Wednesday, September 21, 2016
Luke 1
Luke 1
1 Many people have set out to write
accounts about the events that have been fulfilled among us.
2 They used the eyewitness reports
circulating among us from the early disciples.
3 Having carefully investigated everything
from the beginning, I also have decided to write a careful account for you,
most honorable Theophilus,
4 so you can be certain of the truth of
everything you were taught.
5 When Herod was king of Judea, there was
a Jewish priest named Zechariah. He was a member of the priestly order of
Abijah, and his wife, Elizabeth, was also from the priestly line of
Aaron.
6 Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous
in God’s eyes, careful to obey all of the Lord’s commandments and
regulations.
7 They had no children because Elizabeth
was unable to conceive, and they were both very old.
8 One day Zechariah was serving God in the
Temple, for his order was on duty that week.
9 As was the custom of the priests, he was
chosen by lot to enter the sanctuary of the Lord and burn incense.
10 While the incense was being burned, a
great crowd stood outside, praying.
11 While Zechariah was in the sanctuary, an
angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing to the right of the incense altar.
12 Zechariah was shaken and overwhelmed
with fear when he saw him.
13But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid,
Zechariah! God has heard your prayer. Your wife, Elizabeth, will give you a
son, and you are to name him John.
14You will have great joy and gladness, and many
will rejoice at his birth,
15 for he will be great in the eyes of the
Lord. He must never touch wine or other alcoholic drinks. He will be filled
with the Holy Spirit, even before his birth.
16And he will turn many Israelites to the Lord
their God.
17 He will be a man with the spirit and
power of Elijah. He will prepare the people for the coming of the Lord. He will
turn the hearts of the fathers to their children, and he will cause those who
are rebellious to accept the wisdom of the godly.”
18Zechariah said to the angel, “How can I be
sure this will happen? I’m an old man now, and my wife is also well along in
years.”
19 Then the angel said, “I am Gabriel! I
stand in the very presence of God. It was he who sent me to bring you this good
news!
20 But now, since you didn’t believe what I
said, you will be silent and unable to speak until the child is born. For my
words will certainly be fulfilled at the proper time.”
21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for
Zechariah to come out of the sanctuary, wondering why he was taking so
long.
22 When he finally did come out, he
couldn’t speak to them. Then they realized from his gestures and his silence
that he must have seen a vision in the sanctuary.
23 When Zechariah’s week of service in the
Temple was over, he returned home.
24 Soon afterward his wife, Elizabeth,
became pregnant and went into seclusion for five months.
25 “How kind the Lord is!” she exclaimed.
“He has taken away my disgrace of having no children.”
26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s
pregnancy, God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a village in Galilee,
27 to a virgin named Mary. She was engaged
to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of King David.
28Gabriel appeared to her and said, “Greetings,
favored woman! The Lord is with you! ”
29 Confused and disturbed, Mary tried to
think what the angel could mean.
30 “Don’t be afraid, Mary,” the angel told
her, “for you have found favor with God!
31 You will conceive and give birth to a
son, and you will name him Jesus.
32 He will be very great and will be called
the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his ancestor
David.
33 And he will reign over Israel forever;
his Kingdom will never end!”
34Mary asked the angel, “But how can this
happen? I am a virgin.”
35 The angel replied, “The Holy Spirit will
come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the baby
to be born will be holy, and he will be called the Son of God.
36 What’s more, your relative Elizabeth has
become pregnant in her old age! People used to say she was barren, but she has
conceived a son and is now in her sixth month.
37 For the word of God will never fail.
”
38 Mary responded, “I am the Lord’s
servant. May everything you have said about me come true.” And then the angel
left her.
39 A few days later Mary hurried to the
hill country of Judea, to the town
40 where Zechariah lived. She entered the
house and greeted Elizabeth.
41 At the sound of Mary’s greeting,
Elizabeth’s child leaped within her, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy
Spirit.
42 Elizabeth gave a glad cry and exclaimed
to Mary, “God has blessed you above all women, and your child is blessed.
43Why am I so honored, that the mother of my
Lord should visit me?
44 When I heard your greeting, the baby in
my womb jumped for joy.
45 You are blessed because you believed
that the Lord would do what he said.”
