Jesus, in His Own Words (PDFDrive)
Jesus, in His Own Words (PDFDrive)
Jesus, in His Own Words (PDFDrive)
978-1-4336-6919-4
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 • 14 13 12 11 10
To the two women in my life:
Jean, my loving wife for almost sixty years,
and our daughter Teri, radiant with joy
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Introduction
Chapter Thirteen: Ministry in Jerusalem and the Death of John the Baptist
Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (John 5:1–47)
Opinions about Me (Matt. 14:1–2; Mark 6:14–16; Luke 9:7–9)
The Death of John the Baptist (Matt. 14:3–12; Mark 6:17–29)
Five Thousand Are Fed (Matt. 14:13–21; Mark 6:32–44; Luke 9:10–17)
Walking on the Water (Matt. 14:22–33; Mark 6:45–52; John 6:16–21)
Healing at Gennesaret (Matt. 14:34–36; Mark 6:53–56; John 6:22–25)
You are about to read an account of the life and ministry of Jesus that combines
all four Gospels into a single narrative and allows Jesus himself to tell us the
story. Although the style is contemporary, the desire is to clarify the meaning of
the original text rather than to impress the reader with clever phrases.
Having said that, the translation desires to provide a readable and accurate
account, which will communicate the first-century message in contemporary
language. Clarity has been a constant goal, and this involves making decisions
regarding difficult verses and ambiguous language. The work falls clearly in the
tradition of evangelical scholarship. Major guides have been Leon Morris on
Matthew, Bill Lane on Mark, Darrell Bock on Luke, and D. A. Carson on John,
and, of course, my own commentaries on Matthew (Hendrickson) and John
(Zondervan).
Everyone who has studied the Synoptics realizes the multiple problems of
repetition, overlap, and sequence. When the fourth Gospel is added, it becomes
even more difficult. Did Jesus cleanse the temple early in his ministry as John
says, or was it at the end of his ministry as the Synoptics have it? Or perhaps the
temple was cleansed twice! Was the anointing of Jesus done in the house of
Simon the leper (Matt. 26:6; Mark 14:3), in the home of a Pharisee (Luke 7:36),
or in the home of Mary and Martha (John 12:1)? Who poured the ointment? Was
it a woman of the city (Luke 7:37) or Mary (John 12:3)? Did she pour it on his
head (Matt. 26:7; Mark 14:3) or on his feet (Luke 7:38; John 12:3)? Or perhaps
the varying accounts describe two (or three) different occasions.
All of this is to say that scholars hold different opinions regarding a number
of items that surface when the four Gospels are compared. I have used my best
judgment as guided by the insights of conservative scholars. In the vast majority
of cases, it makes little difference as to where or when a particular teaching of
Jesus occurs. For example, Matthew’s Sermon on the Mount contains a dozen
units, which are found scattered throughout Luke (primarily) in other historical
settings. Jesus undoubtedly repeated himself on multiple occasions. Minor
differences could be due to the specific occasion to which each writer refers or to
how they remembered the words Jesus used.
In the case of the Sermon on the Mount, I have maintained Matthew’s
account as it is and allowed Luke the freedom of placing some of the units in
other locations.
Good translation in the contemporary mode attempts to provide today’s
reader with an account that not only communicates accurately what Jesus did
and said in the first century but also puts it in an idiom that has the same
dynamic effect. The reader needs to “be there,” whether on the hillside listening
to Jesus talk about the kingdom or in a temple court castigating the scribes and
Pharisees. I have taken the privilege of substituting for what might be called
“standard” verbs others that seem to me to catch the dynamism of the moment.
For example, the older brother of the prodigal son, when his father goes out and
begs him to come in, “bursts out, ‘All these years I have slaved for you . . .’”
The standard “answered” for apokritheis simply will not do. I want demons to
“shriek” and mobs to “shout.” Whatever brings the story to life without calling
undue attention to itself is used.
Some may say, “But aren’t you interpreting,” and the answer is yes. All
translation involves interpretation. My prayer is that at no point have I misled in
any way what Jesus was doing or saying. You will be the judge of that. Over
forty years of translation, including major involvement in the NIV, NIrV, NLT,
and the ESV (as well as consulting on the TNIV) have provided the foundation
for this work.
It’s obvious that sound theology must ultimately be built on the preferred
texts in the original languages. I have wanted, however, for this translation to be
usable as a preparatory step in that direction. So it comes with an extended table
of contents and subject index. Should someone want to locate, let’s say, the
parable of the prodigal son, the table of contents will provide quick access to
Luke 15:11–32. Should someone want to know what Jesus taught about divorce
or about prayer, the index will take them to those specific verses. Here and there
throughout the translation, I have added a phrase or sentence that provides
historical or cultural context. All such additions are placed in brackets. One final
item: cited at the close of each periscope are the Gospel references for that unit.
I trust that as you read this translation you will be aware that God continues
to speak through his Word to all who have “ears to hear” (some biblical
terminology defies change).
Robert H. Mounce
Chapter One
THE SETTING
PROLOGUE
Before anything else existed, the Word already was—I am that Word. I was
in fellowship with God; in fact, I was God. I was there from the very beginning.
Through me God brought everything into existence. Not a single thing was
created except that which was created through me. I am the source of all life, and
that life has provided light for the human race. The light keeps on shining in the
darkness, and the darkness has never been able to put it out.
At a crucial point in time, there came a man whose name was John the
Baptist. He was sent by God to tell people about the light so they would come to
believe through him. He himself was not that light but the one who was to tell
others about the light.
The real light, which was destined to enlighten everyone, was about to
come into the world. When I did enter the world, it failed to recognize me even
though I had created it. I came to my own creation, but the very people I had
created would not receive me. However, to as many as did receive me—that is,
to those who believe that I really am who I claim to be—I gave the privilege of
becoming sons of God. This new birth is not by natural means, the result of a
physical impulse or because a man made a decision; it is a birth that comes from
God.
I became a human being and lived like others. The disciples beheld my
glory, the glory of the one and only Son, sent from the Father.
John the Baptist told everyone about me. He exclaimed, “He is the one I
was talking about when I said, ‘A man will follow me who is greater than I, for
he existed even before I was born.’”
From my infinite supply of grace and goodness, those who believe have
received one gracious gift after another. While the Law was given through
Moses, it is through me, Jesus Christ, that grace and truth have come. No one
has ever seen God. I myself am God and dwell in the presence of the Father. I
am the one who told the disciples about God. (John 1:1–18)
Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three months and then returned to her
own home in Nazareth. (Luke 1:39–56)
And the child continued to grow and became strong in body and spirit. He
lived in the desert until the day he made his public appearance in Israel. (Luke
1:57–80)
MY BIRTH
My mother, Mary, was pledged in marriage to Joseph; but during the
required year of waiting prior to the actual marriage, while she was still a virgin,
it became apparent that she was pregnant. Joseph was a good man and reluctant
to humiliate Mary in public [Deut. 22:23–27 calls for the stoning of a betrothed
woman who’s had sex with a man], so he planned to cancel the engagement
quietly without pressing charges.
While he was considering this course of action, an angel of the Lord
appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph, of the line of David, don’t be
afraid to take Mary home as your wife, for the child in her womb is by the Holy
Spirit. She will give birth to a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will
save his people from their sins.”
This took place to fulfill what the Lord had promised through the prophet
Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin will become pregnant and give birth to a son, and
they will give him the name Emmanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did what he had been told by the angel
and took Mary home to be his wife. However, he allowed her to remain a virgin
until she had given birth to a son whom he would name Jesus.
About that time an edict was sent out from Caesar Augustus [the first
Roman emperor] that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world for the
purpose of taxation. When this first census was taken, Quirinius was the
governor of Syria. Everyone was required to return to their ancestral home in
order to be registered.
Because he was a descendant of king David, my father, Joseph, went up
from Nazareth in Galilee to Bethlehem in Judea [king David’s town] to be
registered. Mary, who was promised in marriage to him and was pregnant, went
with him. While they were there in Bethlehem, the time came for Mary to have
her baby. I was the child she bore, her firstborn. She wrapped me with strips of
cloth and laid me in a feed box, for there was no room for us in the living
quarters. (Matt. 1:18–25; Luke 2:1–7)
ADORATION BY SHEPHERDS AND WISE MEN
Not far away some shepherds were living out in the open fields, caring for
their flock at night. Suddenly an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the
glory of the Lord shone around them. They were terrified. But the angel said,
“Don’t be afraid! I bring you the good news of a great joy which is for everyone
everywhere. This very night in the city of David, a Savior has been born for you;
he is the Messiah, the Lord. This is how you will recognize him: you will find
the infant wrapped with strips of cloth and lying in a feed bin.”
