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John 17-21
The Message
John 17-21
The Message
Jesus’ Prayer for His Followers
17 1-5 Jesus said these things. Then, raising his eyes in prayer, he said:
Father, it’s time.
Display the bright splendor of your Son
So the Son in turn may show your bright splendor.
You put him in charge of everything human
So he might give real and eternal life to all in his care.
And this is the real and eternal life:
That they know you,
The one and only true God,
And Jesus Christ, whom you sent.
I glorified you on earth
By completing down to the last detail
What you assigned me to do.
And now, Father, glorify me with your very own splendor,
The very splendor I had in your presence
Before there was a world.
* * *
6-12 I spelled out your character in detail
To the men and women you gave me.
They were yours in the first place;
Then you gave them to me,
And they have now done what you said.
They know now, beyond the shadow of a doubt,
That everything you gave me is firsthand from you,
For the message you gave me, I gave them;
And they took it, and were convinced
That I came from you.
They believed that you sent me.
I pray for them.
I’m not praying for the God-rejecting world
But for those you gave me,
For they are yours by right.
Everything mine is yours, and yours mine,
And my life is on display in them.
For I’m no longer going to be visible in the world;
They’ll continue in the world
While I return to you.
Holy Father, guard them as they pursue this life
That you conferred as a gift through me,
So they can be one heart and mind
As we are one heart and mind.
As long as I was with them, I guarded them
In the pursuit of the life you gave through me;
I even posted a lookout.
And not one of them got away,
Except for the rebel bent on destruction
(the exception that proved the rule of Scripture).
* * *
13-19 Now I’m returning to you.
I’m saying these things in the world’s hearing
So my people can experience
My joy completed in them.
I gave them your word;
The godless world hated them because of it,
Because they didn’t join the world’s ways,
Just as I didn’t join the world’s ways.
I’m not asking that you take them out of the world
But that you guard them from the Evil One.
They are no more defined by the world
Than I am defined by the world.
Make them holy—consecrated—with the truth;
Your word is consecrating truth.
In the same way that you gave me a mission in the world,
I give them a mission in the world.
I’m consecrating myself for their sakes
So they’ll be truth-consecrated in their mission.
* * *
20-23 I’m praying not only for them
But also for those who will believe in me
Because of them and their witness about me.
The goal is for all of them to become one heart and mind—
Just as you, Father, are in me and I in you,
So they might be one heart and mind with us.
Then the world might believe that you, in fact, sent me.
The same glory you gave me, I gave them,
So they’ll be as unified and together as we are—
I in them and you in me.
Then they’ll be mature in this oneness,
And give the godless world evidence
That you’ve sent me and loved them
In the same way you’ve loved me.
* * *
24-26 Father, I want those you gave me
To be with me, right where I am,
So they can see my glory, the splendor you gave me,
Having loved me
Long before there ever was a world.
Righteous Father, the world has never known you,
But I have known you, and these disciples know
That you sent me on this mission.
I have made your very being known to them—
Who you are and what you do—
And continue to make it known,
So that your love for me
Might be in them
Exactly as I am in them.
Seized in the Garden at Night
18 Jesus, having prayed this prayer, left with his disciples and crossed over the brook Kidron at a place where there was a garden. He and his disciples entered it.
2-4 Judas, his betrayer, knew the place because Jesus and his disciples went there often. So Judas led the way to the garden, and the Roman soldiers and police sent by the high priests and Pharisees followed. They arrived there with lanterns and torches and swords. Jesus, knowing by now everything that was imploding on him, went out and met them. He said, “Who are you after?”
They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
5-6 He said, “That’s me.” The soldiers recoiled, totally taken aback. Judas, his betrayer, stood out like a sore thumb.
7 Jesus asked again, “Who are you after?”
They answered, “Jesus the Nazarene.”
8-9 “I told you,” said Jesus, “that’s me. I’m the one. So if it’s me you’re after, let these others go.” (This validated the words in his prayer, “I didn’t lose one of those you gave.”)
10 Just then Simon Peter, who was carrying a sword, pulled it from its sheath and struck the Chief Priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. Malchus was the servant’s name.