46 Mary responded, “Oh, how my soul praises
the Lord.
47 How my spirit rejoices in God my
Savior!
48 For he took notice of his lowly servant
girl, and from now on all generations will call me blessed.
49 For the Mighty One is holy, and he has
done great things for me.
50 He shows mercy from generation to
generation to all who fear him.
51 His mighty arm has done tremendous
things! He has scattered the proud and haughty ones.
52 He has brought down princes from their
thrones and exalted the humble.
53 He has filled the hungry with good
things and sent the rich away with empty hands.
54 He has helped his servant Israel and
remembered to be merciful.
55 For he made this promise to our
ancestors, to Abraham and his children forever.”
56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth about three
months and then went back to her own home.
57 When it was time for Elizabeth’s baby to
be born, she gave birth to a son.
58 And when her neighbors and relatives
heard that the Lord had been very merciful to her, everyone rejoiced with
her.
59 When the baby was eight days old, they
all came for the circumcision ceremony. They wanted to name him Zechariah,
after his father.
60 But Elizabeth said, “No! His name is
John!”
61 “What?” they exclaimed. “There is no one
in all your family by that name.”
62 So they used gestures to ask the baby’s
father what he wanted to name him.
63 He motioned for a writing tablet, and to
everyone’s surprise he wrote, “His name is John.”
64 Instantly Zechariah could speak again,
and he began praising God.
65 Awe fell upon the whole neighborhood,
and the news of what had happened spread throughout the Judean hills.
66 Everyone who heard about it reflected on
these events and asked, “What will this child turn out to be?” For the hand of
the Lord was surely upon him in a special way.
67Then his father, Zechariah, was filled with
the Holy Spirit and gave this prophecy:
68 “Praise the Lord, the God of Israel,
because he has visited and redeemed his people.
69 He has sent us a mighty Savior from the
royal line of his servant David,
70 just as he promised through his holy
prophets long ago.
71 Now we will be saved from our enemies
and from all who hate us.
72 He has been merciful to our ancestors by
remembering his sacred covenant—
73 the covenant he swore with an oath to
our ancestor Abraham.
74 We have been rescued from our enemies so
we can serve God without fear,
75 in holiness and righteousness for as
long as we live.
76 “And you, my little son, will be called
the prophet of the Most High, because you will prepare the way for the
Lord.
77 You will tell his people how to find
salvation through forgiveness of their sins.
78 Because of God’s tender mercy, the
morning light from heaven is about to break upon us,
79 to give light to those who sit in
darkness and in the shadow of death, and to guide us to the path of
peace.”
80 John grew up and became strong in
spirit. And he lived in the wilderness until he began his public ministry to
Israel.
Tuesday, September 20, 2016
Mark 16
- The Resurrection of Jesus (ch. 16)
Mark 16
1 Saturday evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James, and Salome went out and purchased burial spices so they could anoint Jesus’ body.
2 Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they went to the tomb.
3 On the way they were asking each other, “Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?”
4 But as they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled aside.
5 When they entered the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a white robe sitting on the right side. The women were shocked,
6 but the angel said, “Don’t be alarmed. You are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body.
7 Now go and tell his disciples, including Peter, that Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died.”
8 The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, and they said nothing to anyone because they were too frightened. ---------- [ ] [ ] Then they briefly reported all this to Peter and his companions. Afterward Jesus himself sent them out from east to west with the sacred and unfailing message of salvation that gives eternal life. Amen.
9 After Jesus rose from the dead early on Sunday morning, the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons.
10 She went to the disciples, who were grieving and weeping, and told them what had happened.
11 But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her.
12 Afterward he appeared in a different form to two of his followers who were walking from Jerusalem into the country.
13 They rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them.
14 Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their stubborn unbelief because they refused to believe those who had seen him after he had been raised from the dead.
15 And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone.
16 Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned.
17 These miraculous signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak in new languages.
18 They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick, and they will be healed.”
19 When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God’s right hand.
20 And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked through them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.
Monday, September 19, 2016
Mark 13-15
Mark 13
1 As Jesus was leaving the Temple that
day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these magnificent buildings!
Look at the impressive stones in the walls.”
2 Jesus replied, “Yes, look at these great
buildings. But they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left
on top of another!”
