John Prepares the Way for Jesus^(A)

1 The Good News about Jesus the Messiah, the Son of God,^[a] begins ² with what the prophet Isaiah said would happen. He wrote:

⁴ So John the Baptizer came and was baptizing people in the desert area. He told them to be baptized to show that they wanted to change their lives, and then their sins would be forgiven. ⁵ All the people from Judea, including everyone from Jerusalem, came out to John. They confessed the bad things they had done, and he baptized them in the Jordan River.

⁶ John wore clothes made from camel’s hair and a leather belt around his waist. He ate locusts and wild honey.

⁷ This is what John told the people: “There is someone coming later who is able to do more than I can. I am not good enough to be the slave who stoops down to untie his sandals. ⁸ I baptize you with water, but the one who is coming will baptize you with the Holy Spirit.”

Jesus Is Baptized by John^(D)

⁹ About that time Jesus came from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the place where John was. John baptized Jesus in the Jordan River. ¹⁰ As Jesus was coming up out of the water, he saw the sky torn open. The Spirit came down on him like a dove. ¹¹ A voice came from heaven and said, “You are my Son, the one I love. I am very pleased with you.”

Jesus Goes Away to Be Tempted^(E)

¹² Then the Spirit sent Jesus into the desert alone. ¹³ He was there for 40 days, being tempted by Satan. During this time he was out among the wild animals. Then angels came and helped him.

Jesus Begins His Work in Galilee^(F)

¹⁴ After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee and told people the Good News from God. ¹⁵ He said, “The right time is now here. God’s kingdom is very near.^[b] Change your hearts and lives, and believe the Good News!”

Jesus Chooses Some Followers^(G)

¹⁶ Jesus was walking by Lake Galilee. He saw Simon^[c] and his brother Andrew. These two men were fishermen, and they were throwing a net into the lake to catch fish. ¹⁷ Jesus said to them, “Come, follow me, and I will make you a different kind of fishermen. You will bring in people, not fish.” ¹⁸ So they immediately left their nets and followed Jesus.

¹⁹ Jesus continued walking by Lake Galilee. He saw two more brothers, James and John, the sons of Zebedee. They were in their boat, preparing their nets to catch fish. ²⁰ Their father Zebedee and the men who worked for him were in the boat with the brothers. When Jesus saw the brothers, he told them to come. They left their father and followed Jesus.

Jesus Frees a Man From an Evil Spirit^(H)

²¹ Jesus and his followers went to Capernaum. On the Sabbath day, Jesus went into the synagogue and taught the people. ²² They were amazed at his teaching. He did not teach like their teachers of the law. He taught like someone with authority. ²³ While Jesus was in the synagogue, a man was there who had an evil spirit inside him. The man shouted, ²⁴ “Jesus of Nazareth! What do you want with us? Did you come to destroy us? I know who you are—God’s Holy One!”

²⁵ Jesus, his voice full of warning, said, “Be quiet, and come out of him!” ²⁶ The evil spirit made the man shake. Then the spirit made a loud noise and came out of him.

²⁷ The people were amazed. They asked each other, “What is happening here? This man is teaching something new, and he teaches with authority! He even commands evil spirits, and they obey him.” ²⁸ So the news about Jesus spread quickly everywhere in the area of Galilee.

Jesus Heals Many People^(I)

²⁹ Jesus and the followers left the synagogue. They all went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew. ³⁰ Simon’s mother-in-law was very sick. She was in bed and had a fever. The people there told Jesus about her. ³¹ So he went to her bed. Jesus held her hand and helped her stand up. The fever left her, and she was healed. Then she began serving them.

³² That night, after the sun went down, the people brought to Jesus many who were sick. They also brought those who had demons inside them. ³³ Everyone in the town gathered at the door of that house. ³⁴ Jesus healed many of those who had different kinds of sicknesses. He also forced many demons out of people. But he would not allow the demons to speak, because they knew who he was.^[d]

Jesus Goes to Other Towns^(J)

³⁵ The next morning Jesus woke up very early. He left the house while it was still dark and went to a place where he could be alone and pray. ³⁶ Later, Simon and his friends went to look for Jesus. ³⁷ They found him and said, “Everyone is looking for you!”

