Extracts from Matthew’s Gospel: The Passion

21:1 When they were near Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples,

2 saying to them, 'Go to the village facing you, and you will at once find a tethered donkey and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me.

3 If anyone says anything to you, you are to say, "The Master needs them and will send them back at once."

4 This was to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet:

5 Say to the daughter of Zion: Look, your king is approaching, humble and riding on a donkey and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.

6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had told them.

7 They brought the donkey and the colt, then they laid their cloaks on their backs and he took his seat on them.

8 Great crowds of people spread their cloaks on the road, while others were cutting branches from the trees and spreading them in his path.

9 The crowds who went in front of him and those who followed were all shouting: Hosanna to the son of David! Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord!

10 And when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil as people asked, 'Who is this?'

11 and the crowds answered, 'This is the prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.'

12 Jesus then went into the Temple and drove out all those who were selling and buying there; he upset the tables of the money-changers and the seats of the dove-sellers.

13 He said to them, 'According to scripture, my house will be called a house of prayer; but you are turning it into a bandits'

14 There were also blind and lame people who came to him in the Temple, and he cured them.

15 At the sight of the wonderful things he did and of the children shouting, 'Hosanna to the son of David' in the Temple, the chief priests and the scribes were indignant and said to him,

16 'Do you hear what they are saying?' Jesus answered, 'Yes. Have you never read this: By the mouths of children, babes in arms, you have made sure of praise?'

17 With that he left them and went out of the city to Bethany, where he spent the night.

18 As he was returning to the city in the early morning, he felt hungry.

19 Seeing a fig tree by the road, he went up to it and found nothing on it but leaves. And he said to it, 'May you never bear fruit again,' and instantly the fig tree withered.

20 The disciples were amazed when they saw it and said, 'How is it that the fig tree withered instantly?'

21 Jesus answered, 'In truth I tell you, if you have faith and do not doubt at all, not only will you do what I have done to the fig tree, but even if you say to this mountain, "Be pulled up and thrown into the sea," it will be done.

22 And if you have faith, everything you ask for in prayer, you will receive.'

23 He had gone into the Temple and was teaching, when the chief priests and the elders of the people came to him and said, 'What authority have you for acting like this? And who gave you this authority?'

24 In reply Jesus said to them, 'And I will ask you a question, just one; if you tell me the answer to it, then I will tell you my authority for acting like this.

25 John's baptism: what was its origin, heavenly or human?' And they argued this way among themselves, 'If we say heavenly, he will retort to us, "Then why did you refuse to believe him?";

26 but if we say human, we have the people to fear, for they all hold that John was a prophet.'

27 So their reply to Jesus was, 'We do not know.' And he retorted to them, 'Nor will I tell you my authority for acting like this.'

28 'What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He went and said to the first, "My boy, go and work in the vineyard today."

29 He answered, "I will not go," but afterwards thought better of it and went.

30 The man then went and said the same thing to the second who answered, "Certainly, sir," but did not go.

31 Which of the two did the father's will?' They said, 'The first.' Jesus said to them, 'In truth I tell you, tax collectors and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom of God before you.

32 For John came to you, showing the way of uprightness, but you did not believe him, and yet the tax collectors and prostitutes did. Even after seeing that, you refused to think better of it and believe in him.

33 'Listen to another parable. There was a man, a landowner, who planted a vineyard; he fenced it round, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it to tenants and went abroad.

34 When vintage time drew near he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his produce.

35 But the tenants seized his servants, thrashed one, killed another and stoned a third.

36 Next he sent some more servants, this time a larger number, and they dealt with them in the same way.

37 Finally he sent his son to them thinking, "They will respect my son."

38 But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, "This is the heir. Come on, let us kill him and take over his inheritance."

39 So they seized him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him.

40 Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?'

41 They answered, 'He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will deliver the produce to him at the proper time.'

42 Jesus said to them, 'Have you never read in the scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this is the Lord's doing and we marvel at it?

43 'I tell you, then, that the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given

44to a people who will produce its fruit.'

45 When they heard his parables, the chief priests and the scribes realised he was speaking about them,

46 but though they would have liked to arrest him they were afraid of the crowds, who looked on him as a prophet.

