Monday, February 22, 2016
His Last Days: Sacrifice and Triumph Luke Chapter 19:28 to all of Luke 24
Luke 19:28 After telling this story, Jesus went on toward
Jerusalem, walking ahead of his disciples.
29 As he came to the towns of Bethphage and
Bethany on the Mount of Olives, he sent two disciples ahead.
30 “Go into that village over there,” he
told them. “As you enter it, you will see a young donkey tied there that no one
has ever ridden. Untie it and bring it here.
31 If anyone asks, ‘Why are you untying
that colt?’ just say, ‘The Lord needs it.’”
32 So they went and found the colt, just as
Jesus had said.
33 And sure enough, as they were untying
it, the owners asked them, “Why are you untying that colt?”
34And the disciples simply replied, “The Lord
needs it.”
35 So they brought the colt to Jesus and
threw their garments over it for him to ride on.
36 As he rode along, the crowds spread out
their garments on the road ahead of him.
37 When he reached the place where the road
started down the Mount of Olives, all of his followers began to shout and sing
as they walked along, praising God for all the wonderful miracles they had
seen.
38 “Blessings on the King who comes in the
name of the LORD ! Peace in heaven, and glory in highest heaven!”
39 But some of the Pharisees among the
crowd said, “Teacher, rebuke your followers for saying things like that!”
40 He replied, “If they kept quiet, the
stones along the road would burst into cheers!”
41 But as he came closer to Jerusalem and
saw the city ahead, he began to weep.
42“How I wish today that you of all people would
understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from
your eyes.
43 Before long your enemies will build
ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every
side.
44 They will crush you into the ground, and
your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place,
because you did not recognize it when God visited you. ”
45 Then Jesus entered the Temple and began
to drive out the people selling animals for sacrifices.
46 He said to them, “The Scriptures
declare, ‘My Temple will be a house of prayer,’ but you have turned it into a
den of thieves.”
47 After that, he taught daily in the
Temple, but the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other
leaders of the people began planning how to kill him.
48But they could think of nothing, because all
the people hung on every word he said.
Luke
20 NLT
1 One day as Jesus was teaching the people
and preaching the Good News in the Temple, the leading priests, the teachers of
religious law, and the elders came up to him.
2 They demanded, “By what authority are
you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”
3 “Let me ask you a question first,” he
replied.
4 “Did John’s authority to baptize come
from heaven, or was it merely human?”
5 They talked it over among themselves.
“If we say it was from heaven, he will ask why we didn’t believe John.
6 But if we say it was merely human, the
people will stone us because they are convinced John was a prophet.”
7 So they finally replied that they didn’t
know.
8 And Jesus responded, “Then I won’t tell
you by what authority I do these things.”
9 Now Jesus turned to the people again and
told them this story: “A man planted a vineyard, leased it to tenant farmers,
and moved to another country to live for several years.
10 At the time of the grape harvest, he
sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop. But the farmers
attacked the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed.
11 So the owner sent another servant, but
they also insulted him, beat him up, and sent him away empty-handed.
12 A third man was sent, and they wounded
him and chased him away.
13 “‘What will I do?’ the owner asked
himself. ‘I know! I’ll send my cherished son. Surely they will respect him.’
14 “But when the tenant farmers saw his
son, they said to each other, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill
him and get the estate for ourselves!’
15 So they dragged him out of the vineyard
and murdered him. “What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do to
them?” Jesus asked.
16 “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill
those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.” “How terrible that such a
thing should ever happen,” his listeners protested.
17 Jesus looked at them and said, “Then
what does this Scripture mean? ‘The stone that the builders rejected has now
become the cornerstone.’
18 Everyone who stumbles over that stone
will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”
19The teachers of religious law and the leading
priests wanted to arrest Jesus immediately because they realized he was telling
the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of
the people’s reaction.
20 Watching for their opportunity, the
leaders sent spies pretending to be honest men. They tried to get Jesus to say
something that could be reported to the Roman governor so he would arrest
Jesus.
21 “Teacher,” they said, “we know that you
speak and teach what is right and are not influenced by what others think. You
teach the way of God truthfully.