3 Later, Jesus sat on the Mount of Olives
across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him
privately and asked him,
4 “Tell us, when will all this happen?
What sign will show us that these things are about to be fulfilled?”
5 Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead
you,
6 for many will come in my name, claiming,
‘I am the Messiah.’ They will deceive many.
7 And you will hear of wars and threats of
wars, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must take place, but the end won’t
follow immediately.
8 Nation will go to war against nation,
and kingdom against kingdom. There will be earthquakes in many parts of the
world, as well as famines. But this is only the first of the birth pains, with
more to come.
9 “When these things begin to happen,
watch out! You will be handed over to the local councils and beaten in the
synagogues. You will stand trial before governors and kings because you are my
followers. But this will be your opportunity to tell them about me.
10 For the Good News must first be preached
to all nations.
11 But when you are arrested and stand
trial, don’t worry in advance about what to say. Just say what God tells you at
that time, for it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit.
12 “A brother will betray his brother to
death, a father will betray his own child, and children will rebel against
their parents and cause them to be killed.
13 And everyone will hate you because you
are my followers. But the one who endures to the end will be saved.
14 “The day is coming when you will see the
sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where he should not be.”
(Reader, pay attention!) “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills.
15 A person out on the deck of a roof must
not go down into the house to pack.
16 A person out in the field must not
return even to get a coat.
17 How terrible it will be for pregnant
women and for nursing mothers in those days.
18 And pray that your flight will not be in
winter.
19 For there will be greater anguish in
those days than at any time since God created the world. And it will never be
so great again.
20 In fact, unless the Lord shortens that
time of calamity, not a single person will survive. But for the sake of his
chosen ones he has shortened those days.
21 “Then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here
is the Messiah,’ or ‘There he is,’ don’t believe it.
22 For false messiahs and false prophets
will rise up and perform signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even
God’s chosen ones.
23 Watch out! I have warned you about this
ahead of time!
24 “At that time, after the anguish of
those days, the sun will be darkened, the moon will give no light,
25 the stars will fall from the sky, and
the powers in the heavens will be shaken.
26 Then everyone will see the Son of Man
coming on the clouds with great power and glory.
27 And he will send out his angels to
gather his chosen ones from all over the world —from the farthest ends of the
earth and heaven.
28 “Now learn a lesson from the fig tree.
When its branches bud and its leaves begin to sprout, you know that summer is
near.
29 In the same way, when you see all these
things taking place, you can know that his return is very near, right at the
door.
30 I tell you the truth, this generation
will not pass from the scene before all these things take place.
31 Heaven and earth will disappear, but my
words will never disappear.
32 “However, no one knows the day or hour
when these things will happen, not even the angels in heaven or the Son
himself. Only the Father knows.
33 And since you don’t know when that time
will come, be on guard! Stay alert !
34 “The coming of the Son of Man can be
illustrated by the story of a man going on a long trip. When he left home, he
gave each of his slaves instructions about the work they were to do, and he
told the gatekeeper to watch for his return.
35 You, too, must keep watch! For you don’t
know when the master of the household will return—in the evening, at midnight,
before dawn, or at daybreak.
36 Don’t let him find you sleeping when he
arrives without warning.
37 I say to you what I say to everyone:
Watch for him!”
Mark 14
1 It was now two days before Passover and
the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of
religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly
and kill him.
2 “But not during the Passover
celebration,” they agreed, “or the people may riot.”
3 Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the
home of Simon, a man who had previously had leprosy. While he was eating, a
woman came in with a beautiful alabaster jar of expensive perfume made from
essence of nard. She broke open the jar and poured the perfume over his head.
4 Some of those at the table were
indignant. “Why waste such expensive perfume?” they asked.
5 “It could have been sold for a year’s
wages and the money given to the poor!” So they scolded her harshly.
6 But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why
criticize her for doing such a good thing to me?
7 You will always have the poor among you,
and you can help them whenever you want to. But you will not always have me.
8 She has done what she could and has
anointed my body for burial ahead of time.
9 I tell you the truth, wherever the Good
News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be remembered and
discussed.”
10 Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve
disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them.
11 They were delighted when they heard why
he had come, and they promised to give him money. So he began looking for an
opportunity to betray Jesus.