³⁸ Jesus answered, “We should go to another place. We can go to other towns around here, and I can tell God’s message to those people too. That is why I came.” ³⁹ So Jesus traveled everywhere in Galilee. He spoke in the synagogues, and he forced demons out of people.

Jesus Heals a Sick Man^(K)

⁴⁰ A man who had leprosy came to Jesus. The man bowed on his knees and begged him, “You have the power to heal me if you want.”

⁴¹ These last words made Jesus angry.^[e] But he touched him and said, “I want to heal you. Be healed!” ⁴² Immediately the leprosy disappeared, and the man was healed.

⁴³ Jesus told the man to go, but he gave him a strong warning: ⁴⁴ “Don’t tell anyone about what I did for you. But go and let the priest look at you.^[f] And offer a gift to God because you have been healed. Offer the gift that Moses commanded.^[g] This will show everyone that you are healed.” ⁴⁵ The man left there and told everyone he saw that Jesus had healed him. So the news about Jesus spread. And that is why he could not enter a town if people saw him. He stayed in places where people did not live. But people came from all the towns to the places where he was.

Jesus Heals a Crippled Man^(L)

2 A few days later, Jesus came back to Capernaum. The news spread that he was back home. ² A large crowd gathered to hear him speak. The house was so full that there was no place to stand, not even outside the door. While Jesus was teaching, ³ some people brought a paralyzed man to see him. He was being carried by four of them. ⁴ But they could not get the man inside to Jesus because the house was so full of people. So they went to the roof above Jesus and made a hole in it. Then they lowered the mat with the paralyzed man on it. ⁵ When Jesus saw how much faith they had, he said to the paralyzed man, “Young man, your sins are forgiven.”

⁶ Some of the teachers of the law were sitting there. They saw what Jesus did, and they said to themselves, ⁷ “Why does this man say things like that? What an insult to God! No one but God can forgive sins.”

⁸ Jesus knew immediately what these teachers of the law were thinking. So he said to them, “Why do you have these questions in your minds? ^9-10 The Son of Man has power on earth to forgive sins. But how can I prove this to you? Maybe you are thinking it was easy for me to say to the crippled man, ‘Your sins are forgiven.’ There’s no proof it really happened. But what if I say to the man, ‘Stand up. Take your mat and walk’? Then you will be able to see if I really have this power or not.” So Jesus said to the paralyzed man, ¹¹ “I tell you, stand up. Take your mat and go home.”

¹² Immediately the paralyzed man stood up. He picked up his mat and walked out of the room. Everyone could see him. They were amazed and praised God. They said, “This is the most amazing thing we have ever seen!”

Levi (Matthew) Follows Jesus^(M)

¹³ Jesus went to the lake again, and many people followed him there. So Jesus taught them. ¹⁴ He was walking beside the lake, and he saw a man named Levi, son of Alphaeus. Levi was sitting at his place for collecting taxes. Jesus said to him, “Follow me.” Then Levi stood up and followed Jesus.

¹⁵ Later that day, Jesus and his followers ate at Levi’s house. There were also many tax collectors and others with bad reputations eating with them. (There were many of these people who followed Jesus.) ¹⁶ When some teachers of the law who were Pharisees saw Jesus eating with such bad people, they asked his followers, “Why does he eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

¹⁷ When Jesus heard this, he said to them, “It is the sick people who need a doctor, not those who are healthy. I did not come to invite good people. I came to invite sinners.”

Jesus Is Not Like Other Religious Leaders^(N)

¹⁸ The followers of John and the Pharisees were fasting. Some people came to Jesus and said, “John’s followers fast, and the followers of the Pharisees fast. But your followers don’t fast. Why?”

¹⁹ Jesus answered, “At a wedding the friends of the bridegroom are not sad while he is with them. They cannot fast while the bridegroom is still there. ²⁰ But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them. Then they will fast.

²¹ “When someone sews a patch over a hole in an old coat, they never use a piece of cloth that is not yet shrunk. If they do, the patch will shrink and pull away from the coat. Then the hole will be worse. ²² Also, no one ever pours new wine into old wineskins. The wine would break them, and the wine would be ruined along with the wineskins. You always put new wine into new wineskins.”

