And they sang the hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus said to them: All of you will be made to fail me in the course of this night. For it is written: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock will be scattered. But after my resurrection I will lead the way for you into Galilee. Peter spoke forth and said: Though all the others fail you, I will never fail you. Jesus said to him: Truly I tell you that on this night before the cock crows you will disown me three times. Peter said to him: Even if I must die with you, I will never disown you. And so spoke all the disciples.
Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples: Sit down here, while I go over there and pray. He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee; and then he was in pain and distress. And he said to them: My soul is in anguish to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me. Then he went a little farther, and threw himself down on his face, and said in prayer: Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass me by; except only, let it be not as I wish, but as you wish. Then he went back to his disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter: Are you not then strong enough to keep watch with me for a single hour? Be wakeful, and pray that you may not be brought to the test. The spirit is eager, but the flesh is weak. Again a second time he went off and prayed, saying: Father, if it is not possible for this cup to pass me by, but I must drink it, let your will be done. Then he came back and again found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy; and leaving them he went back and prayed a third time, saying the same words as before. Then he came back to the disciples and said to them: So you are still asleep, and resting. Behold, the hour is near, and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise up, let us go; see, my betrayer is near.
And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas c^e, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd, with swords and clubs, from the high priests and the elders of the people. And he who betrayed him told them the signal, saying: The one I kiss will be the man. Seize him. And at once he came up to Jesus and said: Hail, master; and kissed him. Jesus said to him: My friend, why are you here? Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and bound him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus put out his hand and drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and took off his ear. Then Jesus said: Put away your sword where it belongs; for all who take up the sword shall die by the sword. Or do you not believe that I have the power to call upon my father, and he will at once send more than twelve legions of angels? But then, how to fulfill what has been written, that these things must be. At that time Jesus said to the multitude: You come out to arrest me with swords and clubs as if I were a highwayman? Day by day I sat in the temple, teaching, and you did not seize me.
But all this took place so that what was written by the prophets should be fulfilled.
At that time all his disciples left him and fled away.
But they who had seized Jesus brought him to the house of Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and elders were assembled. But Peter followed him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and went inside and sat with the servingmen, to watch the event. And the high priests and the entire council were looking for some false evidence against Jesus, so that they might have him killed, and they could find none, though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward and spoke, saying: This man said this: I am able to tear down the temple of God and rebuild it within three days. Then the high priest stood up and said to him: Have you no answer? What is the testimony these bring against you? But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him: I charge you by the living God that you tell us whether you are the Christ, the son of God. Jesus said to him: It is you who said it. But now I say to you, presently you shall see the son of man sitting on the right of the power and walking upon the clouds of the sky. Then the priest rent his clothing, saying: He has blasphemed. Why do we still need witnesses? Behold, you have heard the blasphemy. What is your decision? They answered and said: He has deserved death. Then they spat in his face and struck him with their fists and beat him, saying: Tell us, Christ, by prophecy, who hit you?
But Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a serving girl came up to him and said: You also were with Jesus the Galilaean. But he denied it before them all, saying: I do not know what you mean. And as he went out to the gate another girl saw him and said to those who were there: This man was with Jesus the Nazarene. And again he denied it, with an oath, saying: I do not know the man. After a little those who were standing by came up to Peter and said: Truly you are one of them, for your way of speaking makes it clear. Then he began to swear with many oaths, saying: I do not know the man. And thereupon the cock crew. And Peter remembered the words of Jesus when he said: Before the cock crows you will disown me three times. And he went out and wept bitterly.
t When morning came, all the high priests and elders of the people held a meeting against Jesus, to have him killed. And they bound him and took him away and gave him over to Pilate the governor.
Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he repented and proffered the thirty pieces of silver back to the high priests and the elders, saying: I did wrong to betray innocent blood. They said: What is that to us? You look to it. And he threw down the silver pieces in the temple and went away, and when he was alone he hanged himself. The high priests took up the silver pieces and said: We cannot put them in the treasury, since it is blood money. Then they took counsel together and with the money they bought the potter's field to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood, to this day. Then was fulfilled the word spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price was set, whom they priced from among the sons of Israel, and I gave the money for the field of the potter, as my Lord commanded me.
Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor questioned him, saying: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus answered: It is you who say it. And while he was being accused by the high priests and the elders he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him: Do you not hear all their testimony against you? And he made no answer to a single word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
For the festival, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner for the multitude, whichever one they wished. And they had at that time a notorious man, who was called Barabbas. Now as they were assembled Pilate said to them: Which one do you wish me to release for you, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? For he knew that it was through malice that they had turned him over. Now as he was sitting on the platform, his wife sent him a message, saying: Let there be nothing between you and this just man; for I have suffered much today because of a dream about him. But the high priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. Then the governor spoke forth and said to them: Which of the two shall I give you? They answered: Barabbas. Pilate said to them: What then shall I do with Jesus, who is called Christ? They all said: Let him be crucified. But Pilate said: Why? What harm has he done? But they screamed all the more, saying: Let him be crucified. And Pilate, seeing that he was doing no good and that the disorder was growing, took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying: I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it. And all the people answered and said: His blood is upon us and upon our children. Then Pilate gave them Barabbas, but he had Jesus flogged, and gave him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus to the residence, and drew up all their battalion around him. And they stripped him and put a red mantle about him, and wove a wreath of thorns and put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand, and knelt before him and mocked him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews. And they spat upon him and took the reed and beat him on the head. And after they had mocked him, they took
off the mantle and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to be crucified. And as they went out they found a man of Cyrene, named Simon. They impressed him for carrying the cross.
Then they came to a place called Golgotha, which means the place of the skull, and gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. When he tasted it he would not drink it. Then they crucified him, and divided up his clothes, casting lots, and sat there and watched him. Over his head they put the label giving the charge against him, where it was written: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Then there were crucified with him two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by blasphemed against him, wagging their heads, and saying: You who tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross, if you are the son of God. So too the high priests, mocking him along with the scribes and the elders, said: He saved others, he cannot save himself. He is King of Israel, let him come down from the cross and we will believe in him. He trusted in
God, let him save him now, if he will; for he said: I am the son of God. And the robbers who were crucified with him spoke abusively to him in the same way.
But from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour. But about the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a great voice, saying: Elei elei lema sabachthaneii Which is: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? But some of those who were standing there heard and said: This man calls to Elijah. And at once one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar and put it on the end of a reed, and gave it to him to drink. But the rest said: Let us see if Elijah comes to save him.
Then Jesus cried out again in a great voice, and gave up his life. And behold, the veil of the temple was split in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken, and the rocks were split, and the tombs opened and many bodies of the holy sleepers rose up; and after his resurrection they came out of their tombs and went into the holy city, and were seen by many. But the company commander and those with him who kept guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that happened, were greatly afraid, saying: In truth this was the son of God. And there were many women watching from a distance there, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, waiting on him. Among them were Mary the Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, Joseph by name, who also had been a disciple of Jesus. This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered that it be given up to him. And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen, and laid it in his new tomb, which he had cut in the rock, and rolled a great stone before the door of the tomb, and went away. But Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting before the tomb. On the next day, which is the day after the Day of Preparation, the high priests and the Pharisees gathered in the presence of Pilate, and said: Lord, we have remembered how that impostor said while he was still alive: After three days I shall rise up. Give orders, then, that the tomb be secured until after the third day, for fear his disciples may come and steal him away and say to the people: He rose from the dead. And that will be the ultimate deception, worse than the former one. Pilate said to them: You have a guard. Go and secure it as best you can. And they went and secured the tomb, sealing it with the help of the guard.
