2020-04 Lectionary Slides

SUNDAY, APRIL 5, 2020

Isaiah 50:4–9a TEV

4 The Sovereign Lord has taught me what to say, so that I can strengthen the weary. Every morning he makes me eager to hear what he is going to teach me. 5 The Lord has given me understanding, and I have not rebelled or turned away from him. 6 I bared my back to those who beat me. I did not stop them when they insulted me, when they pulled out the hairs of my beard and spat in my face. 7 But their insults cannot hurt me because the Sovereign Lord gives me help. I brace myself to endure them. I know that I will not be disgraced, 8 for God is near, and he will prove me innocent. Does anyone dare to bring charges against me? Let us go to court together! Let him bring his accusation! 9 The Sovereign Lord himself defends me— who, then, can prove me guilty? All my accusers will disappear; they will vanish like moth-eaten cloth.

Psalm 31:9–16 TEV

9 Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am in trouble; my eyes are tired from so much crying; I am completely worn out. 10 I am exhausted by sorrow, and weeping has shortened my life. I am weak from all my troubles; even my bones are wasting away. 11 All my enemies, and especially my neighbours, treat me with contempt; those who know me are afraid of me; when they see me in the street, they run away. 12 Everyone has forgotten me, as though I were dead; I am like something thrown away. 13 I hear many enemies whispering; terror is all round me. They are making plans against me, plotting to kill me. 14 But my trust is in you, O Lord; you are my God. 15 I am always in your care; save me from my enemies, from those who persecute me. 16 Look on your servant with kindness; save me in your constant love.

Philippians 2:5–11 TEV

5 The attitude you should have is the one that Christ Jesus had: 6 He always had the nature of God, but he did not think that by force he should try to remain equal with God. 7 Instead of this, of his own free will he gave up all he had, and took the nature of a servant. He became like a human being and appeared in human likeness. 8 He was humble and walked the path of obedience all the way to death—his death on the cross. 9 For this reason God raised him to the highest place above and gave him the name that is greater than any other name. 10 And so, in honour of the name of Jesus all beings in heaven, on earth, and in the world below will fall on their knees, 11 and all will openly proclaim that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 26:14–27:66 TEV

