They Ask Jesus Who Gave Him the Power to Do These Things ^(A)

20 As He was teaching and preaching the Good News, the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law and the elders came. ² They said to Him, “Tell us, by what right and power are You doing these things? Who gave You the right and the power?” ³ Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question also. You answer Me. ⁴ Was the baptism of John from heaven or from men?”

⁵ They said to themselves, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ⁶ But if we say, ‘From men,’ then all the people will throw stones at us because they believe John was one who spoke for God.” ⁷ They said that they did not know where John’s baptism came from. ⁸ Jesus said to them, “And I will not tell you where I get the right and the power to do these things.”

The Picture-Story of the Grape-Field ^(B)

⁹ Jesus began to tell the people a picture-story, saying, “There was a man who planted a grape-field. He rented it to farmers. Then he went to a country far away for a long time. ¹⁰ At the time of gathering fruit he sent one of his servants to the farmers to get some of the fruit. But the farmers beat him and sent him away without fruit. ¹¹ He sent another servant. The farmers beat him also. They made it very hard for him and sent him away without fruit. ¹² He sent a third servant. They hurt him and threw him out of the grape-field.

¹³ “Then the owner of the grape-field said, ‘What should I do? I will send my much-loved son. They might respect him.’ ¹⁴ The farmers saw the son. They said to themselves, ‘This is the one who will get everything when the owner dies. Let us kill him, and we will get everything.’ ¹⁵ They put him out of the grape-field and killed him. Now what will the owner of the grape-field do to them? ¹⁶ He will come and kill those farmers. Then he will rent the grape-field to other farmers.”

When they heard this, they said, “May this never be done!” ¹⁷ Jesus looked at them and said, “What does this writing mean, ‘The Stone that was put aside by the workmen has become the most important Stone in the building’? ^{(C) 18} Whoever falls on this Stone will be broken. And on the one it falls, it will make him like dust.” ^(D)

They Try to Trap Jesus ^(E)

¹⁹ At this time the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law tried to take Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. These leaders knew Jesus had told this picture-story against them. ²⁰ They watched Jesus and they sent men who pretended to be good people to watch Him. They wanted to trap Him in something He said. Then they could give Him over to the leader of the people who had the right and the power to say what to do with Him.

²¹ These men who were sent asked Jesus, “Teacher, we know what You say and teach is right. We know You do not show more respect to one person than to another. We know You teach the truth about God. ²² Is it right for us to pay taxes to Caesar or not?” ²³ Jesus knew they were trying to trap Him. He said, ²⁴ “Show Me a piece of money. Whose picture is this? Whose name is on it?” And they said, “Caesar’s.” ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “Pay to Caesar the things that belong to Caesar. Pay to God the things that belong to God.” ²⁶ They could find nothing wrong with what He taught. They were surprised and wondered about what He told the people, so they said nothing more.

They Ask about Being Raised from the Dead ^(F)

²⁷ Some people from the religious group who believe no one will be raised from the dead came to Jesus. They asked Him, ²⁸ “Teacher, Moses wrote to us in the Law, ‘If a man’s brother dies and leaves a wife but no children, then his brother must marry her. He should have children for his brother who died.’ ^{(G) 29} There were seven brothers. The first had a wife but died without children. ³⁰ The second brother took her for his wife. He died without children. ³¹ The third brother took her for his wife. In the same way all seven took her for a wife. They all died without children. ³² Then the woman died also. ³³ When people are raised from the dead, whose wife will she be? All seven brothers had her for a wife.”

³⁴ Jesus said to them, “People of this earth marry and are given in marriage. ³⁵ But those who have the right to have that life and are raised from the dead do not marry and are not given in marriage. ³⁶ They cannot die anymore. They are as the angels and are sons of God. They are children who have been raised from the dead. ³⁷ As for the dead being raised, even Moses spoke of that when he told of the burning bush. There he calls the Lord, the God of Abraham and the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. ³⁸ For He is not the God of the dead. He is the God of the living. All live for Him.”

