Jesus Dies at Golgotha

The chief priests took Jesus to the governor's palace. Pilate asked them: 'What accusations do you have against this man?'  They said:  'He claims to be a king!'   Pilate asked Jesus: "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus replied:  "My Kingdom is no part of this world."

Then Pilate sent Jesus to Herod, the ruler of Galilee, to see if he could find anything against him. Herod could not find anything wrong with Jesus and sent him back to Pilate.  Then Pilate told the people:  'Neither Herod nor I find anything against this man. I will set  him free.'  The crowd shouted:  'Kill him!  Kill him!'  Soldiers beat Jesus with a whip, spat on him, and hit him. They put a crown of thorns on his head and mockingly said:  'Good day, King of the Jews.'  Again Pilate told the crowd:  'I found nothing wrong in this man.'  But they shouted;  "To the stake with him!"  So  Pilate handed him over to be executed.

They took Jesus to a place called Golgotha, nailed him to a stake, and raised it up.  Jesus prayed:  'Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do. '  People made fun of Jesus, saying:  'If you are God's Son, come down off that stake! Save yourself.'

One of the criminals hanging next to him said:  "Remember me when you get into your Kingdom."  Jesus  promised him:  "You will be with me in Paradise.'  In the afternoon, a darkness lasted for three hours fell over the land.  Some of the disciples stood near the stake, including Mary, Jesus' mother. Jesus told John to take care of Mary as if she were own mother. 

Finally, Jesus said:  "It has been accomplished!"  He bowed his head and took his last breath. At that moment, there was a powerful earthquake. In the temple, the heavy curtain between the Holy and the Most Holy was ripped in half. An army officer said: 'This really is God's Son.'

"No matter how many the promises of God are, they have become 'yes' by means of him." -CORINTHIANS 1:20

Matthew 27:11-14,22, 31, 38-56; Mark 15:2-5, 12-18, 25, 29-33, 37-39; Luke 23:1-25, 32, 49; John 18:28-19:30.

Next time: Jesus Is Resurrected

From the jw.org publications

Peter Denies Jesus

When Jesus was with his apostles in the  upper room, he said to them:  'All of you will abandon me tonight.' Peter said: 'Not I!  Even if all the others leave you, I will never leave you.' But Jesus told Peter:'Before a rooster crows, you will say three times, that you don't know me.'  

When the soldiers took Jesus to the house of Caiaphas, most of the apostles fled.  But two of them followed in the crowd. One of them was Peter. He went into the courtyard of the house of Caiaphas and warmed himself by the fire. In the light, a servant girl saw Peter's face and said:  'I know you!  You were with Jesus!' 

Peter said:  'No I wasn't! I don't know what you're talking about!' He headed toward the gate. But soon another servant girl saw him and told the crowd:  'This man was with Jesus!'  Peter said: 'I don't even know Jesus!'  A man said:  'You are one of them!  I can tell from your accent  that you are from Galilee, Like Jesus.'  But Peter swore: 'I don't know him!'

At that moment, a rooster crowd. Peter saw Jesus turn and look at him. He remembered Jesus' words, and he went outside and wept bitterly.

In the meantime, the Sanhedrin convened t to put Jesus on trial inside the house of Caiaphas. They already decided to kill Jesus, and not they were looking for a reason.  But they could not find anything against him.   Finally, Caiaphas asked Jesus directly. 'Are you the Son of God?'  Jesus said:  'I am.'  Caiaphas said:  'We don't need anymore evidence. This is blasphemy!'   The court agreed:  'This man must die.'  They slapped Jesus, spat on him, covered his eyes, and hit him, saying:  'If you are a prophet, tell us who hit you!' 

When it became day, they took Jesus to the Sanhedrin hall and asked him again:  'Are you the Son of God?' Jesus answered:  'You are saying that I am.'  They found him guilty of blasphemy and took him to the palace of Pontius, the Roman governor. What happened next?  Let's find out. 

"The hour . .  . has come, when each of you will be scattered to his own house and you will leave me alone. But I am alone,  because the Father is with me." - JOHN  16:32.

Matthew 26:31-35, 57-27:2; Mark 14:27-31m 53-15:1; Luke 22:25-71; John 13:36-38; 18:15-18, 25-28,

Next time: Jesus Dies at Golgotha

From the jw.org publications 

Jesus Is Arrested

Jesus and his apostles walked through the Kidron Valley to the Mount of Olives. It was after midnight, and the moon was full.  When they arrived at the Garden of Gethsemane, Jesus said to them: "Stay here and keep on the watch."  Then Jesus went a little way into the garden and fell on his knees. In great distress, he prayed to Jehovah: "Let your will be done." Then Jehovah sent an angel to encourage Jesus. When Jesus went back to the apostles, he found three of them sleeping.  He said:  'Wake up!  This is not the time to be sleeping!  The hour has come for me to be given into the hands of my enemies.'