14 Then one of the twelve disciples—the one named Judas Iscariot—went to the chief priests 15 and asked, “What will you give me if I betray Jesus to you?” They counted out 30 silver coins and gave them to him. 16 From then on Judas was looking for a good chance to hand Jesus over to them. 17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus and asked him, “Where do you want us to get the Passover meal ready for you?” 18 “Go to a certain man in the city,” he said to them, “and tell him: ‘The Teacher says, My hour has come; my disciples and I will celebrate the Passover at your house.’ ” 19 The disciples did as Jesus had told them and prepared the Passover meal. 20 When it was evening, Jesus and the twelve disciples sat down to eat. 21 During the meal Jesus said, “I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 The disciples were very upset and began to ask him, one after the other, “Surely, Lord, you don’t mean me?” 23 Jesus answered, “One who dips his bread in the dish with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man will die as the Scriptures say he will, but how terrible for that man who betrays the Son of Man! It would have been better for that man if he had never been born!” 25 Judas, the traitor, spoke up. “Surely, Teacher, you don’t mean me?” he asked. Jesus answered, “So you say.” 26 While they were eating, Jesus took a piece of bread, gave a prayer of thanks, broke it, and gave it to his disciples. “Take and eat it,” he said; “this is my body.” 27 Then he took a cup, gave thanks to God, and gave it to them. “Drink it, all of you,” he said; 28 “this is my blood, which seals God’s covenant, my blood poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink this wine until the day I drink the new wine with you in my Father’s Kingdom.” 30 Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, “This very night all of you will run away and leave me, for the scripture says, ‘God will kill the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ 32 But after I am raised to life, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.” 33 Peter spoke up and said to Jesus, “I will never leave you, even though all the rest do!” 34 Jesus said to Peter, “I tell you that before the cock crows tonight, you will say three times that you do not know me.” 35 Peter answered, “I will never say that, even if I have to die with you!” And all the other disciples said the same thing. 36 Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee. Grief and anguish came over him, 38 and he said to them, “The sorrow in my heart is so great that it almost crushes me. Stay here and keep watch with me.” 39 He went a little farther on, threw himself face downwards on the ground, and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, take this cup of suffering from me! Yet not what I want, but what you want.” 40 Then he returned to the three disciples and found them asleep; and he said to Peter, “How is it that you three were not able to keep watch with me even for one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Once more Jesus went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cup of suffering cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 He returned once more and found the disciples asleep; they could not keep their eyes open. 44 Again Jesus left them, went away, and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he returned to the disciples and said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Look! The hour has come for the Son of Man to be handed over to the power of sinners. 46 Get up, let us go. Look, here is the man who is betraying me!” 47 Jesus was still speaking when Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived. With him was a large crowd armed with swords and clubs and sent by the chief priests and the elders. 48 The traitor had given the crowd a signal: “The man I kiss is the one you want. Arrest him!” 49 Judas went straight to Jesus and said, “Peace be with you, Teacher,” and kissed him. 50 Jesus answered, “Be quick about it, friend!” Then they came up, arrested Jesus, and held him tight. 51 One of those who were with Jesus drew his sword and struck at the High Priest’s slave, cutting off his ear. 52 “Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him. “All who take the sword will die by the sword. 53 Don’t you know that I could call on my Father for help, and at once he would send me more than twelve armies of angels? 54 But in that case, how could the Scriptures come true which say that this is what must happen?” 55 Then Jesus spoke to the crowd, “Did you have to come with swords and clubs to capture me, as though I were an outlaw? Every day I sat down and taught in the Temple, and you did not arrest me. 56 But all this has happened in order to make what the prophets wrote in the Scriptures come true.” Then all the disciples left him and ran away. 57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of Caiaphas, the High Priest, where the teachers of the Law and the elders had gathered together. 58 Peter followed from a distance, as far as the courtyard of the High Priest’s house. He went into the courtyard and sat down with the guards to see how it would all come out. 59 The chief priests and the whole Council tried to find some false evidence against Jesus to put him to death; 60 but they could not find any, even though many people came forward and told lies about him. Finally two men stepped up 61 and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to tear down God’s Temple and three days later build it up again.’ ” 62 The High Priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Have you no answer to give to this accusation against you?” 63 But Jesus kept quiet. Again the High Priest spoke to him, “In the name of the living God I now put you on oath: tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus answered him, “So you say. But I tell all of you: from this time on you will see the Son of Man sitting on the right of the Almighty and coming on the clouds of heaven!” 65 At this the High Priest tore his clothes and said, “Blasphemy! We don’t need any more witnesses! You have just heard his blasphemy! 66 What do you think?” They answered, “He is guilty and must die.” 67 Then they spat in his face and beat him; and those who slapped him 68 said, “Prophesy for us, Messiah! Guess who hit you!” 69 Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when one of the High Priest’s servant women came to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus of Galilee.” 70 But he denied it in front of them all. “I don’t know what you are talking about,” he answered, 71 and went on out to the entrance of the courtyard. Another servant woman saw him and said to the men there, “He was with Jesus of Nazareth.” 72 Again Peter denied it and answered, “I swear that I don’t know that man!” 73 After a little while the men standing there came to Peter. “Of course you are one of them,” they said. “After all, the way you speak gives you away!” 74 Then Peter said, “I swear that I am telling the truth! May God punish me if I am not! I do not know that man!” Just then a cock crowed, 75 and Peter remembered what Jesus had told him: “Before the cock crows, you will say three times that you do not know me.” He went out and wept bitterly. 1 Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders made their plans against Jesus to put him to death. 2 They put him in chains, led him off, and handed him over to Pilate, the Roman governor. 3 When Judas, the traitor, learnt that Jesus had been condemned, he repented and took back the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death!” he said. “What do we care about that?” they answered. “That is your business!” 5 Judas threw the coins down in the Temple and left; then he went off and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “This is blood money, and it is against our Law to put it in the temple treasury.” 7 After reaching an agreement about it, they used the money to buy Potter’s Field, as a cemetery for foreigners. 8 That is why that field is called “Field of Blood” to this very day. 9 Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true: “They took the thirty silver coins, the amount the people of Israel had agreed to pay for him, 10 and used the money to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.” 11 Jesus stood before the Roman governor, who questioned him. “Are you the king of the Jews?” he asked. “So you say,” answered Jesus. 12 But he said nothing in response to the accusations of the chief priests and elders. 13 So Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these things they accuse you of?” 14 But Jesus refused to answer a single word, with the result that the Governor was greatly surprised. 15 At every Passover Festival the Roman governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner the crowd asked for. 16 At that time there was a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to set free for you? Jesus Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?” 18 He knew very well that the Jewish authorities had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous. 19 While Pilate was sitting in the judgement hall, his wife sent him a message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, because in a dream last night I suffered much on account of him.” 20 The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask Pilate to set Barabbas free and have Jesus put to death. 21 But Pilate asked the crowd, “Which one of these two do you want me to set free for you?” “Barabbas!” they answered. 22 “What, then, shall I do with Jesus called the Messiah?” Pilate asked them. “Crucify him!” they all answered. 23 But Pilate asked, “What crime has he committed?” Then they started shouting at the top of their voices: “Crucify him!” 24 When Pilate saw that it was no use to go on, but that a riot might break out, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am not responsible for the death of this man! This is your doing!” 25 The whole crowd answered, “Let the responsibility for his death fall on us and our children!” 26 Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them; and after he had Jesus whipped, he handed him over to be crucified. 27 Then Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace, and the whole company gathered round him. 28 They stripped off his clothes and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 Then they made a crown out of thorny branches and placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand; then they knelt before him and mocked him. “Long live the King of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spat on him, and took the stick and hit him over the head. 31 When they had finished mocking him, they took the robe off and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. 32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha, which means, “The Place of the Skull”. 34 There they offered Jesus wine mixed with a bitter substance; but after tasting it, he would not drink it. 35 They crucified him and then divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. 36 After that they sat there and watched him. 37 Above his head they put the written notice of the accusation against him: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then they crucified two bandits with Jesus, one on his right and the other on his left. 39 People passing by shook their heads and hurled insults at Jesus: 40 “You were going to tear down the Temple and build it up again in three days! Save yourself if you are God’s Son! Come on down from the cross!” 41 In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the Law and the elders jeered at him: 42 “He saved others, but he cannot save himself! Isn’t he the king of Israel? If he comes down off the cross now, we will believe in him! 43 He trusts in God and claims to be God’s Son. Well, then, let us see if God wants to save him now!” 44 Even the bandits who had been crucified with him insulted him in the same way. 45 At noon the whole country was covered with darkness, which lasted for three hours. 46 At about three o’clock Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” 47 Some of the people standing there heard him and said, “He is calling for Elijah!” 48 One of them ran up at once, took a sponge, soaked it in cheap wine, put it on the end of a stick, and tried to make him drink it. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah is coming to save him!” 50 Jesus again gave a loud cry and breathed his last. 51 Then the curtain hanging in the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split apart, 52 the graves broke open, and many of God’s people who had died were raised to life. 53 They left the graves, and after Jesus rose from death, they went into the Holy City, where many people saw them. 54 When the army officer and the soldiers with him who were watching Jesus saw the earthquake and everything else that happened, they were terrified and said, “He really was the Son of God!” 55 There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee and helped him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the wife of Zebedee. 57 When it was evening, a rich man from Arimathea arrived; his name was Joseph, and he also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went into the presence of Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate gave orders for the body to be given to Joseph. 59 So Joseph took it, wrapped it in a new linen sheet, 60 and placed it in his own tomb, which he had just recently dug out of solid rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb. 62 The next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees met with Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘I will be raised to life three days later.’ 64 Give orders, then, for his tomb to be carefully guarded until the third day, so that his disciples will not be able to go and steal the body, and then tell the people that he was raised from death. This last lie would be even worse than the first one.” 65 “Take a guard,” Pilate told them; “go and make the tomb as secure as you can.” 66 So they left and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and leaving the guard on watch.