Suddenly the angel was joined by a vast heavenly entourage singing praises
to God and declaring, “Glory to God in the heavenly realms, and on earth peace
among those he has favored.”
When the angelic host left and returned to heaven, the shepherds said to one
another, “Let’s go straight to Bethlehem and see this wondrous event that the
Lord has told us about!”
So they hurried to Bethlehem and searched until they found Mary and
Joseph; and there I was, lying in the feed bin. When they saw me for themselves,
they told others all that the angel had said to them about me. And everyone who
heard it marveled at what the shepherds had told them. But Mary stored all these
matters in her heart, often pondering how she could put them all together.
Meanwhile, the shepherds returned to the fields, giving glory and praise to God
for all they had heard and seen, just as the angel had told them.
At that time some wise men from the East arrived unexpectedly in
Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star
when it first appeared in the East and have come to pay homage to him.”
When reports of this reached king Herod, he was deeply disturbed, as was
all Jerusalem. So he called together the chief priests and experts in the law and
asked them if they knew where this king, the Messiah, was to be born.
“In Bethlehem of Judea,” they answered, “for that is what God promised
through Micah the prophet:
“And you, O Bethlehem, are not just a lowly village in Judah, because from
you will come a ruler who will care for my people Israel.”
Herod arranged a private meeting with the wise men and learned from them
exactly when the star had appeared. Then he sent them back to Bethlehem
saying, “Do your best to find the child, and when you have found him, let me
know so I can come and worship him.”
Having heard what the king had to say, the wise men went on their way.
Suddenly the same star they had seen in the East appeared once again and led
them until it came to rest directly above the place where I lay. When they saw
the star, they were ecstatic with joy. They entered the house, and when they saw
me in the arms of my mother, they fell to their knees and worshipped me.
Opening their treasure chests they honored me with gifts—gold, frankincense,
and myrrh.
Then they went back to their own country but by a different route because
God had warned them in a dream against going back to Herod again. (Matt. 2:1–
12; Luke 2:8–20)
MY CHILDHOOD AT NAZARETH
However, when Joseph learned that Archelaus had become king over Judea
in place of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. Being warned in a dream,
he went instead to the province of Galilee and settled in the town of Nazareth. So
what the prophets said came true, “He will be called a Nazarene.” There in
Nazareth I grew up healthy and strong. I was full of wisdom and enjoyed the
special attention of God. (Matt. 2:22–23; Luke 2:39–40)
For clothing John wore a rough coat made of camel’s hair, tied at the waist
with a rope of dried skin. For food he ate dried locusts and wild honey, food
available in the wilderness. At that time people were coming out to him not only
from Jerusalem but from everywhere in Judea and the entire Jordan Valley. As,
one by one, they openly confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan
River. (Matt. 3:1–6; Mark 1:1–6; Luke 3:1–6; John 1:19–23)
You bunch of snakes! Who led you to think you could escape the coming
wrath of God? Show by your life that your heart has been changed. It’s not
enough to claim, ‘Abraham is my father,’ for in fact, God could produce
descendants for Abraham out of even these lifeless stones. Even now, the
ax of judgment is ready to sever each tree from its roots. So any tree that
fails to bear good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. (Matt.
3:7–10; Luke 3:7–9)
JOHN IN PRISON
Herod Antipas, governor of Galilee, had divorced his wife in order to marry
Herodias, the wife of his half brother Philip. John the Baptist rebuked Herod for
this immoral act [“It is not lawful for you to have her”], as well as for a number
of other evil things he had done. Herod then topped them all by imprisoning
John in the fortress, Machaerus, on the east shore of the Dead Sea. (Matt. 14:3–
4; Mark 6:17–18; Luke 3:19–20)
MY BAPTISM
At that time I went from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan River
to be baptized by John. But John tried to talk me out of it, saying, “I ought to be
baptized by you; why then are you coming to me for baptism?”
I answered him, “We will go ahead with the baptism, for that is the
appropriate way to fulfill our righteous obligation.”
So John baptized me. As I came up out of the water, the heavens opened,
and I saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming to rest on me.
Then suddenly God’s voice from heaven declared, “You are my own dear Son,
in whom I take great pleasure.”
The next day John saw me as I was walking along. “Look!” he called out,
“The Lamb of God, the one who will take away the sin of the world! He is the
one of whom I said, ‘A man will follow me who is greater than I because he
existed before I was born.’ I didn’t know that he was the coming one; but I have
been baptizing with water so that God might reveal him to the people of Israel.”
“I saw the Spirit,” said John, “coming down from heaven like a dove and
settling on him. I would not have known him, but the one who sent me to baptize
with water said, ‘The one on whom you will see the Spirit descending is the very
one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ I saw this myself and therefore
declare that this man is the Son of God.” (Matt. 3:13–17; Mark 1:9–11; Luke
3:21–22; John 1:29–34)
TEMPTED BY SATAN
After I was baptized, I left the Jordan River in the fullness of the Holy
Spirit. I was led by the Spirit out into the wasteland to be tempted by the devil. I
was there with wild beasts for forty days, fasting both day and night. As the time
drew to a close, I was absolutely famished. Just then the Tempter came to me
suggesting how I could satisfy my hunger: “You claim to be the Son of God, so
why not simply say the word and these stones will turn into bread?”
I replied, “Scripture says, ‘Man needs more than bread to live; he must also
have the words that come from the mouth of God.’”
Then the devil took me to Jerusalem, the holy city, and had me stand on the
highest pinnacle of the temple. He tempted me, saying, “If it is true that you are
the Son of God, then throw yourself down from here. After all, your Scripture
says: ‘God will send his angels to protect you,’ and again, ‘With their hands they
will hold you up so you won’t strike your foot against a stone.’”
Once again I replied, “But Scripture also says, ‘Do not put the Lord your
God on trial.’”
As a last recourse the devil took me to the top of a high mountain and
showed me, in a single dazzling display, all the kingdoms of the world and their
grandeur. He said, “All of this power and the glory that goes with it has been put
in my hands, and I can give it to anyone I please. Here’s my offer: I‘ll give it all
to you on one condition—that you bow down and worship me.”
Without hesitation I rebuked him saying, “Get out of here, Satan, for the
Scriptures say, ‘You are to worship the Lord your God and serve no one but
him.’”
At this the Devil left me until a more favorable time would arise. Suddenly
angels appeared and began to care for my needs. (Matt. 4:1–11; Mark 1:12–13;
Luke 4:1–13)
Chapter Four
JOHN’S TESTIMONY TO ME
John the Baptist had not yet been put in prison but was at Aenon, near
Salim. There was plenty of water there, and John was baptizing all the people
who came to him.
Some of John’s followers got into an argument with a Jewish man about the
practice of ceremonial cleansing. So they came to John and asked, “Rabbi, the
man you spoke about when you were east of the Jordan—the man you said was
the Lamb of God—that man is now baptizing, and everyone is flocking to him.”
John replied, “No one plays a role in the eternal plan unless it has been
assigned to him by God. You yourselves heard me say, ‘I am not the Messiah,’
but rather, ‘I have been sent as his forerunner.’
“In a wedding the bridegroom takes the bride. The role of the bridegroom’s
friend is to wait and listen for his coming. When he hears the voice of the
bridegroom, he is overcome with joy. My joy is like that; it is absolutely
complete. Jesus must become increasingly important, but I must fade away.”
To this testimony by John, I added, “The one who comes from above is
above all others. The one who belongs to the earth speaks only of things of the
earth. I am the one from heaven. I speak of what I have actually seen and heard,
yet none of you accept what I say. But whoever does accept my message has
demonstrated his conviction that God is truthful. I was sent by God and speak
the words of God, for God does not give his Spirit in limited measure.
“The Father loves the Son and has placed everything under his control.
Everyone who puts his faith in the Son has eternal life. But no one who disobeys
the Son will share in that life but will remain subject to the wrath of God.” (John
3:23–36)
Chapter Five
BACK TO GALILEE
When I heard that John the Baptist had been put in prison, I left Judea and
started back to Galilee, filled with the power of the Spirit. The Pharisees were
aware that I was gaining and baptizing more converts than John, although it was
my disciples, not I, who did the baptizing. (Matt. 4:12; Mark 1:14a; Luke 4:14a;
John 4:1–3)
MINISTRY IN GALILEE
Two days later I left Samaria and headed toward Galilee because, as I have
often said, “A prophet is highly respected everywhere except in his own
country” (in my case, Judea). When I arrived in Galilee, I was welcomed by the
people because they had been at the festival in Jerusalem and seen everything I
had done.
