Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Jesus Predicts the Destruction of the Temple(A)
13 While Jesus[a] was leaving the Temple, one of his disciples told him, “Look, Teacher! What stones! And what buildings!”
2 “Do you see these large buildings?” Jesus responded. “Not even a single stone here will be left on top of another that won’t be demolished.”
Cults, Revolutions, Famines, and Earthquakes(B)
3 As Jesus[b] was sitting on the Mount of Olives facing the Temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew were asking him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what is to be the sign when these things will be put into effect?”
5 Jesus began by telling them, “See to it that no one deceives you. 6 Many will come in my name, proclaiming, ‘I AM,’ and they will deceive many people.[c] 7 But when you hear of wars and rumors of wars, don’t panic. These things must take place, but the end won’t have come yet, 8 because nation will rise up in arms against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Furthermore, there will be earthquakes and famines in various places. These things are only a beginning of agonies.”
Future Persecution and Evangelism(C)
9 “As for yourselves, be on your guard! People[d] will hand you over to local councils, and you will be beaten in their synagogues. You will stand before governors and kings in order to testify to them because of me. 10 But first, the gospel must be proclaimed to all nations.[e] 11 When they take you away and hand you over for trial, don’t worry ahead of time about what you will say. Instead, say whatever is given to you at that time, because it won’t be you speaking, but the Holy Spirit. 12 Brother will betray brother to death, and a father his child. Children will rebel against their parents and have them put to death. 13 You will be hated continuously by everyone on account of my name. But the person who endures to the end will be saved.”
Signs of the End(D)
14 “So when you see the destructive desecration standing where it should not be (let the reader take note),[f] then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains. 15 Anyone who’s on his housetop must not come down and go into his house to take anything out of it, 16 and the one who’s in the field must not turn back to get his coat.
17 “How terrible it will be for women who are pregnant or who are nursing babies in those days! 18 Pray that it may not be in winter, 19 because those days will be a time of suffering,[g] a kind that has not happened from the beginning of creation—which God himself created—until now, and certainly will never happen again. 20 If the Lord had not shortened those days, no one[h] would survive. But for the sake of the elect whom he has chosen, he has shortened those days.
21 “At that time, if anyone says to you, ‘Look here! The Messiah!’,[i] or, ‘Look there!’ don’t believe it, 22 because false messiahs[j] and false prophets will have arisen and will produce signs and omens intending to deceive, if possible, the elect. 23 So be on your guard! I’ve told you everything beforehand.”
The Coming of the Son of Man(E)
24 “But after the troubles[k] of those days,
‘The sun will be darkened,
the moon will not reflect its light,
25 the stars will be falling out of the sky,
and the powers that are in the heavens will be disrupted.’[l]
26 Then people[m] will see ‘the Son of Man coming in clouds’[n] with great power and glory. 27 He’ll send out the angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the most remote part of earth to the most remote part of heaven.”
The Lesson from the Fig Tree(F)
28 “Now learn a lesson[o] from the fig tree. When its branches become tender and it produces leaves, you know that summer is approaching. 29 In the same way, when you see these things taking place, you will know that the Son of Man[p] is near, right at the door. 30 I tell all of you[q] with certainty, this generation won’t disappear until all these things take place. 31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.”
The Unknown Day and Hour of the Messiah’s Return(G)
32 “No one knows when that day or hour will come[r]—neither the angels in heaven nor the Son, but only the Father. 33 Be careful! Watch out! Because you don’t know when the time will come. 34 It’s like a man who went on a trip. As he left home, he put his servants in charge, each with his own work, and he ordered the doorkeeper to be alert. 35 So keep on watching, because you don’t know when the master of the house is coming—whether in the middle of the night, at the time the cock crows,[s] or at daybreak. 36 Otherwise, he may come suddenly and find you asleep. 37 I’m telling you what I’m telling everyone: Be alert!”
The Plot to Kill Jesus(H)
14 Now it was two days before the Passover and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The high priests and the scribes were looking for a way to arrest Jesus secretly and to have him put to death, 2 because they kept saying, “This must not happen during the festival. Otherwise, there’ll be a riot among the people.”
A Woman Anoints Jesus(I)
3 While Jesus[t] was in Bethany sitting at the table in the home of Simon the leper, a woman arrived with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume made from pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume on his head. 4 Irritated, some who were there asked one another, “Why was the perfume wasted like this? 5 This perfume could have been sold for more than 300 denarii[u] and the money[v] given to the destitute.” So they got extremely angry with her.
6 But Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me, 7 because you’ll always have the destitute with you and can help them whenever you want, but you won’t always have me. 8 She has done what she could. She poured perfume on my body in preparation for my burial. 9 I tell all of you[w] with certainty, wherever the gospel is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus(J)
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the high priests to betray Jesus[x] to them. 11 After they had listened to him,[y] they were delighted and promised to give him money. So he began to look for a good opportunity to betray him.
The Passover with the Disciples(K)
12 On the first day of the Festival[z] of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’[aa] disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?”
13 He sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and you will meet a man carrying a jug of water. Follow him. 14 When he goes into a house,[ab] say to its owner that the Teacher asks, ‘Where is my room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ 15 Then he will show you a large upstairs room that is furnished and ready. Get everything ready for us there.” 16 So the disciples left and went into the city. They found everything just as Jesus[ac] had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
17 When evening came, Jesus[ad] arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were at the table eating, Jesus said, “I tell all of you[ae] with certainty, one of you is going to betray me, one who is eating with me.”
