On the Saturday before the fourth Passover since beginning his ministry, Jesus stopped for the night, in Bethany, at the home of a man named Simon, who he had once healed of leprosy. Among those who were there for the evening was Mary Magdalene, who had been a follower of Jesus from early on because he had healed her of demon possession. She brought an expensive jar of perfume with her with which she anointed Jesus’ head. When his followers saw this, they were angry and said, “This is so wasteful! She could have sold that perfume and given all that money to the poor!”
But Jesus replied, “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful thing for me. The poor will still be there tomorrow for you to care for, but my time with you is almost over. She is preparing me for my burial. Wherever you go to teach my message you will share this story in honor of her.”
The next day, Jesus continued on to Jerusalem, but stopped just outside the city in Bethphage, near the Mount of Olives. Jesus sent two of his followers on with these instructions, “In this village you will find a donkey tied next to her colt. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone tries to stop you, say that the lord needs them and he will happily let you take them.” The disciples went and did what Jesus said and brought him the donkey and colt. He rode them towards Jerusalem while people laid their cloaks and freshly cut palm branches on the path for the donkey to walk on. They shouted out, “David’s blessed heir has come in the name of God. Let our cries reach all the way to heaven!”
That Sunday, the words of the prophet Zechariah came true, “Be filled with joy, Jerusalem, see your righteous and victorious king humbly riding towards you on a donkey.”
As he approached the city, Jesus wept and said, “If only you had understood what would bring you peace, but it is hidden from you. The day is coming when your enemies will encircle you on every side. They will destroy you because you did not recognize the coming of God’s kingdom.”
Some people asked, “Who is this?”
“Jesus the prophet from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The next day, Jesus entered the temple courts and once more drove out everyone who were selling sacrifices and exchanging currency there. He said, “God’s house is meant to be a place of prayer and you have turned it into a thieves guild.”
Many people came to him at the temple to be healed and children repeated the cry, “David’s blessed heir has come in the name of God.”
When the religious leaders saw this they were angry and said, “Do you hear what these children are saying?”
“Yes,” Jesus replied, “Haven’t you heard it said, ‘from the lips of children God has called forth praise?’”
On Tuesday, the Pharisees returned to Jesus and asked, “But what authority do you have to say and do all this?”
Jesus answered, “I have a question for you. If you answer it, I will answer your question. Where did John’s authority to baptize come from, from God, or from himself?”
The religious leaders talked among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘from God,’ he will say, ‘then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘from himself,’ the people will be angry with us because they believe he was a prophet.” So they said to Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus replied, “Then I also will not tell you where my authority comes from. Think about this. There was a man with two sons. He said to them, ‘go work in my vineyard.’ The first said, ‘No,’ but later he changed his mind and went. The second said, ‘Yes, sir,’ but he didn’t actually go work. Which son did what his father wanted?”
“The first,” they replied.
“The truth is, there are a lot of sinful people who will enter God’s kingdom before you. John came to show you the path, but you did not listen to him. Even after everything you saw you did not believe and repent, but these sinners did.
“Here’s another story. There was a farmer who planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it and built a winepress and a guard tower inside of it. He hired some workers to take care of it for him. When it was harvest time he sent some of his servants to collect his fruit. But the workers grabbed his servants, beating one and killing another. So the farmer sent more servants, but they were treated the same way. Finally, he sent his own son, thinking that they would respect him.
“But when the workers saw him coming they said to themselves, ‘this is his heir. Let’s kill him and take his inheritance for ourselves. So, what will the owner of the vineyard do to these workers when he comes?”
“He will make sure they get the punishment they deserve and then find better workers,” they answered.
“Just like in the story, God’s kingdom will be taken from you and given to people who care for it better.” So the religious leaders angrily left and continued to look for ways to have Jesus arrested.
Jesus continued to speak to the crowd, “God’s kingdom is like a king who prepared a wedding feast for his son. He sent his servants to gather everyone who had been invited, but they would not come. Some went back to their work while others abused or killed his servants. The king was angry and he sent his army to destroy the murderers. Then he said to his remaining servants, ‘the feast is ready, but those that were originally invited don’t deserve to come. Go out and invite anyone you can find on the streets. Soon the palace was filled with all kinds of guests.”
After this, the Pharisees returned with a plan to trap Jesus with his own words. They said, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man who teaches God’s truth and aren’t swayed by the opinions of others. So tell us, is it right to pay the tax to Caesar?”