Some time later I moved from Nazareth where I had grown up, to the city
of Capernaum on the shore of the Sea of Galilee, in the territory of Zebulun and
Naphtali. This fulfilled what Isaiah prophesied of that region: “Land of Zebulun
and land of Naphtali, on the road toward the sea, west of the Jordan, that part of
Galilee where so many Gentiles live; you who are living in darkness will see a
great light; on you who live in the dark land of death, the light will dawn.”
From that time on I began to proclaim the gospel of God, saying, “The
long-awaited hour has come; God is establishing his reign here on earth so turn
from your sins and believe the good news.” (Matt. 4:13–17; Mark 1:14b–15;
Luke 4:14b–15; John 4:43–46a)
PREACHING AT NAZARETH
As I went from town to town in Galilee, I came to the village of Nazareth
where I had spent my childhood. My disciples were traveling with me. On the
Sabbath day I went to the synagogue as usual. The local authorities asked me to
read from Scripture, so out of respect for the sacred text, I stood to my feet. I
was handed the Isaiah scroll. I unrolled it and found the place that talks about
God’s anointed servant. I read, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he
has appointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to tell the
captives, ‘You are free!’ and the blind, ‘You will see again!’ He has sent me to
set free the victims of oppression and to proclaim that the time of God’s
salvation has come.”
When I finished reading the passage, I rolled up the scroll, handed it back to
the assistant and sat down to explain what it meant. The eyes of everyone in the
synagogue were riveted on me. I said, “Today this passage of Scripture was
fulfilled as you heard it being read.”
Everyone was deeply impressed, both by my gentle demeanor and by the
words I spoke, but were offended by what they implied—that I, a simple
Galilean peasant, untrained in the rabbinic schools, was in fact the fulfillment of
God’s messianic promises through the prophet Isaiah. They marveled, “Where
did this man get all this wisdom and the power to perform miracles? Isn’t he the
son of Joseph the carpenter? And isn’t Mary his mother? Aren’t James, Joseph,
Simon, and Judas, his brothers, and don’t his sisters live right here in Nazareth?”
I said to them, “You will probably quote me the saying, ‘Doctor, heal
yourself,’ and challenge me to perform here in your town what you heard I did in
Capernaum.
“But I tell you the truth, ‘No prophet is highly respected in his own
hometown, or among his relatives or even by his own family.’” I was astounded
at their unbelief. It prevented me from doing miracles there, except I did lay
hands on a few sick people and heal them.
“I tell you the truth,” I continued, “In Elijah’s day, when it didn’t rain for
three and a half years and the land suffered a great famine, there were many
Jewish widows in Israel, yet Elijah was not sent to any of them. He went only to
a Gentile widow living in the coastal village of Zarephath near Sidon. What’s
more, in the time of Elisha the prophet, there were many in Israel with leprosy,
but none of them were healed; only Naaman, a general in the Syrian army.”
When I reminded the people in the synagogue of God’s care for the
Gentiles, they became livid with rage. They broke up the meeting and dragged
me out of town to the top of a nearby cliff intending to hurl me down. But at that
point I walked straight through the crowd and left Nazareth never to return.
(Matt. 13:53–58; Mark 6:1–6a; Luke 4:16–30)
EVENING IN CAPERNAUM
That evening after sunset (the Sabbath had just ended), people from all over
Capernaum came to where I was staying. Crowding through the door, they
brought me those who were suffering with various kinds of diseases as well as
those who were possessed by demons. I laid my hands on each sick person, and
every one of them was healed. This fulfilled what the prophet Isaiah said, “He
took our weaknesses and carried away our diseases.”
The demons who were cast out at my command shrieked, “You are the Son
of God!”
I rebuked them and would not allow them to speak because they knew that I
was the promised Messiah. (Matt. 8:16–17; Mark 1:32–34; Luke 4:40–41)
A PARALYTIC IS HEALED
After this I went back across the lake to Capernaum, which I now
considered my hometown. Within several days everyone knew that I was there,
and crowds began to gather. Soon there was not enough room inside the house or
even outside around the door to accommodate everyone. I preached the word to
them, and the power of God was with me to heal.
One day four men arrived carrying a paralyzed man on a stretcher. They
tried to bring him inside so they could lay him before me but were unable
because the room was jam-packed. So they climbed up on the roof and removed
the tiles directly above me. Then they lowered the paralytic through the opening.
I was profoundly impressed by the faith of the four men and what it led
them to do. So I looked down at the paralytic lying on the stretcher and said, “Be
of good cheer, my son! Your sins are forgiven.”
At this the legal experts and the Pharisees were visibly upset. Cynically
they asked, “Who is this man who dares to slander God like that? You heard him
blaspheme! Certainly he knows that God alone, and no one else, can forgive
sins.”
When I saw how strongly they reacted, I asked why they were filled with
such evil thoughts. “Tell me,” I said, “which would be simpler—to say to this
paralyzed man, ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ or ‘Rise, take up your stretcher and
walk?’ So you will never have to question again whether the Son of man has the
authority to forgive sins, I say to this poor man, ‘Get up now, pick up your
stretcher and go home.’”
Without hesitation the paralyzed man sprang to his feet, picked up his
stretcher, and walked off praising God. The crowd was stunned. As the truth of
what had happened began to sink in, a sense of awe swept over the crowded
room. Everyone there began to glorify God for the power he had given me. They
said, “Never have we seen such strange things as we have seen today.” (Matt.
9:1–8; Mark 2:1–12; Luke 5:17–26)
THE SETTING
My reputation spread quickly beyond the boundaries of Galilee, and soon
people were coming to me from every part of the surrounding area. People
suffering from every known kind of illness and severe pain were brought to me,
and I healed them. They struggled to touch me because the healing power that
came from me was working such miracles. Demoniacs, epileptics, and paralytics
were all cured of their disabilities. Consequently, huge crowds followed
wherever I went—people from Galilee, the district of the Ten Towns
(Decapolis), Jerusalem, all Judea, the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, as well as the
land east of the Jordan River.
When I saw the crowds, I went up the mountainside and sat down, as rabbis
do when they teach. My disciples gathered around me, and I taught them as
follows: (Matt. 4:24–5:2)
THE BEATITUDES
“How blessed are those who recognize their spiritual need, for the kingdom
of heaven belongs to them alone.
“How blessed are those who understand the sorrow of this world, for God
himself will comfort and encourage them.
“How blessed are those who don’t promote themselves, for to them life
yields its rewards.
“How blessed are those who long to do what pleases God, for God will
satisfy them completely.
“How blessed are the compassionate, for God will be compassionate to
them.
“How blessed are those whose hearts are pure, for they alone will see God.
“How blessed are those who work for peace, for God will call them ‘my
sons.’
“How blessed are those who are persecuted for doing what God desires, for
the kingdom of heaven belongs to them.
“How blessed you are when others revile you and persecute you and spread
all kinds of vicious slander about you because you have taken up my cause in a
sinful world. Rejoice and shout for joy because great is your reward in heaven;
for that is how they persecuted the ancient prophets.” (Matt. 5:3–12)
RETALIATION
“You have heard that it was said, ‘Only an eye for an eye and only a tooth
for a tooth.’ But I say: Don’t resist the one who wants to harm you. Instead, if he
slaps you on the right cheek, turn the other to him as well. And if someone takes
you to court to get your shirt, give him your coat as well. And if a soldier of an
occupying force wants you to carry his gear for a mile, carry it for two. Give to
the one who comes to you begging, and don’t turn your back on the one who
would borrow from you.” (Matt. 5:38–42)
PRAYER
“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand up in
the synagogues so others can see them pray. They choose the busiest street
corners in town as places to pray so that others can’t help but see how pious they
are. You can be sure of this; they have already received the reward they’re going
to get.
“But when you pray, go into a room by yourself. When you have shut the
door, pray to your Father who is with you there in the secret place, and your
Father who sees what you are doing in secret will reward you.” (Matt. 6:5–6)
“For if you forgive others their sins, your Father in heaven will also forgive
you; but if you refuse to forgive others, then your Father will not forgive you
your sins.” (Matt. 6:7–15)
FASTING
“When you fast, don’t go around looking gloomy like the hypocrites. They
disfigure their faces so others will be sure to notice that they are fasting. Believe
me, they already have all the reward they are going to get. Now as for you, when
you fast, brush your hair and wash your face like you normally do; that way
people will not even suspect that you are fasting. Of course, your Father will
know because he watches what you do that is unnoticed by others, and he will
reward you.” (Matt. 6:16–18)
TREASURES
“Stop storing up treasure here on earth where everything is either wearing
out or apt to be stolen. A far better way is to store up your treasure in heaven
where nothing like that can happen. The important point is that wherever you
store your treasure is where your heart is going to be.” (Matt. 6:19–21)
ANXIETY
“Therefore I tell you not to worry about such little things as whether you
will have enough to eat and drink or whether you will have something to wear.