11 Jesus ordered Peter, “Put back your sword. Do you think for a minute I’m not going to drink this cup the Father gave me?”
12-14 Then the Roman soldiers under their commander, joined by the Jewish police, seized Jesus and tied him up. They took him first to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas. Caiaphas was the Chief Priest that year. It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jews that it was to their advantage that one man die for the people.
15-16 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was known to the Chief Priest, and so he went in with Jesus to the Chief Priest’s courtyard. Peter had to stay outside. Then the other disciple went out, spoke to the doorkeeper, and got Peter in.
17 The young woman who was the doorkeeper said to Peter, “Aren’t you one of this man’s disciples?”
He said, “No, I’m not.”
18 The servants and police had made a fire because of the cold and were huddled there warming themselves. Peter stood with them, trying to get warm.
The Interrogation
19-21 Annas interrogated Jesus regarding his disciples and his teaching. Jesus answered, “I’ve spoken openly in public. I’ve taught regularly in meeting places and the Temple, where the Jews all come together. Everything has been out in the open. I’ve said nothing in secret. So why are you treating me like a traitor? Question those who have been listening to me. They know well what I have said. My teachings have all been aboveboard.”
22 When he said this, one of the policemen standing there slapped Jesus across the face, saying, “How dare you speak to the Chief Priest like that!”
23 Jesus replied, “If I’ve said something wrong, prove it. But if I’ve spoken the plain truth, why this slapping around?”
24 Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to the Chief Priest Caiaphas.
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was back at the fire, still trying to get warm. The others there said to him, “Aren’t you one of his disciples?”
He denied it, “Not me.”
26 One of the Chief Priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “Didn’t I see you in the garden with him?”
27 Again, Peter denied it. Just then a rooster crowed.
The King of the Jews
28-29 They led Jesus then from Caiaphas to the Roman governor’s palace. It was early morning. They themselves didn’t enter the palace because they didn’t want to be disqualified from eating the Passover. So Pilate came out to them and spoke. “What charge do you bring against this man?”
30 They said, “If he hadn’t been doing something evil, do you think we’d be here bothering you?”
31-32 Pilate said, “You take him. Judge him by your law.”
The Jews said, “We’re not allowed to kill anyone.” (This would confirm Jesus’ word indicating the way he would die.)
33 Pilate went back into the palace and called for Jesus. He said, “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”
34 Jesus answered, “Are you saying this on your own, or did others tell you this about me?”
35 Pilate said, “Do I look like a Jew? Your people and your high priests turned you over to me. What did you do?”
36 “My kingdom,” said Jesus, “doesn’t consist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.”
37 Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?”
Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.”
38-39 Pilate said, “What is truth?”
Then he went back out to the Jews and told them, “I find nothing wrong in this man. It’s your custom that I pardon one prisoner at Passover. Do you want me to pardon the ‘King of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “Not this one, but Barabbas!” Barabbas was a Jewish freedom fighter.
The Thorn Crown of the King
19 1-3 So Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers, having braided a crown from thorns, set it on his head, threw a purple robe over him, and approached him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” Then they greeted him with slaps in the face.
4-5 Pilate went back out again and said to them, “I present him to you, but I want you to know that I do not find him guilty of any crime.” Just then Jesus came out wearing the thorn crown and purple robe.
Pilate announced, “Here he is: the Man.”
6 When the high priests and police saw him, they shouted in a frenzy, “Crucify! Crucify!”
Pilate told them, “You take him. You crucify him. I find nothing wrong with him.”
7 The Jews answered, “We have a law, and by that law he must die because he claimed to be the Son of God.”
8-9 When Pilate heard this, he became even more scared. He went back into the palace and said to Jesus, “Where did you come from?”
Jesus gave no answer.
10 Pilate said, “You won’t talk? Don’t you know that I have the authority to pardon you, and the authority to—crucify you?”
11 Jesus said, “You haven’t a shred of authority over me except what has been given you from heaven. That’s why the one who betrayed me to you has committed a far greater fault.”