But Jesus knew their hearts and replied, “Why are you trying to trap me? Show me the coin required to pay the tax.” When they brought him one he said, “Whose face is on this coin?”
“Caesar’s,” they said.
“Give back to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and give to God what belongs to God.” he answered. When they heard this, they were amazed.
But still they tried to trap him by asking, “Teacher, what is the greatest commandment in the law?”
Jesus answered, “Love God with every thought, every feeling, everything about yourself. The second greatest commandment is similar. Love your neighbor as much as you love yourself. All of the law and the words of the prophets are built from this.” After that, they stopped asking him questions.
Then Jesus said to the crowd, “The Pharisees and Sadducees sit in Moses’ seat, so you need to be careful to do what they tell you. But don’t act like them, because they don’t do themselves what they teach others to do. Everything they do is to draw attention to themselves. They dress in fancy clothes and sit at the best seats both at dinner parties and at the temple. They love to be called ‘teacher’ by people when they walk through the streets. But you shouldn’t need this kind of honor, that should be reserved for God.
“Let God’s judgment be upon you hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees. You teach people to do one thing, but in your own lives you do something else. Not only do you not enter God’s kingdom, but you shut the door in people’s faces.
“Let God’s judgment be upon you hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees. You travel all over the land to convert someone to your teachings and in doing so you lead them closer to hell, not heaven.
“Let God’s judgment be upon you hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees. You give one tenth of everything you own, even your herbs and spices, but you ignore justice, mercy, and faithfulness. You should have done both. You blind guides. You spit out a fly, but swallow a camel.
“Let God’s judgment be upon you hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees. Your lives are like a cup that is clean on the outside, but filthy on the inside. Blind guides, clean the inside first and the outside will become clean as well.
“Let God’s judgment be upon you hypocritical Pharisees and Sadducees. You are like tombs whose outsides are beautifully painted, but whose inside is full of death. You appear righteous but your hearts are wicked.
“You nest of poisonous snakes. How will you escape being condemned? God sent you prophets. Some you chased out of your towns. Some you whipped. Some you killed.
As Jesus was speaking there were many people putting money into the temple treasury. The rich were adding large amounts, but a widow came and put in only two small coins. Jesus said, “The truth is that this poor woman has put in more than all the others. They gave what extra they had, but she, in her poverty, put in everything, the money she needed to live on.”
After this, they left the temple and Jesus’ disciples commented on the impressive architecture. Jesus said to them, “There won’t be won’t stone left on another. Each one will be torn down.”
They asked him, “when will this happen and what will be the sign of your coming and the end of the age?”
Jesus said, “be careful that no one deceives you. Many will come claiming to be your savior and many will be fooled. You will hear about wars, but don’t let that scare you. Wars, famines, earthquakes, these will all happen, but they don’t signal the end. The time will come when everyone will hate you. You will be abused and killed because of me. Many will abandon God and betray each other. Because of this increase of sinfulness, the world will feel like a cold and unloving place. But those who remain faithful will be saved. This message of God’s kingdom will be taught throughout the whole world before the end comes.
“When one abominable one comes who exalts himself above all gods and says unthinkable things against Yahweh., as Daniel prophesied, then you should flee to the mountains, and don’t take anything with you. At that time there will be great suffering unlike anything that has ever happened in the world or will ever happen again. No one would survive those days if God didn’t rescue them. During that time if anyone says, ‘look here is our savior,’ don’t believe them. Those that come to deceive you may even perform their own miracles, this is why I’m warning you now. When I return, you will know it. It will be like a lightning strike in the sky.
“In those days the sun and moon will go dark and the stars will fall from the sky. Then I will return, riding the clouds with power and glory. With a trumpet blast I will send angels to gather all who have remained faithful from every corner of the world.
“But if you are trying to find out the day and the hour this will happen, no one but God knows. In Noah’s time, people were still happily going about their daily lives right up to the moment the flood came. This is how it will be when the Son of God returns. Two men will be working in a field. One will be taken, the other left behind. Because of this, you should always be watchful.
“You should be like a faithful servant who is charged with taking care of the other servants. When the master returns and finds him doing his job well, he will be rewarded. But if this servant said to himself, ‘my master is going to be gone a long time,’ and then beats the other servants and eats all of their food for himself, when his master returns unexpectedly and learns of this he will have him killed for his behavior.