FRIDAY, APRIL 10, 2020

Isaiah 52:13–53:12 TEV

13 The Lord says, “My servant will succeed in his task; he will be highly honoured. 14 Many people were shocked when they saw him; he was so disfigured that he hardly looked human. 15 But now many nations will marvel at him, and kings will be speechless with amazement. They will see and understand something they had never known.” 1 The people reply, “Who would have believed what we now report? Who could have seen the Lord’s hand in this? 2 It was the will of the Lord that his servant should grow like a plant taking root in dry ground. He had no dignity or beauty to make us take notice of him. There was nothing attractive about him, nothing that would draw us to him. 3 We despised him and rejected him; he endured suffering and pain. No one would even look at him— we ignored him as if he were nothing. 4 “But he endured the suffering that should have been ours, the pain that we should have borne. All the while we thought that his suffering was punishment sent by God. 5 But because of our sins he was wounded, beaten because of the evil we did. We are healed by the punishment he suffered, made whole by the blows he received. 6 All of us were like sheep that were lost, each of us going his own way. But the Lord made the punishment fall on him, the punishment all of us deserved. 7 “He was treated harshly, but endured it humbly; he never said a word. Like a lamb about to be slaughtered, like a sheep about to be sheared, he never said a word. 8 He was arrested and sentenced and led off to die, and no one cared about his fate. He was put to death for the sins of our people. 9 He was placed in a grave with the wicked, he was buried with the rich, even though he had never committed a crime or ever told a lie.” 10 The Lord says, “It was my will that he should suffer; his death was a sacrifice to bring forgiveness. And so he will see his descendants; he will live a long life, and through him my purpose will succeed. 11 After a life of suffering, he will again have joy; he will know that he did not suffer in vain. My devoted servant, with whom I am pleased, will bear the punishment of many and for his sake I will forgive them. 12 And so I will give him a place of honour, a place among the great and powerful. He willingly gave his life and shared the fate of evil men. He took the place of many sinners and prayed that they might be forgiven.”

