Bible Reading Plan – Day 355

₄₅Many of the people who had come to visit Mary saw what Jesus did, and they believed in him. ₄₆But some of them returned to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. ₄₇So the Pharisees and the chief priests met with the Council and said, “What shall we do? Look at all the miracles this man is performing! ₄₈If we let him go on in this way, everyone will believe in him, and the Roman authorities will take action and destroy our Temple and our nation!”

₄₉One of them, named Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year, said, “What fools you are! ₅₀Don't you realize that it is better for you to let one man die for the people, instead of having the whole nation destroyed?” ₅₁Actually, he did not say this of his own accord; rather, as he was High Priest that year, he was prophesying that Jesus was going to die for the Jewish people, ₅₂and not only for them, but also to bring together into one body all the scattered people of God.

₅₃From that day on the Jewish authorities made plans to kill Jesus. ₅₄So Jesus did not travel openly in Judea, but left and went to a place near the desert, to a town named Ephraim, where he stayed with the disciples.

₅₅The time for the Passover Festival was near, and many people went up from the country to Jerusalem to perform the ritual of purification before the festival. ₅₆They were looking for Jesus, and as they gathered in the Temple, they asked one another, “What do you think? Surely he will not come to the festival, will he?” ₅₇The chief priests and the Pharisees had given orders that if anyone knew where Jesus was, he must report it, so that they could arrest him.

₁Six days before the Passover, Jesus went to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, the man he had raised from death. ₂They prepared a dinner for him there, which Martha helped to serve; Lazarus was one of those who were sitting at the table with Jesus. ₃Then Mary took half a litre of a very expensive perfume made of pure nard, poured it on Jesus' feet, and wiped them with her hair. The sweet smell of the perfume filled the whole house. ₄One of Jesus' disciples, Judas Iscariot — the one who was going to betray him — said, ₅“Why wasn't this perfume sold for 300 silver coins and the money given to the poor?” ₆He said this, not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief. He carried the money bag and would help himself from it.

₇But Jesus said, “Leave her alone! Let her keep what she has for the day of my burial. ₈You will always have poor people with you, but you will not always have me.”

₉A large number of people heard that Jesus was in Bethany, so they went there, not only because of Jesus but also to see Lazarus, whom Jesus had raised from death. ₁₀So the chief priests made plans to kill Lazarus too, ₁₁because on his account many Jews were rejecting them and believing in Jesus.

₁₂The next day the large crowd that had come to the Passover Festival heard that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem. ₁₃So they took branches of palm trees and went out to meet him, shouting, “Praise God! God bless him who comes in the name of the Lord! God bless the King of Israel!”

₁₄Jesus found a donkey and rode on it, just as the scripture says,

₁₆His disciples did not understand this at the time; but when Jesus had been raised to glory, they remembered that the scripture said this about him and that they had done this for him.

₁₇The people who had been with Jesus when he called Lazarus out of the grave and raised him from death had reported what had happened. ₁₈That was why the crowd met him — because they heard that he had performed this miracle. ₁₉The Pharisees then said to one another, “You see, we are not succeeding at all! Look, the whole world is following him!”

₂₀Some Greeks were among those who had gone to Jerusalem to worship during the festival. ₂₁They went to Philip (he was from Bethsaida in Galilee) and said, “Sir, we want to see Jesus.”

₂₂Philip went and told Andrew, and the two of them went and told Jesus. ₂₃Jesus answered them, “The hour has now come for the Son of Man to receive great glory. ₂₄I am telling you the truth: a grain of wheat remains no more than a single grain unless it is dropped into the ground and dies. If it does die, then it produces many grains. ₂₅Those who love their own life will lose it; those who hate their own life in this world will keep it for life eternal. ₂₆Whoever wants to serve me must follow me, so that my servant will be with me where I am. And my Father will honour anyone who serves me.

₂₇“Now my heart is troubled — and what shall I say? Shall I say, ‘Father, do not let this hour come upon me’? But that is why I came — so that I might go through this hour of suffering. ₂₈Father, bring glory to your name!”

Then a voice spoke from heaven, “I have brought glory to it, and I will do so again.”