12 On the first day of the Festival of
Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb is sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked
him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover meal for you?”
13 So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem
with these instructions: “As you go into the city, a man carrying a pitcher of
water will meet you. Follow him.
14 At the house he enters, say to the
owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover
meal with my disciples?’
15 He will take you upstairs to a large
room that is already set up. That is where you should prepare our meal.”
16 So the two disciples went into the city
and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover
meal there.
17 In the evening Jesus arrived with the
Twelve.
18 As they were at the table eating, Jesus
said, “I tell you the truth, one of you eating with me here will betray me.”
19 Greatly distressed, each one asked in
turn, “Am I the one?”
20 He replied, “It is one of you twelve who
is eating from this bowl with me.
21 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!”
22 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 it, for this is my body.”
23 And he took a cup of wine and gave
thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.
24 And he said to them, “This is my blood,
which confirms the covenant between God and his people. It is poured out as a
sacrifice for many.
25 I tell you the truth, I will not drink
wine again until the day I drink it new in the Kingdom of God.”
26 Then they sang a hymn and went out to
the Mount of Olives.
27 On the way, Jesus told them, “All of you
will desert me. For the Scriptures say, ‘God will strike the Shepherd, and the
sheep will be scattered.’
28 But after I am raised from the dead, I
will go ahead of you to Galilee and meet you there.”
29 Peter said to him, “Even if everyone
else deserts you, I never will.”
30 Jesus replied, “I tell you the truth,
Peter—this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny three
times that you even know me.”
31 “No!” Peter declared emphatically. “Even
if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the others vowed the
same.
32 They went to the olive grove called
Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.”
33 He took Peter, James, and John with him,
and he became deeply troubled and distressed.
34 He told them, “My soul is crushed with
grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
35 He went on a little farther and fell to
the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him
might pass him by.
36 “Abba, Father,” he cried out,
“everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from
me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
37 Then he returned and found the disciples
asleep. He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep? Couldn’t you watch with me
even one hour?
38 Keep watch and pray, so that you will
not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.”
39 Then Jesus left them again and prayed
the same prayer as before.
40 When he returned to them again, he found
them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know
what to say.
41 When he returned to them the third time,
he said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But no—the time has come. The Son
of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.
42 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is
here!”
43 And immediately, even as Jesus said
this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a crowd of men armed
with swords and clubs. They had been sent by the leading priests, the teachers
of religious law, and the elders.
44 The traitor, Judas, had given them a
prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I greet him with a
kiss. Then you can take him away under guard.”
45 As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up
to Jesus. “Rabbi!” he exclaimed, and gave him the kiss.
46 Then the others grabbed Jesus and
arrested him.
47 But one of the men with Jesus pulled out
his sword and struck the high priest’s slave, slashing off his ear.
48 Jesus asked them, “Am I some dangerous
revolutionary, that you come with swords and clubs to arrest me?
49 Why didn’t you arrest me in the Temple?
I was there among you teaching every day. But these things are happening to
fulfill what the Scriptures say about me.”
50 Then all his disciples deserted him and
ran away.
51 One young man following behind was
clothed only in a long linen shirt. When the mob tried to grab him,
52 he slipped out of his shirt and ran away
naked.
53 They took Jesus to the high priest’s
home where the leading priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law
had gathered.
54 Meanwhile, Peter followed him at a
distance and went right into the high priest’s courtyard. There he sat with the
guards, warming himself by the fire.
55 Inside, the leading priests and the
entire high council were trying to find evidence against Jesus, so they could
put him to death. But they couldn’t find any.
56 Many false witnesses spoke against him,
but they contradicted each other.
57 Finally, some men stood up and gave this
false testimony:
58 “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this
Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made
without human hands.’”
59 But even then they didn’t get their
stories straight!
60 Then the high priest stood up before the
others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What
do you have to say for yourself?”
61 But Jesus was silent and made no reply.
Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed
One?”
62 Jesus said, “I AM . And 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. ”
63 Then the high priest tore his clothing
to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses?
64 You have all heard his blasphemy. What
is your verdict?” “Guilty!” they all cried. “He deserves to die!”