Soon Judas arrived, leading a large mob armed with swords and clubs. He knew where to find Jesus because they had often come to this garden. Judas had told the soldiers that would identify Jesus for them.  He went right up to Jesus and said: 'Greetings, Teacher,' And then he kissed him.  Jesus said: 'Judas are  you betraying me with a kiss? 

Jesus stepped forward and asked the mob:  "Whom are you looking for?'  They said:  "Jesus the Nazarene."  Then he answered:  "I am he," and the men drew back and fell to the ground. Again Jesus asked the mob: "Whom are you looking for?" Again they said:  "Jesus the Nazarene." Jesus answered: 'I told you  that I am he. Let these men  go.'


When Peter realized what was happening, he pulled out a sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, a slave of the high priest.  But Jesus touched the man's ear and healed him.  They he said to Peter:  'Put your sword away. if you fight with a sword, you will die by the sword.' The soldiers seized Jesus and tied his hands, and the apostles ran away . They the mob took him to Anna, the priest. Annas interrogated Jesus and sent him to the house of the High Priest Caiaphas. But what happened to the apostles? 

"In the world you will have tribulation, but take courage!  I have conquered the world. - JOHN 16:33. 

Matthew 26:36-57; Mark 14:32-59; Luke 22:39-54; John 18:1-14, 19-24.

Next time: Peter Denies Jesus

From the jw.org publications

Jesus' Last Supper

The Jews celebrated the Passover every year on the 14th day of the month of Nisan. This was to remind them of how Jehovah had set them free from slavery in Egypt and brought them over to the Promised Land.  In the year 33 C.E., Jesus and his apostles celebrated the Passover in an upper room in Jerusalem. At the end of the meal, Jesus said:  'One of you is going to betray me.'  The apostles were shocked, and they asked Jesus: 'Who is it?'  Jesus said;  'It is the man to whom I give this bread.'  Then he gave a piece of bread to Judas Iscariot. Immediately, Judas got up and left the room.

Jesus then said a prayer, broke some bread into pieces, and handed it to the remaining apostles.    He said:  'Drink this wine. It represents my blood, which i will give so that sins can forgiven. I promise that you will be kings with me in heaven.  Do this every year in remembrance of me.'   Jesus' followers still meet together on that evening every year. That meeting is now called the Lord's Evening Meal. 

After the meal, the apostles argued over which one of them is the most important. But Jesus told them: 'The one greatest among you  is the one who sees himself as the youngest, the least important one.

'You are my friends. I tell you everything the Father wants me to tell you. Soon I'm going to my Father in heaven. You will remain behind, and people will know that you are my disciples by the love that you have for one another just as I have loved you.' 

Finally, Jesus prayed, asking Jehovah to protect all his disciples. He asked Jehovah to help them to work together in peace. He prayed for Jehovah's name to be sanctified. Then Jesus and his apostles sang praises to Jehovah and went outside.  The time was near for Jesus to be arrested.

"Have no fear, little flock, for your Father has approved of giving you the Kingdom." - LUKE 12:32.

Matthew 26:20-30; Luke 22:14-26; John 13:1, 2, 26, 30, 34, 35; 15:12-19; 17:3-26. 

Next time: Jesus Is Arrested

From the jw.org publications

Jesus Resurrects Lazarus

Jesus had three very close friends who lived in Bethany.  They were Lazarus and his two sisters, Mary and Martha.  One day,  while Jesus was on the other side of the Jordan. Mary and Martha sent him an urgent message.  'Lazarus is very sick.  Please come quickly!' But Jesus did not go right away. He waited for two more days and then said to his disciples:  'Let's go to Bethany. Lazarus is sleeping, and I am going to wake him up.' The apostle said:  'If  Lazarus is asleep, that will help him get well.' So Jesus told them clearly:  'Lazarus has died.'

When Jesus arrived at Bethany, Lazarus had already been buried for four days. Crowds of people had come to comfort Mary and Martha.  When Martha heard that Jesus had come, she rushed to meet him.  She said: 'Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.'  Jesus told her:  'Your brothers will live again. Do  you believe this Martha?'  She said:  'I believe that he will rise again in the resurrection.'  Jesus said to her: 'I am the resurrection and the life.'

Then Martha went to Mary and told her: 'Jesus is here.'  Mary ran to Jesus, and the crowd followed. She fell down at his feet, and could not stop crying.  She said:  'Lord, if you had been ere, our brother would still be alive!'  Jesus saw how much she was suffering, and he also began to cry.  When the crowd saw his tears, the said:  'See how Jesus loved Lazarus.'  But some wondered:  'Why didn't he save his friend?' What would Jesus do next? 

Jesus went to the tomb, where a large stone covered the entrance.  He commanded:  'Roll the stone away.'  Martha said: 'But it has been four days!  His body will smell.'  Still, the rolled the stone away, and  Jesus prayed:  'Father, thank your for hearing me. I know that you always hear me, but I speak aloud so that these people may know that you sent me. '  Then he called out in a loud voice: "Lazarus, come out!"   Something amazing happened:  Lazarus came out of the tomb, still wrapped in linen cloths. Jesus said:  "Free him and let him go."

Many who saw this put faith in Jesus.  But some went and told the Pharisees.  From then on, the Pharisees wanted to kill both Lazarus and Jesus.  One  of the twelve apostles, Judas Iscariot, secretly went to the Pharisees and asked:  'How much will you pay me to  help you find Jesus?  They agreed to pay 30 pieces of silver, and Judas began to look  for an opportunity to hand Jesus over to the Pharisees.

"The true God is for us a God who saves; and Jehovah the Sovereign Lord provides escape from death." - PSALM 68:20. 

Matthew 26:14-16; John 11:1-53; 12:10.

Next time: Jesus' Last Supper

From the jw.org publications

Jesus Cures on the Sabbath

The Pharisees hated Jesus and want to find a reason to arrest him. They said that he should not heal sick people on the Sabbath. One Sabbath, Jesus found a blind man begging on the street.  He told his disciples:  'See how God's power will help this man.' Jesus mixed his own saliva with dirt to make a paste and then he put it on the man's eyes. Jesus told him: 'Go and wash your eyes in the pool of Siloam.'  The man did that, and then for the first time in his life, he could see. 

People were shocked.  They said:  'Is this the man who use to sit and beg, or is it just someone who looks like him?' The man said: 'I was born blind!' The people asked him:  'Why aren't you blind anymore?' When he told them what happened, the took him  to the Pharisees. 

The man told the Pharisees:  'Jesus put paste on my eyes and told me to go wash it off.  I did,  and now I can see.'  The Pharisees said:  'If Jesus cures on the  Sabbath, his power cannot be from God.' But others said:  'If his power were not from God he would not be able to cure at all.'

The Pharisees called the man's parents and asked:  'How is it that your son can now see?' He parents were afraid because the Pharisees had said that anyone who faith in Jesus would be thrown  out of the synagogue.  So they said;  'We don't know. Ask him yourself.'  The Pharisees asked the man more questions until he said;  'I've told you all I know. Why do you keep asking me?' The Pharisees were angry and they threw him out. 

Jesus went to find the man, and asked him:  'Do you have faith in the Messiah?'  The man said:  'I would if I knew who he was.'  Jesus said:  'I am the Messiah.' Was that not kind of Jesus?  Not only did he cure the man but he also helped him to have faith. 

"You are mistaken, because you know neither the Scriptures nor the power of God." -MATTHEW 22:29.

John 9:1-41. 

Next time:  Jesus Resurrects Lazarus

From the jw.org publications

Jesus Walks on Water

Not only could Jesus heal the sick and resurrect the dead but he could also control the wind and the rain. After praying on the mountain, Jesus looked down at the Sea of Galilee and saw a storm. His apostles were in their boat, struggling to row against the wind.  Jesus came down and began to walk on the water toward their boat. When the apostles saw someone walking on the water, they became frightened. But Jesus told them: 'It is I. Don't be afraid.' 

Peter said:  'Lord, if it's really you, command me to come to you.' Jesus told Peter:  'Come to me.'  So in the middle of the storm, Peter got out of the boat and walked on the water toward Jesus.  But as he got near him,  Peter at the storm and became afraid. He felt himself start to sink. Peter shouted:  'Lord, save me!'  Jesus caught his hand, saying:  'Why did you begin to doubt?  Where is you faith?'

Jesus and Peter climbed into the boat, and immediately, the storm stopped>  Can you imagine how the apostles felt?  They said:  "Your really are God's Son." 

This was not the only time that Jesus controlled the weather. At another time, when Jesus and the apostles sailed to the other side of the sea, Jesus went to sleep in the back of the boat. While he was sleeping, a violent storm came up. Waves crashed into the boat, and the boat filled with water. The  apostles woke Jesus up, shouting: 'Teacher, we are about to die! Help us!' Jesus got up and said to the sea: "Be quiet!"  Right away, the wind and the sea became calm. Jesus asked the apostles:  'Where is your faith?'  They said to one another:  "Even the wind and the sea obey him."  The apostles learned that if they trusted Jesus completely, they did not need to be afraid. 

"Where would I be if I did not have faith that I would see Jehovah's goodness in the land of the living?" - PSALM 27:13.

Matthew 8:23-27; 14:23-34; Mark 4:35-41:6:45-52; Luke 8:22-25; John 6:16-23.