22 Now tell us—is it right for us to pay
taxes to Caesar or not?”
23 He saw through their trickery and said,
24 “Show me a Roman coin. Whose picture and
title are stamped on it?” “Caesar’s,” they replied.
25 “Well then,” he said, “give to Caesar
what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”
26 So they failed to trap him by what he
said in front of the people. Instead, they were amazed by his answer, and they
became silent.
27 Then Jesus was approached by some
Sadducees—religious leaders who say there is no resurrection from the dead.
28 They posed this question: “Teacher,
Moses gave us a law that if a man dies, leaving a wife but no children, his
brother should marry the widow and have a child who will carry on the brother’s
name.
29 Well, suppose there were seven brothers.
The oldest one married and then died without children.
30 So the second brother married the widow,
but he also died.
31Then the third brother married her. This
continued with all seven of them, who died without children.
32 Finally, the woman also died.
33 So tell us, whose wife will she be in
the resurrection? For all seven were married to her!”
34Jesus replied, “Marriage is for people here on
earth.
35 But in the age to come, those worthy of
being raised from the dead will neither marry nor be given in marriage.
36 And they will never die again. In this
respect they will be like angels. They are children of God and children of the
resurrection.
37“But now, as to whether the dead will be
raised—even Moses proved this when he wrote about the burning bush. Long after
Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob had died, he referred to the Lord as ‘the God of
Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’
38 So he is the God of the living, not the
dead, for they are all alive to him.”
39 “Well said, Teacher!” remarked some of
the teachers of religious law who were standing there.
40 And then no one dared to ask him any
more questions.
41 Then Jesus presented them with a
question. “Why is it,” he asked, “that the Messiah is said to be the son of
David?
42 For David himself wrote in the book of
Psalms: ‘The said to my Lord, Sit in the place of honor at my right hand
43 until I humble your enemies, making them
a footstool under your feet.’
44 Since David called the Messiah ‘Lord,’
how can the Messiah be his son?”
45 Then, with the crowds listening, he
turned to his disciples and said,
46 “Beware of these teachers of religious
law! For they like to parade around in flowing robes and love to receive
respectful greetings as they walk in the marketplaces. And how they love the
seats of honor in the synagogues and the head table at banquets.
47 Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of
their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public.
Because of this, they will be severely punished.”
Luke
21 NLT
1 While Jesus was in the Temple, he
watched the rich people dropping their gifts in the collection box.
2 Then a poor widow came by and dropped in
two small coins.
3 “I tell you the truth,” Jesus said,
“this poor widow has given more than all the rest of them.
4 For they have given a tiny part of their
surplus, but she, poor as she is, has given everything she has.”
5 Some of his disciples began talking
about the majestic stonework of the Temple and the memorial decorations on the
walls. But Jesus said,
6 “The time is coming when all these
things will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of
another!”
7 “Teacher,” they asked, “when will all
this happen? What sign will show us that these things are about to take place?”
8 He replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead
you, for many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and saying,
‘The time has come!’ But don’t believe them.
9 And when you hear of wars and
insurrections, don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place first, but the
end won’t follow immediately.”
10 Then he added, “Nation will go to war
against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
11 There will be great earthquakes, and
there will be famines and plagues in many lands, and there will be terrifying
things and great miraculous signs from heaven.
12 “But before all this occurs, there will
be a time of great persecution. You will be dragged into synagogues and
prisons, and you will stand trial before kings and governors because you are my
followers.
13 But this will be your opportunity to
tell them about me.
14 So don’t worry in advance about how to
answer the charges against you,
15 for I will give you the right words and
such wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to reply or refute you!
16 Even those closest to you—your parents,
brothers, relatives, and friends—will betray you. They will even kill some of
you.
17And everyone will hate you because you are my
followers.
18 But not a hair of your head will perish!
19 By standing firm, you will win your
souls.
20“And when you see Jerusalem surrounded by
armies, then you will know that the time of its destruction has arrived.
21 Then those in Judea must flee to the
hills. Those in Jerusalem must get out, and those out in the country should not
return to the city.