“God’s kingdom is like a rich man who went on a long trip. Before he left he gave one of his servants five bags of gold, another got two bags, and a third, one bag, each according to his abilities. While the man was on his trip the servant with five bags invested it and made another five bags of gold. The servant with two bags did the same. But the servant with one bag dug a hole and buried the money. When the man returned, his servants showed him their results. To the first two servants he said, ‘Well done. You are a good and faithful servant. Because you have shown me you can be responsible with a little, I will now make you responsible for much more.’
“But the third servant said to him, ‘I know that you are a hard man, harvesting crops that you didn’t plant. I was afraid so I hid your money in the ground. Here, I’m returning it to you.’
“The master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant. So you know that I harvest crops I haven’t planted. Well then you should have at least put my money in the bank so it gained interest while I was gone. So now I’m taking your one bag of gold and giving it to the one who has ten. And you, worthless servant, will be thrown out of my house.
“When the Son of God comes again with all his angels, he will be sitting on this throne. All the people in the world will gather before him and he will separate them like a shepherd separates sheep from goats. To the ‘sheep’ he will say, ‘You have been blessed by God, my father. Come and take your inheritance, eternal life in this kingdom, which has been prepared for you since the creation of the world. When I was hungry, you fed me. When I was thirsty, you gave me a drink. I was a stranger and you invited me in. You gave me clothes when I needed them. I was sick and you took care of me. I was in prison and you visited me.’
“Then the righteous will say, ‘Lord, when did we ever do these things for you?’
“‘The truth is, whenever you do these things for those who are in need, you do it for me.’
“To the ‘goats’ on his left he said, ‘Depart from me! You are cursed to the eternal fire prepared for Satan and his demons. When I was in need, you did not help me.’
“They will answer, ‘Lord, when were you ever in need?’
“God will reply, ‘The truth is, when ever you do NOT help those in need, you do it to me.’”
Some Grecian Jews who were in Jerusalem for Passover went to Phillip and Andrew and asked to see Jesus. When the disciples delivered the message, Jesus said, “The time has come for me to be glorified. Unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground it remains a single seed. Only if it dies can it grow and sprout many seeds. Anyone who loves their life in this world will lose it. Anyone willing to give up their life in this world will gain eternal life.
“But my soul is troubled. What should I say? ‘Father save me from this?’ No. This is what I came for, so that the name of God would be glorified.”
At that moment a voice thundered from the sky and was heard by everyone gathered there. “I have glorified it, and will glorify it again.”
Jesus said, “This voice was for your benefit, not mine. Now is the time for judgment. Satan, the prince of this world, will be defeated and I will draw people from all over the world to me.” Then Jesus left and did not speak to the crowds again.
Even though Jesus had done so many unbelievable things among them, many still did not believe he was the Son of God. As Isaiah had said so long ago, “Though you hear, you will not understand. Though you will see, you will not perceive. Your hearts have been made callous; your ears deafened, your eyes closed. If you were able to hear and see you would understand in your hearts and return to God to be healed.” But there were some, even among the Sanhedrin who believed in him, though they would not openly acknowledge this for fear of retaliation, for they loved the approval of men more than God.
Jesus said to his disciples, “The one who believes in me believes in the one who sent me. The one who looks at me sees God. I have come to this world to be a light for those in darkness. I came to save the world, but there will be judgment for those who heard my words, which are the words of God, but did not listen.”
Jesus then told his disciples, “As you know, the Passover is two days away and I will be handed over to be killed.” At the exact moment he was saying this, the Sanhedrin were gathered in the house of the high priest, Caiaphas, and planned to secretly arrest Jesus and have him killed.
Shortly after this, one of Jesus’ followers, Judas Iscariot secretly went to Caiaphas and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand Jesus over to you?” They gave him 30 pieces of silver and he returned to Jesus and waited for his opportunity.
On Thursday, the first day of Passover, Jesus’ followers asked him, “Where should we stay?”
Jesus replied, “Go into the city and a man carrying a jar of water will meet you. Say to the owner of the house he enters, ‘Our teacher is in need of a guest room to celebrate Passover with his followers.’ He will show you a large room upstairs for us to use.”
On the evening of the first day of passover, while they were eating together, Jesus got up from the table, took off his outer clothing, and wrapped a towel around his waist. Then he took some water and washed his disciples feet, drying them with the towel. When it was his turn, Peter said, “Are you going to wash MY feet?”
Jesus answered, “You don’t understand what I am doing now, but one day you will.”
“I can’t let you do this,” Peter replied.
“Unless you are washed by me, you cannot be one of my disciples.”
“Then don’t just wash my feet, but my hands and face too.” Peter said.