12 At this, Pilate tried his best to pardon him, but the Jews shouted him down: “If you pardon this man, you’re no friend of Caesar’s. Anyone setting himself up as ‘king’ defies Caesar.”
13-14 When Pilate heard those words, he led Jesus outside. He sat down at the judgment seat in the area designated Stone Court (in Hebrew, Gabbatha). It was the preparation day for Passover. The hour was noon. Pilate said to the Jews, “Here is your king.”
15 They shouted back, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!”
Pilate said, “I am to crucify your king?”
The high priests answered, “We have no king except Caesar.”
16-19 Pilate caved in to their demand. He turned him over to be crucified.
The Crucifixion
They took Jesus away. Carrying his cross, Jesus went out to the place called Skull Hill (the name in Hebrew is Golgotha), where they crucified him, and with him two others, one on each side, Jesus in the middle. Pilate wrote a sign and had it placed on the cross. It read:
jesus the nazarene
the king of the jews.
20-21 Many of the Jews read the sign because the place where Jesus was crucified was right next to the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The Jewish high priests objected. “Don’t write,” they said to Pilate, “‘The King of the Jews.’ Make it, ‘This man said, “I am the King of the Jews.”’”
22 Pilate said, “What I’ve written, I’ve written.”
23-24 When they crucified him, the Roman soldiers took his clothes and divided them up four ways, to each soldier a fourth. But his robe was seamless, a single piece of weaving, so they said to each other, “Let’s not tear it up. Let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This confirmed the Scripture that said, “They divided up my clothes among them and threw dice for my coat.” (The soldiers validated the Scriptures!)
24-27 While the soldiers were looking after themselves, Jesus’ mother, his aunt, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene stood at the foot of the cross. Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing near her. He said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son.” Then to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that moment the disciple accepted her as his own mother.
28 Jesus, seeing that everything had been completed so that the Scripture record might also be complete, then said, “I’m thirsty.”
29-30 A jug of sour wine was standing by. Someone put a sponge soaked with the wine on a javelin and lifted it to his mouth. After he took the wine, Jesus said, “It’s done . . . complete.” Bowing his head, he offered up his spirit.
31-34 Then the Jews, since it was the day of Sabbath preparation, and so the bodies wouldn’t stay on the crosses over the Sabbath (it was a high holy day that year), petitioned Pilate that their legs be broken to speed death, and the bodies taken down. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man crucified with Jesus, and then the other. When they got to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they didn’t break his legs. One of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Blood and water gushed out.
35 The eyewitness to these things has presented an accurate report. He saw it himself and is telling the truth so that you, also, will believe.
36-37 These things that happened confirmed the Scripture, “Not a bone in his body was broken,” and the other Scripture that reads, “They will stare at the one they pierced.”
* * *
38 After all this, Joseph of Arimathea (he was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, because he was intimidated by the Jews) petitioned Pilate to take the body of Jesus. Pilate gave permission. So Joseph came and took the body.
39-42 Nicodemus, who had first come to Jesus at night, came now in broad daylight carrying a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds. They took Jesus’ body and, following the Jewish burial custom, wrapped it in linen with the spices. There was a garden near the place he was crucified, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. So, because it was Sabbath preparation for the Jews and the tomb was convenient, they placed Jesus in it.
Resurrection!
20 1-2 Early in the morning on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and saw that the stone was moved away from the entrance. She ran at once to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved, gasping for breath. “They took the Master from the tomb. We don’t know where they’ve put him.”
3-10 Peter and the other disciple left immediately for the tomb. They ran, neck and neck. The other disciple got to the tomb first, outrunning Peter. Stooping to look in, he saw the pieces of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t go in. Simon Peter arrived after him, entered the tomb, observed the linen cloths lying there, and the kerchief used to cover his head not lying with the linen cloths but separate, neatly folded by itself. Then the other disciple, the one who had gotten there first, went into the tomb, took one look at the evidence, and believed. No one yet knew from the Scripture that he had to rise from the dead. The disciples then went back home.
11-13 But Mary stood outside the tomb weeping. As she wept, she knelt to look into the tomb and saw two angels sitting there, dressed in white, one at the head, the other at the foot of where Jesus’ body had been laid. They said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?”
