved me before the ·world was made [foundation/creation of the world]. 25 ·Father, you are the One who is good [L Righteous Father,…]. The world does not know you, but I know you, and these people know you sent me. 26 I ·showed [made known to] them ·what you are like [L your name; 14:13], and I will ·show them again [continue to make it known]. ·Then […so that] they will have the same love that you have for me, and I will ·live [be] in them.”

Jesus Is Arrested(A)

18 When Jesus finished ·praying [L saying these things], he went with his ·followers [disciples] across the Kidron Valley [C a deep wadi or ravine separating Jerusalem on the east from the Mount of Olives]. On the other side there was a garden [or grove; C Gethsemane; Matt. 26:36; Mark 14:32], and Jesus and his ·followers [disciples] went into it.

Judas knew where this place was, because Jesus met there often with his ·followers [disciples]. Judas was the one who ·turned against [betrayed] Jesus. So Judas came there with a group of soldiers [C Roman] and some guards [C Jewish temple police] from the ·leading [T chief] priests and the Pharisees. They were carrying torches, lanterns, and weapons.

Knowing everything that would happen to him, Jesus went out and asked, “Who is it you are looking for?”

They answered him, “Jesus ·from Nazareth [L the Nazarene].”

“·I am he [L I am; C this may be an allusion to God’s (Yahweh’s) self identification as “I AM” in Ex. 3:14 or to God’s repeated claim that “I am he” throughout Is. 40—55; see John 8:24, 28, 58],” Jesus said. (Judas, the one who ·turned against [betrayed] Jesus, was standing there with them.) When Jesus said, “·I am he [L I am; see 18:5],” they moved back and fell to the ground.

Jesus asked them again, “Who is it you are looking for?”

They said, “Jesus ·of Nazareth [L the Nazarene].”

“I told you that I am he [see 18:5],” Jesus ·said [answered]. “So if you are looking for me, let the others go.” This happened so that the words Jesus said before would ·come true [L be fulfilled]: “I have not lost any of the ones you gave me [6:39; 17:12].”

10 [L Then] Simon Peter, who had a sword, pulled it out and struck the ·servant [slave; bond-servant] of the high priest, cutting off his right ear. (The ·servant’s [slave’s; bond-servant’s] name was Malchus.) 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back [L into its sheath]. Shouldn’t I drink the cup the Father gave me?” [C The prophets spoke of a cup of judgment; by dying on the cross Jesus drinks it on our behalf; Jer. 25:15–29.]

Jesus Is Brought Before Annas

12 Then the soldiers [C Roman] with their commander and the guards [C Jewish temple police] arrested Jesus. They tied him 13 and led him first to Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who ·told [advised; counseled] the Jews that it would be better if one man died ·for [on behalf of] all the people.

Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus(B)

15 Simon Peter and another one of Jesus’ ·followers [disciples] ·went along after [followed] Jesus. This ·follower [disciple] knew the high priest, so he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard. 16 But Peter waited outside near the ·door [gate]. The ·follower [disciple] who knew the high priest came back outside, spoke to the ·girl at the door [gatekeeper; doorkeeper], and brought Peter inside. 17 The ·girl at the door [gatekeeper; doorkeeper] said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of that man’s ·followers [disciples]?”

Peter answered, “No, I am not!”

18 It was cold, so the ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] and guards [temple police] had built a [charcoal] fire and were standing around it, warming themselves. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.

The High Priest Questions Jesus

19 The high priest asked Jesus questions about his ·followers [disciples] and his teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken ·openly [publicly] to ·everyone [L the world]. I have always taught in synagogues and in the Temple, where all the Jews come together. I never said anything in secret. 21 So why do you question me? Ask the people who heard ·my teaching [L what I said to them]. They know what I said.”

22 When Jesus said this, one of the ·guards [officials; temple police] standing there ·hit [slapped] him. The ·guard [official; temple policeman] said, “Is that the way you answer the high priest?”

23 Jesus answered him, “If I said something wrong, then ·show [testify to; witness to] what it was. But if what I said is ·true [right], why do you hit me?”

24 Then Annas sent Jesus, who was still tied, to Caiaphas the high priest.

Peter Says Again He Doesn’t Know Jesus(C)

25 As Simon Peter was standing and warming himself, they said to him, “Aren’t you one of that man’s ·followers [disciples]?”

Peter ·said it was not true [denied it]; he said, “No, I am not.”

26 One of the ·servants [slaves; bond-servants] of the high priest was there. This servant was a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off [see 18:10]. The servant said, “Didn’t I see you with him in the ·garden [grove]?”

27 Again Peter ·said it wasn’t true [denied it]. At once ·a rooster [T the cock] crowed.

Jesus Is Brought Before Pilate(D)

28 Early in the morning they [C the Jewish leaders] led Jesus from Caiaphas’s house to the ·Roman governor’s palace [or governor’s headquarters; L Praetorium]. They would not go inside the ·palace [L Praetorium], because they did not want to make themselves ·unclean [C according to early Jewish sources a Jew who entered the house of a Gentile would become ritually unclean]; they wanted to eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate [C Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea from ad 26 to 37] went outside to them and asked, “What ·charges [accusation] do you bring against this man?”

30 They answered, “If he were not a ·criminal [L evildoer], we wouldn’t have brought him to you.”

31 Pilate said to them, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”

“But ·we are not allowed [it is not legal for us] to put anyone to death,” the Jews answered. [C The Jewish people had to concede the authority for capital punishment to their Roman occupiers.] 32 (This happened so that what Jesus said about how he would die [C by crucifixion rather than stoning] would ·come true [L be fulfilled; see 12:32–33].)

33 Then Pilate went back inside the ·palace [headquarters; L Praetorium] and called Jesus to him and asked, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

34 Jesus ·said [answered], “Is that your own question, or did others tell you about me?”

35 Pilate answered, “·I am not one of you [L Am I a Jew?]. It was your own ·people [nation] and their ·leading [T chief] priests who ·handed you over [or betrayed you] to me. What have you done wrong?”

36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom ·does not belong to [T is not of] this world. If it belonged to this world, my servants would have fought to keep me from being ·given over [betrayed; handed over] to the ·Jewish leaders [L Jews]. But my kingdom is from another place.”

37 Pilate said, “So you are a king!”

Jesus answered, “You are the one saying I am a king. This is why I was born and came into the world: to ·tell people [testify/witness to] the truth. And everyone ·who belongs to the [on the side of] truth ·listens to me [L hears my voice].”

38 Pilate said, “What is truth?” After he said this, he went out to the ·crowd [L Jews] again and said to them, “I find ·nothing [no case; no basis for a charge] against this man. 39 But it is your custom that I ·free [release] one prisoner to you at Passover time. Do you want me to ·free [release] the ‘king of the Jews’?”

40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Let Barabbas ·go free [be released]!” (Barabbas was a ·robber [bandit; revolutionary; terrorist; C the Romans referred to insurrectionists as “robbers” or “criminals”].)

Expanded Bible (EXB)

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