Certainly there is more to life than food and clothing. Consider the wild birds:
they don’t plant seeds, harvest a crop, or store it all in a granary. Your heavenly
Father takes care of that. Think about it; aren’t you of greater concern to God
than the birds? Can any of you by worrying add even one hour to your life?
“And why do you worry about clothing? Look at the wild flowers in the
fields, how they grow. They’re not hard at work making their own clothing, yet I
can assure you that not even Solomon dressed in his royal robes could match the
beauty of one of these. Now if God clothes the fields with such beautiful
flowers, which are alive today but gone tomorrow, burned in the oven, is he not
much more likely to clothe you? How slow you are to trust him! So stop
worrying about things such as where your food will come from, or if you’ll have
enough to drink, or what you will wear for clothing. Nonbelievers make things
like that the primary goal of life, but in your case your heavenly Father already
knows you need them, and he will take care of it.
“But more important than anything else is that you set your heart on his
kingdom and what he desires of you. If you do, he will provide you with all the
other things. So don’t worry about tomorrow; each day will have enough worries
of its own.” (Matt. 6:25–34)
JUDGING
“Don’t be sharply critical of others, or God will judge you in the same way.
You know, don’t you that you will be judged by the same standard that you use
in judging others? The same rules will apply to you that you apply to others.
“Why do you draw attention to the tiny bit of sawdust in your brother’s eye
when you’ve got a huge log protruding from your own? Perhaps you think it
possible to remove sawdust from someone else’s eye while blinded by a log in
your own? You phoney! Get rid of the log in your own eye and only then will
you see clearly enough to remove the sawdust from your brother’s eye.” (Matt.
7:1–5)
SETTING
I came back down the mountain with the Twelve and stopped for a while in
a broad open area. People from all over Judea, from Jerusalem, and from the
coastal region of Tyre and Sidon gathered to hear me teach and to be healed of
their diseases. Even those tormented by evil spirits were cured. Everyone in the
crowd was trying to touch me because it was obvious that I possessed the power
to heal.
Looking up at those who had gathered around, I said . . . (Luke 6:17–20a)
THE BEATITUDES
“How blessed are you who own nothing, for the kingdom of heaven
belongs to you.
“How blessed are you who hunger now, for God will satisfy you
completely.
“How blessed are you who weep now, for you are going to laugh.
“How blessed you are when men hate you, when they exclude you, when
they insult you and curse you as evil because you are my followers.
“Rejoice when that happens; leap for joy because your reward in heaven is
great. That is exactly how your fathers treated the prophets.” (Luke 6:20b–23)
THE WOES
“How sad it is for you who are wealthy now because you have already
received all the happiness due you.
“How sad for you who have eaten your full because you are going to get
hungry.
“How sad for you who are laughing now because you will come to mourn
and weep.
“How sad for you when everyone speaks well of you because that’s exactly
what their fathers did to the false prophets.” (Luke 6:24–26)
JUDGING
“Stop judging others, and God will not judge you. Don’t condemn others,
and God won’t condemn you. Forgive others, and God will forgive you. Give to
others, and God will give to you. He will pour into your lap a generous measure,
pressed down, shaken together, and overflowing. The measure you use for others
is the measure that God will use for you.
“It is obvious that a blind man can’t guide another blind man. Should he try,
would not both of them wander off and fall into a pit? No disciple is better
informed than his teacher; however, once his training is complete, he will be like
his teacher.
“Why do you point out the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye but pay
no attention to the huge log that is sticking out of your own eye? Can’t you see
how ridiculous you look when you offer to remove sawdust from your brother’s
eye but can’t see past the log in your own? You hypocrite! Begin by removing
the log from your own eye, and then you will see clearly enough to remove the
bit of sawdust from your brother’s eye.” (Luke 6:37–42)
CONDITIONS OF DISCIPLESHIP
“Anyone who cares more for his father or mother than for me is not worthy
of me. Anyone who cares more for his son or daughter than for me is not worthy
of me. Whoever refuses to take up his cross and follow me wherever I go is not
worthy of me.” (Matt. 10:37–39)
REWARDS OF DISCIPLESHIP
“Whoever welcomes you as you travel through Galilee welcomes me, and
anyone who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. Whoever receives a
prophet because he is a prophet will receive a prophet’s reward, and whoever
receives a just man because he is just will receive a just man’s reward. The one
who gives even a cup of cold water to someone of less importance because he is
a disciple will never lose his reward.”
After delivering these instructions to my twelve disciples, I went out and
continued my ministry of teaching and preaching throughout Galilee. (Matt.
10:40–11:1)
TEACHING IN GALILEE
“COME TO ME . . .”
“Come to me, all you who are weary with the burdens of life, and I will
give you the rest that refreshes. Take on a yoke like mine, and let me show you
how to meet life. Then your soul will be renewed, for I am gentle and humble in
spirit. The yoke I wear fits so well that the load you carry will seem light.”
(Matt. 11:28–30)
MY SANITY QUESTIONED
Then I returned to Capernaum, and crowds gathered so quickly that there
wasn’t even time to eat. When my family in Nazareth heard what was going on,
they came to take me away by force. “He has lost control of his senses,” they
explained. (Mark 3:19b–21)
MY TRUE FAMILY
I was still speaking when suddenly my mother and brothers arrived. Unable
to get through the crowd, they sent a message asking me to come out and speak
with them. But I said, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” Then
glancing around and pointing to my disciples, I said, “Look, these are my mother
and my brothers. Whoever does the will of God, my Father in heaven, is my
brother, my sister, my mother.” (Matt. 12:46–50; Mark 3:31–35; Luke 8:19–21)
Chapter Twelve
MY PARABLES
That same day I left the house where I was staying and went out along the
lakeshore. I sat down to teach those who had come from the neighboring towns
to listen. The crowd grew so large that I had to get into a small boat so I could be
heard by all the people gathered on the shore. I taught them many spiritual truths
using simple stories from everyday life. Here is one of them:
GEMS OF TRUTH
I asked those who had been listening to me, “Do you understand these
parable I have told you?”
“Yes,” they answered, “we do.”
Then I said to them, “So everyone who knows the law and is trained for the
kingdom of heaven is like a rich man who brings from his storehouse gems of
truth both old and new.” (Matt. 13:51–52)
Chapter Thirteen
OPINIONS ABOUT ME
When Herod, the ruler of Galilee, heard the reports about me and what I
was doing, he was thoroughly confused. Some people told him that I was
actually John the Baptist risen from the dead. (That would explain the
miraculous powers working through me.) Others claimed that I was Elijah who
had reappeared and still others that I was one of the ancient prophets come back
to life.
“How could this man be John the Baptist,” reasoned Herod, “since I had
him beheaded? Perhaps he was raised from the dead.” So Herod kept trying to
see me. (Matt. 14:1–2; Mark 6:14–16; Luke 9:7–9)
HEALING AT GENNESARET
We came to land at Gennesaret where we tied up the boat. As I was getting
out, people immediately recognized me. They hurried all over the countryside
and brought the sick on stretchers. And wherever I went—in villages, towns, or
the countryside—they brought their sick to the marketplace and begged me to let
the sick just touch the fringe of my cloak. As many as touched it were restored to
perfect health.
The next morning, back across the lake, the crowds discovered that I was
no longer with them. They knew that I had not gone with the disciples.
Fortunately, some boats from Tiberias had drifted ashore near the place where
the five thousand had been fed. The people crowded into these boats and came
across the lake to Capernaum looking for me. When they found me there on the
other side of the lake, they asked, “Rabbi, how did you get here, and when?”
(Matt. 14:34–36; Mark 6:53–56; John 6:22–25)
Chapter Fourteen
PETER’S CONFESSION
I turned to my disciples and asked, “You’re not going to leave me like they
did, are you?”
Simon Peter answered, “Lord, to whom would we go? You are the one
whose words give eternal life. We are convinced that you are the Holy One of
God.”
I replied, “Did I not choose all twelve of you? Yet one of you is the devil.”