13-14 “They took my Master,” she said, “and I don’t know where they put him.” After she said this, she turned away and saw Jesus standing there. But she didn’t recognize him.
15 Jesus spoke to her, “Woman, why do you weep? Who are you looking for?”
She, thinking that he was the gardener, said, “Sir, if you took him, tell me where you put him so I can care for him.”
16 Jesus said, “Mary.”
Turning to face him, she said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” meaning “Teacher!”
17 Jesus said, “Don’t cling to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I ascend to my Father and your Father, my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene went, telling the news to the disciples: “I saw the Master!” And she told them everything he said to her.
To Believe
19-20 Later on that day, the disciples had gathered together, but, fearful of the Jews, had locked all the doors in the house. Jesus entered, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.” Then he showed them his hands and side.
20-21 The disciples, seeing the Master with their own eyes, were awestruck. Jesus repeated his greeting: “Peace to you. Just as the Father sent me, I send you.”
22-23 Then he took a deep breath and breathed into them. “Receive the Holy Spirit,” he said. “If you forgive someone’s sins, they’re gone for good. If you don’t forgive sins, what are you going to do with them?”
24-25 But Thomas, sometimes called the Twin, one of the Twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. The other disciples told him, “We saw the Master.”
But he said, “Unless I see the nail holes in his hands, put my finger in the nail holes, and stick my hand in his side, I won’t believe it.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were again in the room. This time Thomas was with them. Jesus came through the locked doors, stood among them, and said, “Peace to you.”
27 Then he focused his attention on Thomas. “Take your finger and examine my hands. Take your hand and stick it in my side. Don’t be unbelieving. Believe.”
28 Thomas said, “My Master! My God!”
29 Jesus said, “So, you believe because you’ve seen with your own eyes. Even better blessings are in store for those who believe without seeing.”
30-31 Jesus provided far more God-revealing signs than are written down in this book. These are written down so you will believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and in the act of believing, have real and eternal life in the way he personally revealed it.
Fishing
21 1-3 After this, Jesus appeared again to the disciples, this time at the Tiberias Sea (the Sea of Galilee). This is how he did it: Simon Peter, Thomas (nicknamed “Twin”), Nathanael from Cana in Galilee, the brothers Zebedee, and two other disciples were together. Simon Peter announced, “I’m going fishing.”
3-4 The rest of them replied, “We’re going with you.” They went out and got in the boat. They caught nothing that night. When the sun came up, Jesus was standing on the beach, but they didn’t recognize him.
5 Jesus spoke to them: “Good morning! Did you catch anything for breakfast?”
They answered, “No.”
6 He said, “Throw the net off the right side of the boat and see what happens.”
They did what he said. All of a sudden there were so many fish in it, they weren’t strong enough to pull it in.
7-9 Then the disciple Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Master!”
When Simon Peter realized that it was the Master, he threw on some clothes, for he was stripped for work, and dove into the sea. The other disciples came in by boat for they weren’t far from land, a hundred yards or so, pulling along the net full of fish. When they got out of the boat, they saw a fire laid, with fish and bread cooking on it.
10-11 Jesus said, “Bring some of the fish you’ve just caught.” Simon Peter joined them and pulled the net to shore—153 big fish! And even with all those fish, the net didn’t rip.
12 Jesus said, “Breakfast is ready.” Not one of the disciples dared ask, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Master.
13-14 Jesus then took the bread and gave it to them. He did the same with the fish. This was now the third time Jesus had shown himself alive to the disciples since being raised from the dead.
Do You Love Me?
15 After breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”
16 He then asked a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
“Yes, Master, you know I love you.”
Jesus said, “Shepherd my sheep.”
17-19 Then he said it a third time: “Simon, son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was upset that he asked for the third time, “Do you love me?” so he answered, “Master, you know everything there is to know. You’ve got to know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. I’m telling you the very truth now: When you were young you dressed yourself and went wherever you wished, but when you get old you’ll have to stretch out your hands while someone else dresses you and takes you where you don’t want to go.” He said this to hint at the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. And then he commanded, “Follow me.”