³⁹ One of the teachers of the Law said, “Teacher, You have spoken well.” ⁴⁰ After that they were afraid to ask Him anything.

Jesus Asks the Teachers of the Law about the Christ ^(H)

⁴¹ Jesus said to them, “How do they say that Christ is the Son of David? ⁴² For David himself said in the Book of Psalms, ‘The Lord said to My Lord, “Sit at my right side ⁴³ until I make those who hate You a place to rest Your feet.”’ ^{(I) 44} David calls Him, ‘Lord!’ Then how can He be his son?”

False Teachers ^(J)

⁴⁵ All the people were listening. He said to His followers, ⁴⁶ “Look out for the teachers of the Law. They like to walk around in long coats. They like to have people speak words of respect to them in the center of town where people gather. They like the important seats in the places of worship. They like the important places at big suppers. ⁴⁷ They take houses from poor women whose husbands have died. They cover up their actions by making long prayers. They will be punished all the more.”

A Woman Whose Husband Had Died Gave All She Had ^(K)

21 Jesus looked up and saw rich men putting their money into the money box in the house of God. ² He saw a poor woman whose husband had died. She put in two very small pieces of money. ³ He said, “I tell you the truth, this poor woman has put in more than all of them. ⁴ For they have put in a little of the money they had no need for. She is very poor and has put in all she had. She has put in what she needed for her own living.”

Jesus Tells of the House of God ^(L)

⁵ Some people were talking about the house of God. They were saying that the stones were beautiful and that many gifts had been given. Jesus said, ⁶ “As for these things you see, all these stones will be thrown down. Not one will be left on another.” ⁷ They asked Jesus, “Teacher, when will this take place? What are we to look for to show us these things are about to happen?” ⁸ He said, “Be careful that no one leads you the wrong way. For many people will come in My name. They will say, ‘I am the Christ.’ The time is near. Do not follow them. ⁹ When you hear of wars and fighting in different places, do not be afraid. These things have to happen first, but the end is not yet.”

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Nations will have wars with other nations. Countries will fight against countries. ¹¹ The earth will shake and break apart in different places. There will be no food. There will be bad diseases among many people. Very special things will be seen in the sky that will make people much afraid.

¹² “But before all this happens, men will take hold of you and make it very hard for you. They will give you over to the places of worship and to the prisons. They will bring you in front of kings and the leaders of the people. This will all be done to you because of Me. ¹³ This will be a time for you to tell about Me. ¹⁴ Do not think about what you will say ahead of time. ¹⁵ For I will give you wisdom in what to say and I will help you say it. Those who are against you will not be able to stop you or say you are wrong.

¹⁶ “You will be handed over by your parents and your brothers and your family and your friends. They will kill some of you. ¹⁷ All men will hate you because of Me. ¹⁸ Yet not one hair of your head will be lost. ¹⁹ But stay true and your souls will have life.

Days of Trouble and Pain and Sorrow

²⁰ “When you see armies all around Jerusalem, know that it will soon be destroyed. ²¹ Those in the country of Judea must run to the mountains. Those in the city must leave at once. Those in the country must not go into the city. ²² People will be punished in these hard days. All things will happen as it is written.

²³ “It will be hard for women who will soon be mothers. It will be hard for those feeding babies in those days. It will be very hard for the people in the land and anger will be brought down on them. ²⁴ People will be killed by the sword. They will be held in prison by all nations. Jerusalem will be walked over by the people who are not Jews until their time is finished.

Jesus Will Come Again in His Shining-Greatness

²⁵ “There will be special things to look for in the sun and moon and stars. The nations of the earth will be troubled and will not know what to do. They will be troubled at the angry sea and waves. ²⁶ The hearts of men will give up because of being afraid of what is coming on the earth. The powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷ Then they will see the Son of Man coming in the clouds with power and much greatness. ²⁸ When these things begin to happen, lift up your heads because you have been bought by the blood of Christ and will soon be free.”