22 For those will be days of God’s
vengeance, and the prophetic words of the Scriptures will be fulfilled.
23 How terrible it will be for pregnant
women and for nursing mothers in those days. For there will be disaster in the
land and great anger against this people.
24 They will be killed by the sword or sent
away as captives to all the nations of the world. And Jerusalem will be
trampled down by the Gentiles until the period of the Gentiles comes to an end.
25 “And there will be strange signs in the
sun, moon, and stars. And here on earth the nations will be in turmoil,
perplexed by the roaring seas and strange tides.
26 People will be terrified at what they
see coming upon the earth, for the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
27Then everyone will see the Son of Man coming
on a cloud with power and great glory.
28 So when all these things begin to
happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”
29 Then he gave them this illustration:
“Notice the fig tree, or any other tree.
30 When the leaves come out, you know
without being told that summer is near.
31 In the same way, when you see all these
things taking place, you can know that the Kingdom of God is near.
32 I tell you the truth, this generation
will not pass from the scene until all these things have taken place.
33 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my
words will never disappear.
34 “Watch out! Don’t let your hearts be
dulled by carousing and drunkenness, and by the worries of this life. Don’t let
that day catch you unaware,
35 like a trap. For that day will come upon
everyone living on the earth.
36 Keep alert at all times. And pray that
you might be strong enough to escape these coming horrors and stand before the
Son of Man.”
37 Every day Jesus went to the Temple to
teach, and each evening he returned to spend the night on the Mount of Olives.
38 The crowds gathered at the Temple early
each morning to hear him.
Luke
22 NLT
1 The Festival of Unleavened Bread, which
is also called Passover, was approaching.
2 The leading priests and teachers of
religious law were plotting how to kill Jesus, but they were afraid of the
people’s reaction.
3Then Satan entered into Judas Iscariot, who
was one of the twelve disciples,
4 and he went to the leading priests and
captains of the Temple guard to discuss the best way to betray Jesus to them.
5 They were delighted, and they promised
to give him money.
6 So he agreed and began looking for an
opportunity to betray Jesus so they could arrest him when the crowds weren’t
around.
7 Now the Festival of Unleavened Bread
arrived, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed.
8 Jesus sent Peter and John ahead and
said, “Go and prepare the Passover meal, so we can eat it together.”
9 “Where do you want us to prepare it?”
they asked him.
10 He replied, “As soon as you enter
Jerusalem, a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. At the
house he enters,
11 say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks:
Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’
12 He will take you upstairs to a large
room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”
13 They went off to the city and found
everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover meal there.
14 When the time came, Jesus and the
apostles sat down together at the table.
15 Jesus said, “I have been very eager to
eat this Passover meal with you before my suffering begins.
16 For I tell you now that I won’t eat this
meal again until its meaning is fulfilled in the Kingdom of God.”
17 Then he took a cup of wine and gave
thanks to God for it. Then he said, “Take this and share it among yourselves.
18 For I will not drink wine again until
the Kingdom of God has come.”
19 He took some bread and gave thanks to
God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying,
“This is my body, which is given for you. Do this to remember me.”
20 After supper he took another cup of wine
and said, “This cup is the new covenant between God and his people—an agreement
confirmed with my blood, which is poured out as a sacrifice for you.
21 “But here at this table, sitting among
us as a friend, is the man who will betray me.
22 For it has been determined that the Son
of Man must die. But what sorrow awaits the one who betrays him.”
23 The disciples began to ask each other
which of them would ever do such a thing.
24 Then they began to argue among themselves
about who would be the greatest among them.
25 Jesus told them, “In this world the
kings and great men lord it over their people, yet they are called ‘friends of
the people.’
26 But among you it will be different.
Those who are the greatest among you should take the lowest rank, and the
leader should be like a servant.
27 Who is more important, the one who sits
at the table or the one who serves? The one who sits at the table, of course.
But not here! For I am among you as one who serves.
28 “You have stayed with me in my time of
trial.
29 And just as my Father has granted me a
Kingdom, I now grant you the right
30 to eat and drink at my table in my
Kingdom. And you will sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.