“Those who have already had a bath, only need to wash their feet. You’re already clean enough.” Jesus told him.
When he finished, he put his outer clothes back on and said to them, “Do you understand why I did this? You call me, ‘teacher,’ and, ‘lord,’ and that is what I am. But I have made myself a servant as an example for how you should behave around others that you teach. A messenger is never greater than the one who sends him. Remember this and you will be rewarded for doing it.
But as he said this, Jesus’ heart was anguished and said, “I know the truth. One of you is planning to betray me.”
Each of them asserted that they would never do this, and asked him who he meant. Jesus replied, “It is the one who I hand this piece of bread to. God’s judgment is on the one who betrays me. It would have been better if he had never been born.” Then Jesus handed the bread to Judas Isacariot and said, “What you are about to do, do it quickly,” and Judas left, while the meaning of these things remained hidden to the rest of the disciples.
While they were eating, Jesus took the bread and a cup of wine said, “This bread is my body. Take it and eat. This wine is my blood, a new promise made for the forgiveness of sin. Drink from it, all of you. This is the last drink I will have until we are all together again in my father’s house.”
After dinner, Jesus could see that the disciples were troubled so he said, “Don’t be worried. You believe in God, believe in me also. My father’s house has many rooms and I am going there to prepare a place for you. When the time comes I will take you there with me. You already know how to get there.”
Thomas interjected, “Jesus, we don’t know where you are going, so how could we know how to get there?”
Jesus answered, “I am the way, the truth, the life. No one can know God except through me. You already know God because you have seen God.
It was Phillip this time who spoke, saying, “Just show us the Father and that will be enough for us.”
Jesus said, “Don’t you know who I am even after all this time together? How can you ask to see the Father? Don’t you believe that the Father is in me and I am in the Father? Look at the evidence I have shown you through my actions.
“I have asked the Father to send you an everlasting helper after I am gone. The Holy Spirit of God who once came only on a select few for a set amount of time will now come to everyone who loves me and obeys my teachings. This spirit will live in them forever, continuing to remind them and further teach them what I have already spoken.
“I am the vine, you are the branches grafted onto me, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch that does not bear fruit and throws it into the fire. Every branch that does bear fruit is pruned so it will bear even more fruit in the future. No branch can bear fruit if it is separated from the vine, so remain in me and I will remain in you. Show that you love me by obeying my commands. And my final command for you is this, love one another the same way I have loved you. There is no greater expression of love than to sacrifice yourself for your friends. You are not just my followers, you are my friends. I chose you for a purpose, to bear an everlasting fruit.
“A time is coming when they will kill you and think they are doing the will of God. If you find the world hates you, it is because they hated me first. If you belonged to the world, it would love you. They do this because they do not know God even though I have shown them. This is why they are not guiltless. I’m telling you this so you won’t fall away. I have so much more to say, but it is more than you could bear to hear.
“You will weep and mourn while the world rejoices, but your grief will turn to joy like a woman who forgets the pain of labor once her child is born. I am leaving you and you have many questions, but when you see me again you will have no more questions.”
Then Jesus told his followers, “Tonight you will all desert me as it was prophesied.”
Peter replied, “Even if everyone else deserts you, I never will.”
Jesus answered him, “The truth is, tonight before the rooster crows, you will say you don’t even know me three times.”
But Peter insisted, “Even if it means my death, I would never deny that I know you.” And the other disciples agreed.
Jesus then looked to heaven and prayed, “Father, the time has come for you to do great things through me so that I can lead people to you. You gave me authority over all people so that I can bring eternal life, a life knowing you, to those who believe.
“I have shown your greatness by finishing the work you gave me. I showed you to my followers. They have obeyed you and now they know that everything I have been able to do has been because of you. They know in their hearts that I have been sent by you and that I have come from you. I have always protected them and did not lose any except the one who has doomed himself. But now I am leaving this world, and they are staying. Protect them with your power so that they will be unified like you and I are unified, father. The world will hate them, because they don’t belong to it anymore. I don’t want you to take them out of the world, but protect them from Satan. Keep them pure by the truth of your word.
But I am not praying for only them; I also pray for those who will one day believe in me because of them. I pray for their unity also. I want them all to be with me in heaven and see my power and authority that you lovingly gave me before the world was made. Father, even though the world has forgotten you, I know you and I will remind them of who you are so that the love you have for me will also be in them.”
After this Jesus and his disciples hiked up the nearby Mount of Olives and went to the Garden of Gethsemane to pray together one last time.
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