20-21 Turning his head, Peter noticed the disciple Jesus loved following right behind. When Peter noticed him, he asked Jesus, “Master, what’s going to happen to him?”
22-23 Jesus said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you? You—follow me.” That is how the rumor got out among the brothers that this disciple wouldn’t die. But that is not what Jesus said. He simply said, “If I want him to live until I come again, what’s that to you?”
24 This is the same disciple who was eyewitness to all these things and wrote them down. And we all know that his eyewitness account is reliable and accurate.
25 There are so many other things Jesus did. If they were all written down, each of them, one by one, I can’t imagine a world big enough to hold such a library of books.
John 17-21
New International Version
John 17-21
New International Version
Jesus Prays to Be Glorified
17 After Jesus said this, he looked toward heaven(A) and prayed:
“Father, the hour has come.(B) Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you.(C) 2 For you granted him authority over all people(D) that he might give eternal life(E) to all those you have given him.(F) 3 Now this is eternal life: that they know you,(G) the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent.(H) 4 I have brought you glory(I) on earth by finishing the work you gave me to do.(J) 5 And now, Father, glorify me(K) in your presence with the glory I had with you(L) before the world began.(M)
Jesus Prays for His Disciples
6 “I have revealed you[a](N) to those whom you gave me(O) out of the world. They were yours; you gave them to me and they have obeyed your word. 7 Now they know that everything you have given me comes from you. 8 For I gave them the words you gave me(P) and they accepted them. They knew with certainty that I came from you,(Q) and they believed that you sent me.(R) 9 I pray for them.(S) I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me,(T) for they are yours. 10 All I have is yours, and all you have is mine.(U) And glory has come to me through them. 11 I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world,(V) and I am coming to you.(W) Holy Father, protect them by the power of[b] your name, the name you gave me, so that they may be one(X) as we are one.(Y) 12 While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by[c] that name you gave me. None has been lost(Z) except the one doomed to destruction(AA) so that Scripture would be fulfilled.(AB)
13 “I am coming to you now,(AC) but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy(AD) within them. 14 I have given them your word and the world has hated them,(AE) for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world.(AF) 15 My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.(AG) 16 They are not of the world, even as I am not of it.(AH) 17 Sanctify them by[d] the truth; your word is truth.(AI) 18 As you sent me into the world,(AJ) I have sent them into the world.(AK) 19 For them I sanctify myself, that they too may be truly sanctified.(AL)
Jesus Prays for All Believers
20 “My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one,(AM) Father, just as you are in me and I am in you.(AN) May they also be in us so that the world may believe that you have sent me.(AO) 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me,(AP) that they may be one as we are one(AQ)— 23 I in them and you in me—so that they may be brought to complete unity. Then the world will know that you sent me(AR) and have loved them(AS) even as you have loved me.
24 “Father, I want those you have given me(AT) to be with me where I am,(AU) and to see my glory,(AV) the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world.(AW)
25 “Righteous Father, though the world does not know you,(AX) I know you, and they know that you have sent me.(AY) 26 I have made you[e] known to them,(AZ) and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them(BA) and that I myself may be in them.”
Jesus Arrested(BB)
18 When he had finished praying, Jesus left with his disciples and crossed the Kidron Valley.(BC) On the other side there was a garden,(BD) and he and his disciples went into it.(BE)
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, knew the place, because Jesus had often met there with his disciples.(BF) 3 So Judas came to the garden, guiding(BG) a detachment of soldiers and some officials from the chief priests and the Pharisees.(BH) They were carrying torches, lanterns and weapons.
4 Jesus, knowing all that was going to happen to him,(BI) went out and asked them, “Who is it you want?”(BJ)
5 “Jesus of Nazareth,”(BK) they replied.
“I am he,” Jesus said. (And Judas the traitor was standing there with them.) 6 When Jesus said, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, “Who is it you want?”(BL)
“Jesus of Nazareth,” they said.
8 Jesus answered, “I told you that I am he. If you are looking for me, then let these men go.” 9 This happened so that the words he had spoken would be fulfilled: “I have not lost one of those you gave me.”[f](BM)
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. (The servant’s name was Malchus.)
