Study Desk

When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross.

And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means "Place of the Skull").

Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.

"Look at you now!" they yelled at him. "You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!"

"He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!

They left the cemetery after Jesus' resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "This man truly was the Son of God!"

So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel's message.

And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him.

Then Jesus said to them, "Don't be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there."

A meeting with the elders was called, and they decided to give the soldiers a large bribe.

They told the soldiers, "You must say, ‘Jesus' disciples came during the night while we were sleeping, and they stole his body.'

So the guards accepted the bribe and said what they were told to say. Their story spread widely among the Jews, and they still tell it today.

This messenger was John the Baptist. He was in the wilderness and preached that people should be baptized to show that they had repented of their sins and turned to God to be forgiven.

All of Judea, including all the people of Jerusalem, went out to see and hear John. And when they confessed their sins, he baptized them in the Jordan River.

One day as Jesus was walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew throwing a net into the water, for they fished for a living.

And they left their nets at once and followed him.