Psalm 22 TEV

1 My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? I have cried desperately for help, but still it does not come. 2 During the day I call to you, my God, but you do not answer; I call at night, but get no rest. 3 But you are enthroned as the Holy One, the one whom Israel praises. 4 Our ancestors put their trust in you; they trusted you, and you saved them. 5 They called to you and escaped from danger; they trusted you and were not disappointed. 6 But I am no longer a human being; I am a worm, despised and scorned by everyone! 7 All who see me jeer at me; they stick out their tongues and shake their heads. 8 “You relied on the Lord,” they say. “Why doesn’t he save you? If the Lord likes you, why doesn’t he help you?” 9 It was you who brought me safely through birth, and when I was a baby, you kept me safe. 10 I have relied on you since the day I was born, and you have always been my God. 11 Do not stay away from me! Trouble is near, and there is no one to help. 12 Many enemies surround me like bulls; they are all round me, like fierce bulls from the land of Bashan. 13 They open their mouths like lions, roaring and tearing at me. 14 My strength is gone, gone like water spilt on the ground. All my bones are out of joint; my heart is like melted wax. 15 My throat is as dry as dust, and my tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth. You have left me for dead in the dust. 16 An evil gang is round me; like a pack of dogs they close in on me; they tear at my hands and feet. 17 All my bones can be seen. My enemies look at me and stare. 18 They gamble for my clothes and divide them among themselves. 19 O Lord, don’t stay away from me! Come quickly to my rescue! 20 Save me from the sword; save my life from these dogs. 21 Rescue me from these lions; I am helpless before these wild bulls. 22 I will tell my people what you have done; I will praise you in their assembly: 23 “Praise him, you servants of the Lord! Honour him, you descendants of Jacob! Worship him, you people of Israel! 24 He does not neglect the poor or ignore their suffering; he does not turn away from them, but answers when they call for help.” 25 In the full assembly I will praise you for what you have done; in the presence of those who worship you I will offer the sacrifices I promised. 26 The poor will eat as much as they want; those who come to the Lord will praise him. May they prosper for ever! 27 All nations will remember the Lord. From every part of the world they will turn to him; all races will worship him. 28 The Lord is king, and he rules the nations. 29 All proud people will bow down to him; all mortals will bow down before him. 30 Future generations will serve him; they will speak of the Lord to the coming generation. 31 People not yet born will be told: “The Lord saved his people.”

Hebrews 10:16–25 TEV

16 “This is the covenant that I will make with them in the days to come, says the Lord: I will put my laws in their hearts and write them on their minds.” 17 And then he says, “I will not remember their sins and evil deeds any longer.” 18 So when these have been forgiven, an offering to take away sins is no longer needed. 19 We have, then, my brothers and sisters, complete freedom to go into the Most Holy Place by means of the death of Jesus. 20 He opened for us a new way, a living way, through the curtain—that is, through his own body. 21 We have a great priest in charge of the house of God. 22 So let us come near to God with a sincere heart and a sure faith, with hearts that have been purified from a guilty conscience and with bodies washed with clean water. 23 Let us hold on firmly to the hope we profess, because we can trust God to keep his promise. 24 Let us be concerned for one another, to help one another to show love and to do good. 25 Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are doing. Instead, let us encourage one another all the more, since you see that the Day of the Lord is coming nearer.

