Bible Account – The Story of Jesus Christ’s Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Return to Heaven

The Account of Jesus Christ’s Death, Burial, Resurrection, and Return to Heaven

 

All verses are CEV.

 

Luke – Chapter 22

 

A Plot To Kill Jesus

1The Festival of Thin Bread, also called Passover, was near. 2The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were looking for a way to get rid of Jesus, because they were afraid of what the people might do. 3Then Satan entered the heart of Judas Iscariot, [a] who was one of the twelve apostles. 4Judas went to talk with the chief priests and the officers of the temple police about how he could help them arrest Jesus. 5They were very pleased and offered to pay Judas some money. 6He agreed and started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus when the crowds were not around.

Jesus Eats with His Disciples

7The day had come for the Festival of Thin Bread, and it was time to kill the Passover lambs. 8So Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”

9But they asked, “Where do you want us to prepare it?”

10Jesus told them, “As you go into the city, you will meet a man carrying a jar of water. [b] Follow him into the house 11and say to the owner, `Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’ 12The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there.” 13Peter and John left. They found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

The Lord’s Supper

14When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, 15he said to them, “I have very much wanted to eat this Passover meal with you before I suffer. 16I tell you that I will not eat another Passover meal until it is finally eaten in God’s kingdom.”

17Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. Then he told the apostles, “Take this wine and share it with each other.18I tell you that I will not drink any more wine until God’s kingdom comes.”

19Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. Then he said, “This is my body, which is given for you. Eat this as a way of remembering me!”

20After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This is my blood. It is poured out for you, and with it God makes his new agreement. 21The one who will betray me is here at the table with me! 22The Son of Man will die in the way that has been decided for him, but it will be terrible for the one who betrays him!”

23Then the apostles started arguing about who would ever do such a thing.

An Argument about Greatness

24The apostles got into an argument about which one of them was the greatest. 25So Jesus told them:

Foreign kings order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone’s friends. [c] 26But don’t be like them. The most important one of you should be like the least important, and your leader should be like a servant. 27Who do people think is the greatest, a person who is served or one who serves? Isn’t it the one who is served? But I have been with you as a servant. 28You have stayed with me in all my troubles. 29So I will give you the right to rule as kings, just as my Father has given me the right to rule as a king. 30You will eat and drink with me in my kingdom, and you will each sit on a throne to judge the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus’ Disciples Will Be Tested

31Jesus said, “Simon, listen to me! Satan has demanded the right to test each one of you, as a farmer does when he separates wheat from the husks. [d] 32But Simon, I have prayed that your faith will be strong. And when you have come back to me, help the others.” 33Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to jail and even to die with you.”

34Jesus replied, “Peter, I tell you that before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don’t know me.”

Moneybags, Traveling Bags, and Swords

35Jesus asked his disciples, “When I sent you out without a moneybag or a traveling bag or sandals, did you need anything?”

“No!” they answered.

36Jesus told them, “But now, if you have a moneybag, take it with you. Also take a traveling bag, and if you don’t have a sword, [e] sell some of your clothes and buy one. 37Do this because the Scriptures say, `He was considered a criminal.’ This was written about me, and it will soon come true.” 38The disciples said, “Lord, here are two swords!”

“Enough of that!” Jesus replied.

Jesus Prays

39Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives, as he often did, and his disciples went with him. 40When they got there, he told them, “Pray that you won’t be tested.”

41Jesus walked on a little way before he knelt down and prayed, 42“Father, if you will, please don’t make me suffer by having me drink from this cup. [f] But do what you want, and not what I want.” 43Then an angel from heaven came to help him. 44Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood. [g] 45Jesus got up from praying and went over to his disciples. They were asleep and worn out from being so sad. 46He said to them, “Why are you asleep? Wake up and pray that you won’t be tested.”

Jesus Is Arrested

47While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd came up. It was led by Judas, one of the twelve apostles. He went over to Jesus and greeted him with a kiss. [h] 48Jesus asked Judas, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with a kiss?”

49When Jesus’ disciples saw what was about to happen, they asked, “Lord, should we attack them with a sword?” 50One of the disciples even struck at the high priest’s servant with his sword and cut off the servant’s right ear.

51“Enough of that!” Jesus said. Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed it.

52Jesus spoke to the chief priests, the temple police, and the leaders who had come to arrest him. He said, “Why do you come out with swords and clubs and treat me like a criminal? 53I was with you every day in the temple, and you didn’t arrest me. But this is your time, and darkness [i] is in control.”

 

Peter Says He Doesn’t Know Jesus

54Jesus was arrested and led away to the house of the high priest, while Peter followed at a distance. 55Some people built a fire in the middle of the courtyard and were sitting around it. Peter sat there with them, 56and a servant girl saw him. Then after she had looked at him carefully, she said, “This man was with Jesus!”

