Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)

Thanksgiving for Victory

Jesus Enters Jerusalem as a King

11 As Jesus and his followers were coming closer to Jerusalem, they came to the towns of Bethphage and Bethany near the Mount of Olives. From there Jesus sent two of his followers ² and said to them, “Go to the town you can see there. When you enter it, you will quickly find a colt tied, which no one has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here to me. ³ If anyone asks you why you are doing this, tell him its Master needs the colt, and he will send it at once.”

⁴ The followers went into the town, found a colt tied in the street near the door of a house, and untied it. ⁵ Some people were standing there and asked, “What are you doing? Why are you untying that colt?” ⁶ The followers answered the way Jesus told them to answer, and the people let them take the colt.

⁷ They brought the colt to Jesus and put their coats on it, and Jesus sat on it. ⁸ Many people spread their coats on the road. Others cut branches in the fields and spread them on the road. ⁹ The people were walking ahead of Jesus and behind him, shouting,

¹¹ Jesus entered Jerusalem and went into the Temple. After he had looked at everything, since it was already late, he went out to Bethany with the twelve apostles.

Jesus Enters Jerusalem

¹² The next day a great crowd who had come to Jerusalem for the Passover Feast heard that Jesus was coming there. ¹³ So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet Jesus, shouting,

¹⁴ Jesus found a colt and sat on it. This was as the Scripture says,

¹⁶ The followers of Jesus did not understand this at first. But after Jesus was raised to glory, they remembered that this had been written about him and that they had done these things to him.

God’s Servant Obeys

Be Unselfish Like Christ

⁵ In your lives you must think and act like Christ Jesus.

The Plan to Kill Jesus

14 It was now only two days before the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a trick to arrest Jesus and kill him. ² But they said, “We must not do it during the feast, because the people might cause a riot.”

A Woman with Perfume for Jesus

³ Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon, who had a skin disease. While Jesus was eating there, a woman approached him with an alabaster jar filled with very expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus’ head.

⁴ Some who were there became upset and said to each other, “Why waste that perfume? ⁵ It was worth a full year’s work. It could have been sold and the money given to the poor.” And they got very angry with the woman.

⁶ Jesus said, “Leave her alone. Why are you troubling her? She did an excellent thing for me. ⁷ You will always have the poor with you, and you can help them anytime you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸ This woman did the only thing she could do for me; she poured perfume on my body to prepare me for burial. ⁹ I tell you the truth, wherever the Good News is preached in all the world, what this woman has done will be told, and people will remember her.”

Judas Becomes an Enemy of Jesus

¹⁰ One of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, went to talk to the leading priests to offer to hand Jesus over to them. ¹¹ These priests were pleased about this and promised to pay Judas money. So he watched for the best time to turn Jesus in.

Jesus Eats the Passover Meal

¹² It was now the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. Jesus’ followers said to him, “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover meal?”

¹³ Jesus sent two of his followers and said to them, “Go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ When he goes into a house, tell the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher says: “Where is my guest room in which I can eat the Passover meal with my followers?”’ ¹⁵ The owner will show you a large room upstairs that is furnished and ready. Prepare the food for us there.”

¹⁶ So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened as Jesus had said, so they prepared the Passover meal.

¹⁷ In the evening, Jesus went to that house with the twelve. ¹⁸ While they were all eating, Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will turn against me—one of you eating with me now.”

¹⁹ The followers were very sad to hear this. Each one began to say to Jesus, “I am not the one, am I?”

²⁰ Jesus answered, “It is one of the twelve—the one who dips his bread into the bowl with me. ²¹ The Son of Man will die, just as the Scriptures say. But how terrible it will be for the person who hands the Son of Man over to be killed. It would be better for him if he had never been born.”

The Lord’s Supper

²² While they were eating, Jesus took some bread and thanked God for it and broke it. Then he gave it to his followers and said, “Take it; this is my body.”

²³ Then Jesus took a cup and thanked God for it and gave it to the followers, and they all drank from the cup.

²⁴ Then Jesus said, “This is my blood which is the new^[a] agreement that God makes with his people. This blood is poured out for many. ²⁵ I tell you the truth, I will not drink of this fruit of the vine^[b] again 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’ Followers Will Leave Him

²⁷ Then Jesus told the followers, “You will all stumble in your faith, because it is written in the Scriptures:

²⁸ But after I rise from the dead, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.”

²⁹ Peter said, “Everyone else may stumble in their faith, but I will not.”

³⁰ Jesus answered, “I tell you the truth, tonight before the rooster crows twice you will say three times you don’t know me.”

³¹ But Peter insisted, “I will never say that I don’t know you! I will even die with you!” And all the other followers said the same thing.

Jesus Prays Alone

³² Jesus and his followers went to a place called Gethsemane. He said to them, “Sit here while I pray.” ³³ Jesus took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be very sad and troubled. ³⁴ He said to them, “My heart is full of sorrow, to the point of death. Stay here and watch.”