John 18:1–19:42 TEV

1 After Jesus had said this prayer, he left with his disciples and went across the brook called Kidron. There was a garden in that place, and Jesus and his disciples went in. 2 Judas, the traitor, knew where it was, because many times Jesus had met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas went to the garden, taking with him a group of Roman soldiers, and some temple guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees; they were armed and carried lanterns and torches. 4 Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward and asked them, “Who is it you are looking for?” 5 “Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “I am he,” he said. Judas , the traitor, was standing there with them. 6 When Jesus said to them, “I am he,” they moved back and fell to the ground. 7 Again Jesus asked them, “Who is it you are looking for?” “Jesus of Nazareth,” they said. 8 “I have already told you that I am he,” Jesus said. “If, then, you are looking for me, let these others go.” 9 (He said this so that what he had said might come true: “Father, I have not lost even one of those you gave me.”) 10 Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the High Priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear. The name of the slave was Malchus. 11 Jesus said to Peter, “Put your sword back in its place! Do you think that I will not drink the cup of suffering which my Father has given me?” 12 Then the Roman soldiers with their commanding officer and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus, bound him, 13 and took him first to Annas. He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year. 14 It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better that one man should die for all the people. 15 Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus. That other disciple was well known to the High Priest, so he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest’s house, 16 while Peter stayed outside by the gate. Then the other disciple went back out, spoke to the girl at the gate, and brought Peter inside. 17 The girl at the gate said to Peter, “Aren’t you also one of the disciples of that man?” “No, I am not,” answered Peter. 18 It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a charcoal fire and were standing round it, warming themselves. So Peter went over and stood with them, warming himself. 19 The High Priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, “I have always spoken publicly to everyone; all my teaching was done in the synagogues and in the Temple, where all the people come together. I have never said anything in secret. 21 Why, then, do you question me? Question the people who heard me. Ask them what I told them—they know what I said.” 22 When Jesus said this, one of the guards there slapped him and said, “How dare you talk like that to the High Priest!” 23 Jesus answered him, “If I have said anything wrong, tell everyone here what it was. But if I am right in what I have said, why do you hit me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, still bound, to Caiaphas the High Priest. 25 Peter was still standing there keeping himself warm. So the others said to him, “Aren’t you also one of the disciples of that man?” But Peter denied it. “No, I am not,” he said. 26 One of the High Priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, spoke up. “Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?” he asked. 27 Again Peter said “No”—and at once a cock crowed. 28 Early in the morning Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the governor’s palace. The Jewish authorities did not go inside the palace, for they wanted to keep themselves ritually clean, in order to be able to eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate went outside to them and asked, “What do you accuse this man of?” 30 Their answer was, “We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime.” 31 Pilate said to them, “Then you yourselves take him and try him according to your own law.” They replied, “We are not allowed to put anyone to death.” 32 (This happened in order to make the words of Jesus come true, the words he used when he indicated the kind of death he would die.) 33 Pilate went back into the palace and called Jesus. “Are you the King of the Jews?” he asked him. 34 Jesus answered, “Does this question come from you or have others told you about me?” 35 Pilate replied, “Do you think I am a Jew? It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me. What have you done?” 36 Jesus said, “My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!” 37 So Pilate asked him, “Are you a king, then?” Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.” 38 “And what is truth?” Pilate asked. Jesus Is Sentenced to Death (Matt 27:15–31; Mark 15:6–20; Luke 23:13–25) Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them, “I cannot find any reason to condemn him. 39 But according to the custom you have, I always set free a prisoner for you during the Passover. Do you want me to set free for you the King of the Jews?” 40 They answered him with a shout, “No, not him! We want Barabbas!” (Barabbas was a bandit.) 1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. 2 The soldiers made a crown out of thorny branches and put it on his head; then they put a purple robe on him 3 and came to him and said, “Long live the King of the Jews!” And they went up and slapped him. 4 Pilate went out once more and said to the crowd, “Look, I will bring him out here to you to let you see that I cannot find any reason to condemn him.” 5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Look! Here is the man!” 6 When the chief priests and the temple guards saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “You take him, then, and crucify him. I find no reason to condemn him.” 7 The crowd answered back, “We have a law that says he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.” 8 When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. 9 He went back into the palace and asked Jesus, “Where do you come from?” But Jesus did not answer. 10 Pilate said to him, “You will not speak to me? Remember, I have the authority to set you free and also to have you crucified.” 11 Jesus answered, “You have authority over me only because it was given to you by God. So the man who handed me over to you is guilty of a worse sin.” 12 When Pilate heard this, he tried to find a way to set Jesus free. But the crowd shouted back, “If you set him free, that means that you are not the Emperor’s friend! Anyone who claims to be a king is a rebel against the Emperor!” 13 When Pilate heard these words, he took Jesus outside and sat down on the judge’s seat in the place called “The Stone Pavement”. (In Hebrew the name is “Gabbatha”.) 14 It was then almost noon of the day before the Passover. Pilate said to the people, “Here is your king!” 15 They shouted back, “Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!” Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to crucify your king?” The chief priests answered, “The only king we have is the Emperor!” 16 Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. Jesus Is Crucified (Matt 27:32–44; Mark 15:21–32; Luke 23:26–43) So they took charge of Jesus. 17 He went out, carrying his cross, and came to “The Place of the Skull”, as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called “Golgotha”.) 18 There they crucified him; and they also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus between them. 19 Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. “Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews”, is what he wrote. 20 Many people read it, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city. The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21 The chief priests said to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews’ , but rather, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews.’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written stays written.” 23 After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier. They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it. 24 The soldiers said to one another, “Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who will get it.” This happened in order to make the scripture come true: “They divided my clothes among themselves and gambled for my robe.” And this is what the soldiers did. 25 Standing close to Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 Jesus saw his mother and the disciple he loved standing there; so he said to his mother, “He is your son.” 27 Then he said to the disciple, “She is your mother.” From that time the disciple took her to live in his home. 28 Jesus knew that by now everything had been completed; and in order to make the scripture come true, he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips. 30 Jesus drank the wine and said, “It is finished!” Then he bowed his head and died. 31 Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy. 32 So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus. 33 But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs. 34 One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water poured out. 35 (The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth.) 36 This was done to make the scripture come true: “Not one of his bones will be broken.” 37 And there is another scripture that says, “People will look at him whom they pierced.” 38 After this, Joseph, who was from the town of Arimathea, asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body. (Joseph was a follower of Jesus, but in secret, because he was afraid of the Jewish authorities.) Pilate told him he could have the body, so Joseph went and took it away. 39 Nicodemus, who at first had gone to see Jesus at night, went with Joseph, taking with him about 30 kilogrammes of spices, a mixture of myrrh and aloes. 40 The two men took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in linen with the spices according to the Jewish custom of preparing a body for burial. 41 There was a garden in the place where Jesus had been put to death, and in it there was a new tomb where no one had ever been buried. 42 Since it was the day before the Sabbath and because the tomb was close by, they placed Jesus’ body there.