I was talking about Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot. Although Judas was one of
the twelve disciples, before long he would betray me.
Continuing along the way with my disciples, I entered the district of
Caesarea Philippi. One day while we were alone, I was praying. I asked my
disciples, “What do people say about the Son of man? Who do they say I am?”
They answered, “Some say you’re John the Baptist; others say Elijah; and
still others, that you are Jeremiah or some other ancient prophet risen from the
dead.”
“But what about you?” I asked. “Who do you say I am?”
Speaking for the Twelve, Simon Peter answered, “You are the promised
Messiah, the Son of the living God.”
“You are highly favored, Simon son of Jonah, because you didn’t learn that
from some human source; it was revealed to you by my Father who is in heaven.
And I say to you, ‘You are Peter, the Rock; and on this rock I will build my
church. Not even the powers of the underworld can hold out against it. I will
give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven. Whatever you rule out on earth will
be ruled out in heaven, and whatever you allow on earth will be allowed in
heaven.’”
Then I ordered the disciples to tell no one that I was the promised Messiah.
(Matt. 16:13–20; Mark 8:27–30; Luke 9:18–21; John 6:67–71)
I FORETELL MY PASSION
Now for the first time I began to say plainly to my disciples, “It is necessary
that I go to Jerusalem and suffer at the hands of the elders, the chief priests, and
the scribes. They will put me to death, but after three days I will rise again to
life.”
Peter took me aside and began to correct me. “God forbid it, Lord,” he said,
“this must never happen to you!”
I turned, and facing my disciples, said to Peter, “Get out of my sight, you
Satan! You are an obstacle in my way because you look at everything from a
human standpoint, not as God sees it.” (Matt. 16:21–23; Mark 8:31–33; Luke
9:22)
THE TRANSFIGURATION
About a week later I took Peter and the brothers James and John up a high
mountain where we could be alone. While I was praying, my face began to shine
like the sun, and my clothes turned a dazzling white, as white as white could be.
Suddenly Moses and Elijah appeared in glorious splendor and began to talk with
me about my approaching death and resurrection, a destiny I would soon fulfill
in Jerusalem.
Peter, James, and John had grown sleepy, but when they saw this glorious
scene, they became wide awake. Then, as Moses and Elijah began to leave, Peter
blurted out, “Master, it is wonderful for us to be here! If you want me to, I will
set up three shrines, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” He was so
overwhelmed that he simply said the first thing that came to mind.
While Peter was still speaking, a luminous cloud appeared and covered
them with its shadow. From within the cloud came a voice, saying, “This is my
Son whom I love, the Chosen One. Pay attention to what he has to say.”
When the three disciples heard this, they fell to the ground, overcome by
fear. I stepped forward and touched them, saying, “Stand to your feet; don’t be
afraid.” Looking up, they saw that Moses and Elijah were no longer there. The
disciples kept this to themselves and told no one what they had seen. (Matt.
17:1–9; Mark 9:2–10; Luke 9:28–36)
ON RECONCILIATION
Then Peter came to me and asked, “Lord, how many times must I forgive a
fellow believer who keeps sinning against me? As many as seven times each
day?” [The rabbinic view was three.]
“Not merely seven times,” I answered, “but if he comes saying, ‘I repent,’
you must forgive him seventy times seven.” (Matt. 18:21–22; Luke 17:4)
THE PARABLE OF THE UNFORGIVING SERVANT
“The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who decided to review
how well his palace staff had done with the finances entrusted to them. It was
determined that the first manager owed the king ten thousand talents. Since he
could not pay off such a huge debt, the king ordered him to be sold as a slave,
along with his wife, his children, and everything he owned. The proceeds would
be applied toward the debt. Hearing this verdict, the manager fell to his knees
begging the king, ‘Be patient with me, and I will pay back all I owe.’ The king
felt sorry for him, cancelled the debt, and let him go.
“Upon leaving the king, this manager ran into a fellow manager who owed
him a hundred silver coins. Grabbing him by the throat and nearly choking him,
he demanded, ‘Pay back all you owe me!’
“This unlucky colleague fell at his feet begging, ‘Be patient with me, and I
will pay you back.’ But he wouldn’t agree; instead he had the poor man jailed
until he could pay back the debt in full.
“When the other managers of the royal court learned what had happened,
they were filled with indignation. They went to their master and related the
injustice. Then the king sent for the first manager and denounced him, saying,
“You scoundrel! When you begged me, I cancelled your entire debt, and it was
considerable. Were you not obligated, then, to have mercy on your colleague,
just as I had mercy on you?’ So in his anger the king had the man tortured until
he should pay back the entire amount that he owed.”
Then I concluded, “That is how my heavenly Father will deal with you
unless you forgive your fellow believer from your heart.” (Matt. 18:23–35)
Chapter Sixteen
DEPARTURE TO JUDEA
Now when the time drew near for me to be taken up to heaven, I set out for
Jerusalem determined to carry out my role. I sent messengers on ahead to a
Samaritan village to make preparations. However, the people there would not
receive me because it was clear to them that I was determined to go to
Jerusalem. When my disciples James and John heard about this, they said,
“Lord, do you want us to call down fire from heaven and reduce them to ashes?”
But I turned and rebuked them. Then we went on to a different village.
(Matt. 19:1–2; Mark 10:1; Luke 9:51–56)
ON FOLLOWING ME
As we were walking along the road, a legal expert said to me, “Teacher, I
will follow you no matter where you go.”
I reminded him, “Foxes have dens and wild birds have places to roost, but I
have nowhere to lie down and rest, a place I can call my own.”
To another man, I said, “Follow me.”
But he said, “Lord, let me take care of my father during his declining days.
Then when he is gone I will follow you.”
I told him, “Let the dead bury their own dead. As for you, go and spread the
good news of the kingdom of God.”
Yet another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but let me first go and say good-
bye to my family.”
I answered, “The person who starts to plow but keeps looking back is not fit
for the kingdom of God.” (Matt. 8:18–22; Luke 9:57–62)
Father,
May your name be held in honor,
May your kingdom come.
Give us every day the bread we need for that day,
And forgive us our sins as we ourselves have forgiven those who have
sinned against us.
Keep us from trials we can’t handle. (Luke 11:1–4)
ENCOURAGEMENT TO PRAY
“Ask, and God will give to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the
door will be opened to you. For the one who keeps on asking receives, and the
one who searches diligently finds, and the one who won’t stop knocking will
have the door opened to him.
“I’m sure that no father among you, should his son ask for a fish would
hand him a snake; or should he ask for an egg would give him a scorpion. So if
you, corrupt as you are, know how to give good things to your children, how
much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask.”
(Luke 11:9–13)
TRUE BLESSEDNESS
While I was speaking, a woman in the crowd shouted out, “May God bless
the womb from which you came, and the breasts which nursed you.”
I responded, “Rather, may God bless those who hear the word of God and
put it into practice.” (Luke 11:27–28)
CONCERNING LIGHT
“You don’t light a lamp and then put it under a basket or hide it in the
cellar. You put it on a lamp stand so every one in the house can see.” (Luke
11:33)
TREASURES IN HEAVEN
“Sell what you have and give the proceeds to those in need. The purse that
holds your treasure should be a heavenly purse. That kind doesn’t wear out with
time, a thief can’t steal it, and the moth can’t eat holes in it—your treasure
remains safe. The important point is that wherever you store your treasure, that
is where your heart will be.” (Luke 12:33–34)
WATCHFULNESS AND FAITHFULNESS
“The Lord will return at an hour you least expect, so get ready for that great
day. Keep your lamps burning. Be like servants waiting for their master’s return
from a wedding party; they stand ready at a moment’s notice to throw open the
door when he knocks. Blessed are those servants whose master finds them alert
and ready for his return! I tell you the truth, the master himself will prepare to
serve them; he will seat them at the table and wait on them. How blessed are
those he finds ready, even though he comes late at night or even after that.
“You may be sure that if the owner of the house had known at what hour of
the night the burglar would come, he would have stayed awake and kept him
from breaking in. You too must always be ready, for the Son of Man will come
when you least expect him.”
Then Peter asked, “Lord, is that parable intended only for us or for
everyone?”
I answered, “Who then is a faithful and wise steward? Is he not the one the
master will put in charge while he is gone so that the other servants will get their
fair share of food at the proper time? Blessed is that steward who is faithfully
carrying out his responsibility when his master returns. I tell you the truth, the
master will put him in charge of everything he owns.
