Holy Week: Following Jesus’ Final Journey

Jesus entered the temple area and drove out all those engaged in selling and buying there. He overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who were selling doves. ¹³ And he said to them, “It is written:

‘My house shall be a house of prayer,’
    but you are making it a den of thieves.”

New American Bible Revised Edition, Matthew 21:12-13

²³ When he had come into the temple area, the chief priests and the elders of the people approached him as he was teaching and said, “By what authority are you doing these things? And who gave you this authority?” ²⁴ Jesus said to them in reply, “I shall ask you one question, and if you answer it for me, then I shall tell you by what authority I do these things. ²⁵ Where was John’s baptism from? Was it of heavenly or of human origin?” They discussed this among themselves and said, “If we say ‘Of heavenly origin,’ he will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ ²⁶ But if we say, ‘Of human origin,’ we fear the crowd, for they all regard John as a prophet.” ²⁷ So they said to Jesus in reply, “We do not know.” He himself said to them, “Neither shall I tell you by what authority I do these things.

The Parable of the Two Sons. 
²⁸ “What is your opinion? A man had two sons. He came to the first and said, ‘Son, go out and work in the vineyard today.’ ²⁹ He said in reply, ‘I will not,’ but afterwards he changed his mind and went. ³⁰ The man came to the other son and gave the same order. He said in reply, ‘Yes, sir,’ but did not go. ³¹ Which of the two did his father’s will?” They answered, “The first.” Jesus said to them, “Amen, I say to you, tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God before you. ³² When John came to you in the way of righteousness, you did not believe him; but tax collectors and prostitutes did. Yet even when you saw that, you did not later change your minds and believe him.

The Parable of the Tenants. 
³³ “Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. ³⁴ When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. ³⁵ But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. ³⁶ Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. ³⁷ Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, ‘They will respect my son.’ ³⁸ But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.’ ³⁹ They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. ⁴⁰ What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?” ⁴¹ They answered him, “He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times.” ⁴² Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
    and it is wonderful in our eyes’?
⁴³ Therefore, I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit. ⁴⁴ [The one who falls on this stone will be dashed to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.]” ⁴⁵ When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. ⁴⁶ And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet.

Chapter 22
The Parable of the Wedding Feast. 
¹ Jesus again in reply spoke to them in parables, saying, ² “The kingdom of heaven may be likened to a king who gave a wedding feast for his son. ³ He dispatched his servants to summon the invited guests to the feast, but they refused to come. ⁴ A second time he sent other servants, saying, ‘Tell those invited: “Behold, I have prepared my banquet, my calves and fattened cattle are killed, and everything is ready; come to the feast.”’ ⁵ Some ignored the invitation and went away, one to his farm, another to his business. ⁶ The rest laid hold of his servants, mistreated them, and killed them. ⁷ The king was enraged and sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. ⁸ Then he said to his servants, ‘The feast is ready, but those who were invited were not worthy to come. ⁹ Go out, therefore, into the main roads and invite to the feast whomever you find.’ ¹⁰ The servants went out into the streets and gathered all they found, bad and good alike, and the hall was filled with guests. ¹¹ But when the king came in to meet the guests he saw a man there not dressed in a wedding garment. ¹² He said to him, ‘My friend, how is it that you came in here without a wedding garment?’ But he was reduced to silence. ¹³ Then the king said to his attendants, ‘Bind his hands and feet, and cast him into the darkness outside, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.’ ¹⁴ Many are invited, but few are chosen.”

Paying Taxes to the Emperor.
¹⁵ Then the Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap him in speech. ¹⁶ They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth. And you are not concerned with anyone’s opinion, for you do not regard a person’s status. ¹⁷ Tell us, then, what is your opinion: Is it lawful to pay the census tax to Caesar or not?” ¹⁸ Knowing their malice, Jesus said, “Why are you testing me, you hypocrites? ¹⁹ Show me the coin that pays the census tax.” Then they handed him the Roman coin. ²⁰ He said to them, “Whose image is this and whose inscription?” ²¹ They replied, “Caesar’s.” At that he said to them, “Then repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” ²² When they heard this they were amazed, and leaving him they went away.