SUNDAY, APRIL 12, 2020

Acts 10:34–43 TEV

34 Peter began to speak: “I now realize that it is true that God treats everyone on the same basis. 35 Those who worship him and do what is right are acceptable to him, no matter what race they belong to. 36 You know the message he sent to the people of Israel, proclaiming the Good News of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. 37 You know of the great event that took place throughout the land of Israel, beginning in Galilee after John preached his message of baptism. 38 You know about Jesus of Nazareth and how God poured out on him the Holy Spirit and power. He went everywhere, doing good and healing all who were under the power of the Devil, for God was with him. 39 We are witnesses of everything that he did in the land of Israel and in Jerusalem. Then they put him to death by nailing him to a cross. 40 But God raised him from death three days later and caused him to appear, 41 not to everyone, but only to the witnesses that God had already chosen, that is, to us who ate and drank with him after he rose from death. 42 And he commanded us to preach the gospel to the people and to testify that he is the one whom God has appointed judge of the living and the dead. 43 All the prophets spoke about him, saying that all who believe in him will have their sins forgiven through the power of his name.”

Psalm 118:1–2 TEV

1 Give thanks to the Lord, because he is good, and his love is eternal. 2 Let the people of Israel say, “His love is eternal.”

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Psalm 118:14–24 TEV

14 The Lord makes me powerful and strong; he has saved me. 15 Listen to the glad shouts of victory in the tents of God’s people: “The Lord’s mighty power has done it! 16 His power has brought us victory— his mighty power in battle!” 17 I will not die; instead, I will live and proclaim what the Lord has done. 18 He has punished me severely, but he has not let me die. 19 Open to me the gates of the Temple; I will go in and give thanks to the Lord! 20 This is the gate of the Lord; only the righteous can come in. 21 I praise you, Lord, because you heard me, because you have given me victory. 22 The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all. 23 This was done by the Lord; what a wonderful sight it is! 24 This is the day of the Lord’s victory; let us be happy, let us celebrate!

Colossians 3:1–4 TEV

1 You have been raised to life with Christ, so set your hearts on the things that are in heaven, where Christ sits on his throne at the right-hand side of God. 2 Keep your minds fixed on things there, not on things here on earth. 3 For you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. 4 Your real life is Christ and when he appears, then you too will appear with him and share his glory!

John 20:1–18 TEV

1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene went to the tomb and saw that the stone had been taken away from the entrance. 2 She went running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, whom Jesus loved, and told them, “They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!” 3 Then Peter and the other disciple went to the tomb. 4 The two of them were running, but the other disciple ran faster than Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He bent over and saw the linen wrappings, but he did not go in. 6 Behind him came Simon Peter, and he went straight into the tomb. He saw the linen wrappings lying there 7 and the cloth which had been round Jesus’ head. It was not lying with the linen wrappings but was rolled up by itself. 8 Then the other disciple, who had reached the tomb first, also went in; he saw and believed. 9 (They still did not understand the scripture which said that he must rise from death.) 10 Then the disciples went back home. 11 Mary stood crying outside the tomb. While she was still crying, she bent over and looked in the tomb 12 and saw two angels there dressed in white, sitting where the body of Jesus had been, one at the head and the other at the feet. 13 “Woman, why are you crying?” they asked her. She answered, “They have taken my Lord away, and I do not know where they have put him!” 14 Then she turned round and saw Jesus standing there; but she did not know that it was Jesus. 15 “Woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who is it that you are looking for?” She thought he was the gardener, so she said to him, “If you took him away, sir, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.” 16 Jesus said to her, “Mary!” She turned towards him and said in Hebrew, “Rabboni!” (This means “Teacher”.) 17 “Do not hold on to me,” Jesus told her, “because I have not yet gone back up to the Father. But go to my brothers and tell them that I am returning to him who is my Father and their Father, my God and their God.” 18 So Mary Magdalene went and told the disciples that she had seen the Lord and related to them what he had told her.