11 Jesus commanded Peter, “Put your sword away! Shall I not drink the cup(BN) the Father has given me?”
12 Then the detachment of soldiers with its commander and the Jewish officials(BO) arrested Jesus. They bound him 13 and brought him first to Annas, who was the father-in-law of Caiaphas,(BP) the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the one who had advised the Jewish leaders that it would be good if one man died for the people.(BQ)
Peter’s First Denial(BR)
15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Because this disciple was known to the high priest,(BS) he went with Jesus into the high priest’s courtyard,(BT) 16 but Peter had to wait outside at the door. The other disciple, who was known to the high priest, came back, spoke to the servant girl on duty there and brought Peter in.
17 “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples too, are you?” she asked Peter.
He replied, “I am not.”(BU)
18 It was cold, and the servants and officials stood around a fire(BV) they had made to keep warm. Peter also was standing with them, warming himself.(BW)
The High Priest Questions Jesus(BX)
19 Meanwhile, the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20 “I have spoken openly to the world,” Jesus replied. “I always taught in synagogues(BY) or at the temple,(BZ) where all the Jews come together. I said nothing in secret.(CA) 21 Why question me? Ask those who heard me. Surely they know what I said.”
22 When Jesus said this, one of the officials(CB) nearby slapped him in the face.(CC) “Is this the way you answer the high priest?” he demanded.
23 “If I said something wrong,” Jesus replied, “testify as to what is wrong. But if I spoke the truth, why did you strike me?”(CD) 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas(CE) the high priest.
Peter’s Second and Third Denials(CF)
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was still standing there warming himself.(CG) So they asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples too, are you?”
He denied it, saying, “I am not.”(CH)
26 One of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off,(CI) challenged him, “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?”(CJ) 27 Again Peter denied it, and at that moment a rooster began to crow.(CK)
Jesus Before Pilate(CL)
28 Then the Jewish leaders took Jesus from Caiaphas to the palace of the Roman governor.(CM) By now it was early morning, and to avoid ceremonial uncleanness they did not enter the palace,(CN) because they wanted to be able to eat the Passover.(CO) 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What charges are you bringing against this man?”
30 “If he were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate said, “Take him yourselves and judge him by your own law.”
“But we have no right to execute anyone,” they objected. 32 This took place to fulfill what Jesus had said about the kind of death he was going to die.(CP)
33 Pilate then went back inside the palace,(CQ) summoned Jesus and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”(CR)
34 “Is that your own idea,” Jesus asked, “or did others talk to you about me?”
35 “Am I a Jew?” Pilate replied. “Your own people and chief priests handed you over to me. What is it you have done?”
36 Jesus said, “My kingdom(CS) is not of this world. If it were, my servants would fight to prevent my arrest by the Jewish leaders.(CT) But now my kingdom is from another place.”(CU)
37 “You are a king, then!” said Pilate.
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. In fact, the reason I was born and came into the world is to testify to the truth.(CV) Everyone on the side of truth listens to me.”(CW)
38 “What is truth?” retorted Pilate. With this he went out again to the Jews gathered there and said, “I find no basis for a charge against him.(CX) 39 But it is your custom for me to release to you one prisoner at the time of the Passover. Do you want me to release ‘the king of the Jews’?”
40 They shouted back, “No, not him! Give us Barabbas!” Now Barabbas had taken part in an uprising.(CY)
Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified(CZ)
19 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.(DA) 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!”(DB) And they slapped him in the face.(DC)
4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out(DD) to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.”(DE) 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe,(DF) Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”
6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”
But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him.(DG) As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”(DH)
7 The Jewish leaders insisted, “We have a law, and according to that law he must die,(DI) because he claimed to be the Son of God.”(DJ)
8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid, 9 and he went back inside the palace.(DK) “Where do you come from?” he asked Jesus, but Jesus gave him no answer.(DL) 10 “Do you refuse to speak to me?” Pilate said. “Don’t you realize I have power either to free you or to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered, “You would have no power over me if it were not given to you from above.(DM) Therefore the one who handed me over to you(DN) is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to set Jesus free, but the Jewish leaders kept shouting, “If you let this man go, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who claims to be a king(DO) opposes Caesar.”
