Chapter 26
Verses 1-2 Read the Bible verses.
It was time to celebrate the Passover. This was a holy holiday to remember the time God led the Hebrews out of Egypt.
The Passover would be in 2 days.
Jesus told the disciples that he would be betrayed ( his friends would not be true to him) and crucified (killed on a cross).
Verses 3-5 Read the Bible verses.
The priests and other Jewish leaders talked about how to catch Jesus and have him killed.
Verses 6-13 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus went to Bethany to the house of Simon. Some time before, Simon had a skin disease called leprosy. Jesus must have healed him. People who had leprosy were not allowed to live with other people. They had to go off by themselves, or go live with other people who had leprosy.
While they were at Simon’s house, a woman came with an alabaster (kind of white stone) box of perfumed spices. She opened the box and poured it on Jesus’ head.
When the disciples saw what she did they were upset that she poured all the expensive perfume on Jesus. They did not see any need of doing that and they thought it was wasteful. They said that the perfume could have been sold and the money given to the poor.
Jesus saw things differently. Jesus knew he would die soon. Jesus knew that the Jewish people took expensive perfume spices like this and put them on the dead body before it was buried.
Jesus saw what she did was like putting spices on him before he was dead. She was honoring him and showing her love for him.
Jesus said, “You will have poor people with you always. You can help them any time. She has poured perfume on me for my burial ahead of time.”
Jesus said, “Whenever the gospel (news about Jesus) is told, people will tell what she did. It will be a remembrance for her.”
Verses 14-16 Read the Bible verses.
Judas went to the priest and Jewish leaders and asked, “What will you give me if I turn Jesus over to you?”
They agreed that they would give Judas 30 pieces of silver. That happened to be the price of buying a slave.
Verses 17-25 Read the Bible verses.
The first day of the feast the disciples came to Jesus and asked where they should have the Passover meal.
Jesus said to go to the city and talk to a certain man. He would have a room for them. So they prepared things for the Passover meal.
As they ate together, Jesus said one of you will betray me. It will be the person who puts his hand into the dish with me.
They all began asking if it was them. Finally, Judas asked if it was him and Jesus said, “You have said.”
Verses 26-29 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus took the bread and blessed it and broke it and said, “This is my body broken for you.” It was not really his body. It was a symbol (picture) of his body.
Jesus took the cup of wine and said, “Drink all of it. This is my blood of the New Testament given for the remission (removal) of sins.” It was not his blood, really, but it was a symbol (picture).
Then Jesus said, “ I will not drink of the fruit of the vine (wine) again until I drink it in heaven with you.”
Verses 30- 35 Read the Bible verses.
They sang a song, then they went into the mount of Olives.
Jesus told them, “You will be offended (hurt and upset) because of me this night.”
Jesus said a verse from the Old Testament, “I will smite (hit) the shepherd and the sheep of the flock (group) shall be scattered (go many ways).” Zechariah 13:7
Jesus was like a shepherd. The disciples were like the sheep. When Jesus would be taken the disciples would run away.
Jesus said, “But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.”
The disciples didn’t really listen to this sentence. They were thinking about what Jesus said about them all being “scattered”. Later, after the resurrection the disciples remembered this sentence.
Peter was sure that he would never run away from Jesus. But Jesus told him that before the sun was up and the rooster crowed he would have said three times that he did not know Jesus. Peter would “deny” that he knew Jesus.
Deny means to say it isn’t true. All of the disciples said they would not deny Jesus.
Verses 36-46 Read the Bible verses.
Jesus and his disciples came to the garden called Gethsemane.
Jesus told his disciples to stay in the one place because he wanted to go on farther by himself to pray.
Jesus took Peter, James and John, his closest disciples, with him as he went farther. Jesus was so sad. He asked the 3 men to wait and pray with him. Then Jesus went on farther alone to pray.