SUNDAY, APRIL 19, 2020

Acts 2:14a TEV

14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow-Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.

Acts 2:22–32 TEV

22 “Listen to these words, fellow-Israelites! Jesus of Nazareth was a man whose divine authority was clearly proven to you by all the miracles and wonders which God performed through him. You yourselves know this, for it happened here among you. 23 In accordance with his own plan God had already decided that Jesus would be handed over to you; and you killed him by letting sinful men crucify him. 24 But God raised him from death, setting him free from its power, because it was impossible that death should hold him prisoner. 25 For David said about him: ‘I saw the Lord before me at all times; he is near me, and I will not be troubled. 26 And so I am filled with gladness, and my words are full of joy. And I, mortal though I am, will rest assured in hope, 27 because you will not abandon me in the world of the dead; you will not allow your faithful servant to rot in the grave. 28 You have shown me the paths that lead to life, and your presence will fill me with joy.’ 29 “My fellow-Israelites, I must speak to you plainly about our famous ancestor King David. He died and was buried, and his grave is here with us to this very day. 30 He was a prophet, and he knew what God had promised him: God had made a vow that he would make one of David’s descendants a king, just as David was. 31 David saw what God was going to do in the future, and so he spoke about the resurrection of the Messiah when he said: ‘He was not abandoned in the world of the dead; his body did not rot in the grave.’ 32 God has raised this very Jesus from death, and we are all witnesses to this fact.

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Psalm 16 TEV

1 Protect me, O God; I trust in you for safety. 2 I say to the Lord, “You are my Lord; all the good things I have come from you.” 3 How excellent are the Lord’s faithful people! My greatest pleasure is to be with them. 4 Those who rush to other gods bring many troubles on themselves. I will not take part in their sacrifices; I will not worship their gods. 5 You, Lord, are all I have, and you give me all I need; my future is in your hands. 6 How wonderful are your gifts to me; how good they are! 7 I praise the Lord, because he guides me, and in the night my conscience warns me. 8 I am always aware of the Lord’s presence; he is near, and nothing can shake me. 9 And so I am thankful and glad, and I feel completely secure, 10 because you protect me from the power of death. I have served you faithfully, and you will not abandon me to the world of the dead. 11 You will show me the path that leads to life; your presence fills me with joy and brings me pleasure for ever.

1 Peter 1:3–9 TEV

3 Let us give thanks to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! Because of his great mercy he gave us new life by raising Jesus Christ from death. This fills us with a living hope, 4 and so we look forward to possessing the rich blessings that God keeps for his people. He keeps them for you in heaven, where they cannot decay or spoil or fade away. 5 They are for you, who through faith are kept safe by God’s power for the salvation which is ready to be revealed at the end of time. 6 Be glad about this, even though it may now be necessary for you to be sad for a while because of the many kinds of trials you suffer. 7 Their purpose is to prove that your faith is genuine. Even gold, which can be destroyed, is tested by fire; and so your faith, which is much more precious than gold, must also be tested, so that it may endure. Then you will receive praise and glory and honour on the Day when Jesus Christ is revealed. 8 You love him, although you have not seen him, and you believe in him, although you do not now see him. So you rejoice with a great and glorious joy which words cannot express, 9 because you are receiving the salvation of your souls, which is the purpose of your faith in him.

John 20:19–31 TEV

19 It was late that Sunday evening, and the disciples were gathered together behind locked doors, because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. Then Jesus came and stood among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 20 After saying this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples were filled with joy at seeing the Lord. 21 Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father sent me, so I send you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive people’s sins, they are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.” 24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (called the Twin), was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!” Thomas said to them, “Unless I see the scars of the nails in his hands and put my finger on those scars and my hand in his side, I will not believe.” 26 A week later the disciples were together again indoors, and Thomas was with them. The doors were locked, but Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands; then stretch out your hand and put it in my side. Stop your doubting, and believe!” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Do you believe because you see me? How happy are those who believe without seeing me!” 30 In his disciples’ presence Jesus performed many other miracles which are not written down in this book. 31 But these have been written in order that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through your faith in him you may have life.