“But if that wicked steward should reason, ‘My master has delayed his
coming,’ and begins to beat the other servants, both men and women, and to eat,
drink, and get drunk. Then when the master returns without notice, he will flog
him severely and assign him the fate of the unfaithful and the hypocrite, where
there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
“The servant who knows what his master wants but doesn’t get ready and
do it will receive a severe beating. But the servant who does not know what his
master wants and does what deserves punishment will receive a light whipping.
Much is required of the one to whom much is given; and of the one who has
been entrusted with much, a great deal will be required.” (Luke 12:35–48; Matt.
24:45–51)
TEACHING ON HUMILITY
Another day, this time at a wedding feast, I couldn’t help but notice how the
guests were scrambling for the best possible seats. So I gave them this advice:
“When someone invites you to a wedding feast, don’t take the seat of
honor. A person more distinguished than you may also have been invited, and
the host will have to come and say to you, ‘You are sitting in this man’s seat.
Please move.’ Then, to your embarrassment, you will have to go down to the
foot of the table. Instead, when you arrive, take a seat of less importance so that
when your host finds you there he will say, ‘Move up, my friend. We have a
better seat for you.’ This way you will be honored in the presence of all the
guests. As I have said before, everyone who exalts himself will be humbled; the
one who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Then I said to the one who invited me, “When you host a lunch or a dinner,
don’t invite your friends or your brothers, or even your relatives or rich
neighbors. It follows that they will invite you back, and in this way you will be
repaid for what you did. When you host a party, invite the poor, the crippled, the
lame, and the blind. Then you will be blessed because they don’t have any way
to repay you; God will take care of that on the day when upright people rise
again.” (Luke 14:7–14)
CONCERNING DIVORCE
“Any man who divorces his wife and marries another woman is living in
adultery, and the man who marries the divorced woman is also living in
adultery.” (Luke 16:18)
I REMAIN IN GALILEE
The Jewish authorities in Judea were determined to kill me, so I remained
where I was in Galilee and continued my ministry. The time for the Jewish
festival of Shelters was approaching, so my brothers said to me, “You ought not
stay here in Galilee; go to Judea so that your followers will be able to see the
miraculous things you are doing. No one acts in secret if he wants to become
well known. Since you can do such miraculous things, let the whole world know
about it.” (Even my own brothers did not believe in me).
I replied, “My time has not yet come, but your time is always here. People
hate me because I tell them that what they are doing is evil, but you give people
no reason to hate you. Go on up to the festival. I won’t be going there right now
because the right time for me has not yet come.” So I stayed behind in Galilee.
(John 7:1–9)
TO JERUSALEM SECRETLY
However, after my brothers left for the festival, I did go up to Jerusalem,
not with the others but by myself.
The Jewish leaders were expecting me at the festival. They kept asking,
“Has anyone seen him yet?” There was a lot of guarded discussion about me
among the crowds. While some held me to be an honorable man, others said that
I was deceiving the common people. But since the people were afraid of their
leaders, no one spoke openly against me. (John 10:10–13)
MINISTRY IN JUDEA
ZACCHAEUS
Shortly after that, I arrived at the rebuilt Herodian town of Jericho. That
was where an important and rich tax collector by the name of Zacchaeus lived.
He was a short man, which made it difficult for him to see me in the crowd,
although he kept trying. Judging that I was taking a certain route through town,
Zacchaeus ran on ahead and climbed up into a sycamore tree so he could see me.
When I reached that spot, I stopped and looked up at Zacchaeus. “Zacchaeus,” I
said, “come down from that tree right now, for I am going to be a guest at your
house today.”
So Zacchaeus climbed down as fast as he could and took me home with
him, rejoicing all the way.
The crowd saw what had happened and began to complain, “This Jesus has
gone to the home of a notorious sinner.”
Zacchaeus objected to this put-down and said to me, “Here and now, Lord,
I promise to give half my possessions to the poor, and if I have defrauded any
one of anything, I will pay him back four times as much!”
And I said, “Today salvation has come to this man’s household because he
has shown himself to be a true son of Abraham. For the Son of Man has come to
search for the lost and save them.” (Luke 19:1–10)
“ABIDE IN MY LOVE”
“My love for you has been the same as the love my Father has for me.
Remain true to that love. If you obey my commands you will remain true to my
love, just as I obey my Father’s commands and remain true to his love. I have
told you these things so that you may experience the joy that is mine. I want you
to be filled with joy.
“My commandment is that you love one another just as I have loved you.
The ultimate proof that a person loves his friend is his willingness to sacrifice his
life for him. You will prove your love for me if you do what I command. No
longer will I call you servants, because a servant doesn’t really know what his
master is doing. Rather, I will call you friends because I have shared with you
everything my Father has told me.
“It was not you who chose me but I who chose you. I appointed you to go
and bear fruit, the kind of fruit that lasts. The Father will give you whatever you
ask for in my name. I give you these commands so that you may love one
another.” (John 15:9–17)
THE WORLD WILL HATE YOU
“When you experience the hatred of the world, keep in mind that it hated
me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you
like one of their own. But you don’t belong to the world. I chose you out of the
world, and that is why the world hates you. Remember what I told you: ‘A
servant is not superior to his master.’ Since they persecuted me, they will also
persecute you. They will respond to your teaching in the same way they
responded to mine.
“The people of this world will treat you this way because you belong to me,
because they do not know the one who sent me. They would not be guilty of sin
if I had not come and spoken to them. As it is, they have no excuse for their sin.
“To hate me is to hate my Father. If I had not performed miraculous deeds
that no one else had ever done, they would not be guilty. But they were right
there watching and chose to hate both me and my Father. All this happened to
fulfill what was written in their law: ‘They hated me for no reason.’” (John
15:18–25)
ON PERSECUTIONS
“I have told you these things so that nothing will upset your faith. The time
will come when you will be expelled from your synagogues. In fact, the time is
coming when some of those people will think that by killing you they are doing
God a favor. They will do things like that because they have no true knowledge
of the Father or of me. I have told you these things so that when the time does
come, you will remember what I said would happen.” (John 16:1–4)
PRAY IN MY NAME
“When that day comes, you won’t be asking me for anything! I tell you the
truth, the Father will grant all that you ask in my name. Until now you haven’t
asked for anything in this way. So now ask the Father for anything in my name,
and you will receive it so that your joy may overflow.
“I have been using figures of speech in talking with you. But the time is
coming when what I say will no longer seem obscure. I will be able to explain
with clarity about the Father. In the coming age you will ask the Father in my
name. I won’t have to ask him on your behalf because the Father himself loves
you. God loves you because you love me and believe that I came from him.
When I came into the world, I left the Father; now I am leaving the world and
going back to the Father.” (John 16:23–28)
GETHSEMANE
Then we arrived at an olive grove called Gethsemane. I told my disciples,
“Sit here while I go a bit further to pray.” I took Peter with me, along with James
and John, the two sons of Zebedee. Deep distress and anguish rolled over me
like a great wave. I let it be known that my soul was crushed with grief, even to
the point of death. “Stay here,” I told the three disciples, “and keep watch with
me. Pray that you won’t fail in this crucial time of testing.”
Then, leaving the three, I went on a short distance by myself, sank to my
knees, and prayed that if possible I might not have to go through the suffering
that awaited me. “Dear Father,” I prayed, “there is nothing you cannot do. Take
this cup of suffering away from me, yet may it be your will that is done, not
mine.” Just then an angel came from heaven to strengthen me. In great agony I
began to pray even more fervently, and my sweat dripped to the ground like
heavy drops of blood.
When I arose from prayer, I went back to my disciples and found them
asleep, worn out by their grief. To Peter I said, “Simon, how could you go to
sleep? Couldn’t you watch with me for a single hour? Get up, all of you, and
pray that you won’t fail in this time of trial. Man’s spirit is willing, but human
nature is weak.” Once again I went off by myself and prayed, “Dear Father, if
this cup of suffering cannot be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be
done.”
When I went back to the disciples a second time, I found them asleep once
again, for they were unable to keep their eyes open. They had no excuse for their
failure to watch and pray. I returned to my place of prayer and once again
yielded myself to the Father’s will. I returned for the third time to the disciples
and said: “What? Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? Enough of that!
The hour has come for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of wicked
men. Rouse yourselves! Let’s be going. Look, here comes my betrayer.” (Matt.
26:36–46; Mark 14:32–42; Luke 22:39–46; John 18:1)
MY ARREST
Judas, one of the Twelve, knew about the olive grove, Gethsemane, because
I had often met there with my disciples. So he arrived on the scene with a squad
of Roman soldiers and temple guards armed with swords and clubs. With them,
carrying torches and lanterns, was a rabble crowd that had been incited to action
by the leading priests and influential laypeople.