₂₉The crowd standing there heard the voice, and some of them said it was thunder, while others said, “An angel spoke to him!”

₃₀But Jesus said to them, “It was not for my sake that this voice spoke, but for yours. ₃₁Now is the time for this world to be judged; now the ruler of this world will be overthrown. ₃₂When I am lifted up from the earth, I will draw everyone to me.” ₃₃(In saying this he indicated the kind of death he was going to suffer.)

₃₄The crowd answered, “Our Law tells us that the Messiah will live for ever. How, then, can you say that the Son of Man must be lifted up? Who is this Son of Man?”

₃₅Jesus answered, “The light will be among you a little longer. Continue on your way while you have the light, so that the darkness will not come upon you; for the one who walks in the dark does not know where he is going. ₃₆Believe in the light, then, while you have it, so that you will be the people of the light.”

After Jesus said this, he went off and hid himself from them. ₃₇Even though he had performed all these miracles in their presence, they did not believe in him, ₃₈so that what the prophet Isaiah had said might come true:

₃₉And so they were not able to believe, because Isaiah also said:

₄₁Isaiah said this because he saw Jesus' glory and spoke about him.

₄₂Even then, many of the Jewish authorities believed in Jesus; but because of the Pharisees they did not talk about it openly, so as not to be expelled from the synagogue. ₄₃They loved human approval rather than the approval of God.

₄₄Jesus said in a loud voice, “Whoever believes in me believes not only in me but also in him who sent me. ₄₅Whoever sees me sees also him who sent me. ₄₆I have come into the world as light, so that everyone who believes in me should not remain in the darkness. ₄₇If anyone hears my message and does not obey it, I will not judge him. I came, not to judge the world, but to save it. ₄₈Those who reject me and do not accept my message have one who will judge them. The words I have spoken will be their judge on the last day! ₄₉This is true, because I have not spoken on my own authority, but the Father who sent me has commanded me what I must say and speak. ₅₀And I know that his command brings eternal life. What I say, then, is what the Father has told me to say.”

₁It was now the day before the Passover Festival. Jesus knew that the hour had come for him to leave this world and go to the Father. He had always loved those in the world who were his own, and he loved them to the very end.

₂Jesus and his disciples were at supper. The Devil had already put into the heart of Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, the thought of betraying Jesus. ₃Jesus knew that the Father had given him complete power; he knew that he had come from God and was going to God. ₄So he rose from the table, took off his outer garment, and tied a towel round his waist. ₅Then he poured some water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet and dry them with the towel round his waist. ₆He came to Simon Peter, who said to him, “Are you going to wash my feet, Lord?”

₇Jesus answered him, “You do not understand now what I am doing, but you will understand later.”

₈Peter declared, “Never at any time will you wash my feet!”

“If I do not wash your feet,” Jesus answered, “you will no longer be my disciple.”

₉Simon Peter answered, “Lord, do not wash only my feet, then! Wash my hands and head, too!”

₁₀Jesus said, “Those who have had a bath are completely clean and do not have to wash themselves, except for their feet. All of you are clean — all except one.” ₁₁(Jesus already knew who was going to betray him; that is why he said, “All of you, except one, are clean.”)

₁₂After Jesus had washed their feet, he put his outer garment back on and returned to his place at the table. “Do you understand what I have just done to you?” he asked. ₁₃“You call me Teacher and Lord, and it is right that you do so, because that is what I am. ₁₄I, your Lord and Teacher, have just washed your feet. You, then, should wash one another's feet. ₁₅I have set an example for you, so that you will do just what I have done for you. ₁₆I am telling you the truth: slaves are never greater than their master, and messengers are never greater than the one who sent them. ₁₇Now that you know this truth, how happy you will be if you put it into practice!

₁₈“I am not talking about all of you; I know those I have chosen. But the scripture must come true that says, ‘The man who shared my food turned against me.’ ₁₉I tell you this now before it happens, so that when it does happen, you will believe that ‘I Am Who I Am.’ ₂₀I am telling you the truth: whoever receives anyone I send receives me also; and whoever receives me receives him who sent me.”