Now just before the Feast of the Passover this incident took place. Jesus knew that the time had come for Him to leave this world and go to the Father; and having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end.

"What I am doing," answered Jesus, "for the present you do not know, but afterwards you shall know."

For He knew who was betraying Him, and that was why He said, "You are not all of you clean."

You call me 'The Rabbi' and 'The Master,' and rightly so, for such I am.

For I have set you an example in order that you may do what I have done to you.

"It is the one," answered Jesus, "for whom I shall dip this piece of bread and to whom I shall give it." Accordingly He dipped the piece of bread, and took it and gave it to Judas, the son of the Iscariot Simon.

Some, however, supposed that because Judas had the money-box Jesus meant, "Buy what we require for the Festival," or that he should give something to the poor.

Dear children, I am still with you a little longer. You will seek me, but, as I said to the Jews, 'Where I am going you cannot come,' so for the present I say to you.

In my Father's house there are many resting-places. Were it otherwise, I would have told you; for I am going to make ready a place for you.

And if I go and make ready a place for you, I will return and take you to be with me, that where I am you also may be.

And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Advocate to be for ever with you--the Spirit of truth.

He who has no love for me does not obey my teaching; and yet the teaching to which you are listening is not mine, but is the teaching of the Father who sent me.

"You heard me say to you, 'I am going away, and yet I am coming to you.' If you loved me, you would have rejoiced because I am going to the Father; for the Father is greater than I am.

In future I shall not talk much with you, for the Prince of this world is coming. And yet in me he has nothing;

I am the Vine, you are the branches. He who continues in me and in whom I continue bears abundant fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.

If any one does not continue in me, he is like the unfruitful branch which is at once thrown away and then withers up. Such branches they gather up and throw into the fire and they are burned.

"If you continue in me and my sayings continue in you, ask what you will and it shall be done for you.

No one has greater love than this--a man laying down his life for his friends.

If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own property. But because you do not belong to the world, and I have chosen you out of the world--for that reason the world hates you.

"If I had not come and spoken to them, they would have had no sin; but as the case stands they are without excuse for their sin.

But I have spoken these things to you in order that when the time for their accomplishment comes you may remember them, and may recollect that I told you. I did not, however, tell you all this at first, because I was still with you.

"Yet it is the truth that I am telling you--it is to your advantage that I go away. For unless I go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send Him to you.

But when He has come--the Spirit of Truth--He will guide you into all the truth. For He will not speak as Himself originating what He says, but all that He hears He will speak, and He will make known the future to you.

You will put no questions to me then. "In most solemn truth I tell you that whatever you ask the Father for in my name He will give you.

As yet you have not asked for anything in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your hearts may be filled with gladness.

for the Father Himself holds you dear, because you have held me dear and have believed that I came from the Father's presence.

"Remember that the time is coming, nay, has already come, for you all to be dispersed each to his own home and to leave me alone. And yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me.

For the truths which Thou didst teach me I have taught them. And they have received them, and have known for certain that I came out from Thy presence, and have believed that Thou didst send me.

"I am making request for them: for the world I do not make any request, but for those whom Thou hast given me. Because they are Thine,

"Nor is it for them alone that I make request. It is also for those who trust in me through their teaching;

Now Judas also, who at that very time was betraying Him, knew the place, for Jesus had often resorted there with His disciples.

Jesus therefore, knowing all that was about to befall Him, went out to meet them. "Who are you looking for?" He asked them.

"For Jesus the Nazarene," was the answer. "I am he," He replied. (Now Judas who was betraying Him was also standing with them.)

Again therefore He asked them, "Who are you looking for?" "For Jesus the Nazarene," they said.

"I have told you," replied Jesus, "that I am he. If therefore you are looking for me, let these my disciples go their way."

He made this request in order that the words He had spoken might be fulfilled, "As for those whom Thou hast given me, I have not lost one."

They then brought Him to Annas first; for Annas was the father-in-law of Caiaphas who was High Priest that year.

(It was this Caiaphas who had advised the Jews, saying, "It is to your interest that one man should die for the People.")

Now because it was cold the servants and the police had lighted a charcoal fire, and were standing and warming themselves; and Peter too remained with them, standing and warming himself.

"As for me," replied Jesus, "I have spoken openly to the world. I have continually taught in some synagogue or in the Temple where all the Jews are wont to assemble, and I have said nothing in secret.

So they brought Jesus from Caiaphas's house to the Praetorium. It was the early morning, and they would not enter the Praetorium themselves for fear of defilement, and in order that they might be able to eat the Passover.

"So then *you* are a king!" rejoined Pilate. "Yes," said Jesus, "you say truly that I am a king. For this purpose I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world--to give testimony for the truth. Every one who is a friend of the truth listens to my voice."

As soon then as the High Priests and the officers saw Him, they shouted "To the cross! To the cross!" "Take him yourselves and crucify him," said Pilate; "for I, at any rate, find no crime in him."

"We," replied the Jews, "have a Law, and in accordance with that Law he ought to die, for having claimed to be the Son of God."

Upon receiving this answer, Pilate was for releasing Him. But the Jews kept shouting, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar's. Every one who sets himself up as king declares himself a rebel against Caesar."

It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about six o'clock in the morning. Then he said to the Jews, "There is your king!"

Many of the Jews read this notice, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was in three languages--Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.

So the soldiers, as soon as they had crucified Jesus, took His garments, including His tunic, and divided them into four parts--one part for each soldier. The tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.

So they said to one another, "Do not let us tear it. Let us draw lots for it." This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, "They shared my garments among them, and drew lots for my clothing." That was just what the soldiers did.