The Picture-Story of the Fig Tree

²⁹ Jesus told them a picture-story. He said, “Look at the fig tree and all the other trees. ³⁰ When you see their leaves coming out, you know summer is near. ³¹ In the same way, when you see these things happening, you will know the holy nation of God is near. ³² For sure, I tell you, that the people of this day will not die before all these things happen.

³³ “Heaven and earth will pass away, but My Words will not pass away. ³⁴ Watch yourselves! Do not let yourselves be loaded down with too much eating and strong drink. Do not be troubled with the cares of this life. If you do, that day will come on you without you knowing it. ³⁵ It will come on all people over all the earth. ³⁶ Be sure you watch. Pray all the time so that you may be able to keep from going through all these things that will happen and be able to stand before the Son of Man.”

³⁷ Everyday Jesus taught in the house of God. At night He went to the Mount of Olives and stayed there. ³⁸ Early in the morning all the people came to the house of God to hear Him.

They Look for a Way to Put Jesus to Death ^(M)

22 The time for the supper of bread without yeast was near. It was the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. ² The religious leaders and the teachers of the Law looked for a way to kill Jesus. But they were afraid of the people.

³ Then Satan came into the heart of Judas who was called Iscariot. He was one of the twelve followers. ⁴ Judas went away and talked with the religious leaders and the leaders of the people. He talked about how he might hand Jesus over to them. ⁵ They were glad and promised to pay him money. ⁶ Judas promised to do this and then looked for a way to hand Jesus over when there were no people around.

Getting Ready for the Special Supper ^(N)

⁷ The day of bread without yeast came. It was the day when the lamb had to be killed and given on the altar in worship in the house of God. It was the special religious gathering to remember how the Jews left Egypt. ⁸ Jesus sent Peter and John and said, “Go and get this special supper ready for us that we may eat.” ⁹ They said to Him, “Where do You want us to get it ready?” ¹⁰ He answered, “See, when you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. Follow him into the house where he goes. ¹¹ Say to the owner of the house, ‘The Teacher asks you, “Where is the room you keep for friends where I may eat this special supper with My followers?”’ ¹² He will take you to a large room on the second floor with everything in it. Make it ready for us.”

¹³ They went and found everything as Jesus had said. They got ready for the special supper.

The First Lord’s Supper ^(O)

¹⁴ When the time came, Jesus sat down with the twelve followers. ¹⁵ He said to them, “I have wanted very much to eat this special supper with you to remember how the Jews left Egypt. I have wanted to eat this with you before I suffer. ¹⁶ I say to you, I will not eat this special supper again until its true meaning is completed in the holy nation of God.”

¹⁷ Then Jesus took the cup and gave thanks. He said, “Take this and pass it to each one. ¹⁸ I say to you that I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the holy nation of God comes.”

¹⁹ Then Jesus took bread and gave thanks and broke it in pieces. He gave it to them, saying, “This is My body which is given for you. Do this to remember Me.” ²⁰ In the same way, after they had finished the bread, He took the cup. He said, “This cup is My blood of the New Way of Worship which is given for you.

Jesus Tells of the One Who Will Hand Him Over

²¹ “See, the hand of the one who will give Me over to the leaders of the country is on the table with Me. ²² The Son of Man will be taken this way because it has been in God’s plan. But it is bad for that man who hands Him over!” ²³ They began to ask each other which of them would do this.

Arguing about Who Is the Greatest

²⁴ They started to argue among themselves about who was thought to be the greatest. ²⁵ Jesus said to them, “The kings of the nations show their power to the people. Those who have power over the people are given names of honor. ²⁶ But you will not be like that. Let the greatest among you be as the least. Let the leader be as the one who cares for others. ²⁷ Who is greater, the one who is eating at the table, or the one who is caring for him? Is it not the one who is eating at the table? But I am here with you as One Who cares for you.