65 Then some of them began to spit at him,
and they blindfolded him and beat him with their fists. “Prophesy to us,” they
jeered. And the guards slapped him as they took him away.
66 Meanwhile, Peter was in the courtyard
below. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest came by
67 and noticed Peter warming himself at the
fire. She looked at him closely and said, “You were one of those with Jesus of
Nazareth. ”
68 But Peter denied it. “I don’t know what
you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a
rooster crowed.
69 When the servant girl saw him standing
there, she began telling the others, “This man is definitely one of them!”
70 But Peter denied it again. A little
later some of the other bystanders confronted Peter and said, “You must be one
of them, because you are a Galilean.”
71 Peter swore, “A curse on me if I’m
lying—I don’t know this man you’re talking about!”
72 And immediately the rooster crowed the
second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the
rooster crows twice, you will deny three times that you even know me.” And he
broke down and wept.
Mark 15
1 Very early in the morning the leading
priests, the elders, and the teachers of religious law—the entire high council
—met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus, led him away, and took him
to Pilate, the Roman governor.
2 Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of
the Jews?” Jesus replied, “You have said it.”
3 Then the leading priests kept accusing
him of many crimes,
4 and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going
to answer them? What about all these charges they are bringing against you?”
5 But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s
surprise.
6 Now it was the governor’s custom each
year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner—anyone the people
requested.
7 One of the prisoners at that time was
Barabbas, a revolutionary who had committed murder in an uprising.
8 The crowd went to Pilate and asked him
to release a prisoner as usual.
9 “Would you like me to release to you
this ‘King of the Jews’?” Pilate asked.
10 (For he realized by now that the leading
priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.)
11 But at this point the leading priests
stirred up the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus.
12 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I
do with this man you call the king of the Jews?”
13 They shouted back, “Crucify him!”
14 “Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has
he committed?” But the mob roared even louder, “Crucify him!”
15 So to pacify the crowd, 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.
16 The soldiers took Jesus into the
courtyard of the governor’s headquarters (called the Praetorium) and called out
the entire regiment.
17 They dressed him in a purple robe, and
they wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head.
18 Then they saluted him and taunted,
“Hail! King of the Jews!”
19 And they struck him on the head with a
reed stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship.
20 When they were finally tired of mocking
him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then
they led him away to be crucified.
21 A passerby named Simon, who was from
Cyrene, was coming in from the countryside just then, and the soldiers forced
him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
22 And they brought Jesus to a place called
Golgotha (which means “Place of the Skull”).
23 They offered him wine drugged with
myrrh, but he refused it.
24 Then the soldiers nailed him to the
cross. They divided his clothes and threw dice to decide who would get each
piece.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when
they crucified him.
26 A sign announced the charge against him.
It read, “The King of the Jews.”
27 Two revolutionaries were crucified with
him, one on his right and one on his left.
28
29 The people passing by shouted abuse,
shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You
said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days.
30 Well then, save yourself and come down
from the cross!”
31 The leading priests and teachers of
religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t
save himself!
32 Let this Messiah, this King of Israel,
come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the men who
were crucified with Jesus ridiculed him.
33 At noon, darkness fell across the whole
land until three o’clock.
34 Then at three o’clock Jesus called out
with a loud voice, which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 Some of the bystanders misunderstood and
thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.
36 One of them ran and filled a sponge with
sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. “Wait!” he
said. “Let’s see whether Elijah comes to take him down!”
37 Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and
breathed his last.
38 And the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple
was torn in two, from top to bottom.
39 When the Roman officer who stood facing
him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
40 Some women were there, watching from a
distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James the younger and
of Joseph ), and Salome.
41 They had been followers of Jesus and had
cared for him while he was in Galilee. Many other women who had come with him
to Jerusalem were also there.
42 This all happened on Friday, the day of
preparation, the day before the Sabbath. As evening approached,
43 Joseph of Arimathea took a risk and went
to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph was an honored member of the high
council, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.)
44 Pilate couldn’t believe that Jesus was
already dead, so he called for the Roman officer and asked if he had died yet.
45 The officer confirmed that Jesus was
dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could have the body.
46 Joseph bought a long sheet of linen
cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth,
and laid it in a tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a
stone in front of the entrance.
47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of
Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was laid.
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