Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Jesus prays for himself
17 After Jesus said this, he looked up to heaven. He said, ‘Father, the time has now arrived. Show everyone how great your Son is. So then I, the Son, can show how great you are. 2 You gave me authority over all people. You did this so that I could give people life for ever. Those are the people that you gave to me. 3 What does it mean for people to live with you for ever? It means that they know you, the one who is the only true God. They also know me, Jesus Christ, the one that you have sent. 4 I have shown people here on the earth how great you are. In that way, I have finished the work that you gave to me to do. 5 So, Father, now that I return to you, show people how great I am. Before the world began, I had great glory with you. Show again that I am great like that.’
Jesus prays for his disciples
6 ‘You gave some people to me who were from this world.[a] I have shown them who you are. They were yours and you gave them to me. They have obeyed your message. 7 Everything that I have comes from you. Now they know that you gave me everything. 8 I gave to them the message that you gave to me. They accepted that message. They know certainly that I came from you. They believe that you sent me.
9 I pray for them. I am not praying for the people who belong to this world. No, I am praying for those people that you have given to me. I am praying for them because they are yours. 10 Everything that I have is yours. And everything that you have is mine. These people have shown how great I am. 11 I will not remain in the world any longer. I will return to you now. But they will still be here in the world. Holy Father, please keep them safe in your name. That is the powerful name that you gave to me. Then they can be united in the same way that you and I are united. 12 While I was with them, I kept them safe in the power of your name. That is the name that you gave to me. I kept them safe so that only one of them turned away from you. That was the man who had to become lost. The Bible already said that it would happen in that way.[b]
13 Now, Father, I will come to you. I am saying these things while I am still in the world. Then these people, my disciples, can be completely happy. I want them to be completely happy in the same way that I am happy. 14 I have given your message to them. The world's people have hated them because they do not belong to the world. They do not belong to the world, in the same way that I do not belong to the world. 15 I am not asking that you will take them out of the world. But I ask you to keep them safe from the Devil. 16 They do not belong to the world, in the same way that I do not belong to the world. 17 Help them to belong completely to you, as they follow the truth. Your message is the truth. 18 I have sent them into the world, in the same way that you sent me into the world. 19 On their behalf I give myself to you, so that I belong completely to you. Then they also can completely belong to you, as they follow the truth.’
Jesus prays for everyone who will believe in him
20 ‘I do not pray only for these people, my disciples. I pray also for those people who will believe in me because of my disciples' message. 21 I pray that all of them will become united. You, Father, are in me and I am in you. I pray that they also will be united in us. Then the world's people will believe that you sent me. 22 I have given to them the same honour that you gave to me. Now they can be united in the same way that you and I are united. 23 I will be in them, and you will be in me, so that they can be completely united. As a result, the world's people will know that you sent me. They will also know that you love my own people as you love me.
24 Father, you have given these people to me. I want them to be with me where I am. Then they will see how great I am. You made me great because you loved me. You loved me even before the world began. 25 Father, you always do what is right. The world's people do not know you, but I know you. These disciples know that you have sent me. 26 I have shown them what you are like. And I will continue to show them what you are like. Then they will love other people, in the same way that you love me. And I myself will be in them.’
Soldiers take Jesus to the leader of the priests
18 When Jesus had finished praying, he and his disciples went out. They went across the Kidron valley. On the other side, there was a garden. Jesus and his disciples went into it. 2 Judas, who sold Jesus to his enemies, knew the garden. He knew the place because Jesus and his disciples had met there often. 3 The leaders of the priests and the Pharisees sent a group of soldiers and some officers with Judas. He led these soldiers and officers to the garden.[c] The soldiers had weapons and they carried lights.
4 Jesus knew everything that would soon happen to him. He went towards them and he asked them, ‘Who are you looking for?’ 5 They answered, ‘Jesus, who comes from Nazareth.’ Jesus said, ‘That is who I am.’
Judas, who sold Jesus to his enemies, was standing there with the soldiers. 6 When Jesus said the words, ‘I am,’ the soldiers quickly moved away from him.[d] They fell down to the ground. 7 So Jesus asked them again, ‘Who are you looking for?’ They said, ‘Jesus, who comes from Nazareth.’ 8 Jesus replied, ‘I have told you already, that is who I am. Since it is me that you are looking for, let these other men go.’ 9 Jesus said this because earlier he had said, ‘I have lost none of those people that you gave to me.’ This made what he had spoken earlier really happen.