The Followers Will Be Honored

²⁸ “You have stayed with Me through all the hard things that have come to Me. ²⁹ As My Father has given Me a holy nation, I will give you the right ³⁰ to eat and drink at My table in My holy nation. You will sit on thrones and judge the twelve family groups of the Jewish nation.”

Jesus Tells How Peter Will Lie about Him ^(P)

³¹ The Lord said, “Simon, Simon, listen! Satan has wanted to have you. He will divide you as wheat is divided from that which is no good. ³² But I have prayed for you. I have prayed that your faith will be strong and that you will not give up. When you return, you must help to make your brothers strong.” ³³ Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, I am ready to go to prison and to die with You!” ³⁴ Jesus said, “I tell you, Peter, a rooster will not crow today before you will say three times that you do not know Me.”

The Followers Are Told of Trouble to Come

³⁵ Jesus said to them, “I sent you without money or bag or shoes. Did you need anything?” They said, “Nothing.” ³⁶ Then He said to them, “But now whoever has a money-bag and a bag for food should take it. Whoever does not have a sword should sell his coat and buy one. ³⁷ I tell you, that what has been written about Me must happen. It says, ‘They thought of Him as One Who broke the Law.’ ^(Q) What is told about Me must happen.”

³⁸ They said, “Lord, look, we have two swords.” He answered, “That is enough.”

Jesus Prays in the Garden ^(R)

³⁹ Jesus came out of the room. Then He went to the Mount of Olives as He had been doing. The followers went with Him. ⁴⁰ When He got there, He said to them, “Pray that you will not be tempted.” ⁴¹ He walked away from them about as far as a stone can be thrown. There He got down with His face on the ground and prayed. ⁴² He said, “Father, if it can be done, take away what must happen to Me. Even so, not what I want, but what You want.” ⁴³ An angel from heaven came and gave Him strength. ⁴⁴ His heart was much troubled and He prayed all the more. Water ran from His face like blood and fell to the ground.

⁴⁵ When Jesus got up after praying, He went back to the followers. He found them sleeping because of so much sorrow. ⁴⁶ He said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Get up and pray that you will not be tempted.”

Jesus Is Handed Over to Sinners ^(S)

⁴⁷ While Jesus was speaking, Judas came walking ahead of many people. He was one of the twelve followers. He came near to Jesus to kiss Him. ⁴⁸ But Jesus said to him, “Judas, are you handing over the Son of Man with a kiss?” ⁴⁹ Those around Jesus saw what was going to happen and asked, “Lord, should we fight with our swords?” ⁵⁰ One of them hit a servant who was owned by the head religious leader and cut off his right ear. ⁵¹ Jesus said, “Stop! This is enough.” And He put His hand on his ear and healed him.

Jesus Stands in Front of the Religious Leaders ^(T)

⁵² Jesus said to the religious leaders and the leaders of the house of God and the other leaders who came to Him, “Have you come with swords and sticks to take Me, as if I were a robber? ⁵³ While I was with you everyday in the house of God, you never took hold of Me. But now is the time you are to come and you have come in the dark.”

⁵⁴ Then they led Jesus away to the house of the head religious leader. Peter followed a long way behind Him.

Peter Said He Did Not Know Jesus ^(U)

⁵⁵ They built a fire in the yard and sat down. Peter sat down with them. ⁵⁶ One of the servant-girls saw Peter as he sat by the fire and looked right at him. She said, “This man was with Jesus also.” ⁵⁷ Peter lied and said, “Woman, I do not know Him.” ⁵⁸ After awhile another person saw him and said, “You are one of them also.” Peter said, “No, sir, I am not.” ⁵⁹ About an hour later another person said the same thing, “For sure, this man was with Jesus also because he is from Galilee.” ⁶⁰ But Peter said, “Sir, I do not know what you are saying.” And at once, while he was talking, a rooster crowed. ⁶¹ The Lord turned and looked at Peter. He remembered the Lord had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will say three times that you do not know Me.” ⁶² Peter went outside and cried with a troubled heart.

