Old/New Testament
Preparations for Jesus’ death
26 So this is how it finally happened.
When Jesus had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, 2 “In two days’ time, as you know, it’ll be Passover! That’s when the son of man will be handed over to be crucified.”
3 Then the chief priests got together with the elders of the people, in the official residence of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas. 4 They plotted how to capture Jesus by some trick, and kill him.
5 “We’d better not try anything at the feast,” they said. “We don’t want the people to riot.”
6 While Jesus was at Bethany, in the house of Simon (known as “the Leper”), 7 a woman came to him who had an alabaster vase of extremely valuable ointment. She poured it on his head as he was reclining at the table.
8 When the disciples saw it, they were furious.
“What’s the point of all this waste?” they said. 9 “This could have been sold for a fortune, and the money could have been given to the poor!”
10 Jesus knew what they were thinking.
“Why make life difficult for the woman?” he said. “It’s a lovely thing, what she’s done for me. 11 You always have the poor with you, don’t you? But you won’t always have me. 12 When she poured this ointment on my body, you see, she did it to prepare me for my burial. 13 I’m telling you the truth: wherever this gospel is announced in all the world, what she has just done will be told, and people will remember her.”
Passover and betrayal
14 Then one of the Twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests.
15 “What will you give me,” he said, “to hand him over to you?”
They settled the deal with him at thirty pieces of silver. 16 From that moment on, he was watching for an opportunity to hand him over.
17 On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples said to Jesus, “Where do you want us to get the Passover ready for you to eat it?”
18 “Go into the city,” he said, “to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The teacher says, “My time is very close. I’m going to keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.” ’ ”
19 So the disciples did as Jesus had told them, and got the Passover ready.
20 When evening came, he settled down with the Twelve. 21 As they were eating, he said, “I’m telling you the truth: one of you will betray me.” 22 They were extremely upset, and began to say one by one, “It’s not me, is it, Master?”
23 “It’s one who’s dipped his hand with me in the dish,” Jesus replied. “That’s the one who will betray me. 24 The son of man is on his way, as the Bible said it would happen, but it’s misery for the man who hands him over. It would be better for that man if he’d never been born.”
25 At this, Judas, who was planning to betray him, said, “It isn’t me, is it, Teacher?”
“You’ve just said so,” he replied.
Scripture quotations from The New Testament for Everyone are copyright © Nicholas Thomas Wright 2011, 2018, 2019.