The Question About the Resurrection. 
²³ On that day Sadducees approached him, saying that there is no resurrection. They put this question to him, ²⁴ saying, “Teacher, Moses said, ‘If a man dies without children, his brother shall marry his wife and raise up descendants for his brother.’ ²⁵ Now there were seven brothers among us. The first married and died and, having no descendants, left his wife to his brother. ²⁶ The same happened with the second and the third, through all seven. ²⁷ Finally the woman died. ²⁸ Now at the resurrection, of the seven, whose wife will she be? For they all had been married to her.” ²⁹ Jesus said to them in reply, “You are misled because you do not know the scriptures or the power of God. ³⁰ At the resurrection they neither marry nor are given in marriage but are like the angels in heaven. ³¹ And concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was said to you by God, ³² ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob’? He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” ³³ When the crowds heard this, they were astonished at his teaching.

The Greatest Commandment.
³⁴ When the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together, ³⁵ and one of them [a scholar of the law] tested him by asking, ³⁶ “Teacher, which commandment in the law is the greatest?” ³⁷ He said to him, “You shall love the Lord, your God, with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. ³⁸ This is the greatest and the first commandment. ³⁹ The second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. ⁴⁰ The whole law and the prophets depend on these two commandments.”

The Question About David’s Son. 
⁴¹ While the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them, ⁴² saying, “What is your opinion about the Messiah? Whose son is he?” They replied, “David’s.” ⁴³ He said to them, “How, then, does David, inspired by the Spirit, call him ‘lord,’ saying:
⁴⁴ ‘The Lord said to my lord,
    “Sit at my right hand
    until I place your enemies under your feet”’?
⁴⁵ If David calls him ‘lord,’ how can he be his son?” ⁴⁶ No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.

Chapter 23
Denunciation of the Scribes and Pharisees.
¹ Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples, ² saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees have taken their seat on the chair of Moses. ³ Therefore, do and observe all things whatsoever they tell you, but do not follow their example. For they preach but they do not practice. ⁴ They tie up heavy burdens [hard to carry] and lay them on people’s shoulders, but they will not lift a finger to move them. ⁵ All their works are performed to be seen. They widen their phylacteries and lengthen their tassels. ⁶ They love places of honor at banquets, seats of honor in synagogues, ⁷ greetings in marketplaces, and the salutation ‘Rabbi.’ ⁸ As for you, do not be called ‘Rabbi.’ You have but one teacher, and you are all brothers. ⁹ Call no one on earth your father; you have but one Father in heaven. ¹⁰ Do not be called ‘Master’; you have but one master, the Messiah. ¹¹ The greatest among you must be your servant. ¹² Whoever exalts himself will be humbled; but whoever humbles himself will be exalted.
¹³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. [¹⁴ ]¹⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You traverse sea and land to make one convert, and when that happens you make him a child of Gehenna twice as much as yourselves.
¹⁶ “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘If one swears by the temple, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gold of the temple, one is obligated.’ ¹⁷ Blind fools, which is greater, the gold, or the temple that made the gold sacred? ¹⁸ And you say, ‘If one swears by the altar, it means nothing, but if one swears by the gift on the altar, one is obligated.’ ¹⁹ You blind ones, which is greater, the gift, or the altar that makes the gift sacred? ²⁰ One who swears by the altar swears by it and all that is upon it; ²¹ one who swears by the temple swears by it and by him who dwells in it; ²² one who swears by heaven swears by the throne of God and by him who is seated on it.
²³ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You pay tithes of mint and dill and cummin, and have neglected the weightier things of the law: judgment and mercy and fidelity. [But] these you should have done, without neglecting the others. ²⁴ Blind guides, who strain out the gnat and swallow the camel!
²⁵ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You cleanse the outside of cup and dish, but inside they are full of plunder and self-indulgence. ²⁶ Blind Pharisee, cleanse first the inside of the cup, so that the outside also may be clean.
²⁷ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You are like whitewashed tombs, which appear beautiful on the outside, but inside are full of dead men’s bones and every kind of filth. ²⁸ Even so, on the outside you appear righteous, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and evildoing.
²⁹ “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the memorials of the righteous, ³⁰ and you say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our ancestors, we would not have joined them in shedding the prophets’ blood.’ ³¹ Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are the children of those who murdered the prophets; ³² now fill up what your ancestors measured out! ³³ You serpents, you brood of vipers, how can you flee from the judgment of Gehenna? ³⁴ Therefore, behold, I send to you prophets and wise men and scribes; some of them you will kill and crucify, some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, ³⁵ so that there may come upon you all the righteous blood shed upon earth, from the righteous blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. ³⁶ Amen, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

