Study Desk

Then he said, "This wine is my blood, which will be poured out for many to begin the new agreement from God to his people.

Jesus and his followers went to a place named Gethsemane. He said to them, "Sit here while I pray."

Then he went back to his followers and found them sleeping. He said to Peter, "Simon, why are you sleeping? Could you not stay awake with me for one hour?

After Jesus prayed a third time, he went back to his followers. He said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? That's enough! The time has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the control of sinful men.

One of the followers standing near Jesus grabbed his sword and pulled it out. He swung it at the servant of the high priest and cut off his ear.

When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes in anger. He said, "We don't need any more witnesses!

Some of the people there spit at him. They covered his eyes and hit him with their fists. They said, "Be a prophet and tell us who hit you!" Then the guards led Jesus away and beat him.

They put a purple robe on Jesus, made a crown from thorny branches, and put it on his head.

They kept on beating his head with a stick and spitting on him. Then they bowed down on their knees and pretended to honor him as a king.

After they finished making fun of him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him out of the palace to be killed on a cross.

The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get what.

Now go and tell his followers. And be sure to tell Peter. Tell them, ‘Jesus is going into Galilee and will be there before you come. You will see him there, as he told you before.'"

After Mary saw Jesus, she went and told his followers. They were very sad and were crying.

After the Lord Jesus said these things to his followers, he was carried up into heaven. There, Jesus sat at the right side of God.

What they have written agrees with what we learned from the people who saw those events from the beginning. They also served God by telling people his message.

During the time when Herod ruled Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah. He belonged to Abijah's group. His wife came from the family of Aaron. Her name was Elizabeth.

Zechariah and Elizabeth were both good people who pleased God. They did everything the Lord commanded, always following his instructions completely.

Zechariah was serving as a priest before God for his group. It was his group's time to serve.

You will be very happy, and many others will share your joy over his birth.

John himself will go ahead of the Lord and make people ready for his coming. He will be powerful like Elijah and will have the same spirit. He will make peace between fathers and their children. He will cause people who are not obeying God to change and start thinking the way they should."