New Testament in a Year
The Plan to Kill Jesus
26 After Jesus finished saying all these things, he told his followers, 2 “You know that the day after tomorrow is the day of the Passover Feast. On that day the Son of Man will be given to his enemies to be killed on a cross.”
3 Then the leading priests and the Jewish elders had a meeting at the palace of the high priest. The high priest’s name was Caiaphas. 4 At the meeting, they planned to set a trap to arrest Jesus and kill him. 5 But they said, “We must not do it during the feast. The people might cause a riot.”
A Woman with Perfume for Jesus
6 Jesus was in Bethany. He was at the house of Simon, who had a harmful skin disease. 7 While Jesus was there, a woman came to him. She had an alabaster jar filled with expensive perfume. She poured this perfume on Jesus’ head while he was eating.
8 His followers saw the woman do this and were upset. They asked, “Why waste that perfume? 9 It could be sold for a great deal of money, and the money could be given to the poor.”
10 But Jesus knew what happened. He said, “Why are you troubling this woman? She did a very beautiful thing for me. 11 You will always have the poor with you. But you will not always have me. 12 This woman poured perfume on my body to prepare me for burial. 13 I tell you the truth. The Good News will be told to people in all the world. And in every place where it is preached, what this woman has done will be told. And people will remember her.”
Judas Becomes an Enemy of Jesus
14 Then 1 of the 12 followers went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named Judas Iscariot. 15 He said, “I will give Jesus to you. What will you pay me for doing this?” The priests gave Judas 30 silver coins. 16 After that, Judas waited for the best time to give Jesus to the priests.
Jesus Eats the Passover Feast
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the followers came to Jesus. They said, “We will prepare everything for you to eat the Passover Feast. Where do you want to have the feast?”
18 Jesus answered, “Go into the city to a certain man. Tell him that the Teacher says, ‘The chosen time is near. I will have the Passover Feast with my followers at your house.’” 19 The followers did what Jesus told them to do, and they prepared the Passover Feast.
20 In the evening Jesus was sitting at the table with his 12 followers. 21 They were all eating. Then Jesus said, “I tell you the truth. One of you 12 will turn against me.”
22 This made the followers very sad. Each one said to Jesus, “Surely, Lord, I am not the one who will turn against you. Am I?”
23 Jesus answered, “The man who has dipped his hand with me into the bowl is the one who will turn against me. 24 The Son of Man will die. The Scriptures say this will happen. But how terrible it will be for the person who gives the Son of Man to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born.”
25 Then Judas said to Jesus, “Teacher, surely I am not the one. Am I?” (Judas is the one who would give Jesus to his enemies.)
Jesus answered, “Yes, it is you.”
The Holy Bible, International Children’s Bible® Copyright© 1986, 1988, 1999, 2015 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission.