And then if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is Christ,' or 'Look, there He is,' do not believe him.

In the same way also, when you see these things happening, you [should] know that He [i.e., Jesus] is as near as your [front] door.

But no one knows when that day or that hour will come; not even the angels in heaven or the Son of God know, but only the Father does.

So, be alert, because you do not know when the owner of the house will return, whether [some] evening, at midnight, at dawn, or at [mid-] morning.

Now the Passover Festival and the Festival of Unleavened Bread were held two days later. [Note: This was the annual Jewish Festival week commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership. The unleavened bread was specially baked bread containing no yeast, which was eaten for seven days as part of the celebration]. And the leading priests and experts in the law of Moses were looking for a way to take Jesus by trickery and kill Him.

But some [of the disciples. See Matt. 26:8] were upset among themselves, saying, "What is the reason for wasting this perfume?

It might have been sold for a large sum of money and the money given to poor people. [Note: The amount indicated here was equivalent to days of a farm laborer's pay, or over $20,000 in 1994]. And they complained about her [doing this].

But Jesus said, "Let her alone. Why are you bothering this woman? For she has done a kind deed to me.

And when they [i.e., the leading priests] realized this, they were very pleased and promised to give him money. So, Judas began looking for a convenient way to turn Jesus over to these Jewish leaders.

Now on the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread [i.e., the beginning of the Passover Festival week], when they sacrificed the Passover [lamb], Jesus' disciples said to Him, "Where do you want us to go to make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?"

And wherever he enters a house [follow him inside and] say to the owner, 'The Teacher says, where is my guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?'

And as they were eating He took a [small] loaf of bread, and when He had asked God's blessing on it, He broke it and gave [pieces] to His disciples and said, "Take this, it is [i.e., represents] my [physical] body."

Then He took a cup [i.e., probably wine made from fresh or possibly preserved grape juice], and when He had given thanks to God, He passed it to them and they all drank from it.

He said to them, "My soul is extremely grieved, even to the point where I could die. Stay here and be alert [i.e., in prayer]."

And He went on ahead a short distance and fell to the ground and prayed for that hour [i.e., that time of terrible grief] to pass away from Him, if it were at all possible.

And when He came back and found His disciples sleeping He said to Peter, "Simon, are you sleeping? Could you not stay alert [in prayer] for one hour?

And He came back a third time and said to them, "Go ahead and sleep now and get your rest. That is enough; the time has come. See, the Son of man is about to be turned over into the hands of sinners.

And immediately, as Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve apostles came with a crowd who were carrying swords and clubs. [They had come] from the leading priests, the experts in the law of Moses and the [Jewish] elders.

But a certain disciple that was standing nearby [i.e., Peter. See John 18:10] drew his sword and struck the head priest's servant [i.e., Malchus. See John 18:10], shearing off his ear.

Now the leading priests and the entire Council [called the "Sanhedrin"] were looking for [false] witnesses to testify against Jesus in order to put Him to death, but did not find any.

But Jesus kept quiet and did not give them any answer. Again the head priest asked Him, "Are you the Christ [i.e., God's specially chosen one]?"

Now when Peter was in the courtyard downstairs [i.e., from where the Sanhedrin was having its meeting. See verse 55], one of the head priest's servant girls came in,

and seeing Peter warming himself by the fire, she looked at him and said, "You were with Jesus from Nazareth, too."

But he denied it, saying, "I do not know or understand what you are talking about." Then he went out onto the porch and the rooster crowed.

But again he denied it. Then after a little while those standing nearby said to Peter again, "We know for sure that you are one of them because you are from Galilee." [Note: Peter's accent gave him away. See Matt. 26:73].

Then Peter began to curse and swear, saying, "I do not know this man you are talking about."

Pilate asked Him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered him, "You have said so."

So, Pilate again asked Him, "Do you not have any answer? Look at how many charges they are bringing against you."

Then the soldiers led Jesus away to the courtyard of the governor's headquarters, where they assembled the entire battalion.

This 'Christ, the king of Israel,' let him now come down from the cross so we can see it and believe in him." And the thieves who were being crucified with Him also spoke abusively to Him.

Then at three o'clock Jesus shouted in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama, sabachthani?" [Note: These words were in the commonly spoken Aramaic language], which being interpreted, means "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"

And there were also some women watching all this from a distance. Among them were Mary from Magdala; Mary the mother of the younger James and [his brother] Joseph [i.e., probably the wife of Clopas. See John 19:25]; and Salome [i.e., the mother of James and John and wife of Zebedee. See Matt. 27:56].

These women had ministered to Jesus' needs when they followed Him from Galilee. Others watching were many women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.

[Now] Mary from Magdala and Mary the mother of Joseph [See verse 40] saw where the body was laid.

They were questioning among themselves, "Who will roll away the stone from the entrance of the cave for us?"

As they were entering the cave, they were amazed when they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting at the right side of the entrance.

He said to them, "Do not be amazed. You are looking for Jesus from Nazareth, who was crucified, [are you not]? He has risen from the dead. He is not here. Look at the place where they laid Him.

So, they left, running out of the cave, [and] trembling with amazement. And they said nothing to anyone about this for they were afraid.

Then she went and told those disciples who had been with Him what had happened. They were sorrowful and began to cry.

After these things happened, Jesus showed Himself in a different form to two disciples [Note: One was named Cleopas. See Luke 24:13-18], as they were walking out into the countryside [i.e., to the village of Emmaus, about seven miles northwest of Jerusalem. See Luke 24:13].

So then, after the Lord Jesus had spoken to them He was taken up to heaven, where He sat down at the right side of God.

Your Excellency Theophilus: Since so many people have undertaken the task of compiling a narrative of events that have happened among us,

[that is, people] who were ministers of the word and original eyewitnesses [of these events], and who passed them on to us; [and since]

But the angel said to him, "Do not be afraid Zacharias, for your earnest prayer has been heard. Your wife Elizabeth will give birth to a son and you will name him John.

For he will be great in the sight of the Lord and he will not drink any wine or intoxicating drinks [Note: This restriction suggests that John may have taken the special vow of consecration making him a "Nazarite"]. And he will be filled with the Holy Spirit from the time he is born.

Now the people who waited [outside] for Zacharias were very surprised that he was staying in the Temple so long.

The angel came to her and said, "Greetings, you are someone greatly favored [i.e., by God]; the Lord is with you."

And consider this, your relative Elizabeth is also pregnant with a son in spite of her old age, and [even though] she was said to be unable to have children, she is now six months along.

Then she spoke out in a loud voice and said, " [Mary], you are [truly] blessed [from] among [all] women, and the child you will bear [i.e., Jesus] is blessed [as well].

For listen, when I heard your voice greeting me, the baby in my womb "kicked" for joy.

He has demonstrated power with His arm. He has scattered those who are proud in the thoughts of their heart.

(As He said to our forefathers), He has helped His servants, the Israelites, [showing] that He remembered to be merciful

And it happened on the eighth day [i.e., since the baby was born] that they came to circumcise the child [i.e., to perform the Jewish rite of identity, signifying the responsibility to observe the law of Moses]. And they [i.e., probably the neighbors and/or relatives of Elizabeth and Zacharias] suggested that they name him Zacharias, after his father.

And they replied to her, " [But] there are not any of your relatives named that."

Then Zacharias asked for a writing tablet and wrote [the words] "His name is John." And they were all amazed.

Then all those who lived in the area became afraid; and people were talking about all these things throughout the entire hill country of Judea.

And everyone who heard about this incident remembered it [i.e., for some time]. They were saying, "What will this child become? For the hand of the Lord was [surely] with him."

[He has provided] salvation from our enemies, and from the [destructive] hand of all those who hate us,

in order to show mercy to our forefathers and to remember His holy Agreement.

[This Agreement was] the oath by which He swore to Abraham, our forefather,

that we would be delivered from the [destructive] hand of our enemies and [then] serve Him without fear

by living holy and righteous lives before Him all of our days.

to shine on those who are sitting in darkness and [are under] the shadow of death, and to direct our feet into the way of peace."

And it happened while they were there that the due date came for her to have the baby.

Now there were [some] shepherds in that region who were living in the fields and guarding their flocks [of sheep] at night.

[Suddenly] an angel from the Lord [was seen] standing near them and the glorious presence of the Lord shone around them, and they were very afraid.

Then suddenly there appeared with the angel a large number of the heavenly "army" [i.e., of angels], who were praising God and saying,

"May there be glory to God in the highest [heavens], and may there be peace on earth among men who are pleasing to God."

Then when the days of their purification according to the law of Moses were completed [Note: This was a set procedure required for a Jewish mother on the birth of a child. See Lev. 12:1-8], Joseph and Mary brought Jesus up to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.

They came to offer a sacrifice of two doves or two young pigeons, in accordance with what is written in the law of Moses.

"Master, you may now allow your servant to be released [i.e., die] in peace, according to what you said.

For my eyes have seen your salvation [i.e., Jesus],

[to be] a light for revealing [God's way of salvation] to the [unconverted] Gentiles, and a [source of] glory to your people, the Israelites."

And Jesus' [step-] father and His mother were amazed at the things said about Him.

Then Simeon [asked God to] bless them and said to Jesus' mother Mary, "Look, many Israelites will be caused to fall [i.e., into spiritual ruin] or rise [i.e., to spiritual renewal] because of Him. And [He will be] a 'sign' [for people] to speak against,

and has been a widow [all these years], and is now eighty-four years old.) She has never left the Temple, but worships [God] by fasting [i.e., going without food and/or water for religious reasons] and praying night and day.

She came forward at that very time and thanked God [in prayer] and spoke about the child [Jesus] to everyone [in the Temple area] who was expecting the redemption of the people of Jerusalem [i.e., their liberation from sin].

Now Jesus' parents went to Jerusalem every year to attend the Passover Festival. [Note: This was the annual Jewish festival commemorating Israel's deliverance from Egyptian bondage under Moses' leadership].

And when they had completed [all] the days [of festivities], and were returning [home], the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. Now His parents did not know this,

And all of them who heard Him were amazed at His understanding [i.e., of spiritual matters] and His answers [to questions they would ask Him].

When His parents [finally] saw Him, they were very surprised and His mother asked Him, "Son, why have you treated us this way? Look, your [step-] father and I have been anxiously searching for you."

And He replied to them, "Why were you looking for me? Did you not know that I had to be in my Father's house [i.e., the Temple]?"

Now it was the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod was ruler of Galilee, his brother Philip was ruler of the regions of Ituraea and Trachonitus [Note: These two men were sons of Herod the Great (See Matt. 2:1) and ruled over provinces east of the Jordan River] and Lysanias was ruler of Abilene [Note: This was a province just north of the two previously mentioned ones].

[During this time], while Annas and Caiaphas [Note: This man was Annas' son-in-law. See John 18:13] were head priests, God's message came to John [the Immerser], son of Zacharias, [when he was] in the desert [of Judea].

Demonstrate by your lives that you have [really] repented, and quit saying to yourselves, 'We claim Abraham as our forefather,' because I tell you, God is able to make Abraham's children out of these stones.

Then the crowds asked him, "What then must we do [i.e., to demonstrate our repentance]?"

Then some tax collectors came to him to be immersed and asked him, "Teacher, what must we do [i.e., to demonstrate our repentance]?"

And he answered them, "Do not collect any more [tax money] than you are required to."

Some soldiers on duty also asked him, "And what must we do [i.e., to demonstrate our repentance]?" And he answered them, "Do not force people to give you money or accuse them falsely, and be content with your pay."

Now as people were anticipating [what would happen] and everyone was wondering in their hearts if perhaps John were the Christ [i.e., God's specially chosen one],

and the Holy Spirit came down on Him in a physical form, as a dove, and a voice spoke out of heaven [saying], "You are my dearly loved Son. I am very pleased with you."

who was the son of Melchi, who was the son of Addi, who was the son of Cosam, who was the son of Elmadam, who was the son of Er,

Then Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan River [i.e., where He had been immersed. See 3:21] and was led by the Holy Spirit [See Matt. 4:1] into the desert.

Then the devil said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, command this stone to turn into bread."

And Jesus answered him, "It is written [Deut. 6:13], 'You are supposed to worship the Lord, your God, and serve only Him.'"

Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and placed Him on the elevated wing of the Temple and said to Him, "If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here,

And Jesus answered him, "It is said [Deut. 6:16], 'You shall not put the Lord your God to the test.'"

Jesus then went to Nazareth where He had been brought up. He entered the synagogue on the Sabbath day, according to His custom, and stood up to read [the Scriptures].

The book [i.e., actually a scroll] of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Him. He opened the book and found the passage where it was written [Isa. 61:1f],

"The Holy Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He anointed me [i.e., specially chose me] to preach good news to poor people. He has sent me to proclaim freedom to those who are captives [i.e., to sin]; recovery of sight to the [spiritually as well as physically] blind; to set free those who are oppressed [i.e., by Satan] and