Meanwhile the Jews, because it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and in order that the bodies might not remain on the crosses during the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was one of special solemnity)

For all this took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled which declares, "Not one of His bones shall be broken."

After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but for fear of the Jews a secret disciple, asked Pilate's permission to carry away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and removed the body.

Taking down the body they wrapped it in linen cloths along with the spices, in accordance with the Jewish mode of preparing for burial.

Therefore, because it was the day of Preparation for the Jewish Passover, and the tomb was close at hand, they put Jesus there.

For until now they had not understood the inspired teaching, that He must rise again from among the dead.

"Why are you weeping?" He asked; "who are you looking for?" She, supposing that He was the gardener, replied, "Sir, if you have carried him away, tell me where you have put him and I will remove him."

"Do not cling to me," said Jesus, "for I have not yet ascended to the Father. But take this message to my brethren: 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.'"

On that same first day of the week, when it was evening and, for fear of the Jews, the doors of the house where the disciples were, were locked, Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, "Peace be to you!"

"Throw the net in on the right hand side," He said, "and you will find fish." So they threw the net in, and now they could scarcely drag it along for the quantity of fish.

This made the disciple whom Jesus loved say to Peter, "It is the Master." Simon Peter therefore, when he heard the words, "It is the Master," drew on his fisherman's shirt--for he had not been wearing it--put on his girdle, and sprang into the water.

But the rest of the disciples came in the small boat (for they were not far from land--only about a hundred yards off)

As soon as they landed, they saw a charcoal fire burning there, with fish broiling on it, and bread close by.

"Come this way and have breakfast," said Jesus. But not one of the disciples ventured to question Him as to who He was, for they felt sure that it was the Master.

And while in their company He charged them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for the Father's promised gift. "This you have heard of," He said, "from me.

For John indeed baptized with water, but before many days have passed you shall be baptized with the Holy Spirit."

"It is not for you," He replied, "to know times or epochs which the Father has reserved within His own authority;

They entered the city, and they went up to the upper room which was now their fixed place for meeting. Their names were Peter and John, James and Andrew, Philip and Thomas, Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon the Zealot, and Judas the brother of James.

For Judas was reckoned as one of our number, and a share in this ministry was allotted to him."

(Now having bought a piece of ground with the money paid for his wickedness he fell there with his face downwards, and, his body bursting open, he became disembowelled.

"For it is written in the Book of Psalms, "'Let his encampment be desolate: let there be no one to dwell there'; and "'His work let another take up.'

and they saw tongues of what looked like fire distributing themselves over the assembly, and on the head of each person a tongue alighted.

For this is not intoxication, as you suppose, it being only the third hour of the day.

I will display marvels in the sky above, and signs on the earth below, blood and fire, and pillars of smoke.

But God has raised Him to life, having terminated the throes of death, for in fact it was not possible for Him to be held fast by death.

For David says in reference to Him, "'I constantly fixed my eyes upon the Lord, because He is at my right hand in order that I may continue unshaken.

For this reason my heart is glad and my tongue exults. My body also shall rest in hope.

For Thou wilt not leave me in the Unseen World forsaken, nor give up Thy holy One to undergo decay.

For David did not ascend into Heaven, but he says himself, "'The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand

For to you belongs the promise, and to your children, and to all who are far off, whoever the Lord our God may call."

Fear came upon every one, and many marvels and signs were done by the Apostles.

One day Peter and John were going up to the Temple for the hour of prayer--the ninth hour--and, just then,

Seeing Peter and John about to go into the Temple, he asked them for alms.

and recognizing him as the man who used to sit at the Beautiful Gate of the Temple asking for alms, they were filled with awe and amazement at what had happened to him.

and that He may send the Christ appointed beforehand for you--even Jesus.

Moses declared, "'The Lord your God will raise up a Prophet for you from among your brethren as He has raised me. In all that He says to you, you must listen to Him.

They arrested the two Apostles and lodged them in custody till the next day; for it was already evening.

And in no other is the great salvation to be found; for, in fact, there is no second name under Heaven that has been given among men through which we are to be saved."

"What are we to do with these men?" they asked one another; for the fact that a remarkable miracle has been performed by them is well known to every one in Jerusalem, and we cannot deny it.

As for us, what we have seen and heard we cannot help speaking about."

The Court added further threats and then let them go, being quite unable to find any way of punishing them on account of the people, because all gave God the glory for the thing that had happened.

For the man was over forty years of age on whom this miracle of restoration to health had been performed.

And, in fact, there was not a needy man among them, for all who were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the money which they realised,

with her full knowledge and consent, dishonestly kept back part of the price which he received for it, though he brought the rest and gave it to the Apostles.

"Ananias," said Peter, "why has Satan taken possession of your heart, that you should try to deceive the Holy Spirit and dishonestly keep back part of the price paid you for this land?

Peter at once questioned her. "Tell me," he said, "whether you sold the land for so much." "Yes," she replied, "for so much."

Upon this the Commander went with the officers, and brought the Apostles; but without using violence; for they were afraid of being stoned by the people.

"We strictly forbad you to teach in that name--did we not?" he said. "And see, you have filled Jerusalem with your teaching, and are trying to make us responsible for that man's death!"

But a Pharisee of the name of Gamaliel, a teacher of the Law, held in honour by all the people, rose from his seat and requested that they should be sent outside the court for a few minutes.

Years ago Theudas appeared, professing to be a person of importance, and a body of men, some four hundred in number, joined him. He was killed, and all his followers were dispersed and annihilated.

And now I tell you to hold aloof from these men and leave them alone--for if this scheme or work is of human origin, it will come to nothing.