The Lament over Jerusalem.
³⁷ “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how many times I yearned to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her young under her wings, but you were unwilling! ³⁸ Behold, your house will be abandoned, desolate. ³⁹ I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’”

Chapter 24
The Destruction of the Temple Foretold. 
¹ Jesus left the temple area and was going away, when his disciples approached him to point out the temple buildings. ² He said to them in reply, “You see all these things, do you not? Amen, I say to you, there will not be left here a stone upon another stone that will not be thrown down.”

The Beginning of Calamities. 
³ As he was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples approached him privately and said, “Tell us, when will this happen, and what sign will there be of your coming, and of the end of the age?” ⁴ Jesus said to them in reply, “See that no one deceives you. ⁵ For many will come in my name, saying, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and they will deceive many. ⁶ You will hear of wars and reports of wars; see that you are not alarmed, for these things must happen, but it will not yet be the end. ⁷ Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be famines and earthquakes from place to place. ⁸ All these are the beginning of the labor pains. ⁹ Then they will hand you over to persecution, and they will kill you. You will be hated by all nations because of my name. ¹⁰ And then many will be led into sin; they will betray and hate one another. ¹¹ Many false prophets will arise and deceive many; ¹² and because of the increase of evildoing, the love of many will grow cold. ¹³ But the one who perseveres to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then the end will come.

The Great Tribulation. 
¹⁵ “When you see the desolating abomination spoken of through Daniel the prophet standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), ¹⁶ then those in Judea must flee to the mountains, ¹⁷ a person on the housetop must not go down to get things out of his house, ¹⁸ a person in the field must not return to get his cloak. ¹⁹ Woe to pregnant women and nursing mothers in those days. ²⁰ Pray that your flight not be in winter or on the sabbath, ²¹ for at that time there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will be. ²² And if those days had not been shortened, no one would be saved; but for the sake of the elect they will be shortened. ²³ If anyone says to you then, ‘Look, here is the Messiah!’ or, ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. ²⁴ False messiahs and false prophets will arise, and they will perform signs and wonders so great as to deceive, if that were possible, even the elect. ²⁵ Behold, I have told it to you beforehand. ²⁶ So if they say to you, ‘He is in the desert,’ do not go out there; if they say, ‘He is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it. ²⁷ For just as lightning comes from the east and is seen as far as the west, so will the coming of the Son of Man be. ²⁸ Wherever the corpse is, there the vultures will gather.

The Coming of the Son of Man. 
²⁹ “Immediately after the tribulation of those days,
the sun will be darkened,
    and the moon will not give its light,
and the stars will fall from the sky,
    and the powers of the heavens will be shaken.
³⁰ And then the sign of the Son of Man will appear in heaven, and all the tribes of the earth will mourn, and they will see the Son of Man coming upon the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. ³¹ And he will send out his angels with a trumpet blast, and they will gather his elect from the four winds, from one end of the heavens to the other.

The Lesson of the Fig Tree.
³² “Learn a lesson from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and sprouts leaves, you know that summer is near. ³³ In the same way, when you see all these things, know that he is near, at the gates. ³⁴ Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things have taken place. ³⁵ Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.

The Unknown Day and Hour.
³⁶ “But of that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son,but the Father alone. ³⁷ For as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. ³⁸ In [those] days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, up to the day that Noah entered the ark. ³⁹ They did not know until the flood came and carried them all away. So will it be [also] at the coming of the Son of Man. ⁴⁰ Two men will be out in the field; one will be taken, and one will be left. ⁴¹ Two women will be grinding at the mill; one will be taken, and one will be left. ⁴² Therefore, stay awake! For you do not know on which day your Lord will come. ⁴³ Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour of night when the thief was coming, he would have stayed awake and not let his house be broken into. ⁴⁴ So too, you also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.