³⁵ After walking a little farther away from them, Jesus fell to the ground and prayed that, if possible, he would not have this time of suffering. ³⁶ He prayed, “Abba,^[c] Father! You can do all things. Take away this cup^[d] of suffering. But do what you want, not what I want.”

³⁷ Then Jesus went back to his followers and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you sleeping? Couldn’t you stay awake with me for one hour? ³⁸ Stay awake and pray for strength against temptation. The spirit wants to do what is right, but the body is weak.”

³⁹ Again Jesus went away and prayed the same thing. ⁴⁰ Then he went back to his followers, and again he found them asleep, because their eyes were very heavy. And they did not know what to say to him.

⁴¹ After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That’s enough. The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to sinful people. ⁴² Get up, we must go. Look, here comes the man who has turned against me.”

Jesus Is Arrested

⁴³ At once, while Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles, came up. With him were many people carrying swords and clubs who had been sent from the leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders.

⁴⁴ Judas had planned a signal for them, saying, “The man I kiss is Jesus. Arrest him and guard him while you lead him away.” ⁴⁵ So Judas went straight to Jesus and said, “Teacher!” and kissed him. ⁴⁶ Then the people grabbed Jesus and arrested him. ⁴⁷ One of his followers standing nearby pulled out his sword and struck the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

⁴⁸ Then Jesus said, “You came to get me with swords and clubs as if I were a criminal. ⁴⁹ Every day I was with you teaching in the Temple, and you did not arrest me there. But all these things have happened to make the Scriptures come true.” ⁵⁰ Then all of Jesus’ followers left him and ran away.

⁵¹ A young man, wearing only a linen cloth, was following Jesus, and the people also grabbed him. ⁵² But the cloth he was wearing came off, and he ran away naked.

Jesus Before the Leaders

⁵³ The people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of the high priest, where all the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law were gathered. ⁵⁴ Peter followed far behind and entered the courtyard of the high priest’s house. There he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire.

⁵⁵ The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something that Jesus had done wrong so they could kill him. But the council could find no proof of anything. ⁵⁶ Many people came and told false things about him, but all said different things—none of them agreed.

⁵⁷ Then some people stood up and lied about Jesus, saying, ⁵⁸ “We heard this man say, ‘I will destroy this Temple that people made. And three days later, I will build another Temple not made by people.’” ⁵⁹ But even the things these people said did not agree.

⁶⁰ Then the high priest stood before them and asked Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?” ⁶¹ But Jesus said nothing; he did not answer.

The high priest asked Jesus another question: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the blessed God?”

⁶² Jesus answered, “I am. And in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.”

⁶³ When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes and said, “We don’t need any more witnesses! ⁶⁴ You all heard him say these things against God. What do you think?”

They all said that Jesus was guilty and should die. ⁶⁵ Some of the people there began to spit at Jesus. They blindfolded him and beat him with their fists and said, “Prove you are a prophet!” Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.

Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus

⁶⁶ While Peter was in the courtyard, a servant girl of the high priest came there. ⁶⁷ She saw Peter warming himself at the fire and looked closely at him.

Then she said, “You also were with Jesus, that man from Nazareth.”

⁶⁸ But Peter said that he was never with Jesus. He said, “I don’t know or understand what you are talking about.” Then Peter left and went toward the entrance of the courtyard. And the rooster crowed.^[e]

⁶⁹ The servant girl saw Peter there, and again she said to the people who were standing nearby, “This man is one of those who followed Jesus.” ⁷⁰ Again Peter said that it was not true.

A short time later, some people were standing near Peter saying, “Surely you are one of those who followed Jesus, because you are from Galilee, too.”

⁷¹ Then Peter began to place a curse on himself and swear, “I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”

⁷² At once, the rooster crowed the second time. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” Then Peter lost control of himself and began to cry.

Pilate Questions Jesus

15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the elders, the teachers of the law, and all the Jewish council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.

² Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Those are your words.”

³ The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. ⁴ So Pilate asked Jesus another question, “You can see that they are accusing you of many things. Aren’t you going to answer?”

⁵ But Jesus still said nothing, so Pilate was very surprised.

Pilate Tries to Free Jesus

⁶ Every year at the time of the Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. ⁷ At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison who was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot. ⁸ The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to free a prisoner as he always did.

⁹ So Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” ¹⁰ Pilate knew that the leading priests had turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous. ¹¹ But the leading priests had persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.

¹² Then Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

¹³ They shouted, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴ Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”

But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he freed Barabbas for them. After having Jesus beaten with whips, he handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified.

¹⁶ The soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium) and called all the other soldiers together. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on Jesus and used thorny branches to make a crown for his head. ¹⁸ They began to call out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They spit on him and made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him. ²⁰ After they finished, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified

²¹ A man named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming from the fields to the city. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. ²² They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. ²³ The soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he refused. ²⁴ The soldiers crucified Jesus and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing lots to decide what each soldier would get.