Judas, the one who was about to betray me, had told them, “The man I will
greet with a kiss is the one you should arrest and take away under guard.” So
Judas came straight up to me and said, “Greetings, Rabbi.” Then he kissed me.
“My friend,” I said, “is it by a kiss that you would betray the Son of Man?
Go ahead and do what you came to do.”
I knew all that was going to happen so I turned to the mob and said, “Who
are you looking for?”
“We are looking for Jesus the Nazarene,” they answered.
“I am he,” I replied.
At that they all fell back and sank to the ground.
Again I asked, “Who are you looking for?”
“Jesus the Nazarene,” they answered.
“I have already told you that I am he. Since I am the one you’re looking for,
let these men with me go free.” I said this so the words of my prayer—“Father, I
have not lost a single one of those you gave me”—might come true.
Then the armed crowd grabbed me and put me under arrest. Simon Peter,
who was standing close by, drew his sword and took a swing at Malchus, the
servant of the high priest, cutting off his right ear.
“Put your sword back where it belongs,” I ordered. “Shall I not drink the
cup of suffering the Father has given me? All who wield the sword will die by
the sword. Don’t you understand that if I called on my Father for help, he would
without delay send thousands of angels to protect me? But in that case how
would the prophetic Scriptures be fulfilled that say this must happen?” Then I
touched the servant’s ear, and the wound disappeared.
To the leading priests, officers of the temple guard, and influential
laypeople who had taken me into custody, I said, “Why did you come out with
swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were some dangerous renegade? Day
after day I was right there in the temple courts, teaching, but you didn’t lay a
hand on me. But this is your moment, the time when darkness reigns. Let the
Scripture be fulfilled.”
At that my disciples deserted me and ran away. Among them was one
young man wearing nothing but a linen loincloth. When they tried to arrest him,
he slipped out of their grasp and ran away naked, leaving the linen cloth behind.
(Matt. 26:47–56; Mark 14:43–52; Luke 22:47–53; John 18:2–12)
PETER DENIES ME
Meanwhile Peter was in the courtyard. One of the maids of the high priest
caught sight of him in the light of the fire and studied him carefully. Then, going
over to where he was sitting, she said, “You were there with Jesus the Galilean!”
Peter denied it before them all, saying, “I haven’t the faintest idea of what
you’re talking about.” Then he left the fire and went out into the front courtyard
where another maid saw him and said to the men standing around, “This man
was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath: “I do not know the man!”
About an hour later one of the bystanders, a servant of the high priest and a
relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, came up and insisted, “We saw
you in the olive grove. There’s no doubt that you’re one of the Galileans, for
your accent gives you away.”
Then Peter swore, “May God punish me if what I am about to say is not
true—I know nothing about this man you’re talking about.” And while he was
speaking, the cock crowed.
Just then I passed through the courtyard and saw Peter. I looked him
straight in the eye, and he remembered what I had told him, “Before the cock
crows tonight, you will deny me three times.” He got up from the fire, went
outside, and broke into tears. (Matt. 26:69–75; Mark 14:66–72; Luke 22:56–62;
John 18:25–27)
DELIVERED TO PILATE
Early in the morning the entire Sanhedrin (leading priests, elders of the
people, and legal experts) met to formulate a charge that would force the Roman
authorities to put me to death. Then they tied my hands and took me to the
headquarters of the Roman military governor. (Matt. 27:1–2; Mark 15:1; Luke
23:1; John 18:28)
THE TRIAL
JESUS OR BARABBAS?
Each year during Passover it was the custom of the Roman governor to
release to the crowd any prisoner they would ask for. At that time they were
holding in custody a notorious felon by the name of Barabbas. A large crowd
had gathered in front of Pilate’s house, so he went out to them and asked,
“Which prisoner do you want me to release? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus the king of
the Jews? The rebel guilty of murder or the one called Messiah?” (Pilate was
fully aware that the Jewish authorities had handed me over for judgment because
they were jealous.)
While Pilate was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this
message, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have just suffered a
terrible dream about him.”
But the religious authorities had stirred up the crowd who kept demanding
that Pilate would release Barabbas, not me. “Away with this Galilean,” they
shouted. “Give us Barabbas.” It mattered not to them that the one they called for
was in prison for instigating a riot involving murder.
Still hopeful that the crowd would choose Jesus, Pilate asked them one
more time: “Which of these two would you like me to set free?”
“Barabbas!” they shouted back.
“In that case,” Pilate asked, “what should I do with Jesus who is called
Christ, the king of the Jews?”
“Crucify him! Crucify him!” they kept shouting.
Once again Pilate addressed them. “But why should I do that? What crime
has he committed? Nothing he has done would merit death. So I will have him
flogged and let go.”
But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” and their relentless clamor
won the day. (Matt. 27:15–23; Mark 16:6–14; Luke 23:17–23; John 18:39–40)
THE CRUCIFIXION
THE CRUCIFIXION
When we arrived at the place of execution, “The Skull” (or Golgatha, as it
is known in the Jewish language), the soldiers offered me some wine mixed with
a drug called myrrh. I took a sip, but it was too bitter to drink. Then they nailed
me to the cross between two criminals, one on my right, the other on my left.
“Father, forgive them,” I prayed, “they don’t know what they are doing.” It
was about nine in the morning.
Above my head Pilate nailed a board that read, “Jesus of Nazareth, the King
of the Jews.” It was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek so all could
understand. Many of the people in Jerusalem read this inscription because the
place where I was crucified was just outside the city. The chief priests went to
Pilate and said, “Why did you write, ‘The King of the Jews’? You should have
written, ‘This man claimed to be the King of the Jews.’”
Pilate answered, “What I have written stays written.”
After the soldiers had nailed me to the cross, they took my robe and tore it
into four pieces, one piece for each of them. Since my inner garment was
seamless, woven from top to bottom, the soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not
rip it apart but throw dice to see who will get it.” This happened so the Scripture
would be fulfilled that said, “They divided up my robe, but threw dice for my
inner garment.”
When I saw my mother standing there with John by her side, I said to her,
“Mother dear, John is now your son!” Then I said to John, “My mother Mary is
now your mother!” On that very day John took her home to live as part of his
family. (Matt. 27:33–37; Mark 15:22–26; Luke 23:33–34; John 19:17b–27)
MY DEATH
About noon the sun’s light began to fail, and a deep darkness settled over
the entire land until three in the afternoon. At that time I cried out with a loud
voice in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God,
why have you forsaken me?”
Some of those standing nearby heard my cry, and said, “Listen, this man is
calling for Elijah.”
Knowing that my work on earth was complete, I said, “I am thirsty.”
One of the men standing there ran and soaked a sponge with sour wine, and
using the branch of a hyssop plant, held it up to my mouth so I could moisten my
lips.
“Wait,” said the others, “Let’s see if Elijah will come and take him off the
cross.”
Once again I raised my voice and cried out, “Father, into your hands I yield
my spirit.” As I took my last breath, the veil in the sanctuary was suddenly
ripped from top to bottom. At the same time the earth shook violently, massive
rock formations were shattered, graves broke open, and many of God’s people
who had died were raised to life. (After I was raised, these saints came out of the
tombs and went into Jerusalem, the Holy City, where they appeared to many
people.)
When the Roman captain, and the other troops assigned to guard me, saw
the earthquake and everything that had happened, they were frightened and
exclaimed, “Beyond all doubt this man was God’s Son! He is not guilty of the
charges leveled against him.” When the crowd that had gathered to watch me be
put to death saw what had taken place, they returned to the city beating their
breasts in sorrow. (Matt. 27:45–54; Mark 15:33–39; Luke 23:44–48; John
19:28–30)
WITNESSES OF MY CRUCIFIXION
But my friends, including the women who had followed me from Galilee
ministering to my needs, remained at a distance and continued to watch. Among
them were my mother Mary and her sister Salome (the wife of Zebedee and
mother of James and John), Mary the wife of Clopas (and mother of James the
younger and Joseph), and Mary Magdalene. (Matt. 27:55–56; Mark 15:40–41;
Luke 23:49; John 19:25–27)
MY SIDE IS PIERCED
Since it was Friday, the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to have the legs of
the crucified men broken and their bodies taken down. They didn’t want us on
the cross during the Sabbath, especially during Passover. So the soldiers came
and broke the legs of the two men who had been crucified with me. But when
they came to me, they could see that I had already died. So they didn’t break my
legs.
