Matthew

When Jesus finished everything he wanted to say, he told his disciples:

“You know that in two days it will be the Passover, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified.”

Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered at the palace of the High Priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

and they agreed to arrest Jesus and kill him.

But they said, “Not during the feast, lest there be an uprising among the people.”

While Jesus was in Bethany at the house of Simon the leper,

a woman approached him with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume. She poured it on Jesus’ head while he was at the table.

Seeing this, the disciples became angry and said:

“What a waste!

The perfume could have been sold for a high price, and the money given to the poor.”

Jesus was aware of this and said to them:

“Why are you troubling this woman? What she has done for me is indeed a good work.

You always have the poor with you; but you will not always have me.

When she anointed my body with perfume, she was getting me ready for my burial.

Truly I say to you: wherever the gospel is preached around the world, what she has done will be remembered in her honor.”

Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said:

‘How much will you give me if I hand him over to you?’

They promised to give him thirty pieces of silver,

and from that moment he kept looking for the best way to hand Jesus over to them.

On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and said to him, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

Jesus answered, “Go into the city, to the house of a certain man, and tell him, ‘The Master says:

My hour is near and I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples in your house.’”

The disciples did as Jesus had ordered and prepared the Passover meal.

When evening came, Jesus sat at the table with the Twelve.

While they were eating, Jesus said:

“Truly, I say to you: one of you will betray me.”

They were deeply distressed and asked him, one after the other:

“You do not mean me, do you, Lord?”

He answered:

“The one who dips his bread with me will betray me.

The Son of Man is going as the Scriptures say he will. But alas for the one who betrays the Son of Man: it would have been better for him not to have been born.

Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked:

“You do not mean me, Master, do you?”

Jesus replied:

“You have said it.”

While they were eating, Jesus took the bread, said a blessing, broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying:

“Take and eat: this is my body.”

Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and passed it to them, saying:

“Drink this, all of you,

for this is my blood, the blood of the Covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Yes, I tell you: From now on I will not taste the fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink new wine with you in my Father’s kingdom.”

After singing psalms of praise, they went out to the Mount of Olives.

Then Jesus said to them:

“You will falter tonight because of me, and all of you will fall. For Scripture says:

I will strike the shepherd,

and the sheep will be scattered.

But after my resurrection, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.”

Peter responded:

“Even though everyone stumbles and falls, I will never fall away!”

Jesus replied:

“Truly I say to you: this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”

Peter said:

“Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you!”

And all the disciples said the same thing.

Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he told his disciples:

“Sit here while I go over there to pray.”

He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, and he began to feel overwhelmed by anguish and distress.

And he said to them:

“My soul is full of sorrow, even to death. Remain here and stay awake with me.”

He moved a little further and fell to the ground, with his face touching the earth, and prayed:

“Father, if it is possible, take this cup away from me. Yet, not what I will, but what you will.”

He returned to his disciples and found them asleep; then he said to Peter:

“Could you not stay awake with me for one hour?

Stay awake and pray so that you won’t fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

He went away again and prayed:

“Father, if this cup cannot be taken from me without me drinking it, your will must be done.”

When he returned to his disciples, he found them asleep again, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.

So again, Jesus left them and went to pray for the third time, saying the same words.

Then he returned to his disciples and told them:

“You can sleep now and rest! The hour has come, and the Son of Man will be handed over to sinners.

Get up, let’s go! See, the betrayer is here!”

Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. With him was a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.

The traitor had given them a sign: ‘The one I kiss; he is the man; arrest him!’

Judas went straight to Jesus and said:

“Greetings, Rabbi!”

Then kissed him.

Jesus said to him:

“Friend, do what you came to do.”

Then they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.

One of those who was with Jesus drew his sword and struck the servant of the High Priest, cutting off his ear.

Then, Jesus told him:

“Put your sword back in its place! For everyone who takes hold of the sword will die by the sword.

Don’t you know that I could call on my Father, and he would immediately send me more than twelve legions of angels?

If Scripture says that these things must happen, shouldn’t Scripture be fulfilled?”

At that hour, Jesus said to the crowd:

“Why do you come to arrest me with swords and clubs, as if I were a robber? Day after day, I sat among you, teaching in the temple, yet you did not arrest me.

But all this happened in fulfillment of what the Prophets said.”

Then all his disciples deserted Jesus and fled.

Those who arrested Jesus took him to the house of High Priest Caiaphas, where the teachers of the law and the elders were gathered.

Peter followed Jesus from a distance, reaching as far as the High Priest’s courtyard; he went in and sat with the guards, waiting to see what would happen.

The chief priests and the entire Supreme Council needed some false evidence against Jesus so they could put him to death.

But they couldn’t find any, even though false witnesses came forward.

Finally, two men stepped forward and declared:

“This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the Temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’”

The High Priest stood up and asked Jesus:

“What is the evidence against you? Have you no answer to the things they testify against you?”

But Jesus remained silent.

So the High Priest said to him:

“In the name of the living God, I command you to tell us: Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?”

Jesus answered:

“You have said it yourself. But I tell you: from now on, you will see the Son of Man, seated at the right hand of God most powerful, and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Then the High Priest tore his clothes, saying:

“He has blasphemed. What more evidence do we need? You have heard the blasphemy!

What is your decision?”

They answered:

“He must die!”

Then they spat in his face and slapped him, while others punched him with their fists,

saying:

“Messiah, prophesy! Who hit you?”

Meanwhile, as Peter sat outside in the courtyard, a young servant-girl said to him, “You also were with Jesus of Galilee.”

But he denied it before everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.”

Later, as Peter was leaving through the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and told the bystanders:

“This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

Peter once again denied it under oath, saying:

“I do not know the man.”

After a short while, those standing there came up to Peter and said:

“Surely you are one of the Galileans: your accent gives you away.”

Peter began defending himself with curses and oaths, insisting that he did not know Jesus. Just then, a rooster crowed,

and Peter remembered Jesus’ words, ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And he went out and wept bitterly.