13 When Pilate heard this, he brought Jesus out and sat down on the judge’s seat(DP) at a place known as the Stone Pavement (which in Aramaic(DQ) is Gabbatha). 14 It was the day of Preparation(DR) of the Passover; it was about noon.(DS)
“Here is your king,”(DT) Pilate said to the Jews.
15 But they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
“Shall I crucify your king?” Pilate asked.
“We have no king but Caesar,” the chief priests answered.
16 Finally Pilate handed him over to them to be crucified.(DU)
The Crucifixion of Jesus(DV)
So the soldiers took charge of Jesus. 17 Carrying his own cross,(DW) he went out to the place of the Skull(DX) (which in Aramaic(DY) is called Golgotha). 18 There they crucified him, and with him two others(DZ)—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.
19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth,(EA) the king of the jews.(EB) 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city,(EC) and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”(ED)
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.
24 “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”
This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled(EE) that said,
So this is what the soldiers did.
25 Near the cross(EG) of Jesus stood his mother,(EH) his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.(EI) 26 When Jesus saw his mother(EJ) there, and the disciple whom he loved(EK) standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman,[h] here is your son,” 27 and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.
The Death of Jesus(EL)
28 Later, knowing that everything had now been finished,(EM) and so that Scripture would be fulfilled,(EN) Jesus said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar(EO) was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips. 30 When he had received the drink, Jesus said, “It is finished.”(EP) With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.
31 Now it was the day of Preparation,(EQ) and the next day was to be a special Sabbath. Because the Jewish leaders did not want the bodies left on the crosses(ER) during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. 32 The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other.(ES) 33 But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced(ET) Jesus’ side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water.(EU) 35 The man who saw it(EV) has given testimony, and his testimony is true.(EW) He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. 36 These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled:(EX) “Not one of his bones will be broken,”[i](EY) 37 and, as another scripture says, “They will look on the one they have pierced.”[j](EZ)
The Burial of Jesus(FA)
38 Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jewish leaders.(FB) With Pilate’s permission, he came and took the body away. 39 He was accompanied by Nicodemus,(FC) the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night. Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.[k] 40 Taking Jesus’ body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen.(FD) This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs.(FE) 41 At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. 42 Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation(FF) and since the tomb was nearby,(FG) they laid Jesus there.
The Empty Tomb(FH)
20 Early on the first day of the week, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene(FI) went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been removed from the entrance.(FJ) 2 So she came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved,(FK) and said, “They have taken the Lord out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”(FL)
3 So Peter and the other disciple started for the tomb.(FM) 4 Both were running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and looked in(FN) at the strips of linen(FO) lying there but did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came along behind him and went straight into the tomb. He saw the strips of linen lying there, 7 as well as the cloth that had been wrapped around Jesus’ head.(FP) The cloth was still lying in its place, separate from the linen. 8 Finally the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first,(FQ) also went inside. He saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand from Scripture(FR) that Jesus had to rise from the dead.)(FS) 10 Then the disciples went back to where they were staying.
Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene
11 Now Mary stood outside the tomb crying. As she wept, she bent over to look into the tomb(FT) 12 and saw two angels in white,(FU) seated where Jesus’ body had been, one at the head and the other at the foot.
13 They asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?”(FV)
“They have taken my Lord away,” she said, “and I don’t know where they have put him.”(FW) 14 At this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there,(FX) but she did not realize that it was Jesus.(FY)
15 He asked her, “Woman, why are you crying?(FZ) Who is it you are looking for?”
Thinking he was the gardener, she said, “Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will get him.”
16 Jesus said to her, “Mary.”
She turned toward him and cried out in Aramaic,(GA) “Rabboni!”(GB) (which means “Teacher”).
17 Jesus said, “Do not hold on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. Go instead to my brothers(GC) and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father(GD) and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene(GE) went to the disciples(GF) with the news: “I have seen the Lord!” And she told them that he had said these things to her.