⁶³ Those who watched Jesus so He could not get away made fun of Him and beat Him. ⁶⁴ They covered His eyes with a cloth and asked Him, “Tell us who hit You!” ⁶⁵ They said many other bad things against Jesus.

⁶⁶ When it was morning the leaders of the people and the religious leaders and the teachers of the Law got together. They took Jesus to the court of the religious leader. They said, ⁶⁷ “Tell us if you are the Christ.” He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe Me. ⁶⁸ If I ask you something, you will not tell Me. ⁶⁹ From now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right hand of the All-powerful God.” ⁷⁰ They all said, “Then are You the Son of God?” He said, “You say that I am.” ⁷¹ Then they said, “What other word do we need against Him? We have heard Him say this with His own mouth.”

Jesus Stands in Front of Pilate ^(V)

23 Then all the many people got up and took Jesus to Pilate. ² They began to tell things against Him, saying, “We have found this Man leading the people of our nation in a wrong way. He has been telling them not to pay taxes to Caesar. He has been saying He is Christ, a King.”

³ Pilate asked Jesus, “Are You the King of the Jews?” He said, “What you said is true.” ⁴ Then Pilate said to the religious leaders and to the people, “I find nothing wrong in this Man.” ⁵ They became more angry. They said, “He makes trouble among the people. He has been teaching over all the country of Judea, starting in Galilee and now here.”

Jesus Is Sent to Herod

⁶ When Pilate heard the word, Galilee, he asked, “Is the Man from Galilee?” ⁷ As soon as Pilate knew Jesus belonged in the country where Herod was king, he sent Him to Herod. Herod was in Jerusalem at that time also.

⁸ Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus because he had wanted to see Him for a long time. He had heard many things about Him and had hoped to see Him do some powerful work. ⁹ Herod talked to Jesus and asked many things. But Jesus said nothing. ¹⁰ The religious leaders and the teachers of the Law were standing there. They said many false things against Him.

¹¹ Then Herod and his soldiers were very bad to Jesus and made fun of Him. They put a beautiful coat on Him and sent Him back to Pilate. ¹² That day Pilate and Herod became friends. Before that they had worked against each other.

¹³ Pilate called the religious leaders and the leaders of the people and the people together. ¹⁴ He said to them, “You brought this Man to me as one that leads the people in the wrong way. I have asked Him about these things in front of you. I do not find Him guilty of the things you say against Him. ¹⁵ Herod found nothing wrong with Him because he sent Him back to us. There is no reason to have Him put to death. ¹⁶ I will punish Him and let Him go free.”

Jesus or Barabbas Is to Go Free ^(W)

¹⁷ *Every year at the time of the special supper, Pilate would let one person who was in prison go free. ¹⁸ They all cried out together with a loud voice, “Take this Man away! Let Barabbas go free.” ¹⁹ Barabbas had killed some people and had made trouble against the leaders of the country. He had been put in prison.

²⁰ Pilate wanted to let Jesus go free so he talked to them again. ²¹ But they cried out, “Nail Him to a cross! Nail Him to a cross!” ²² Pilate said to them the third time, “Why, what bad thing has He done? I have found no reason to put Him to death. I will punish Him and let Him go free.”

²³ But they kept on crying out with loud voices saying that He must be nailed to a cross. Their loud voices got what they wanted. ²⁴ Then Pilate said that it should be done as they wanted. ²⁵ Pilate let the man go free who had made trouble against the leaders of the country and who had killed people. He gave Jesus over to them to do with as they wanted.

Jesus on the Cross ^(X)

²⁶ They led Jesus away. A man named Simon was coming in from the country of Cyrene and they made him carry the cross following behind Jesus.