Next time: Jesus Cures on the Sabbath

From the jw.org publications

Jesus Feeds Thousands

Just before Passover of the year 32 C.E., the apostles returned from a preaching tour. They were tired, so Jesus took them by boat to Bethsaida, where they could rest.  But when the boat came near the shore, Jesus saw that thousands of people had followed them there. Even though Jesus wanted to be alone with his apostles, he welcomed the people kindly.  He cured their sick ones and began to teach them. All day long, Jesus taught them about God's Kingdom.  When evening fell, his apostles came to him and said:  "The people must be hungry. Send them away so that they can get something to eat.'

Jesus said:  'They do not have to leave. Give them something to eat here.' 'The apostles asked:  'Do you want us to go buy  bread for them?'  Philip, one the apostle said: 'Even if we had a lot of money, we could not buy enough bread for this crowd.'

Jesus asked:  'How much food do we have?'  Andrew said:  'We have five loaves of bread and two small fish.  That is not near enough.'  Jesus said:  'Bring me the bread and the fish.'  He told the people to sit on the grass in groups of 50 and of 100.   Jesus took  the loaves and the fish, looked up to heaven, and prayed.  Then he gave the food to the apostles, and they handed it out to the people.  The 5,000 men and the women and children all ate until they were full. Afterward, the apostles collected what was left over, so that nothing was wasted. There were 12 baskets full!  That was an amazing miracle, wasn't it?

The people were so impressed that they wanted to make Jesus their king. But Jesus knew that it was not Jehovah's time for him to be king.  So he sent the crowds away and told his apostles to go to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.  They got into their boa, and Jesus went up into the mountain by himself. Why? Because he wanted some time to pray to his Father. No matter how busy he was, Jesus always made time for prayer.

"Work, not for the food that perishes, but for the food that remains for everlasting life, which the Son of man will give you." - JOHN 6:27.

Matthew 14:14-22; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-15. 

Next time: Jesus Walks on Water

From the jw.org publications

Jesus Teaches His Disciples How to Pray

Everything the Pharisees did was to impress people. If they did something kind, it was so that others would notice.  They prayed in public places so that everyone could see them.  The Pharisees memorized long prayers and repeated them in synagogues and on street corners where others could hear them.  So the pe0ple were surprised when Jesus told them: 'Don't pray like the pharisees.  They think that God will be impressed by their many words, but he is not.  Prayer is between you and Jehovah. Don't say the same things over and over. Jehovah wants you to tell him how you really feel inside.

'This is how you pray: 'Let thy heavenly Father Jehovah be sanctified. Let your  Kingdom come, let your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Jesus also told them that they should pray for their food for the day, for their sins to be forgiven, and about other personal matters.

Jesus said: 'Never stop praying. Keep on asking your Father, Jehovah, for good things. Every parent wants to give good things to his child. If your son asks you for bread, will you give him a stone?  If he asks for a fish, will you give a snake?

The Jesus explained the lesson:  'If you know how to give good things to your children, how much more so will your Father, give holy spirit to you? All you need to do is ask.'  'Do you follow Jesus' advice?  What sort of things do you pray about? 

"Keep on asking, and it will given you; keep on seeking, and you will find; keep on knocking, and it will be opened to you. - MATTHEW 7:7.

Matthew 6:2-18; 7:7-11; Luke 11:13.

Next time: Jesus Feeds Thousands 

From the jw. org publications 

The Sermon on the Mount

After choosing the twelve apostles, Jesus came down from the mountain to a place where a large crowd was gathered. They had come from Galilee, Judea, Tyre, Syria, and the other side of the Jordan.  They brought people who were suffering from diseases and some who were tormented by demons. Jesus healed them all. Then he sat down on the mountainside and began to speak.  He explained what we must do if we want to be friends of God. We must realize  that we need Jehovah and learn to love him. But we cannot love god if we do not love other people. We must be king and fair to everyone, even our enemies.

Jesus said:  'It is not enough to love just your friends. You also need to love your enemies and to forgive  people from your heart. If someone is upset with you, go to him right away and apologize.  Treat others as you would want them to treat you.'

Jesus also gave people good advice about material things. He said:  'It's more important to be Jehovah's friend than to have a lot of money. A thief can steal your money, but no one can steal your friendship with Jehovah.  Stop worrying about what you eat, drink or wear. Look at the birds. God always makes sure  that they have enough to eat. Worrying will not make you live one day longer. Remember, Jehovah knows what you need.  

The crowds had never heard anyone speak as Jesus did.  Their religious leaders had not taught them these things.  Why was Jesus such a great teacher? Because everything he taught came from Jehovah.

"Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am mild-tempered and lowly in heart, and you will find refreshment for yourselves." - MATTHEW 11:29.

Matthew 4:24-5:48; 6:19-34; 7:28, 29; Luke 6:17-31. 

Next time: Jesus Teaches His Disciples How to Pray

From the jw.org publications