22:1 Jesus began to speak to them in parables once again,

2 'The kingdom of Heaven may be compared to a king who gave a feast for his son's wedding.

3 He sent his servants to call those who had been invited, but they would not come.

4 Next he sent some more servants with the words, "Tell those who have been invited: Look, my banquet is all prepared, my oxen and fattened cattle have been slaughtered, everything is ready. Come to the wedding."

5 But they were not interested: one went off to his farm, another to his business,

6 and the rest seized his servants, maltreated them and killed them.

7 The king was furious. He despatched his troops, destroyed those murderers and burnt their town.

8 Then he said to his servants, "The wedding is ready; but as those who were invited proved to be unworthy,

9 go to the main crossroads and invite everyone you can find to come to the wedding."

10 So these servants went out onto the roads and collected together everyone they could find, bad and good alike; and the wedding hall was filled with guests.

11 When the king came in to look at the guests he noticed one man who was not wearing a wedding garment,

12 and said to him, "How did you get in here, my friend, without a wedding garment?" And the man was silent.

13 Then the king said to the attendants, "Bind him hand and foot and throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

14 For many are invited but not all are chosen.'

15 Then the Pharisees went away to work out between them how to trap him in what he said.

16 And they sent their disciples to him, together with some Herodians, to say, 'Master, we know that you are an honest man and teach the way of God in all honesty, and that you are not afraid of anyone, because human rank means nothing to you.

17 Give us your opinion, then. Is it permissible to pay taxes to Caesar or not?'

18 But Jesus was aware of their malice and replied, 'You hypocrites! Why are you putting me to the test?

19 Show me the money you pay the tax with.' They handed him a denarius,

20 and he said, 'Whose portrait is this? Whose title?'

21 They replied, 'Caesar's.' Then he said to them, 'Very well, pay Caesar what belongs to Caesar-and God what belongs to God.'

22 When they heard this they were amazed; they left him alone and went away.

23 That day some Sadducees-who deny that there is a resurrection-approached him and they put this question to him,

24 'Master, Moses said

*[Dt 25:5-6] that if a man dies childless, his brother is to marry the widow, his sister-in-law, to raise children for his brother.

25 Now we had a case involving seven brothers; the first married and then died without children, leaving his wife to his brother;

26 the same thing happened with the second and third and so on to the seventh,

27 and then last of all the woman herself died.

28 Now at the resurrection, whose wife among the seven will she be, since she had been married to them all?'

29 Jesus answered them, 'You are wrong, because you understand neither the scriptures nor the power of God.

30 For at the resurrection men and women do not marry; no, they are like the angels in heaven.

31 And as for the resurrection of the dead, have you never read what God himself said to you:

32 I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob? He is God, not of the dead, but of the living.'

33 And his teaching made a deep impression on the people who heard it.

34 But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees they got together

35 and, to put him to the test, one of them put a further question,

36 'Master, which is the greatest commandment of the Law?'

37 Jesus said to him, 'You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.

38 This is the greatest and the first commandment.

39 The second resembles it: You must love your neighbour as yourself.

40 On these two commandments hang the whole Law, and the Prophets too.'

41 While the Pharisees were gathered round, Jesus put to them this question,

42 'What is your opinion about the Christ? Whose son is he?' They told him, 'David's.'

43 He said to them, 'Then how is it that David, moved by the Spirit, calls him Lord, where he says:

44 The Lord declared to my Lord, take your seat at my right hand, till I have made your enemies your footstool?

45 'If David calls him Lord, how then can he be his son?'

46 No one could think of anything to say in reply, and from that day no one dared to ask him any further questions.

23:1 Then addressing the crowds and his disciples Jesus said,

2 'The scribes and the Pharisees occupy the chair of Moses.

3 You must therefore do and observe what they tell you; but do not be guided by what they do, since they do not practise what they preach.

4 They tie up heavy burdens and lay them on people's shoulders, but will they lift a finger to move them? Not they!

5 Everything they do is done to attract attention, like wearing broader headbands and longer tassels,

6 like wanting to take the place of honour at banquets and the front seats in the synagogues,

7 being greeted respectfully in the market squares and having people call them Rabbi.