Jesus Is Lord Over the Sabbath Day^(O)

²³ On the Sabbath day, Jesus and his followers were walking through some grain fields. The followers picked some grain to eat. ²⁴ Some Pharisees said to Jesus, “Why are your followers doing this? It is against the law to pick grain on the Sabbath.”

²⁵ Jesus answered, “You have read what David did when he and the people with him were hungry and needed food. ²⁶ It was during the time of Abiathar the high priest. David went into God’s house and ate the bread that was offered to God. And the Law of Moses says that only priests can eat that bread. David also gave some of the bread to the people with him.”

²⁷ Then Jesus said to the Pharisees, “The Sabbath day was made to help people. People were not made to be ruled by the Sabbath. ²⁸ So the Son of Man is Lord of every day, even the Sabbath.”

Jesus Heals a Man on the Sabbath Day^(P)

3 Another time Jesus went into the synagogue. In the synagogue there was a man with a crippled hand. ² Some Jews there were watching Jesus closely. They were waiting to see if he would heal the man on a Sabbath day. They wanted to see Jesus do something wrong so that they could accuse him. ³ Jesus said to the man with the crippled hand, “Stand up here so that everyone can see you.”

⁴ Then Jesus asked the people, “Which is the right thing to do on the Sabbath day: to do good or to do evil? Is it right to save a life or to destroy one?” The people said nothing to answer him.

⁵ Jesus looked at the people. He was angry, but he felt very sad because they were so stubborn. He said to the man, “Hold out your hand.” The man held out his hand, and it was healed. ⁶ Then the Pharisees left and made plans with the Herodians about a way to kill Jesus.

Many Follow Jesus

⁷ Jesus went away with his followers to the lake. A large crowd of people from Galilee followed them. ⁸ Many also came from Judea, from Jerusalem, from Idumea, from the area across the Jordan River, and from the area around Tyre and Sidon. These people came because they heard about all that Jesus was doing.

⁹ Jesus saw how many people there were, so he told his followers to get a small boat and make it ready for him. He wanted the boat so that the crowds of people could not push against him. ¹⁰ He had healed many of them, so all the sick people were pushing toward him to touch him. ¹¹ Some people had evil spirits inside them. When the evil spirits saw Jesus, they bowed before him and shouted, “You are the Son of God!” ¹² But Jesus gave the spirits a strong warning not to tell anyone who he was.

Jesus Chooses His Twelve Apostles^(Q)

¹³ Then Jesus went up on a hill and invited those he wanted to go with him. So they joined him there. ¹⁴ And he chose twelve men and called them apostles. He wanted these twelve men to be with him, and he wanted to send them to other places to tell people God’s message. ¹⁵ He also wanted them to have the power to force demons out of people. ¹⁶ These are the names of the twelve men Jesus chose:

Jesus’ Power Is From God^(R)

²⁰ Then Jesus went home, but again a large crowd gathered there. There were so many people that he and his followers could not eat. ²¹ His family heard about all these things. They went to get him because people said he was crazy.

²² And the teachers of the law from Jerusalem said, “Satan^[h] is living inside him! He uses power from the ruler of demons to force demons out of people.”

²³ So Jesus called them together and talked to them using some stories. He said, “Satan will not force his own demons out of people. ²⁴ A kingdom that fights against itself will not survive. ²⁵ And a family that is divided will not survive. ²⁶ If Satan is against himself and is fighting against his own people, he will not survive. That would be the end of Satan.

²⁷ “Whoever wants to enter a strong man’s house and steal his things must first tie him up. Then they can steal the things from his house.

²⁸ “I want you to know that people can be forgiven for all the sinful things they do. They can even be forgiven for the bad things they say against God. ²⁹ But anyone who speaks against the Holy Spirit will never be forgiven. They will always be guilty of that sin.”

³⁰ Jesus said this because the teachers of the law had accused him of having an evil spirit inside him.

Jesus’ Followers Are His True Family^(S)

³¹ Then Jesus’ mother and brothers came. They stood outside and sent someone in to tell him to come out. ³² Many people were sitting around Jesus. They said to him, “Your mother, your brothers, and your sisters^[i] are waiting for you outside.”

³³ Jesus asked, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” ³⁴ Then he looked at the people sitting around him and said, “These people are my mother and my brothers! ³⁵ My true brother and sister and mother are those who do what God wants.”