But one of the soldiers did thrust a spear into my side, and at once blood
and water flowed out. The disciples knew this to be true because it was reported
by a reliable witness who actually saw it happen. So now all of them may
believe it. This happened so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, “Not one of his
bones will be broken,” and, “They will look on him in whose side they thrust a
spear.” (John 19:31–37)
MY BURIAL
Joseph of Arimathea was a highly respected member of the Jewish court, a
good and upright man, and also one of my followers. He did not openly
acknowledge this relationship because he feared what the religious authorities
might do. However, in this case, he decided to go to Pilate and ask for my body.
Since it was Friday, the day of preparation, and tomorrow would be the
Sabbath when no work could be done, it was essential that my body be taken
down by sunset. Joseph was looking forward to the coming kingdom of God and
therefore had not consented to the plans the religious leaders had made against
me. So he went to Pilate and asked for my body, a request that took considerable
courage.
Pilate had his doubts whether I could have died so soon, so he sent for the
Roman officer in charge to ask if I were already dead. When the officer reported
that I had died, Pilate gave Joseph permission to take my body. So Joseph took it
down from the cross. Nicodemus [the Pharisee who sometime before had visited
me at night] had come bringing about seventy-five pounds of spices, a mixture
of myrrh and aloes. The two men wrapped my body in a linen shroud,
interlayered with spices, as required by the Jewish burial customs. Near the place
where I was crucified was a garden in which Joseph had his own rock-hewn
tomb that had never been used. Since the Sabbath was about to begin, they
placed my body in the tomb, rolled a large disklike stone across the opening, and
left.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Jesus, having followed along,
took note of the tomb where my body was placed. Then they returned home and
prepared spices and ointments for burial. Since the Sabbath had come, they took
their rest as Jewish law required. (Matt. 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–
56; John 19:38–42)
THE ASCENSION
At a later date I left Jerusalem with my disciples and went as far as
Bethany. Lifting my hands to heaven, I gave them my blessing. During this act
of blessing, I was raised from their midst and carried up into heaven. They
bowed down in worship and then returned with great joy to Jerusalem. Day after
day they were in the temple courts blessing God. (Luke 24:50–53)
CONCLUSING STATEMENT
The disciples watched me perform many other miracles that are not
included in this account, but if they were all written down, I don’t think the
world itself would be big enough to hold all the books. But the miracles you
have read are included so you will come to believe that I am the Messiah, the
Son of God. By believing that I am who I say I am, you will receive eternal life.
(John 21:24–25; 20:30–31)
INDEX
A
adultery 54, 110, 153, 163, 174–75
angels 27, 30, 78–79, 96–97, 117, 138, 148–49, 153, 198, 208–9, 240, 262
anger 49, 53, 126, 166, 169–70
anxiety/anxious 58, 131, 138, 161, 206, 249
authority 7, 19, 41, 46, 49, 62, 68, 76–78, 101, 160, 171, 176–77, 184, 193–94,
197, 206, 218, 225, 228, 249, 251, 269
B
baptism 21, 25, 81, 183, 194
betray 50, 76–77, 115–16, 122, 206, 218–19, 222–24, 239–40, 244, 262, 269
blasphemy 88, 178, 243
boasting 165
C
celibacy 173
ceremony 8, 10
compassion 9, 68, 75, 121, 132, 150, 157
condemn 65, 84, 165, 183, 186, 217
confess 107, 116, 149, 217
criticize 81
D
death 11, 17–18, 38, 77, 99–100, 102, 110, 117–19, 132, 141, 157, 161, 163,
179, 182–83, 196, 206, 216, 218–19, 238, 242, 244, 247, 249–51, 254–56, 264,
269
deceit 30–110
demons 2, 42, 49, 61, 70, 75–76, 81, 85, 87–88, 111, 121–22, 124, 131, 143,
160, 167, 172, 215
disciple 47, 65, 79, 117, 147–48, 169, 175, 179, 218, 223, 241
disobedience 202
division 6, 162, 172
divorce 3, 54, 153, 173–74
E
enemy 10–11, 55, 64–65, 79, 94, 96, 122, 131, 147, 191, 200, 249
envy 110
eternal life 33–34, 36–37, 100–101, 107–9, 116, 176–77, 215, 218, 234–35, 270
eternal punishment 215
evil spirits 41, 63, 70, 80, 87
F
faith 31, 33–34, 46, 68, 72, 86, 105, 111, 114, 122, 155, 179, 184, 187, 193, 206,
216–17, 229, 232, 237, 255
fast(ing) 17, 26, 48, 57, 81, 94, 185
fear 7, 11, 33, 70, 78, 105, 120, 190, 208, 255, 261, 265
G
greatness 7, 123
greed 110, 137
H
hate 10, 33, 55, 58, 64, 152, 159, 206, 231, 235
healing 51, 67, 71–72, 75, 80, 99, 105, 142–43, 184
heaven 15, 21, 25, 30, 32–34, 51–58, 60–61, 63–64, 68, 76, 81, 83, 87, 90, 92,
94–97, 104, 107–9, 112, 115–17, 123, 125–26, 129, 131, 139, 148, 152–53,
155–57, 174–76, 181, 190, 193–94, 196, 198, 201, 208–9, 212, 216, 234, 239,
243, 261, 266, 269
hell 53–54, 78, 124, 162, 201–2
humble/humility 81, 83, 123–24, 144, 158, 189
hypocrisy/hypocrite 65, 136, 140, 202
J
joy 7, 9, 14, 16, 34, 52, 64, 83, 148, 230, 233–35, 262, 266, 270
judgment 2, 23, 33, 61, 77, 81–82, 85, 89, 100–101, 131, 164, 170, 214, 217,
232, 250, 253
L
laugh 64
law 6, 15–17, 21, 30, 45, 53, 60, 81, 84, 97, 100, 110, 144, 153, 160–64, 170,
173, 199–200, 202, 216, 231, 244, 247, 251, 258, 266
leader 32, 87–88, 142, 160, 165, 174, 177–78, 184, 196, 200, 217, 225, 247, 258,
264
legal/legalism 46–48, 53, 81, 89, 109, 129, 131, 135–36, 163, 183, 191, 193–94,
199, 200–202, 242, 244, 255
liar 166–67
M
marriage 8, 13–14, 17, 30, 156, 196
miracle 31, 39–40, 51, 61, 67, 81–82, 107, 113, 124, 160–61, 169, 178, 181, 190,
207, 228, 249, 270
money 23, 76, 86, 104, 130, 147, 152, 175, 186, 192, 203, 213–14, 218–19, 224,
244, 263
N
new birth 6, 32
P
parables 91–93, 95–96, 147, 196
peace 11, 15, 17, 52, 72, 76, 79, 86, 130, 147, 190–91, 229, 265–67
persecution 93, 176, 206, 232
poor (poverty) 39, 47, 80, 97, 126, 135, 144–45, 153, 175–76, 185, 203, 218–19,
224
prayer 3, 7, 49, 56, 60, 122, 125, 133, 157, 170, 181, 192–93, 230, 234–35,
239–240
pride 110
privilege 2, 5, 92, 101, 145
R
reconciliation 54, 125
reject 17, 108, 110, 131, 137, 156, 196, 217, 228
responsibility 140, 154, 252
S
Satan, the devil 26–27, 87–88, 96, 116–17, 131, 142, 166, 215, 219, 222, 224,
235, 237
Scripture 26–27, 39, 80, 84, 101, 107, 125, 162–63, 173, 178, 190–92, 194, 198,
207, 223, 235, 237–38, 240–41, 254, 257, 263, 265–66
second coming (coming on the clouds) 243
sex 13, 54, 110, 157
shame (ashamed) 117, 183, 197, 238
slander 46, 52, 110
sorrow 17, 52, 99, 232–34, 256
stoning 13, 163
T
tempt/temptation 26, 124
tradition 1, 48, 109–10, 175
trial (court) 27, 77, 89, 137, 206, 247
trials (troubles) 57, 133, 176, 225, 239
truth 6, 30, 32–34, 36, 39–40, 47, 79, 83, 91, 97, 100–101, 107–10, 117, 122,
125, 140, 161, 164–67, 169–70, 195, 197, 203, 208, 215–16, 218–19, 223,
227–28, 231–33, 235–37, 248, 268
U
unbelief 40, 121
unpardonable sin (sin against the Holy Spirit) 88–89
W
wealth 64, 93, 150, 152, 175, 213
war 87, 147, 206
wine 7, 31, 48, 81, 132, 202, 224, 254, 256
worship 16–17, 27, 36–37, 53–54, 110, 125, 263, 269
wrath of God 23, 34