8 'You, however, must not allow yourselves to be called Rabbi, since you have only one Master, and you are all brothers.

9 You must call no one on earth your father, since you have only one Father, and he is in heaven.

10 Nor must you allow yourselves to be called teachers, for you have only one Teacher, the Christ.

11 The greatest among you must be your servant.

12 Anyone who raises himself up will be humbled, and anyone who humbles himself will be raised up.

13 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut up the kingdom of Heaven in people's faces, neither going in yourselves nor allowing others to go

14 in who want to.

15 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You travel over sea and land to make a single proselyte, and anyone who becomes one you make twice as fit for hell as you are.

16 'Alas for you, blind guides! You say, "If anyone swears by the Temple, it has no force; but anyone who swears by the gold of the Temple is bound."

17 Fools and blind! For which is of greater value, the gold or the Temple that makes the gold sacred?

18 Again, "If anyone swears by the altar it has no force; but anyone who swears by the offering on the altar, is bound."

19 You blind men! For which is of greater worth, the offering or the altar that makes the offering sacred?

20 Therefore, someone who swears by the altar is swearing by that and by everything on it.

21 And someone who swears by the Temple is swearing by that and by the One who dwells in it.

22 And someone who swears by heaven is swearing by the throne of God and by the One who is seated there.

23 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You pay your tithe of mint and dill and cummin and have neglected the weightier matters of the Law-justice, mercy, good faith! These you should have practised, those not neglected.

24 You blind guides, straining out gnats and swallowing camels!

25 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You clean the outside of cup and dish and leave the inside full of extortion and intemperance.

26 Blind Pharisee! Clean the inside of cup and dish first so that it and the outside are both clean.

27 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs that look handsome on the outside, but inside are full of the bones of the dead and every kind of corruption.

28 In just the same way, from the outside you look upright, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness.

29 'Alas for you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You build the sepulchres of the prophets and decorate the tombs of the upright,

30 saying, "We would never have joined in shedding the blood of the prophets, had we lived in our ancestors' day."

31 So! Your own evidence tells against you! You are the children of those who murdered the prophets!

32 Very well then, finish off the work that your ancestors began.

33 'You serpents, brood of vipers, how can you escape being condemned to hell?

34 This is why-look-I am sending you prophets and wise men and scribes; some you will slaughter and crucify, some you will scourge in your synagogues and hunt from town to town;

35 and so you will draw down on yourselves the blood of every upright person that has been shed on earth, from the blood of Abel the holy to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar.

36 In truth I tell you, it will all recoil on this generation.

37 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you that kill the prophets and stone those who are sent to you! How often have I longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you refused!

38 Look! Your house will be deserted,

39 for, I promise, you shall not see me any more until you are saying: Blessed is he who is coming in the name of the Lord!'

24: 1 Jesus left the Temple, and as he was going away his disciples came up to draw his attention to the Temple buildings.

2 He said to them in reply, 'You see all these? In truth I tell you, not a single stone here will be left on another: everything will be pulled down.'

3 And while he was sitting on the Mount of Olives the disciples came and asked him when they were by themselves, 'Tell us, when is this going to happen, and what sign will there be of your coming and of the end of the world?'

4 And Jesus answered them, 'Take care that no one deceives you,

5 because many will come using my name and saying, "I am the Christ," and they will deceive many.

6 You will hear of wars and rumours of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for this is something that must happen, but the end will not be yet.

7 For nation will fight against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places.

8 All this is only the beginning of the birthpangs.

9 'Then you will be handed over to be tortured and put to death; and you will be hated by all nations on account of my name.

10 And then many will fall away; people will betray one another and hate one another.

11 Many false prophets will arise; they will deceive many,

12 and with the increase of lawlessness, love in most people will grow cold;

13 but anyone who stands firm to the end will be saved.

14 'This good news of the kingdom will be proclaimed to the whole world as evidence to the nations. And then the end will come.

15 'So when you see the appalling abomination, of which the prophet Daniel spoke, set up in the holy place (let the reader understand),

16 then those in Judaea must escape to the mountains;

17 if anyone is on the housetop, he must not come down to collect his belongings from the house;

18 if anyone is in the fields, he must not turn back to fetch his cloak.