19 They began to be very sad and asked him, one after the other, “Surely I am not the one, am I?”
20 He told them, “It’s one of you Twelve, the one who is dipping his bread into the bowl with me. 21 For the Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him, but how terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born.”
The Lord’s Supper(L)
22 While they were eating, Jesus[af] took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to them, saying, “Take some. This is my body.” 23 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24 He told them, “This is my blood of the covenant that is being poured out for many people. 25 I tell all of you[ag] with certainty, I’ll never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(M)
27 Then Jesus told them, “All of you will turn against me, because it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be scattered.’[ah]
28 However, after I’ve been raised, I’ll go to Galilee ahead of you.”
29 But Peter told him, “Even if everyone else turns against you, I certainly won’t.”
30 Jesus told him, “I tell you[ai] with certainty, today, this very night, before a rooster crows twice, you’ll deny me three times.”
31 But Peter[aj] kept saying emphatically, “Even if I have to die with you, I’ll never deny you!” And all the others kept saying the same thing.
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane(N)
32 Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and he told his disciples, “Sit down here while I pray.” 33 He took Peter, James, and John along with him, and he began to feel distressed and troubled. 34 So he told them, “I’m deeply grieved, even to the point of death. Wait here and stay awake.”
35 Going on a little farther, he fell to the ground and kept praying that if it were possible the hour might pass from him. 36 He kept repeating, “Abba![ak] Father! All things are possible for you. Take this cup away from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”
37 When he went back, he found his disciples[al] asleep. “Simon, are you asleep?” he asked Peter. “You couldn’t stay awake for one hour, could you? 38 All of you must stay awake and pray that you won’t be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body[am] is weak.”
39 He went away again and prayed the same prayer as before.[an] 40 Again he came back and found them asleep, because they could not keep their eyes open. They didn’t even know what they should say to him.
41 He came back a third time. “Are you still sleeping and resting?”[ao] he asked. “Enough of that! The time has come. Look! The Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42 Get up! Let’s go! See, the one who is betraying me is near!”
Jesus is Arrested(O)
43 Just then, while Jesus[ap] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. A crowd armed with swords and clubs was with him. They were from the high priests, the scribes, and the elders. 44 Now the betrayer personally had given them a signal, saying, “The one I kiss[aq] is the man. Arrest him, and lead him safely away.” 45 So Judas[ar] immediately went up to Jesus[as] and said, “Rabbi,”[at] and kissed him tenderly.
46 Then the men[au] took hold of Jesus[av] and arrested him. 47 But one of those standing there drew his sword and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. 48 Jesus asked them, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a bandit?[aw] 49 Day after day I was with you in the Temple teaching, yet you didn’t arrest me. But the Scriptures must be fulfilled.” 50 Then all the disciples[ax] deserted Jesus[ay] and ran away.
The Young Man who Ran Away
51 A certain young man, who was wearing nothing but a linen sheet, was following Jesus.[az] When the men[ba] grabbed him, 52 he left the linen sheet behind and ran away naked.
Jesus is Tried before the High Priest(P)
53 Then they took Jesus to the high priest. All the high priests, elders, and scribes had gathered together. 54 Peter followed Jesus[bb] at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard. He was sitting with the servants and warming himself at the fire. 55 Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council[bc] were looking for some testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death, but they couldn’t find any. 56 Although many people gave false testimony against him, their testimony didn’t agree.
57 Then some men stood up and gave false testimony against him, saying, 58 “We ourselves heard him say, ‘I will destroy this sanctuary made by human[bd] hands, and in three days I will build another one not made by human[be] hands.’” 59 But even on this point their testimony didn’t agree.
60 Then the high priest stood up before them[bf] and asked Jesus, “Don’t you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 61 But he kept silent and didn’t answer at all. The high priest asked him again, “Are you the Messiah,[bg] the Son of the Blessed One?”
62 Jesus said, “I AM, and
‘you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power’[bh]
and ‘coming with the clouds of heaven.’”[bi]
63 Then the high priest tore his clothes. “Why do we still need witnesses?” he asked. 64 “You have heard his blasphemy! What is your verdict?” All of them condemned him as deserving death.
65 Some of them began to spit on him. They blindfolded him and kept hitting him with their fists and telling him, “Prophesy!” Even the servants took him and slapped him around.
Peter Denies Jesus(Q)
66 While Peter was down in the courtyard, one of the high priest’s servant girls came by. 67 When she saw Peter warming himself, she glared at him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus from Nazareth.”
68 But he denied it, saying, “I don’t know—or even understand—what you’re talking about!” Then he went out into the entryway. Just then a rooster crowed.[bj]
69 The servant girl saw him and again told those who were standing around, “This man is one of them!” 70 Again he denied it.
After a little while, the people who were standing there began to say to Peter again, “Obviously you’re one of them, because you are a Galilean!”
71 Then he began to invoke a divine curse and to swear with an oath, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!” 72 Just then a rooster crowed a second time.
Peter remembered that Jesus told him, “Before a rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” Then he broke down and cried.
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