SUNDAY, APRIL 26, 2020

Acts 2:14a TEV

14 Then Peter stood up with the other eleven apostles and in a loud voice began to speak to the crowd: “Fellow-Jews and all of you who live in Jerusalem, listen to me and let me tell you what this means.

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Acts 2:36–41 TEV

36 “All the people of Israel, then, are to know for sure that this Jesus, whom you crucified, is the one that God has made Lord and Messiah!” 37 When the people heard this, they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?” 38 Peter said to them, “Each one of you must turn away from your sins and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ, so that your sins will be forgiven; and you will receive God’s gift, the Holy Spirit. 39 For God’s promise was made to you and your children, and to all who are far away—all whom the Lord our God calls to himself.” 40 Peter made his appeal to them and with many other words he urged them, saying, “Save yourselves from the punishment coming on this wicked people!” 41 Many of them believed his message and were baptized, and about 3,000 people were added to the group that day.

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Psalm 116:1–4 TEV

1 I love the Lord, because he hears me; he listens to my prayers. 2 He listens to me every time I call to him. 3 The danger of death was all round me; the horrors of the grave closed in on me; I was filled with fear and anxiety. 4 Then I called to the Lord, “I beg you, Lord, save me!”

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Psalm 116:12–19 TEV

12 What can I offer the Lord for all his goodness to me? 13 I will bring a wine offering to the Lord, to thank him for saving me. 14 In the assembly of all his people I will give him what I have promised. 15 How painful it is to the Lord when one of his people dies! 16 I am your servant, Lord; I serve you, just as my mother did. You have saved me from death. 17 I will give you a sacrifice of thanksgiving and offer my prayer to you. 18 In the assembly of all your people, in the sanctuary of your Temple in Jerusalem, I will give you what I have promised. Praise the Lord!

1 Peter 1:17–23 TEV

17 You call him Father, when you pray to God, who judges all people by the same standard, according to what each one has done; so then, spend the rest of your lives here on earth in reverence for him. 18 For you know what was paid to set you free from the worthless manner of life handed down by your ancestors. It was not something that can be destroyed, such as silver or gold; 19 it was the costly sacrifice of Christ, who was like a lamb without defect or flaw. 20 He had been chosen by God before the creation of the world and was revealed in these last days for your sake. 21 Through him you believe in God, who raised him from death and gave him glory; and so your faith and hope are fixed on God. 22 Now that by your obedience to the truth you have purified yourselves and have come to have a sincere love for your fellow-believers, love one another earnestly with all your heart. 23 For through the living and eternal word of God you have been born again as the children of a parent who is immortal, not mortal.

Luke 24:13–35 TEV

13 On that same day two of Jesus’ followers were going to a village named Emmaus, about 11 kilometres from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking to each other about all the things that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed, Jesus himself drew near and walked along with them; 16 they saw him, but somehow did not recognize him. 17 Jesus said to them, “What are you talking about to each other, as you walk along?” They stood still, with sad faces. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only visitor in Jerusalem who doesn’t know the things that have been happening there these last few days?” 19 “What things?” he asked. “The things that happened to Jesus of Nazareth,” they answered. “This man was a prophet and was considered by God and by all the people to be powerful in everything he said and did. 20 Our chief priests and rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and he was crucified. 21 And we had hoped that he would be the one who was going to set Israel free! Besides all that, this is now the third day since it happened. 22 Some of the women of our group surprised us; they went at dawn to the tomb, 23 but could not find his body. They came back saying they had seen a vision of angels who told them that he is alive. 24 Some of our group went to the tomb and found it exactly as the women had said, but they did not see him.” 25 Then Jesus said to them, “How foolish you are, how slow you are to believe everything the prophets said! 26 Was it not necessary for the Messiah to suffer these things and then to enter his glory?” 27 And Jesus explained to them what was said about himself in all the Scriptures, beginning with the books of Moses and the writings of all the prophets. 28 As they came near the village to which they were going, Jesus acted as if he were going farther; 29 but they held him back, saying, “Stay with us; the day is almost over and it is getting dark.” So he went in to stay with them. 30 He sat down to eat with them, took the bread, and said the blessing; then he broke the bread and gave it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, but he disappeared from their sight. 32 They said to each other, “Wasn’t it like a fire burning in us when he talked to us on the road and explained the Scriptures to us?” 33 They got up at once and went back to Jerusalem, where they found the eleven disciples gathered together with the others 34 and saying, “The Lord is risen indeed! He has appeared to Simon!” 35 The two then explained to them what had happened on the road, and how they had recognized the Lord when he broke the bread.