19 Alas for those with child, or with babies at the breast, when those days come!

20 Pray that you will not have to make your escape in winter or on a Sabbath.

21 For then there will be great distress, unparalleled since the world began, and such as will never be again.

22 And if that time had not been shortened, no human being would have survived; but shortened that time shall be, for the sake of those who are chosen.

23 'If anyone says to you then, "Look, here is the Christ," or "Over here," do not believe it;

24 for false Christs and false prophets will arise and provide great signs and portents, enough to deceive even the elect, if that were possible.

25 Look! I have given you warning.

26 'If, then, they say to you, "Look, he is in the desert," do not go there; "Look, he is in some hiding place," do not believe it;

27 because the coming of the Son of man will be like lightning striking in the east and flashing far into the west.

28 Wherever the corpse is, that is where the vultures will gather.

29 'Immediately after the distress of those days the sun will be darkened, the moon will not give its light, the stars will fall from the sky and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.

30 And then the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven; then, too, all the peoples of the earth will beat their breasts; and they will see the Son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory.

31 And he will send his angels with a loud trumpet to gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

32 'Take the fig tree as a parable: as soon as its twigs grow supple and its leaves come out, you know that summer is near.

33 So with you when you see all these things: know that he is near, right at the gates.

34 In truth I tell you, before this generation has passed away, all these things will have taken place.

35 Sky and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.

36 But as for that day and hour, nobody knows it, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, no one but the Father alone.

37 'As it was in Noah's day, so will it be when the Son of man comes.

38 For in those days before the Flood people were eating, drinking, taking wives, taking husbands, right up to the day Noah went into the ark,

39 and they suspected nothing till the Flood came and swept them all away. This is what it will be like when the Son of man comes.

40 Then of two men in the fields, one is taken, one left;

41 of two women grinding at the mill, one is taken, one left.

42 'So stay awake, because you do not know the day when your master is coming.

43 You may be quite sure of this, that if the householder had known at what time of the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and would not have allowed anyone to break through the wall of his house.

44 Therefore, you too must stand ready because the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.

45 'Who, then, is the wise and trustworthy servant whom the master placed over his household to give them their food at the proper time?

46 Blessed that servant if his master's arrival finds him doing exactly that.

47 In truth I tell you, he will put him in charge of everything he owns.

48 But if the servant is dishonest and says to himself, "My master is taking his time,"

49 and sets about beating his fellow-servants and eating and drinking with drunkards,

50 his master will come on a day he does not expect and at an hour he does not know.

51 The master will cut him off and send him to the same fate as the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth.'

25: 1 'Then the kingdom of Heaven will be like this: Ten wedding attendants took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.

2 Five of them were foolish and five were sensible:

3 the foolish ones, though they took their lamps, took no oil with them,

4 whereas the sensible ones took flasks of oil as well as their lamps.

5 The bridegroom was late, and they all grew drowsy and fell asleep.

6 But at midnight there was a cry, "Look! The bridegroom! Go out and meet him."

7 Then all those wedding attendants woke up and trimmed their lamps,

8 and the foolish ones said to the sensible ones, "Give us some of your oil: our lamps are going out."

9 But they replied, "There may not be enough for us and for you; you had better go to those who sell it and buy some for yourselves."

10 They had gone off to buy it when the bridegroom arrived. Those who were ready went in with him to the wedding hall and the door was closed.

11 The other attendants arrived later. "Lord, Lord," they said, "open the door for us."

12 But he replied, "In truth I tell you, I do not know you."

13 So stay awake, because you do not know either the day or the hour.

14 'It is like a man about to go abroad who summoned his servants and entrusted his property to them.

15 To one he gave five talents, to another two, to a third one, each in proportion to his ability. Then he set out on his journey.

16 The man who had received the five talents promptly went and traded with them and made five more.

17 The man who had received two made two more in the same way.

18 But the man who had received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master's money.

19 Now a long time afterwards, the master of those servants came back and went through his accounts with them.

20 The man who had received the five talents came forward bringing five more. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with five talents; here are five more that I have made."