²⁷ Many people followed Jesus. There were women who cried and had sorrow for Him. ²⁸ Jesus turned to them and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem do not cry for Me. Cry for yourselves and your children. ²⁹ Listen! The days are coming when they will say, ‘Those who have never had children are happy. Those whose bodies have never given birth are happy. Those who have never fed babies are happy.’ ³⁰ They will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us.’ They will say to the hills, ‘Cover us.’ ³¹ If they do these things to a green tree, what will they do when it is dry?”

³² Two other men were led away with Jesus to be put to death also. These men had done things making them guilty of death. ³³ When they came to the place called Calvary, they nailed Jesus to a cross. The other two men were nailed to crosses also. One was on the right side of Jesus and the other was on His left side. ³⁴ Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They do not know what they are doing.” And they divided His clothes by drawing names.

³⁵ The people stood around looking on. The leaders were there with them making fun of Jesus. They said, “He saved others, let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the Chosen One of God!” ³⁶ The soldiers made fun of Him also. They put sour wine before Him. ³⁷ They said, “If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself.” ³⁸ These words were written in the Greek and Latin and Hebrew languages above His head: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

The Two Robbers ^(Y)

³⁹ One of the men who was guilty of death who was on a cross beside Jesus spoke bad words to Him. He said, “If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us.” ⁴⁰ But the other man on a cross spoke sharp words to the one who made fun of Jesus. He said, “Are you not afraid of God? You are also guilty and will be punished. ⁴¹ We are suffering and we should, because of the wrong we have done. But this Man has done nothing wrong.” ⁴² And he said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your holy nation.” ⁴³ Jesus said to him, “For sure, I tell you, today you will be with Me in Paradise.”

The Death of Jesus ^(Z)

⁴⁴ It was dark over all the earth from noon until three o’clock. ⁴⁵ The sun did not shine. In the house of God the curtain was torn in two pieces.

⁴⁶ Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I give My spirit.” When He said this, He died.

⁴⁷ When the soldier saw what had happened, he thanked God. He said, “For sure, He was a good man.” ⁴⁸ All the many people who came together to see the things that were done, went away beating themselves on their chests. ⁴⁹ All His friends and the women who had come with Him from Galilee stood a long way off watching these things.

The Grave of Jesus ^(AA)

⁵⁰ There was a man named Joseph who belonged to the court. He was a good man and one who did right. ⁵¹ This man did not agree with what the court did. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews. He was looking for the holy nation of God to come. ⁵² Joseph went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.

⁵³ Then he took it down and put it in linen cloth. It was laid in a grave which had been cut out in the side of a rock. This grave had never been used.

⁵⁴ It was time to get ready for the Day of Rest which was about to begin. ⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed behind. They saw the grave and how His body was laid. ⁵⁶ They went back and got some spices and perfumes ready. But they rested on the Day of Rest as the Law said to do.

Jesus Is Raised from the Dead ^(AB)

24 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, the women went to the grave taking the spices they had made ready. ² They found the stone had been pushed away from the grave. ³ They went in but they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus.

⁴ While they wondered about what had happened, they saw two men standing by them in shining clothes. ⁵ They were very much afraid and got down with their faces to the ground. The men said to them, “Why do you look for the living One among those who are dead? ⁶ He is not here. He is risen. Do you not remember what He said to you when He was yet in Galilee? ⁷ He said, ‘The Son of Man must be given over into the hands of sinful men. He must be nailed to a cross. He will rise again three days later.’” ⁸ They remembered what He had said.

⁹ When they came back from the grave, they told all these things to the eleven followers and to all the others. ¹⁰ They were Mary Magdalene and Joanna and Mary the mother of James. Other women who were with them told these things to the followers also. ¹¹ Their words sounded like foolish talk. The followers did not believe them. ¹² But Peter got up and ran to the grave. He got down to look in and saw only the linen clothes. Then he went away, surprised about what had happened.