31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift
each of you like wheat.
32 But I have pleaded in prayer for you,
Simon, that your faith should not fail. So when you have repented and turned to
me again, strengthen your brothers.”
33 Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go to
prison with you, and even to die with you.”
34 But Jesus said, “Peter, let me tell you
something. Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times
that you even know me.”
35 Then Jesus asked them, “When I sent you
out to preach the Good News and you did not have money, a traveler’s bag, or an
extra pair of sandals, did you need anything?” “No,” they replied.
36“But now,” he said, “take your money and a
traveler’s bag. And if you don’t have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one!
37 For the time has come for this prophecy
about me to be fulfilled: ‘He was counted among the rebels.’ Yes, everything
written about me by the prophets will come true.”
38 “Look, Lord,” they replied, “we have two
swords among us.” “That’s enough,” he said.
39Then, accompanied by the disciples, Jesus left
the upstairs room and went as usual to the Mount of Olives.
40 There he told them, “Pray that you will
not give in to temptation.”
41 He walked away, about a stone’s throw,
and knelt down and prayed,
42 “Father, if you are willing, please take
this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
43 Then an angel from heaven appeared and
strengthened him.
44 He prayed more fervently, and he was in
such agony of spirit that his sweat fell to the ground like great drops of
blood.
45 At last he stood up again and returned
to the disciples, only to find them asleep, exhausted from grief.
46 “Why are you sleeping?” he asked them.
“Get up and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation.”
47 But even as Jesus said this, a crowd
approached, led by Judas, one of the twelve disciples. Judas walked over to
Jesus to greet him with a kiss.
48 But Jesus said, “Judas, would you betray
the Son of Man with a kiss?”
49 When the other disciples saw what was
about to happen, they exclaimed, “Lord, should we fight? We brought the
swords!”
50 And one of them struck at the high
priest’s slave, slashing off his right ear.
51 But Jesus said, “No more of this.” And
he touched the man’s ear and healed him.
52Then Jesus spoke to the leading priests, the
captains of the Temple guard, and the elders who had come for him. “Am I some
dangerous revolutionary,” he asked, “that you come with swords and clubs to
arrest me?
53 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple?
I was there every day. But this is your moment, the time when the power of
darkness reigns.”
54 So they arrested him and led him to the
high priest’s home. And Peter followed at a distance.
55 The guards lit a fire in the middle of
the courtyard and sat around it, and Peter joined them there.
56 A servant girl noticed him in the
firelight and began staring at him. Finally she said, “This man was one of
Jesus’ followers!”
57But Peter denied it. “Woman,” he said, “I
don’t even know him!”
58 After a while someone else looked at him
and said, “You must be one of them!” “No, man, I’m not!” Peter retorted.
59 About an hour later someone else
insisted, “This must be one of them, because he is a Galilean, too.”
60 But Peter said, “Man, I don’t know what
you are talking about.” And immediately, while he was still speaking, the
rooster crowed.
61 At that moment the Lord turned and
looked at Peter. Suddenly, the Lord’s words flashed through Peter’s mind:
“Before the rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will deny three times that you
even know me.”
62 And Peter left the courtyard, weeping
bitterly.
63The guards in charge of Jesus began mocking
and beating him.
64 They blindfolded him and said, “Prophesy
to us! Who hit you that time?”
65 And they hurled all sorts of terrible
insults at him.
66 At daybreak all the elders of the people
assembled, including the leading priests and the teachers of religious law.
Jesus was led before this high council,
67 and they said, “Tell us, are you the
Messiah?” But he replied, “If I tell you, you won’t believe me.
68 And if I ask you a question, you won’t
answer.
69 But from now on the Son of Man will be
seated in the place of power at God’s right hand. ”
70They all shouted, “So, are you claiming to be
the Son of God?” And he replied, “You say that I am.”
71 “Why do we need other witnesses?” they
said. “We ourselves heard him say it.”
Luke
23 NLT
1 Then the entire council took Jesus to
Pilate, the Roman governor.