Jesus Appears to His Disciples
19 On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders,(GG) Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace(GH) be with you!”(GI) 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side.(GJ) The disciples were overjoyed(GK) when they saw the Lord.
21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you!(GL) As the Father has sent me,(GM) I am sending you.”(GN) 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.(GO) 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”(GP)
Jesus Appears to Thomas
24 Now Thomas(GQ) (also known as Didymus[l]), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side,(GR) I will not believe.”(GS)
26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace(GT) be with you!”(GU) 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”(GV)
28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed;(GW) blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”(GX)
The Purpose of John’s Gospel
30 Jesus performed many other signs(GY) in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book.(GZ) 31 But these are written that you may believe[m](HA) that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God,(HB) and that by believing you may have life in his name.(HC)
Jesus and the Miraculous Catch of Fish
21 Afterward Jesus appeared again to his disciples,(HD) by the Sea of Galilee.[n](HE) It happened this way: 2 Simon Peter, Thomas(HF) (also known as Didymus[o]), Nathanael(HG) from Cana in Galilee,(HH) the sons of Zebedee,(HI) and two other disciples were together. 3 “I’m going out to fish,” Simon Peter told them, and they said, “We’ll go with you.” So they went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.(HJ)
4 Early in the morning, Jesus stood on the shore, but the disciples did not realize that it was Jesus.(HK)
5 He called out to them, “Friends, haven’t you any fish?”
“No,” they answered.
6 He said, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat and you will find some.” When they did, they were unable to haul the net in because of the large number of fish.(HL)
7 Then the disciple whom Jesus loved(HM) said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” As soon as Simon Peter heard him say, “It is the Lord,” he wrapped his outer garment around him (for he had taken it off) and jumped into the water. 8 The other disciples followed in the boat, towing the net full of fish, for they were not far from shore, about a hundred yards.[p] 9 When they landed, they saw a fire(HN) of burning coals there with fish on it,(HO) and some bread.
10 Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you have just caught.” 11 So Simon Peter climbed back into the boat and dragged the net ashore. It was full of large fish, 153, but even with so many the net was not torn. 12 Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” None of the disciples dared ask him, “Who are you?” They knew it was the Lord. 13 Jesus came, took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.(HP) 14 This was now the third time Jesus appeared to his disciples(HQ) after he was raised from the dead.
Jesus Reinstates Peter
15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”
“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”(HR)
Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”(HS)
16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”(HT)
17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”
Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?”(HU) He said, “Lord, you know all things;(HV) you know that I love you.”
Jesus said, “Feed my sheep.(HW) 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death(HX) by which Peter would glorify God.(HY) Then he said to him, “Follow me!”(HZ)
20 Peter turned and saw that the disciple whom Jesus loved(IA) was following them. (This was the one who had leaned back against Jesus at the supper and had said, “Lord, who is going to betray you?”)(IB) 21 When Peter saw him, he asked, “Lord, what about him?”
22 Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return,(IC) what is that to you? You must follow me.”(ID) 23 Because of this, the rumor spread among the believers(IE) that this disciple would not die. But Jesus did not say that he would not die; he only said, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you?”
24 This is the disciple who testifies to these things(IF) and who wrote them down. We know that his testimony is true.(IG)
25 Jesus did many other things as well.(IH) If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written.
Footnotes
- John 17:6 Greek your name
- John 17:11 Or Father, keep them faithful to
- John 17:12 Or kept them faithful to
- John 17:17 Or them to live in accordance with
- John 17:26 Greek your name
- John 18:9 John 6:39
- John 19:24 Psalm 22:18
- John 19:26 The Greek for Woman does not denote any disrespect.
- John 19:36 Exodus 12:46; Num. 9:12; Psalm 34:20
- John 19:37 Zech. 12:10
- John 19:39 Or about 34 kilograms
- John 20:24 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
- John 20:31 Or may continue to believe
- John 21:1 Greek Tiberias
- John 21:2 Thomas (Aramaic) and Didymus (Greek) both mean twin.
- John 21:8 Or about 90 meters
The Message (MSG)
Copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson
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