The Followers of Jesus Do Not Believe He Is Risen ^(AC)

¹³ That same day two of His followers were going to the town of Emmaus. It was about a two-hour walk from Jerusalem. ¹⁴ They talked of all these things that had happened. ¹⁵ While they were talking together, Jesus Himself came and walked along with them. ¹⁶ Something kept their eyes from seeing Who He was.

¹⁷ He said to them, “What are you talking about as you walk?” They stood still and looked sad. ¹⁸ One of them, whose name was Cleopas, said to Him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who has not heard of the things that have happened here these days?” ¹⁹ Jesus said to them, “What things?” They answered, “The things about Jesus of Nazareth. He was the great One Who spoke for God. He did powerful works and spoke powerful words in the sight of God and the people. ²⁰ And the religious leaders and the leaders of the people gave Him over to be killed and nailed Him to a cross. ²¹ We were hoping He was the One Who was going to make the Jewish people free. But it was three days ago when these things happened.

²² “Some of the women of our group have surprised us and made us wonder. They went to the grave early this morning. ²³ They did not find His body. They came back saying they had seen angels in a special dream who said that He was alive. ²⁴ Some of those who were with us went to the grave and found it as the women had said. But they did not see Him.”

²⁵ Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish men. How slow you are to believe what the early preachers have said. ²⁶ Did not Christ have to go through these hard things to come into His shining-greatness?” ²⁷ Jesus kept on telling them what Moses and all the early preachers had said about Him in the Holy Writings.

²⁸ When they came to the town where they were going, Jesus acted as if He were going farther. ²⁹ But they said to Him, “Stay with us. It will soon be evening. The day is about over.” He went in to stay with them. ³⁰ As He sat at the table with them, He took the bread and gave thanks and broke it. Then He gave it to them. ³¹ And their eyes were opened and they knew Him. Then He left them and could not be seen. ³² They said to each other, “Were not our hearts filled with joy when He talked to us on the road about what the Holy Writings said?”

³³ Then they got up at once and went back to Jerusalem. They found the eleven followers together and others with them. ³⁴ They said, “For sure the Lord is risen and was seen by Simon.” ³⁵ Then they told what had happened on the road and how they came to know Him when He broke the bread.

Jesus Is Seen by the Other Ten Followers

³⁶ As they talked, Jesus Himself stood among them. He said, “May you have peace.” ³⁷ But they were afraid and full of fear. They thought they saw a spirit. ³⁸ Jesus said to them, “Why are you afraid? Why do you have doubts in your hearts? ³⁹ Look at My hands and My feet. See! It is I, Myself! Touch Me and see for yourself. A spirit does not have flesh and bones as I have.” ⁴⁰ When Jesus had said this, He showed them His hands and feet.

⁴¹ They still wondered. It was hard for them to believe it and yet it made them happy. Then He said to them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” ⁴² They gave Jesus a piece of fish that had been cooked and some honey. ⁴³ He took it and ate it in front of them.

Jesus Sends His Followers to Teach ^(AD)

⁴⁴ Jesus said to them, “These are the things I told you while I was yet with you. All things written about Me in the Law of Moses and in the Books of the early preachers and in the Psalms must happen as they said they would happen.” ⁴⁵ Then He opened their minds to understand the Holy Writings. ⁴⁶ He said to them, “It is written that Christ should suffer and be raised from the dead after three days. ⁴⁷ It must be preached that men must be sorry for their sins and turn from them. Then they will be forgiven. This must be preached in His name to all nations beginning in Jerusalem. ⁴⁸ You are to tell what you have seen. ⁴⁹ See! I will send you what My Father promised. But you are to stay in Jerusalem until you have received power from above.”

Jesus Goes to Be Beside His Father ^(AE)

⁵⁰ Jesus led them out as far as Bethany. Then He lifted up His hands and prayed that good would come to them. ⁵¹ And while He was praying that good would come to them, He went from them (*and was taken up to heaven and ⁵² they worshiped Him). Then they went back to Jerusalem with great joy. ⁵³ They spent all their time in the house of God honoring and giving thanks to God.