2 They began to state their case: “This
man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes
to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king
of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
4 Pilate turned to the leading priests and
to the crowd and said, “I find nothing wrong with this man!”
5 Then they became insistent. “But he is
causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to
Jerusalem!”
6 “Oh, is he a Galilean?” Pilate asked.
7 When they said that he was, Pilate sent
him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod’s jurisdiction, and Herod
happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.
8 Herod was delighted at the opportunity
to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long
time to see him perform a miracle.
9 He asked Jesus question after question,
but Jesus refused to answer.
10 Meanwhile, the leading priests and the
teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations.
11 Then Herod and his soldiers began
mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent
him back to Pilate.
12 (Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies
before, became friends that day.)
13 Then Pilate called together the leading
priests and other religious leaders, along with the people,
14 and he announced his verdict. “You
brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him
thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent.
15 Herod came to the same conclusion and
sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.
16 So I will have him flogged, and then I
will release him.”
17
18 Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd,
and with one voice they shouted, “Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!”
19 (Barabbas was in prison for taking part
in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)
20 Pilate argued with them, because he
wanted to release Jesus.
21 But they kept shouting, “Crucify him!
Crucify him!”
22 For the third time he demanded, “Why?
What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death.
So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him.”
23 But the mob shouted louder and louder,
demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed.
24 So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they
demanded.
25 As they had requested, he released
Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus
over to them to do as they wished.
26 As they led Jesus away, a man named
Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The
soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind
Jesus.
27 A large crowd trailed behind, including
many grief-stricken women.
28 But Jesus turned and said to them,
“Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for
your children.
29 For the days are coming when they will
say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not
borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.’
30People will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’
and plead with the hills, ‘Bury us.’
31 For if these things are done when the
tree is green, what will happen when it is dry? ”
32 Two others, both criminals, were led out
to be executed with him.
33 When they came to a place called The
Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one
on his right and one on his left.
34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for
they don’t know what they are doing.” And the soldiers gambled for his clothes
by throwing dice.
35 The crowd watched and the leaders
scoffed. “He saved others,” they said, “let him save himself if he is really
God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”
36 The soldiers mocked him, too, by
offering him a drink of sour wine.
37 They called out to him, “If you are the
King of the Jews, save yourself!”
38 A sign was fastened above him with these
words: “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 One of the criminals hanging beside him
scoffed, “So you’re the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us,
too, while you’re at it!”
40 But the other criminal protested, “Don’t
you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?
41 We deserve to die for our crimes, but
this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”
42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when
you come into your Kingdom.”
43 And Jesus replied, “I assure you, today
you will be with me in paradise.”
44 By this time it was about noon, and
darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock.
45 The light from the sun was gone. And
suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.
46 Then Jesus shouted, “Father, I entrust my
spirit into your hands!” And with those words he breathed his last.
47 When the Roman officer overseeing the
execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, “Surely this man
was innocent. ”
48 And when all the crowd that came to see
the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.
49 But Jesus’ friends, including the women
who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.
50 Now there was a good and righteous man
named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council,
51 but he had not agreed with the decision
and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea
in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.
52 He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’
body.
53 Then he took the body down from the
cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb
that had been carved out of rock.
54 This was done late on Friday afternoon,
the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.
55 As his body was taken away, the women
from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed.
56 Then they went home and prepared spices
and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the
Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.
Luke
24 NLT
1 But very early on Sunday morning the
women went to the tomb, taking the spices they had prepared.
2 They found that the stone had been
rolled away from the entrance.
3 So they went in, but they didn’t find
the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 As they stood there puzzled, two men
suddenly appeared to them, clothed in dazzling robes.
5 The women were terrified and bowed with
their faces to the ground. Then the men asked, “Why are you looking among the
dead for someone who is alive?
6 He isn’t here! He is risen from the
dead! Remember what he told you back in Galilee,
7 that the Son of Man must be betrayed
into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and that he would rise again on
the third day.”
8 Then they remembered that he had said
this.
9 So they rushed back from the tomb to
tell his eleven disciples—and everyone else—what had happened.
10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the
mother of James, and several other women who told the apostles what had
happened.