A Story About a Farmer Sowing Seed^(T)

4 Another time Jesus began teaching by the lake, and a large crowd gathered around him. He got into a boat so that he could sit and teach from the lake. All the people stayed on the shore near the water. ² Jesus used stories to teach them many things. One of his lessons included this story:

³ “Listen! A farmer went out to sow seed. ⁴ While he was scattering the seed, some of it fell by the road. The birds came and ate all that seed. ⁵ Other seed fell on rocky ground, where there was not enough dirt. It grew quickly there because the soil was not deep. ⁶ But then the sun rose and the plants were burned. They died because they did not have deep roots. ⁷ Some other seed fell among thorny weeds. The weeds grew and stopped the good plants from growing. So they did not make grain. ⁸ But some of the seed fell on good ground. There it began to grow, and it made grain. Some plants made 30 times more grain, some 60 times more, and some 100 times more.”

⁹ Then Jesus said, “You people who hear me, listen!”

Why Jesus Used Stories to Teach^(U)

¹⁰ Later, Jesus was away from the people. The twelve apostles and his other followers asked him about the stories.

¹¹ Jesus said, “Only you can know the secret truth about God’s kingdom. But to those other people I tell everything by using stories. ¹² I do this so that

Jesus Explains the Story About Seed^(W)

¹³ Then Jesus said to the followers, “Do you understand this story? If you don’t, how will you understand any story? ¹⁴ The farmer is like someone who plants God’s teaching in people. ¹⁵ Sometimes the teaching falls on the path. That is like some people who hear the teaching of God. As soon as they hear it, Satan comes and takes away the teaching that was planted in them.

¹⁶ “Other people are like the seed planted on rocky ground. They hear the teaching, and they quickly and gladly accept it. ¹⁷ But they don’t allow it to go deep into their lives. They keep it only a short time. As soon as trouble or persecution comes because of the teaching they accepted, they give up.

¹⁸ “Others are like the seed planted among the thorny weeds. They hear the teaching, ¹⁹ but their lives become full of other things: the worries of this life, the love of money, and everything else they want. This keeps the teaching from growing, and it does not produce a crop^[j] in their lives.

²⁰ “And others are like the seed planted on the good ground. They hear the teaching and accept it. Then they grow and produce a good crop—sometimes 30 times more, sometimes 60 times more, and sometimes 100 times more.”

Use the Understanding You Have^(X)

²¹ Then Jesus said to them, “You don’t take a lamp and hide it under a bowl or a bed, do you? Of course not. You put it on a lampstand. ²² Everything that is hidden will be made clear. Every secret thing will be made known. ²³ You people who hear me, listen! ²⁴ Think carefully about what you are hearing. God will know how much to give you by how much you understand now. But he will give you more than you deserve. ²⁵ The people who have some understanding will receive more. But those who do not have much will lose even the small amount they have.”

Jesus Uses a Story About Seed

²⁶ Then Jesus said, “God’s kingdom is like a man who plants seed in the ground. ²⁷ The seed begins to grow. It grows night and day. It doesn’t matter whether the man is sleeping or awake, the seed still grows. He doesn’t know how it happens. ²⁸ Without any help the ground produces grain. First the plant grows, then the head, and then all the grain in the head. ²⁹ When the grain is ready, the man cuts it. This is the harvest time.”

What Is God’s Kingdom Like?^(Y)

³⁰ Then Jesus said, “What can I use to show you what God’s kingdom is like? What story can I use to explain it? ³¹ God’s kingdom is like a mustard seed, which is smaller than any other seed on earth that you can plant. ³² But when you plant it, it grows and becomes the largest of all the plants in your garden. It has branches that are very big. The wild birds can come and make nests there and be protected from the sun.”

³³ Jesus used many stories like these to teach the people. He taught them all they could understand. ³⁴ He always used stories to teach them. But when he was alone with his followers, Jesus explained everything to them.

Jesus’ Followers See His Power^(Z)

³⁵ That day, at evening, Jesus said to his followers, “Come with me across the lake.” ³⁶ So they left the crowd behind and went with Jesus in the boat he was already in. There were also other boats that went with them. ³⁷ A very bad wind came up on the lake. The waves were coming over the sides and into the boat, and it was almost full of water. ³⁸ Jesus was inside the boat, sleeping with his head on a pillow. The followers went and woke him. They said, “Teacher, don’t you care about us? We are going to drown!”