²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Jesus. ²⁶ There was a sign with this charge against Jesus written on it: the king of the jews. ²⁷ They also put two robbers on crosses beside Jesus, one on the right, and the other on the left. [²⁸ And the Scripture came true that says, “They put him with criminals.”]^{[f] 29} People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads, saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. ³⁰ So save yourself! Come down from that cross!”

³¹ The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also making fun of Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself. ³² If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross. When we see this, we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.

Jesus Dies

³³ At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

³⁵ When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone there ran and got a sponge, filled it with vinegar, tied it to a stick, and gave it to Jesus to drink. He said, “We want to see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”

³⁷ Then Jesus cried in a loud voice and died.

³⁸ The curtain in the Temple^[g] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. ³⁹ When the army officer who was standing in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died,^[h] he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching; among them were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) ⁴¹ These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and helped him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

⁴² This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) That evening, ⁴³ Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph, an important member of the Jewish council, was one of the people who was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. ⁴⁴ Pilate was amazed that Jesus would have already died, so he called the army officer who had guarded Jesus and asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ The officer told Pilate that he was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross, and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. Then he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw the place where Jesus was laid.

Pilate Questions Jesus

15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the elders, the teachers of the law, and all the Jewish council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.

² Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

Jesus answered, “Those are your words.”

³ The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. ⁴ So Pilate asked Jesus another question, “You can see that they are accusing you of many things. Aren’t you going to answer?”

⁵ But Jesus still said nothing, so Pilate was very surprised.

Pilate Tries to Free Jesus

⁶ Every year at the time of the Passover the governor would free one prisoner whom the people chose. ⁷ At that time, there was a man named Barabbas in prison who was a rebel and had committed murder during a riot. ⁸ The crowd came to Pilate and began to ask him to free a prisoner as he always did.

⁹ So Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” ¹⁰ Pilate knew that the leading priests had turned Jesus in to him because they were jealous. ¹¹ But the leading priests had persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.

¹² Then Pilate asked the crowd again, “So what should I do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”

¹³ They shouted, “Crucify him!”

¹⁴ Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”

But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”

¹⁵ Pilate wanted to please the crowd, so he freed Barabbas for them. After having Jesus beaten with whips, he handed Jesus over to the soldiers to be crucified.

¹⁶ The soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium) and called all the other soldiers together. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on Jesus and used thorny branches to make a crown for his head. ¹⁸ They began to call out to him, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ¹⁹ The soldiers beat Jesus on the head many times with a stick. They spit on him and made fun of him by bowing on their knees and worshiping him. ²⁰ After they finished, the soldiers took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be crucified.

Jesus Is Crucified

²¹ A man named Simon from Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was coming from the fields to the city. The soldiers forced Simon to carry the cross for Jesus. ²² They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. ²³ The soldiers tried to give Jesus wine mixed with myrrh to drink, but he refused. ²⁴ The soldiers crucified Jesus and divided his clothes among themselves, throwing lots to decide what each soldier would get.

²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified Jesus. ²⁶ There was a sign with this charge against Jesus written on it: the king of the jews. ²⁷ They also put two robbers on crosses beside Jesus, one on the right, and the other on the left. [²⁸ And the Scripture came true that says, “They put him with criminals.”]^{[a] 29} People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook their heads, saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. ³⁰ So save yourself! Come down from that cross!”

³¹ The leading priests and the teachers of the law were also making fun of Jesus. They said to each other, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself. ³² If he is really the Christ, the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross. When we see this, we will believe in him.” The robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also insulted him.

Jesus Dies

³³ At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three hours. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus cried in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

³⁵ When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”

³⁶ Someone there ran and got a sponge, filled it with vinegar, tied it to a stick, and gave it to Jesus to drink. He said, “We want to see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”

³⁷ Then Jesus cried in a loud voice and died.

³⁸ The curtain in the Temple^[b] was torn into two pieces, from the top to the bottom. ³⁹ When the army officer who was standing in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died,^[c] he said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching; among them were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. (James was her youngest son.) ⁴¹ These women had followed Jesus in Galilee and helped him. Many other women were also there who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem.

Jesus Is Buried

⁴² This was Preparation Day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) That evening, ⁴³ Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph, an important member of the Jewish council, was one of the people who was waiting for the kingdom of God to come. ⁴⁴ Pilate was amazed that Jesus would have already died, so he called the army officer who had guarded Jesus and asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ The officer told Pilate that he was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body. ⁴⁶ Joseph bought some linen cloth, took the body down from the cross, and wrapped it in the linen. He put the body in a tomb that was cut out of a wall of rock. Then he rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. ⁴⁷ And Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw the place where Jesus was laid.