11 But the story sounded like nonsense to
the men, so they didn’t believe it.
12 However, Peter jumped up and ran to the
tomb to look. Stooping, he peered in and saw the empty linen wrappings; then he
went home again, wondering what had happened.
13 That same day two of Jesus’ followers
were walking to the village of Emmaus, seven miles from Jerusalem.
14 As they walked along they were talking
about everything that had happened.
15 As they talked and discussed these
things, Jesus himself suddenly came and began walking with them.
16 But God kept them from recognizing him.
17 He asked them, “What are you discussing
so intently as you walk along?” They stopped short, sadness written across
their faces.
18Then one of them, Cleopas, replied, “You must
be the only person in Jerusalem who hasn’t heard about all the things that have
happened there the last few days.”
19 “What things?” Jesus asked. “The things
that happened to Jesus, the man from Nazareth,” they said. “He was a prophet
who did powerful miracles, and he was a mighty teacher in the eyes of God and
all the people.
20 But our leading priests and other
religious leaders handed him over to be condemned to death, and they crucified
him.
21 We had hoped he was the Messiah who had
come to rescue Israel. This all happened three days ago.
22 “Then some women from our group of his
followers were at his tomb early this morning, and they came back with an
amazing report.
23They said his body was missing, and they had
seen angels who told them Jesus is alive!
24 Some of our men ran out to see, and sure
enough, his body was gone, just as the women had said.”
25 Then Jesus said to them, “You foolish
people! You find it so hard to believe all that the prophets wrote in the
Scriptures.
26 Wasn’t it clearly predicted that the
Messiah would have to suffer all these things before entering his glory?”
27 Then Jesus took them through the
writings of Moses and all the prophets, explaining from all the Scriptures the
things concerning himself.
28 By this time they were nearing Emmaus
and the end of their journey. Jesus acted as if he were going on,
29but they begged him, “Stay the night with us,
since it is getting late.” So he went home with them.
30 As they sat down to eat, he took the
bread and blessed it. Then he broke it and gave it to them.
31 Suddenly, their eyes were opened, and
they recognized him. And at that moment he disappeared!
32 They said to each other, “Didn’t our
hearts burn within us as he talked with us on the road and explained the
Scriptures to us?”
33 And within the hour they were on their
way back to Jerusalem. There they found the eleven disciples and the others who
had gathered with them,
34 who said, “The Lord has really risen! He
appeared to Peter. ”
35 Then the two from Emmaus told their
story of how Jesus had appeared to them as they were walking along the road,
and how they had recognized him as he was breaking the bread.
36And just as they were telling about it, Jesus
himself was suddenly standing there among them. “Peace be with you,” he said.
37 But the whole group was startled and
frightened, thinking they were seeing a ghost!
38 “Why are you frightened?” he asked. “Why
are your hearts filled with doubt?
39 Look at my hands. Look at my feet. You
can see that it’s really me. Touch me and make sure that I am not a ghost,
because ghosts don’t have bodies, as you see that I do.”
40 As he spoke, he showed them his hands
and his feet.
41 Still they stood there in disbelief,
filled with joy and wonder. Then he asked them, “Do you have anything here to
eat?”
42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish,
43and he ate it as they watched.
44 Then he said, “When I was with you
before, I told you that everything written about me in the law of Moses and the
prophets and in the Psalms must be fulfilled.”
45 Then he opened their minds to understand
the Scriptures.
46 And he said, “Yes, it was written long
ago that the Messiah would suffer and die and rise from the dead on the third
day.
47 It was also written that this message
would be proclaimed in the authority of his name to all the nations, beginning
in Jerusalem: ‘There is forgiveness of sins for all who repent.’
48 You are witnesses of all these things.
49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit,
just as my Father promised. But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit
comes and fills you with power from heaven.”
50Then Jesus led them to Bethany, and lifting
his hands to heaven, he blessed them.
51 While he was blessing them, he left them
and was taken up to heaven.
52 So they worshiped him and then returned
to Jerusalem filled with great joy.
53 And they spent all of their time in the
Temple, praising God.
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