³⁹ Jesus stood up and gave a command to the wind and the water. He said, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind stopped, and the lake became calm.

⁴⁰ He said to his followers, “Why are you afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

⁴¹ They were very afraid and asked each other, “What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the water obey him!”

Jesus Teaches About Divorce^(A)

10 Then Jesus left there and went into the area of Judea and across the Jordan River. Again, many people came to him, and Jesus taught them as he always did.

² Some Pharisees came to Jesus and tried to make him say something wrong. They asked him, “Is it right for a man to divorce his wife?”

³ Jesus answered, “What did Moses command you to do?”

⁴ The Pharisees said, “Moses allowed a man to divorce his wife by writing a certificate of divorce.”^[a]

⁵ Jesus said, “Moses wrote that command for you because you refused to accept God’s teaching. ⁶ But when God made the world, ‘he made people male and female.’^{[b] 7} ‘That is why a man will leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife. ⁸ And the two people will become one.’^[c] So they are no longer two, but one. ⁹ God has joined them together, so no one should separate them.”

¹⁰ Later, when the followers and Jesus were in the house, they asked him again about the question of divorce. ¹¹ He said, “Whoever divorces his wife and marries another woman has sinned against his wife. He is guilty of adultery. ¹² And the woman who divorces her husband and marries another man is also guilty of adultery.”

Jesus Welcomes Children^(B)

¹³ People brought their small children to Jesus so that he could lay his hands on them to bless them. But the followers told the people to stop bringing their children to him. ¹⁴ Jesus saw what happened. He did not like his followers telling the children not to come. So he said to them, “Let the little children come to me. Don’t stop them, because God’s kingdom belongs to people who are like these little children. ¹⁵ The truth is, you must accept God’s kingdom like a little child accepts things, or you will never enter it.” ¹⁶ Then Jesus held the children in his arms. He laid his hands on them and blessed them.

A Rich Man Refuses to Follow Jesus^(C)

¹⁷ Jesus started to leave, but a man ran to him and bowed down on his knees before him. The man asked, “Good Teacher, what must I do to get the life that never ends?”

¹⁸ Jesus answered, “Why do you call me good? Only God is good. ¹⁹ And you know his commands: ‘You must not murder anyone, you must not commit adultery, you must not steal, you must not lie, you must not cheat, you must respect your father and mother ….’^[d]”

²⁰ The man said, “Teacher, I have obeyed all these commands since I was a boy.”

²¹ Jesus looked at the man in a way that showed how much he cared for him. He said, “There is still one thing you need to do. Go and sell everything you have. Give the money to those who are poor, and you will have riches in heaven. Then come and follow me.”

²² The man was upset when Jesus told him to give away his money. He didn’t want to do this, because he was very rich. So he went away sad.

²³ Then Jesus looked at his followers and said to them, “It will be very hard for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁴ The followers were amazed at what Jesus said. But he said again, “My children, it is very hard^[e] to enter God’s kingdom! ²⁵ It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter God’s kingdom!”

²⁶ The followers were even more amazed and said to each other, “Then who can be saved?”

²⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “That is something people cannot do, but God can. He can do anything.”

²⁸ Peter said to Jesus, “We left everything to follow you!”

²⁹ Jesus said, “I can promise that everyone who has left their home, brothers, sisters, mother, father, children, or farm for me and for the Good News about me ³⁰ will get a hundred times more than they left. Here in this world they will get more homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children, and farms. And with these things they will have persecutions. But in the world that is coming they will also get the reward of eternal life. ³¹ Many people who have the highest place now will have the lowest place in the future. And the people who have the lowest place now will have the highest place then.”

Jesus Talks Again About His Death^(D)

³² Jesus and those with him were on their way to Jerusalem. He was at the front of the group. His followers were wondering what was happening, and the people who followed behind them were feeling afraid. Jesus gathered the twelve apostles again and talked with them alone. He told them what would happen in Jerusalem. ³³ He said, “We are going to Jerusalem. The Son of Man will be handed over to the leading priests and teachers of the law. They will say that he must die and will hand him over to the foreigners, ³⁴ who will laugh at him and spit on him. They will beat him with whips and kill him. But on the third day after his death, he will rise to life again.”

