The Jewish Leaders Plan to Kill Jesus

14 ¹It was now only two days before the Passover* and the Festival of Unleavened Bread.* The leading priests and teachers of the law were trying to find a way to use some lie to arrest Jesus. Then they could kill him. ²They said, "But we cannot arrest Jesus during the festival. We don't want the people to become angry and cause a riot."

A Woman Does Something Special

³Jesus was in Bethany. He was eating in the house of Simon the leper.* While Jesus was there a woman came to him. The woman had an alabaster* jar filled with very expensive perfume. This perfume was made of pure nard.* The woman opened the jar and poured the perfume on Jesus' head. ⁴Some of the followers there saw this. They became upset and complained to each other. They said, "Why waste that perfume? ⁵That perfume was worth a full year's work. It could be sold and the money could be given to poor people." And they criticized the woman strongly. ⁶Jesus said, "Don't bother the woman. Why are you troubling her? She did a very good thing for me. ⁷You will always have poor people with you. You can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me. ⁸This woman did the only thing she could do for me. She poured perfume on my body. She did this before I die to prepare me for burial. ⁹I tell you the truth. The Good News* will be told to people in all the world. And in every place where the Good News is told, the story of what this woman did will also be told. The thing she has done will be told and people will remember her."

Judas Agrees to Help Jesus' Enemies

¹⁰Then one of the twelve apostles* went to talk to the leading priests. This was the follower named Judas Iscariot. Judas wanted to give Jesus to them. ¹¹The leading priests were very happy about this. They promised to pay Judas for doing this. So Judas waited for the best time to give Jesus to them.

The Passover Meal

¹²It was now the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread.* This was a time when the Jews always sacrificed (killed) the Passover* lambs.* Jesus' followers came to him. They said, "We will go and prepare everything for you to eat the Passover meal. Where do you want us to have the meal?" ¹³Jesus sent two of his followers into the city. Jesus said to them, "Go into the city. You will see a man carrying a jar of water. The man will come to you. Follow that man. ¹⁴That man will walk into a house. Tell the person who owns the house, 'The Teacher asks that you show us the room where he and his followers can eat the Passover* meal.' ¹⁵The owner will show you a large room upstairs. This room is ready for you. Prepare the food for us there." ¹⁶So the followers left and went into the city. Everything happened the way Jesus said. So the followers prepared the Passover* meal. ¹⁷In the evening, Jesus went to that house with the twelve apostles.* ¹⁸While they were all at the table eating, Jesus said, "I tell you the truth. One of you will be against me--one of you eating with me now." ¹⁹The followers were very sad to hear this. Each follower said to Jesus, "Surely I will not be against you!" ²⁰Jesus answered, "The man who is against me is one of you twelve. He is the one who dips his bread into the same bowl with me. ²¹The Son of Man* will go [and die]. The Scriptures* say this will happen. But it will be very bad for the person who gives the Son of Man [to be killed]. It would be better for that person if he were never born."

Passover An important Jewish holy day. The Jews ate a special meal on this day every year to remember that God freed them from slavery in Egypt in the time of Moses. Festival of Unleavened Bread An important Jewish holiday week. In the Old Testament it began the day after Passover, but by this time the two holidays had become one. leper A person who had leprosy, a very bad skin disease. alabaster A beautiful kind of stone that can be carved. nard Very expensive oil from the root of the nard plant. Good News The news that God has made a way for people to have their sins forgiven and live with him forever. apostles The men Jesus chose to be his special helpers. Passover lambs Part of the celebration of Passover was the sacrifice of a lamb. See Ex. 12:3-9. Son of Man A name Jesus used for himself. In Dan. 7:13-14, this is the name for the Messiah, the one God chose to save his people. Scriptures Holy Writings--the Old Testament.