Jesus prayed, “Father if it is possible let this “cup” (this thing I must do–the cross) to pass from me.” To die on a cross was going to be so hard to do. Jesus hated the thought of it. Jesus said, “But I will do your will not mine.”
In Luke 22:44, it says that Jesus “sweat drops of blood” as he was praying. Going to the cross was a very hard thing to do.
Jesus came back to the 3 men and found that they had gone to sleep.
He said, “You need to pray. In your spirit you want to be strong, but in your flesh (body and mind) you are weak.”
Jesus went back to pray. He prayed the same prayer.
Jesus came back to the men and they were sleeping again.
Jesus left them and went to pray again. He prayed the same prayer again,
He came back to the 3 men the third time. This time he said, “Sleep on–the time has come for me to be taken–the time for praying is over.”
Verses 47-56 Read the Bible verses.
Judas had come to the garden with a crowd of men–priests, Jewish leaders, and guards (soldiers) of the temple.
Judas kissed Jesus on the cheek so the men would know which man was Jesus.
Peter had a sword and he hit one of the servants and cut off his ear.
Jesus touched his ear and healed him. John 18:10, Luke 22:51
Jesus told him to put away his sword. He said that people who use a sword often get killed by a sword.
Jesus said, “If I had wanted I could have called 12 legions of angels to come and save me.” A legion is about 4000 to 6000 —times 12 is 48,000 or 72,000 angels.
Jesus was not forced to give up his life. Jesus was not at the mercy of the Jewish leaders or the Romans. Jesus had already decided to give up his life because it was the will of the Father and it was the only way to save people from the death penalty of sin.
Jesus said, “ I was with you every day in the temple. You could have taken me any day. You did not because the scriptures needed to be filled.
‘Should priest and prophet be killed in the sanctuary of the Lord?’ .”
Lamentations 4:20 NIV
Then all the disciples ran away.
Verses 57-67 Read the Bible verses.
The men took Jesus to the high priest, Caiaphas, and other Jewish leaders. Peter left. Later he came back and followed far behind. He went into the building of the high priest.
The Jewish leaders tried to find men who would be willing to stand up in court and tell lies about Jesus, because they wanted to kill him.
They found many who were willing to testify, but there were only 2 men whose testimony they could use.
They said, “This fellow (Jesus) said he was able to destroy the temple of God and then he would build it again in 3 days.”
When the men gave their testimony, Jesus said nothing.
The high priest asked him, “Why don’t you answer them?”
Jesus said nothing.
The high priest used an Old Testament law and said Jesus had to answer or he would be guilty of sin. (Leviticus 5:1)
Jesus said, “Thou hast said.” Then Jesus said a verse from the Old Testament that told a prophecy about the Messiah. Daniel 7:13,14
When the high priest heard Jesus use this verse about himself–he was so angry that he tore his clothes. (rent–means to rip) He said that Jesus was guilty of blasphemy (speaking against God).
Jewish custom was that when a person heard very sad news or very upsetting news–they would put their hands on the tunic (shirt) they wore under their robe and they would rip it. It was a sign of great sorrow.
However, the high priest was not allowed to rip his holy clothes. He was standing in the place of God for the people and he was not to show such sorrow or anger. He was holy unto the Lord.
So the high priest who is blaming Jesus for blasphemy has just done something that was disrespectful and shameful to God.
Verses 69-75 Read the Bible verses.
Peter sat outside the building. A young girl (damsel) came up to him and said, “You were with Jesus.” Peter said, “No, that’s not true.”
Then again, another servant girl said, “This man was with Jesus.”
Peter said, “No.”
Later some men who stood near said to Peter, “You must be with Jesus because you talk like a person from Galilee.” Peter had an accent–the way a person makes the sounds of his words.
Peter said, “I don’t know the man.” As soon as Peter said that, he heard the rooster crow, because it was almost morning. Peter remembered what Jesus said–that he would deny him 3 times. Peter left and wept (cried hard).