10 Simon Peter had a sword. He took hold of it and he attacked the servant of the leader of the priests. He cut off the servant's right ear. The servant's name was Malchus. 11 Then Jesus said to Peter, ‘Put your sword away in its place! My Father has decided what great pain I must have. I will obey him completely.’
12 The group of soldiers, with their captain and the Jewish officers, took hold of Jesus. They tied him with ropes. 13 They led him first to Annas, who was the father of Caiaphas's wife. Caiaphas was the leader of the priests that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had already spoken to the Jewish leaders. He had told them, ‘It is better that one man should die on behalf of the people.’[e]
Peter says that he does not know Jesus
15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple and the leader of the priests knew each other. So that disciple went with Jesus into the yard of the house of the leader of the priests. 16 But Peter stayed outside by the gate. Then the other disciple went out again. He spoke to the girl who was watching at the gate. Then he brought Peter into the yard. 17 The girl who was at the gate asked Peter, ‘Are you another of this man's disciples?’ Peter replied, ‘No, I am not!’
18 It was cold. So the servants and the officers had made a fire. They were standing around it to make themselves warm. Peter went to stand with them, so that he could make himself warm too.
The leader of the priests asks Jesus questions
19 The leader of the priests asked Jesus questions about his disciples. He also asked about what Jesus taught. 20 Jesus answered him, ‘I have always taught in the Jewish meeting places, or at the temple. Those are public places where all the Jews meet together. I have said nothing secretly. 21 So you do not need to ask me these questions. You can ask the people who heard me when I taught them. They know what I said.’
22 When Jesus said this, one of the soldiers hit him on the face. The soldier said, ‘You should not speak to the leader of the priests like that!’ 23 Jesus replied, ‘If I said something wrong, tell us what it is. But if I said something that is true, you should not have hit me.’[f] 24 Then Annas sent Jesus to Caiaphas, the leader of the priests.[g] Jesus still had ropes tied round his arms.
Peter says again that he does not know Jesus
25 Simon Peter was still standing there by the fire to make himself warm. The other people there said to him, ‘You must also be one of that man's disciples.’ But Peter said, ‘No, I am not.’
26 One of the people there was a servant of the leader of the priests. He belonged to the same family as the man whose ear Peter had cut off. This servant said to Peter, ‘I am sure that I saw you in the garden with Jesus.’ 27 Again, Peter said, ‘No, that is not true.’ Immediately a cockerel sang.
Pilate asks Jesus questions
28 The Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas's house to the Roman ruler's big house.[h] It was early in the morning. The Jewish leaders wanted to follow the Jewish rules so that they could eat the Passover meal. They did not go into the ruler's house, because it would have made them unclean.[i]
29 So Pilate, the Roman ruler, went outside to meet them. He asked them, ‘What wrong thing do you say that this man has done?’ 30 They replied, ‘We would not have brought him to you if he had done nothing wrong.’ 31 Pilate said to them, ‘You yourselves take him away. You should judge him by your own laws.’ The Jewish leaders replied, ‘We do not have authority to kill anyone when they have done something bad.’[j] 32 Jesus had already told people how he would die. These things happened to make his words become true.[k]
33 Pilate went back inside his palace. He told Jesus to come and stand in front of him. He asked Jesus, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ 34 Jesus said, ‘Is that your own idea, or have other people spoken to you about me?’ 35 Pilate replied, ‘I am not a Jew, am I? It was your own people and the leaders of your priests who brought you to me. What have you done?’
36 Jesus said, ‘My kingdom does not belong to this world. If it did, my disciples would have fought for me. They would have fought so that the Jewish leaders could not take hold of me. No, my kingdom belongs to another place.’ 37 Pilate said to him, ‘So that means you really are a king!’
Jesus answered, ‘You have said that I am a king! I was born for this reason: I came into the world to tell people the truth about God. Everyone who believes the truth listens to my message.’ 38 Pilate said, ‘I do not know what truth is.’
When Pilate had said that, he went outside again to the Jewish people there. He said to them, ‘I do not see that this man is guilty of anything wrong. I have no reason to punish him. 39 But every year we do something for you Jews. We let one man go free from the prison at the time of your Passover festival. Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?’ 40 They shouted their answer, ‘No, we do not want him! Let Barabbas go free!’ (Barabbas was a man who had attacked people and robbed them.)
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