James and John Ask for a Favor^(E)

³⁵ Then James and John, sons of Zebedee, came to Jesus and said, “Teacher, we want to ask you to do something for us.”

³⁶ Jesus asked, “What do you want me to do for you?”

³⁷ The sons answered, “Let us share the great honor you will have as king. Let one of us sit at your right side and the other at your left.”

³⁸ Jesus said, “You don’t understand what you are asking. Can you drink from the cup^[f] that I must drink from? Can you be baptized with the same baptism^[g] that I must go through?”

³⁹ The sons answered, “Yes, we can!”

Jesus said to the sons, “It is true that you will drink from the cup that I drink from. And you will be baptized with the same baptism that I must go through. ⁴⁰ But it is not for me to say who will sit at my right or my left. God has prepared those places for the ones he chooses.”

⁴¹ When the other ten followers heard this, they were angry with James and John. ⁴² Jesus called all the followers together. He said, “The non-Jewish people have men they call rulers. You know that those rulers love to show their power over the people. And their important leaders love to use all their authority over the people. ⁴³ But it should not be that way with you. Whoever wants to be your leader must be your servant. ⁴⁴ Whoever wants to be first must serve the rest of you like a slave. ⁴⁵ Follow my example: Even the Son of Man did not come for people to serve him. He came to serve others and to give his life to save many people.”

Jesus Heals a Blind Man^(F)

⁴⁶ Then they came to the town of Jericho. When Jesus left there with his followers, a large crowd was with them. A blind man named Bartimaeus (meaning “son of Timaeus”) was sitting by the road. He was always begging for money. ⁴⁷ He heard that Jesus from Nazareth was walking by. So he began shouting, “Jesus, Son of David, please help me!”

⁴⁸ Many people criticized the blind man and told him to be quiet. But he shouted more and more, “Son of David, please help me!”

⁴⁹ Jesus stopped and said, “Tell him to come here.”

So they called the blind man and said, “You can be happy now. Stand up! Jesus is calling you.” ⁵⁰ The blind man stood up quickly. He left his coat there and went to Jesus.

⁵¹ Jesus asked the man, “What do you want me to do for you?”

He answered, “Teacher, I want to see again.”

⁵² Jesus said, “Go. You are healed because you believed.” Immediately the man was able to see again. He followed Jesus down the road.

Governor Pilate Questions Jesus^(A)

15 Very early in the morning, the leading priests, the older Jewish leaders, the teachers of the law, and the whole high council decided what to do with Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Governor Pilate.

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

Jesus answered, “Yes, that is right.”

³ The leading priests accused Jesus of many things. ⁴ So Pilate asked Jesus another question. He said, “You can see that these people are accusing you of many things. Why don’t you answer?”

⁵ But Jesus still did not answer, and this really surprised Pilate.

Pilate Tries but Fails to Free Jesus^(B)

⁶ Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one prisoner—whichever one the people wanted. ⁷ There was a man in prison at that time named Barabbas. He and the rebels with him had been put in prison for committing murder during a riot.

⁸ The people came to Pilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did. ⁹ Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the king of the Jews?” ¹⁰ Pilate knew that the leading priests had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him. ¹¹ But the leading priests persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not Jesus.

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

¹³ The people shouted, “Kill him on a cross!”

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

But the people shouted louder and louder, “Kill him on a cross!”

¹⁵ Pilate wanted to please the people, so he set Barabbas free for them. And he told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.

¹⁶ Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together. ¹⁷ They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown from thorny branches, and put it on his head. ¹⁸ Then they began shouting, “Welcome, king of the Jews!” ¹⁹ They kept on beating his head with a stick and spitting on him. Then they bowed down on their knees and pretended to honor him as a king. ²⁰ After they finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be killed on a cross.

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross^(C)

²¹ There was a man from Cyrene named Simon walking into the city from the fields. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. ²² They led Jesus to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means “The Place of the Skull.”) ²³ There they gave him some wine mixed with myrrh, but he refused to drink it. ²⁴ The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get what.

