12 On the first day of the Festival
of Unleavened Bread, when it was customary to sacrifice the Passover lamb,
Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go and make preparations
for you to eat the Passover?”
13 So
he sent two of his disciples, telling them, “Go into the city, and a man
carrying a jar of water will meet you. Follow him. 14 Say to
the owner of the house he enters, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is my guest room,
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?’ 15 He will
show you a large room upstairs, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us
there.”
16 The
disciples left, went into the city and found things just as Jesus had told
them. So they prepared the Passover.
17 When
evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18 While they were
reclining at the table eating, he said, “Truly I tell you, one of you will
betray me—one who is eating with me.”
19 They
were saddened, and one by one they said to him, “Surely you don’t mean me?”
20 “It
is one of the Twelve,” he replied, “one who dips bread into the bowl with me. 21 The
Son of Man will go just as it is written about him. But woe to that man who
betrays the Son of Man! It would be better for him if he had not been born.”
22 While
they were eating, Jesus took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it
and gave it to his disciples, saying, “Take it; this is my body.”
23 Then
he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them, and they all
drank from it.
24 “This
is my blood of the[c] covenant,
which is poured out for many,” he said to them. 25 “Truly I
tell you, I will not drink again from the fruit of the vine until that day when
I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
26 When
they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Now the Passover and the Festival of
Unleavened Bread were only two days away, and the chief priests and the
teachers of the law were scheming to arrest Jesus secretly and kill him. 2 “But
not during the festival,” they said, “or the people may riot.”
3 While
he was in Bethany, reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a
woman came with an alabaster jar of very expensive perfume, made of pure nard.
She broke the jar and poured the perfume on his head.
4 Some
of those present were saying indignantly to one another, “Why this waste of
perfume? 5 It could have been sold for more than a year’s wages[a] and the money given to the poor.” And they
rebuked her harshly.
6 “Leave
her alone,” said Jesus. “Why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful
thing to me. 7 The poor you will always have with you,[b] and you can help them any time you want.
But you will not always have me. 8 She did what she could. She
poured perfume on my body beforehand to prepare for my burial. 9 Truly
I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached throughout the world, what she has
done will also be told, in memory of her.”
10 Then
Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to
them. 11 They were delighted to hear this and promised to give
him money. So he watched for an opportunity to hand him over.
32 “But
about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the
Son, but only the Father. 33 Be on guard! Be alert[e]! You do not
know when that time will come. 34 It’s like a man going away:
He leaves his house and puts his servants in charge, each with their assigned
task, and tells the one at the door to keep watch.
35 “Therefore
keep watch because you do not know when the owner of the house will come
back—whether in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or at
dawn. 36 If he comes suddenly, do not let him find you
sleeping. 37 What I say to you, I say to everyone: ‘Watch!’”