The Faithful or the Unfaithful Servant.
⁴⁵ “Who, then, is the faithful and prudent servant, whom the master has put in charge of his household to distribute to them their food at the proper time? ⁴⁶ Blessed is that servant whom his master on his arrival finds doing so. ⁴⁷ Amen, I say to you, he will put him in charge of all his property. ⁴⁸ But if that wicked servant says to himself, ‘My master is long delayed,’ ⁴⁹ and begins to beat his fellow servants, and eat and drink with drunkards, ⁵⁰ the servant’s master will come on an unexpected day and at an unknown hour ⁵¹ and will punish him severely and assign him a place with the hypocrites, where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth.

New American Bible Revised Edition, Matthew 21:23-24:51

The Betrayal by Judas. 
¹⁴ Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of silver, ¹⁶ and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

New American Bible Revised Edition, Matthew 26:14-16

The Lord’s Supper. 
²⁶ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.” ²⁷ Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, ²⁸ for this is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.

New American Bible Revised Edition, Matthew 26:26-28

The Washing of the Disciples’ Feet.
¹ Before the feast of Passover, Jesus knew that his hour had come to pass from this world to the Father. He loved his own in the world and he loved them to the end. ² The devil had already induced Judas, son of Simon the Iscariot, to hand him over. So, during supper, ³ fully aware that the Father had put everything into his power and that he had come from God and was returning to God, ⁴ he rose from supper and took off his outer garments. He took a towel and tied it around his waist. ⁵ Then he poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples’ feet and dry them with the towel around his waist. ⁶ He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Master, are you going to wash my feet?” ⁷ Jesus answered and said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but you will understand later.” ⁸ Peter said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Jesus answered him, “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me.” ⁹ Simon Peter said to him, “Master, then not only my feet, but my hands and head as well.” ¹⁰ Jesus said to him, “Whoever has bathed^[f] has no need except to have his feet washed, for he is clean all over; so you are clean, but not all.” ¹¹ For he knew who would betray him; for this reason, he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
¹² So when he had washed their feet [and] put his garments back on and reclined at table again, he said to them, “Do you realize what I have done for you? ¹³ You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. ¹⁴ If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. ¹⁵ I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do. ¹⁶ Amen, amen, I say to you, no slave is greater than his master nor any messenger greater than the one who sent him. ¹⁷ If you understand this, blessed are you if you do it.

³⁴ I give you a new commandment: love one another. As I have loved you, so you also should love one another. ³⁵ This is how all will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

New American Bible Revised Edition, John 13:1-17, 34-35

³⁰ When Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” And bowing his head, he handed over the spirit.

New American Bible Revised Edition, John 19:30

The Resurrection of Jesus. 
¹ After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary came to see the tomb. ² And behold, there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descended from heaven, approached, rolled back the stone, and sat upon it. ³ His appearance was like lightning and his clothing was white as snow. ⁴ The guards were shaken with fear of him and became like dead men. ⁵ Then the angel said to the women in reply, “Do not be afraid! I know that you are seeking Jesus the crucified. ⁶ He is not here, for he has been raised just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. ⁷ Then go quickly and tell his disciples, ‘He has been raised from the dead, and he is going before you to Galilee; there you will see him.’ Behold, I have told you.” ⁸ Then they went away quickly from the tomb, fearful yet overjoyed, and ran to announce this to his disciples. ⁹ And behold, Jesus met them on their way and greeted them. They approached, embraced his feet, and did him homage. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.”

New American Bible Revised Edition, John 19:30

¹¹ But Mary stayed outside the tomb weeping. And as she wept, she bent over into the tomb ¹² and saw two angels in white sitting there, one at the head and one at the feet where the body of Jesus had been. ¹³ And they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?” She said to them, “They have taken my Lord, and I don’t know where they laid him.” ¹⁴ When she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus there, but did not know it was Jesus. ¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you looking for?” She thought it was the gardener and said to him, “Sir, if you carried him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him.” ¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned and said to him in Hebrew, “Rabbouni,” which means Teacher. ¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Stop holding on to me, for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them, ‘I am going to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’” ¹⁸ Mary of Magdala went and announced to the disciples, “I have seen the Lord,” and what he told her.

New American Bible Revised Edition, John 20:11-18