t Late on the sabbath, as the light grew toward the first day after the sabbath, Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came to visit the tomb. And behold, there was a great earthquake, for the angel of the Lord came down from heaven and approached the stone and rolled it away and was sitting on it. His look was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. And those who were on guard were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. But the angel spoke forth and said to the women: Do not you fear; for I know that you look for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. For he rose up, as he said. Come here, and look at the place where he lay. Then go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and behold, he goes before you into Galilee. There you will see him. See; I have told you. And quickly leaving the tomb, in fear and great joy, they ran to tell the news to his disciples. And behold, Jesus met them, saying: I give you greeting. They came up to him and took his feet and worshipped him. Then Jesus said to them: Do not fear. Go and tell my brothers to go into Galilee, and there they will see me. And as they went on their way, behold, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the high priests all that had happened. And they met with the elders and took counsel together, and gave the soldiers a quantity of money, saying: Say that the disciples came in the night and stole him away while we were sleeping. And if this is heard in the house of the governor, we shall reason with him, and make it so that you have nothing to fear. And they took the money and did as they were instructed. And this is the story that has been spread about among the Jews, to this day.
Then the eleven disciples went on into Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had given them instructions to go; and when they saw him, they worshipped him; but some doubted. And Jesus came up to them and talked with them, saying: All authority has been given to me, in heaven and on earth. Go out, therefore, and instruct all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have taught you. And behold, I am with you, all the days until the end of the world.
LUKE
L
uke is believed by the majority of authorities to be "Luke, the beloved physician" of Colossians 4.14. This gospel is generally dated somewhere about A.D. 85, after the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.
41 SINCE MANY HAVE UNDERTAKEN TO compose an account of those things which have been fulfilled among us, as those who saw for themselves from the beginning and became servants of the word have handed it down to us, it seemed good for me also, since I have followed everything closely from the first, to write it out in order for you, most exalted Theophilus, so that you may le^rc the truth concerning those stories of which you have been informed.
In the days of Herod, king of Judaea, there was a certain priest, by name Zachariah, of the division of Abiah; and his wife came from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. They were both righteous people in the sight of God, going blamelessly in all the commandments and judgments of the Lord. And they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren; and they were both well advanced in their days. Now it happened that during his priestly duty, when it was the turn of his division to be in the presence of God, according to the custom of the priesthood, he was the one allotted to go into the temple of the Lord and burn the incense. And all the multitude of people was praying outside at the hour of the incense; and he had a vision of an angel of the Lord standing at the right of the altar for the incense. And Zachariah was shaken when he saw him, and fear fell upon him. But the angel said to him: Do not fear, Zachariah; since your entreaty has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth shall bear you a son, and you shall call his name John; and he will be your joy and your pride, and many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and he will never drink wine or strong drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in the womb of his mother, and he will tum many of the sons of Israel toward the Lord their God; and he will go before him in his presence in the spirit and power of Elijah, to tum the hearts of fathers toward their children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous; to prepare a people which will be ready for the Lord. And Zachariah said to the angel: How shall I know this? For I ^ an old man, and my wife is advanced in her days. And the angel answered him and said: I ^ Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God; and I was sent to talk to you to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day when these things come to pass, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in the
ir time.
Now the people were waiting for Zachariah, and they wondered at the time he took in the temple. But when he came out he could not speak to them, and they realized that he had seen a vision in the temple; and he kept nodding to them, and remained speechless. And it happened that when the days of his service were completed he went back to his own house. And after these days Elizabeth his wife conceived; and she kept herself in concealment for five months, saying: Thus has the Lord done by me in the days when he consented to take away the reproach that was mine among men.
In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent to a city of Galilee, whose name is Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man named Joseph, of the house of David; and the name of this virgin was Mary. And going into her presence, he said: Hail, favored one; the Lord is with you. She was disturbed at what he said and asked herself what this greeting might mean. And the angel said to her: Do not fear, Mary, for you have found favor with God; and behold, you shall conceive in your womb and bring forth a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. He will be great, and called son of the Highest, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his forefather, and he will be king over the house of Jacob through the ages, and of his Kingdom there will be no end. But Mary said to the angel: How shall this be, since I know no man? And the angel answered and said to her: The Holy Spirit will come to you, and the power of the highest will overshadow you. Therefore the offspring will be called holy, the son of God. And behold, Elizabeth your kinswoman, she also has conceived a son, in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who had been called barren; because nothing at all will be impossible for God. Mary said: Here is the slave of the Lord. May it happen to me as you have said. And the angel left her.
The New Testament Page 11