Henry: Welcome To Immerse: The Daily Bible Reading Experience.
Day 59
when Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his
disciples, as you know, Passover begins in two days and the son of man
will be handed over to be crucified.
At that same time, the leading priests and elders were meeting
at the residence of Caiaphas.
The high priest plotting how to capture Jesus secretly and kill him, but
not during the Passover celebration.
They agreed or the people may riot.
Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon Simon,
a man who had previously had leprosy while he was eating.
A woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume
and poured it over his head.
The disciples were indignant when they saw this.
What a waste.
They said It could have been sold for a high price and
the money given to the poor.
But Jesus aware of this replied, why criticize this woman for
doing such a good thing to me?
You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.
She has poured this perfume on me to prepare my body for burial.
I tell you the truth, wherever the good news is preached throughout
the world, this woman's deed will be remembered and disgusted.
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the 12 disciples, went to the leading priests
and asked, how much will you pay me?
Toray Jesus to you?
And they gave him 30 pieces of silver.
From that time on, Judas began looking for an opportunity to betray Jesus.
On the first day of the festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples
came to Jesus and asked, where do you want us to prepare the Passover
meal for you as you go into the city?
He told them, you will see a certain man.
Tell him the teacher says, My time has come and I will eat the Passover
meal with my disciples at your house.
So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.
When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table with the 12 while they were
eating, he said, I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me greatly distressed.
Each one asked in turn.
Am I the one Lord?
He replied.
One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me.
For the son of man must die as the scriptures declared long
ago, but how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him.
It would be far better for that man if he had never been born.
Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked Rabbi, am I the one?
And Jesus told him, you have said it as they were eating.
Jesus took some bread and blessed it.
Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples saying, take
this and eat it for this is my body.
And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it.
He gave it to them and said, each of you drink from it.
For this is my blood, which confirms the covenant between God and his people.
It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many.
Mark my words.
I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new
with you and my father's kingdom.
Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives on the way.
Jesus told them, tonight, all of you will desert me.
For the scriptures say God will strike the shepherd and the sheep
of the flock will be scattered.
But after I have been raised from the dead, I will go ahead of you
to Galilee and meet you there Peter declared Even if everyone else
deserts you, I will never desert you.
Jesus replied, I tell you the truth, Peter, this very night before
the rooster crows, you will deny three times that you even know me.
No.
Peter insisted, even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you and
all the other disciples vowed the same.
Then Jesus went with them to the Olive Grove called Gethsemane, and he said,
sit here while I go over there to pray.
He took Peter and Zeiss, two sons, James and John, and he
became anguished and distressed.
He told them, my soul is crushed with grief to the point of death.
Stay here and keep watch with me.
He went on a little father and bowed with his face to the ground, praying My
father, if it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me, yet
I want your will to be done, not mine.
Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep.
He said to Peter, couldn't you watch with me even one hour?
Keep watch and pray so that you will not give in to temptation for the
spirit is willing, but the body is weak.
Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed my father.
If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.
When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping for they
couldn't keep their eyes open.
So he went to pray a third time saying the same things again.
Then he came to the disciples and said, go ahead and sleep.
Have your rest.
But look, the time has come.
The son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners up.
Let's be going.
Look, my betrayer is here.
And even as Jesus said this, Judas, one of the 12 disciples arrived with a crowd
of men armed with swords and clubs.
They had been sent by the leading priests and elders of the people.
The traitor.
Judas had given them a prearranged signal.
You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a kiss.
So Judas came straight to Jesus.
Greetings, rabbi.
He exclaimed and gave him the kiss.
Jesus said, my friend, go ahead and do what you have come for.
Then the others grabbed Jesus and arrested him, but one of the men with
Jesus pulled out his sword and struck the high priest, slave slashing off his ear.
Put away your sword.
Jesus told him, those who use the sword will die by the sword.
Don't you realize that I could ask my father for thousands of angels to protect
us and he would send them instantly.