²⁵ It was nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross. ²⁶ There was a sign with the charge against him written on it. It said, “ the king of the jews.” ²⁷ They also nailed two criminals to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left. ^28 [a]

²⁹ People walked by and said bad things to Jesus. They shook their heads and said, “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 there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. They said to each other, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! ³² If he is really the Messiah, the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross now. When we see this, then we will believe in him.” The criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him.

Jesus Dies^(D)

³³ At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness continued until three o’clock. ³⁴ At three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani.” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”^[b]

³⁵ Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “Listen! He is calling Elijah.”^[c]

³⁶ One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take him down from the cross.”

³⁷ Then Jesus cried out loudly and died.

³⁸ When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. ³⁹ The army officer who was standing there in front of the cross saw what happened when Jesus died. The officer said, “This man really was the Son of God!”

⁴⁰ Some women were standing away from the cross, watching. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James and Joses. (James was her youngest son.) ⁴¹ These were the women who had followed Jesus in Galilee and cared for him. Many other women who had come with Jesus to Jerusalem were also there.

Jesus Is Buried^(E)

⁴² This day was called Preparation day. (That means the day before the Sabbath day.) It was becoming dark. ⁴³ A man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for Jesus’ body. Joseph was an important member of the high council. He was one of the people who wanted God’s kingdom to come.

⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead. So he called for the army officer in charge and asked him if Jesus was already dead. ⁴⁵ When Pilate heard it from the officer, he told Joseph he could have the body.

⁴⁶ Joseph bought some linen cloth. He took the body from the cross, wrapped it in the linen, and put the body in a tomb that was dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a large stone to cover the entrance. ⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw the place where Jesus was put.

News That Jesus Has Risen From Death^(F)

16 The next day after the Sabbath day, Mary Magdalene, Salome, and Mary the mother of James bought some sweet-smelling spices to put on Jesus’ body. ² Very early on that day, the first day of the week, the women were going to the tomb. It was very early after sunrise. ³ The women said to each other, “There is a large stone covering the entrance of the tomb. Who will move the stone for us?”

⁴ Then the women looked and saw that the stone was moved. The stone was very large, but it was moved away from the entrance. ⁵ The women walked into the tomb and saw a young man there wearing a white robe. He was sitting on the right side of the tomb. The women were afraid.

⁶ But the man said, “Don’t be afraid. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, the one who was killed on a cross. He has risen from death! He is not here. Look, here is the place they put him when he was dead. ⁷ Now go and tell his followers. And be sure to tell Peter. Tell them, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee and will be there before you come. You will see him there, as he told you before.’”

⁸ The women were very afraid and confused. They left the tomb and ran away. They did not tell about what happened, because they were afraid.^[d]

Some Followers See Jesus^(G)

⁹ Jesus rose from death early on the first day of the week. He appeared first to Mary Magdalene. One time in the past Jesus had forced seven demons out of Mary. ¹⁰ After Mary saw Jesus, she went and told his followers. They were very sad and were crying. ¹¹ But Mary told them that Jesus was alive. She said that she had seen Jesus, but they did not believe her.

¹² Later, Jesus appeared to two followers while they were walking in the country. But Jesus did not look the same as before he was killed. ¹³ These followers went back to the other followers and told them what happened. Again, the followers did not believe them.

Jesus Talks to His Followers^(H)

¹⁴ Later, Jesus appeared to the eleven followers while they were eating. He criticized them because they had so little faith. They were stubborn and refused to believe the people who said Jesus had risen from death.

¹⁵ He said to them, “Go everywhere in the world. Tell the Good News to everyone. ¹⁶ Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved. But those who do not believe will be judged guilty. ¹⁷ And the people who believe will be able to do these things as proof: They will use my name to force demons out of people. They will speak in languages they never learned. ¹⁸ If they pick up snakes or drink any poison, they will not be hurt. They will lay their hands on sick people, and they will get well.”

Jesus Goes Back to Heaven^(I)

¹⁹ After the Lord Jesus said these things to his followers, he was carried up into heaven. There, Jesus sat at the right side of God. ²⁰ The followers went everywhere in the world telling people the Good News, and the Lord helped them. By giving them power to do miracles the Lord proved that their message was true.