21 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

22 Next the man with the two talents came forward. "Sir," he said, "you entrusted me with two talents; here are two more that I have made."

23 His master said to him, "Well done, good and trustworthy servant; you have shown you are trustworthy in small things; I will trust you with greater; come and join in your master's happiness."

24 Last came forward the man who had the single talent. "Sir," said he, "I had heard you were a hard man, reaping where you had not sown and gathering where you had not scattered;

25 so I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. Here it is; it was yours, you have it back."

26 But his master answered him, "You wicked and lazy servant! So you knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered?

27 Well then, you should have deposited my money with the bankers, and on my return I would have got my money back with interest.

28 So now, take the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten talents.

29 For to everyone who has will be given more, and he will have more than enough; but anyone who has not, will be deprived even of what he has.

30 As for this good-for-nothing servant, throw him into the darkness outside, where there will be weeping and grinding of teeth."

31 'When the Son of man comes in his glory, escorted by all the angels, then he will take his seat on his throne of glory.

32 All nations will be assembled before him and he will separate people one from another as the shepherd separates sheep from goats.

33 He will place the sheep on his right hand and the goats on his left.

34 Then the King will say to those on his right hand, "Come, you whom my Father has blessed, take as your heritage the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world.

35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you made me welcome,

36 lacking clothes and you clothed me, sick and you visited me, in prison and you came to see me."

37 Then the upright will say to him in reply, "Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink?

38 When did we see you a stranger and make you welcome, lacking clothes and clothe you?

39 When did we find you sick or in prison and go to see you?"

40 And the King will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you did this to one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did it to me."

41 Then he will say to those on his left hand, "Go away from me, with your curse upon you, to the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

42 For I was hungry and you never gave me food, I was thirsty and you never gave me anything to drink,

43 I was a stranger and you never made me welcome, lacking clothes and you never clothed me, sick and in prison and you never visited me."

44 Then it will be their turn to ask, "Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty, a stranger or lacking clothes, sick or in prison, and did not come to your help?"

45 Then he will answer, "In truth I tell you, in so far as you neglected to do this to one of the least of these, you neglected to do it to me."

46 And they will go away to eternal punishment, and the upright to eternal life.'

26: 1 Jesus had now finished all he wanted to say, and he told his disciples,

2 'It will be Passover, as you know, in two days' time, and the Son of man will be handed over to be crucified.'

3 Then the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled in the palace of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

4 and made plans to arrest Jesus by some trick and have him put to death.

5 They said, however, 'It must not be during the festivities; there must be no disturbance among the people.'

6 Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon, a man who had suffered from a virulent skin-disease, when

7 a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very expensive ointment, and poured it on his head as he was at table.

8 When they saw this, the disciples said indignantly, 'Why this waste?

9 This could have been sold for a high price and the money given the poor.'

10 But Jesus noticed this and said, 'Why are you upsetting the woman? What she has done for me is indeed a good work!

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

12 When she poured this ointment on my body, she did it to prepare me for burial.

13 In truth I tell you, wherever in all the world this gospel is proclaimed, what she has done will be told as well, in remembrance of her.'

14 Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests

15 and said, 'What are you prepared to give me if I hand him over to you?' They paid him thirty silver pieces,

16 and from then onwards he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.

17 Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus to say, 'Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?'

18 He said, 'Go to a certain man in the city and say to him, "The Master says: My time is near. It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples." '

19 The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.

20 When evening came he was at table with the Twelve.

21 And while they were eating he said, 'In truth I tell you, one of you is about to betray me.'

22 They were greatly distressed and started asking him in turn, 'Not me, Lord, surely?'

23 He answered, 'Someone who has dipped his hand into the dish with me will betray me.

24 The Son of man is going to his fate, as the scriptures say he will, but alas for that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! Better for that man if he had never been born!'

25 Judas, who was to betray him, asked in his turn, 'Not me, Rabbi, surely?' Jesus answered, 'It is you who say it.'

26 Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had said the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples. 'Take it and eat,' he said, 'this is my body.'

27 Then he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he handed it to them saying, 'Drink from this, all of you,

28 for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.