But if I did, how would the scriptures be fulfilled that
describe what must happen now?
Then Jesus said to the crowd.
Am I some dangerous revolutionary that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?
Why didn't you arrest me in the temple?
I was there teaching every day, but this is all happening to
fulfill the words of the prophets as recorded in the scriptures.
At that point, all the disciples deserted him and fled.
Then the people who had arrested Jesus led him to the home of Caiaphas, the
high priest where the teachers of religious law and the elders had gathered.
Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a distance and came to
the high priest's courtyard.
He went in and sat with the guards and waited to see how it would all end.
Inside the leading priests and the entire high counsel were trying to
find witnesses who would lie about Jesus so they could put him to death.
But even though they found many who agreed to give false witness, they
could not use anyone's testimony.
Finally, two men came forward, who declared this man said, I
am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, well, aren't you
going to answer these charges?
What do you have to say for yourself?
But Jesus remained silent.
Then the high priest said to him, I demand in the name of the living God tell us if
you are the Messiah, the Son of God, Jesus replied, you have said it, and in the
future, You will see the son of man seated in the place of power at God's right
hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.
Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, blasphemy,
why do we need other witnesses?
You have all heard his blasphemy.
What is your verdict?
Guilty.
They shouted, he deserves to die.
Then they began to spit in Jesus' face and beat him with their fists.
And some slapped him cheering, prophesy to us, you Messiah, who hit you that time.
Meanwhile, Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.
A servant girl came over and said to him, you were one of
those with Jesus the Galilean.
But Peter denied it in front of everyone.
I don't know what you're talking about.
He said, later out by the gate, Another servant girl noticed him and
said to those standing around, this man was with Jesus of Nazareth again.
Peter denied it this time with an oath.
I don't even know the man.
He said a little later, some of the other bystanders came over to Peter
and said, you must be one of them.
We can tell by your Galilean accent, Peter swore.
A curse on me if I'm lying.
I don't know the man.
And immediately the rooster crowed.
Suddenly Jesus' words flashed through Peter's mind before the rooster crows.
You will deny three times that you even know me.
And he went away weeping bitterly.
Very early in the morning, the leading priests and the elders
of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death.
Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate.
The Roman governor, when Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that
Jesus had been condemned to die.
He was filled with remorse.
So he took the 30 pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders.
I have sinned.
He declared for, I have betrayed an innocent man.
What do we care?
They retorted.
That's your problem.
Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the temple and
went out and hanged himself.
The leading priests picked up the coins.
It wouldn't be right to put this money in the Temple Treasury.
They said since it was payment for murder.
After some discussion, they finally decided to buy the potters field and they
made it into a cemetery for foreigners.
That is why the field is still called the field of blood.
This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says they took the 30 pieces of
silver, the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel, and purchased
the Potters field as the Lord directed.
Now, Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor.
Are you the king of the Jews?
The governor asked him.
Jesus replied, you have said it, but when the leading priests and
the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.
Don't you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?
Pilot demanded.
But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor's surprise.
Now it was the Governor's custom Each year during the Passover
celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd, anyone they wanted.
This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.
As the crowds gathered before Pilate's house that morning, he
asked them, which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas or
Jesus, who was called the Messiah.
He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.
Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat,
his wife sent him this message.
Leave that innocent man alone.
I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night.
Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to
ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.
So the governor asked again, which of these two do you
want me to release to you?
The crowd shouted back, Barabbas Pilate responded.
Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?
They shouted back, crucify him.
Why Pilate demanded, what crime has he committed?
But the mob roared even louder.
Crucify him.
Pilate saw that he wasn't getting anywhere and that a riot was developing.
So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd saying.
I am innocent of this man's blood.
The responsibility is yours, and all the people yelled back.
We will take responsibility for his death, we and our children.
So Pilate released Barabbas to them.
He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead tipped whip, then turned him over to
the Roman soldiers to be crucified.
This concludes today's Immer Reading experience.
Thank you for joining us.