57Peter said, “Woman, I don’t even know that man!”

58A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You are one of them!”

“No, I’m not!” Peter replied.

59About an hour later another man insisted, “This man must have been with Jesus. They both come from Galilee.”

60Peter replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about!” Right then, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

61The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” 62Then Peter went out and cried hard.

63The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him. 64They put a blindfold on him and said, “Tell us who struck you!” 65They kept on insulting Jesus in many other ways.

Jesus Is Questioned by the Council

66At daybreak the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses got together and brought Jesus before their council. 67They said, “Tell us! Are you the Messiah?”

Jesus replied, “If I said so, you wouldn’t believe me. 68And if I asked you a question, you wouldn’t answer. 69But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of God All-Powerful.”

70Then they asked, “Are you the Son of God?” [j] Jesus answered, “You say I am!” [k] 71They replied, “Why do we need more witnesses? He said it himself!”

 

Luke – Chapter 23

 

Pilate Questions Jesus

1Everyone in the council got up and led Jesus off to Pilate. 2They started accusing him and said, “We caught this man trying to get our people to riot and to stop paying taxes to the Emperor. He also claims that he is the Messiah, our king.”

3Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Jews?”

“Those are your words,” Jesus answered.

4Pilate told the chief priests and the crowd, “I don’t find him guilty of anything.”

5But they all kept on saying, “He has been teaching and causing trouble all over Judea. He started in Galilee and has now come all the way here.”

Jesus Is Brought before Herod

6When Pilate heard this, he asked, “Is this man from Galilee?” 7After Pilate learned that Jesus came from the region ruled by Herod, [a] he sent him to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time. 8For a long time Herod had wanted to see Jesus and was very happy because he finally had this chance. He had heard many things about Jesus and hoped to see him work a miracle.

9Herod asked him a lot of questions, but Jesus did not answer. 10Then the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses stood up and accused him of all kinds of bad things.

11Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. They put a fine robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. 12That same day Herod and Pilate became friends, even though they had been enemies before this.

The Death Sentence

13Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people. 14He told them, “You brought Jesus to me and said he was a troublemaker. But I have questioned him here in front of you, and I have not found him guilty of anything that you say he has done. 15Herod didn’t find him guilty either and sent him back. This man doesn’t deserve to be put to death! 16-17I will just have him beaten with a whip and set free.” [b] 18But the whole crowd shouted, “Kill Jesus! Give us Barabbas!” 19Now Barabbas was in jail because he had started a riot in the city and had murdered someone.

20Pilate wanted to set Jesus free, so he spoke again to the crowds. 21But they kept shouting, “Nail him to a cross! Nail him to a cross!”

22Pilate spoke to them a third time, “But what crime has he done? I have not found him guilty of anything for which he should be put to death. I will have him beaten with a whip and set free.”

23The people kept on shouting as loud as they could for Jesus to be put to death. 24Finally, Pilate gave in. 25He freed the man who was in jail for rioting and murder, because he was the one the crowd wanted to be set free. Then Pilate handed Jesus over for them to do what they wanted with him.

Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross

26As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man from Cyrene named Simon. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

27A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women were crying and weeping for him. 28Jesus turned to the women and said:

Women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your children. 29Someday people will say, “Women who never had children are really fortunate!” 30At that time everyone will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” They will say to the hills, “Hide us!” 31If this can happen when the wood is green, what do you think will happen when it is dry? [c] 32Two criminals were led out to be put to death with Jesus. 33When the soldiers came to the place called “The Skull,” [d] they nailed Jesus to a cross. They also nailed the two criminals to crosses, one on each side of Jesus. 34-35Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They don’t know what they’re doing.” [e] While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God’s chosen Messiah!”

36The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some wine. 37They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!”

38Above him was a sign that said, “This is the King of the Jews.”

39One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and save us!”

40But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don’t you fear God? Aren’t you getting the same punishment as this man? 41We got what was coming to us, but he didn’t do anything wrong.” 42Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you come into power!”

43Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.” [f]

The Death of Jesus

44Around noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until the middle of the afternoon. 45The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple [g] split down the middle. 46Jesus shouted, “Father, I put myself in your hands!” Then he died. 47When the Roman officer saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Jesus must really have been a good man!”

48A crowd had gathered to see the terrible sight. Then after they had seen it, they felt brokenhearted and went home. 49All of Jesus’ close friends and the women who had come with him from Galilee stood at a distance and watched.

Jesus Is Buried

50-51There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a good and honest man, and he was eager for God’s kingdom to come. He was also a member of the council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.

52Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. 53He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. Then he put it in a tomb that had been cut out of solid rock and had never been used. 54It was Friday, and the Sabbath was about to begin. [h] 55The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and watched how Jesus’ body was placed in the tomb. 56Then they went to prepare some sweet-smelling spices for his burial. But on the Sabbath they rested, as the Law of Moses commands.

 

Luke – Chapter 24

 

Jesus Is Alive

1Very early on Sunday morning the women went to the tomb, carrying the spices that they had prepared. 2When they found the stone rolled away from the entrance, 3they went in. But they did not find the body of the Lord [a] Jesus, 4and they did not know what to think. Suddenly two men in shining white clothes stood beside them. 5The women were afraid and bowed to the ground. But the men said, “Why are you looking in the place of the dead for someone who is alive? 6Jesus isn’t here! He has been raised from death. Remember that while he was still in Galilee, he told you, 7‘The Son of Man will be handed over to sinners who will nail him to a cross. But three days later he will rise to life.’ “8Then they remembered what Jesus had said.

9-10Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and some other women were the ones who had gone to the tomb. When they returned, they told the eleven apostles and the others what had happened. 11The apostles thought it was all nonsense, and they would not believe.

12But Peter ran to the tomb. And when he stooped down and looked in, he saw only the burial clothes. Then he returned, wondering what had happened. [b]

 

Jesus Appears to Two Disciples

13That same day two of Jesus’ disciples were going to the village of Emmaus, which was about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14As they were talking and thinking about what had happened, 15Jesus came near and started walking along beside them. 16But they did not know who he was.

17Jesus asked them, “What were you talking about as you walked along?”

The two of them stood there looking sad and gloomy. 18Then the one named Cleopas asked Jesus, “Are you the only person from Jerusalem who didn’t know what was happening there these last few days?”

19“What do you mean?” Jesus asked.

They answered:

Those things that happened to Jesus from Nazareth. By what he did and said he showed that he was a powerful prophet, who pleased God and all the people. 20Then the chief priests and our leaders had him arrested and sentenced to die on a cross. 21We had hoped that he would be the one to set Israel free! But it has already been three days since all this happened.

22Some women in our group surprised us. They had gone to the tomb early in the morning, 23but did not find the body of Jesus. They came back, saying that they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24Some men from our group went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said. But they didn’t see Jesus either.

25Then Jesus asked the two disciples, “Why can’t you understand? How can you be so slow to believe all that the prophets said? 26Didn’t you know that the Messiah would have to suffer before he was given his glory?” 27Jesus then explained everything written about himself in the Scriptures, beginning with the Law of Moses and the Books of the Prophets. [c] 28When the two of them came near the village where they were going, Jesus seemed to be going farther. 29They begged him, “Stay with us! It’s already late, and the sun is going down.” So Jesus went into the house to stay with them.

30After Jesus sat down to eat, he took some bread. He blessed it and broke it. Then he gave it to them. 31At once they knew who he was, but he disappeared. 32They said to each other, “When he talked with us along the road and explained the Scriptures to us, didn’t it warm our hearts?” 33So they got right up and returned to Jerusalem.

The two disciples found the eleven apostles and the others gathered together. 34And they learned from the group that the Lord was really alive and had appeared to Peter. 35Then the disciples from Emmaus told what happened on the road and how they knew he was the Lord when he broke the bread.

What Jesus’ Followers Must Do

36While Jesus’ disciples were talking about what had happened, Jesus appeared and greeted them. 37They were frightened and terrified because they thought they were seeing a ghost.

38But Jesus said, “Why are you so frightened? Why do you doubt? 39Look at my hands and my feet and see who I am! Touch me and find out for yourselves. Ghosts don’t have flesh and bones as you see I have.”

40After Jesus said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41The disciples were so glad and amazed that they could not believe it. Jesus then asked them, “Do you have something to eat?” 42They gave him a piece of baked fish. 43He took it and ate it as they watched.

44Jesus said to them, “While I was still with you, I told you that everything written about me in the Law of Moses, the Books of the Prophets, and in the Psalms [d] had to happen.” 45Then he helped them understand the Scriptures. 46He told them:

The Scriptures say that the Messiah must suffer, then three days later he will rise from death. 47They also say that all people of every nation must be told in my name to turn to God, in order to be forgiven. So beginning in Jerusalem, 48you must tell everything that has happened. 49I will send you the one my Father has promised, [e] but you must stay in the city until you are given power from heaven.

 

Jesus Returns to Heaven

50Jesus led his disciples out to Bethany, where he raised his hands and blessed them. 51As he was doing this, he left and was taken up to heaven. [f] 52After his disciples had worshiped him, [g] they returned to Jerusalem and were very happy. 53They spent their time in the temple, praising God.

 

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