29 From now on, I tell you, I shall never again drink wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.'

30 After the psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives.

31 Then Jesus said to them, 'You will all fall away from me tonight, for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered,

*[Zc 13:7]

32 but after my resurrection I shall go ahead of you to Galilee.'

33 At this, Peter said to him, 'Even if all fall away from you, I will never fall away.'

34 Jesus answered him, 'In truth I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will have disowned me three times.'

35 Peter said to him, 'Even if I have to die with you, I will never disown you.' And all the disciples said the same.

36 Then Jesus came with them to a plot of land called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, 'Stay here while I go over there to pray.'

37 He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him. And he began to feel sadness and anguish.

38 Then he said to them, 'My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here and stay awake with me.'

39 And going on a little further he fell on his face and prayed. 'My Father,' he said, 'if it is possible, let this cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have it.'

40 He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, 'So you had not the strength to stay awake with me for one hour?

41 Stay awake, and pray not to be put to the test. The spirit is willing enough, but human nature is weak.'

42 Again, a second time, he went away and prayed: 'My Father,' he said, 'if this cup cannot pass by, but I must drink it, your will be done!'

43 And he came back again and found them sleeping, their eyes were so heavy.

44 Leaving them there, he went away again and prayed for the third time, repeating the same words.

45 Then he came back to the disciples and said to them, 'You can sleep on now and have your rest. Look, the hour has come when the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners.

46 Get up! Let us go! Look, my betrayer is not far away.'

47 And suddenly while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, and with him a large number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people.

48 Now the traitor had arranged a sign with them saying, 'The one I kiss, he is the man. Arrest him.'

49 So he went up to Jesus at once and said, 'Greetings, Rabbi,' and kissed him.

50 Jesus said to him, 'My friend, do what you are here for.' Then they came forward, seized Jesus and arrested him.

51 And suddenly, one of the followers of Jesus grasped his sword and drew it; he struck the high priest's servant and cut off his ear.

52 Jesus then said, 'Put your sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.

53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, who would promptly send more than twelve legions of angels to my defence?

54 But then, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that say this is the way it must be?'

55 It was at this time that Jesus said to the crowds, 'Am I a bandit, that you had to set out to capture me with swords and clubs? I sat teaching in the Temple day after day and you never laid a hand on me.'

56 Now all this happened to fulfil the prophecies in scripture. Then all the disciples deserted him and ran away.

57 The men who had arrested Jesus led him off to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled.

58 Peter followed him at a distance right to the high priest's palace, and he went in and sat down with the attendants to see what the end would be.

59 The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus, however false, on which they might have him executed.

60 But they could not find any, though several lying witnesses came forward. Eventually two came forward

61 and made a statement, 'This man said, "I have power to destroy the Temple of God and in three days build it up." '

62 The high priest then rose and said to him, 'Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men are bringing against you?'

63 But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, 'I put you on oath by the living God to tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.'

64 Jesus answered him, 'It is you who say it. But, I tell you that from this time onward you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.'

65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, 'He has blasphemed. What need of witnesses have we now? There! You have just heard the blasphemy.

66 What is your opinion?' They answered, 'He deserves to die.'

67 Then they spat in his face and hit him with their fists; others said as they struck him,

68 'Prophesy to us, Christ! Who hit you then?'

69 Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came up to him saying, 'You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean.'

70 But he denied it in front of them all. 'I do not know what you are talking about,' he said.

71 When he went out to the gateway another servant-girl saw him and said to the people there, 'This man was with Jesus the Nazarene.'

72 And again, with an oath, he denied it, 'I do not know the man.'

73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, 'You are certainly one of them too! Why, your accent gives you away.'

74 Then he started cursing and swearing, 'I do not know the man.' And at once the cock crowed,

75 and Peter remembered what Jesus had said, 'Before the cock crows you will have disowned me three times.' And he went outside and wept bitterly.

27: 1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people met in council to bring about the death of Jesus.

2 They had him bound and led him away to hand him over to Pilate, the governor.

3 When he found that Jesus had been condemned, then Judas, his betrayer, was filled with remorse and took the thirty silver pieces back to the chief priests and elders

4 saying, 'I have sinned. I have betrayed innocent blood.' They replied, 'What is that to us? That is your concern.'

5 And flinging down the silver pieces in the sanctuary he made off, and went and hanged himself.

6 The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, 'It is against the Law to put this into the treasury; it is blood-money.'

7 So they discussed the matter and with it bought the potter's field as a graveyard for foreigners,

8 and this is why the field is still called the Field of Blood.

9 The word spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was then fulfilled: And they took the thirty silver pieces, the sum at which the precious One was priced by the children of Israel,

10 and they gave them for the potter's field, just as the Lord directed me.

11 Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor put to him this question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' Jesus replied, 'It is you who say it.'

12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he refused to answer at all.

13 Pilate then said to him, 'Do you not hear how many charges they have made against you?'

14 But to the governor's amazement, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges.

15 At festival time it was the governor's practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose.

16 Now there was then a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas.

17 So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, 'Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?'

18 For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.

19 Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that upright man; I have been extremely upset today by a dream that I had about him.'

20 The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.

21 So when the governor spoke and asked them, 'Which of the two do you want me to release for you?' they said, 'Barabbas.'

22 Pilate said to them, 'But in that case, what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?' They all said, 'Let him be crucified!'

23 He asked, 'But what harm has he done?' But they shouted all the louder, 'Let him be crucified!'

24 Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, 'I am innocent of this man's blood. It is your concern.'

25 And the people, every one of them, shouted back, 'Let his blood be on us and on our children!'

26 Then he released Barabbas for them. After having Jesus scourged he handed him over to be crucified.

27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort round him.

28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet cloak round him,

29 and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, 'Hail, king of the Jews!'

30 And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it.

31 And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucifixion.

32 On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, called Simon, and enlisted him to carry his cross.

33 When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull,

34 they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink.

35 When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots,

36 and then sat down and stayed there keeping guard over him.

37 Above his head was placed the charge against him; it read: 'This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.'

38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

39 The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads

40 and said, 'So you would destroy the Temple and in three days rebuild it! Then save yourself if you are God's son and come down from the cross!'

41 The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him in the same way,

42 with the words, 'He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

43 He has put his trust in God; now let God rescue him if he wants him. For he did say, "I am God's son."

44 Even the bandits who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way.

45 From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, 'Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?'

47 When some of those who stood there heard this, they said, 'The man is calling on Elijah,'

48 and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which he filled with vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink.

49 But the rest of them said, 'Wait! And see if Elijah will come to save him.'

50 But Jesus, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.

51 And suddenly, the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks were split,

52 the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy people rose from the dead,

53 and these, after his resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the holy city and appeared to a number of people.

54 The centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, 'In truth this man was son of God.'

55 And many women were there, watching from a distance, the same women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him.

56 Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.

58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.

59 So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud

60 and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away.

61 Now Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre.

62 Next day, that is, when Preparation Day was over, the chief priests and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate

63 and said to him, 'Your Excellency, we recall that this impostor said, while he was still alive, "After three days I shall rise again."

64 Therefore give the order to have the sepulchre kept secure until the third day, for fear his disciples come and steal him away and tell the people, "He has risen from the dead." This last piece of fraud would be worse than what went before.'

65 Pilate said to them, 'You may have your guard; go and make all as secure as you know how.'

66 So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seals on the stone and mounting a guard.

28: 1 After the Sabbath, and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre.

2 And suddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.

3 His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow.

4 The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they were like dead men.

5 But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, 'There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

6 He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay,

7 then go quickly and tell his disciples, "He has risen from the dead and now he is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you will see him." Look! I have told you.'

8 Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples.

9 And suddenly, coming to meet them, was Jesus. 'Greetings,' he said. And the women came up to him and, clasping his feet, they did him homage.

10 Then Jesus said to them, 'Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; there they will see me.'

11 Now while they were on their way, some of the guards went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened.

12 These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers

13 with these instructions, 'This is what you must say, "His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep."

14 And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.'

15 So they took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.

16 Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them.

17 When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated.

18 Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, 'All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

19 Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

20 and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.'

This text was sourced from: http://www.catholic.org/bible/