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This is how Luke tells the story of those final days after Jesus’ enters into Jerusalem as a king, albeit one who subverts the very nature of kingship.

(In that final week…) Jesus taught in the Temple each day, and he spent the nights outside the city on the Mount of Olives. Everyone got up early and came to the Temple to hear him teach.

The Feast of Unleavened Loaves, also called Passover, was near. The chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses were looking for a way to destroy Jesus, because they were afraid of what the people might do (under his leadership).

Then Satan, the Accuser, entered the heart of Judas, the one called Iscariot, who was one of the twelve apostles. Judas went to talk with the chief priests and the captains of the temple guards how he could help them arrest Jesus.  They were very pleased and offered to pay Judas in silver.  They came to an agreement and he started looking for a good chance to betray Jesus when the crowds were not around.

The day had come for the Feast of Unleavened Loaves, and it was time to [go to the Temple and] sacrifice their Passover lamb. So Jesus said to Peter and John, “Go and prepare the Passover meal for us to eat.”

But they asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the meal?” Jesus told them, “[On your way to the Temple,] as you go into the city, you will meet a male servant carrying a clay jar of water. Follow him into [the courtyard of] the house he enters, and say to the owner, ‘Our teacher wants to know where he can eat the Passover meal with his disciples.’ The owner will take you upstairs and show you a large room ready for you to use. Prepare the meal there.” Peter and John left, and then found everything just as Jesus had told them, and they prepared the Passover meal.

When the time came for Jesus and the apostles to eat, he reclined at the table with them, and said, “With such longing I have yearned to eat this Passover meal with you before my bitter struggle begins. I tell you, I will not have another Passover meal until the Passover is finally fulfilled in God’s kingdom.”

Jesus took a cup of wine in his hands and gave thanks to God. “Take this wine and share it with each other. I will not drink any more wine until God’s kingdom comes.”

Jesus took some bread in his hands and gave thanks for it. He broke the bread and handed it to his apostles. “This is my body, which is being offered for you. Do this in my memory.”

After the meal he took another cup of wine in his hands. Then he said, “This cup is the new covenant-in-my-blood, which is being shed for you. The one who will betray me is here at the table with me! The Son of Man does indeed go forth in the way that is necessary, but it will be awful for the betrayer!”

Then the apostles started arguing about who would ever do such a thing. This led to an argument about which one of them was the greatest. So Jesus told them: “Kings near and far order their people around, and powerful rulers call themselves everyone’s benefactor. But don’t be like them. The most important one of you should be like the one with the lowest standing, and your leader should be like a servant. Who do people think is greater, the one reclining at table or the one serving? Is it not the one reclining? Yet I am among you as one who is serving.

But you disciples have stayed with me through my trials. So, just as my Father gave me, I give you a kingdom, so you might eat and drink with me in my kingdom, and you will sit on thrones leading the twelve tribes of Israel.

Jesus said, “Simon, listen: The Accuser has begged to sift all of you like wheat, as farmers do when they separate wheat from the husks. But I have prayed that your faith, Simon, will be strong. And when you have come back to me, strengthen the others.”

Peter said, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to jail and even to die with you.”

Jesus replied, “Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don’t know me.” And he asked his disciples, “When I sent you out without even a moneybag, a traveling bag or sandals, was there anything you needed and didn’t have?” “Nothing.” they answered.

Jesus told them, “But now, if you have a moneybag, take it with you. Take a traveling bag too, and if you don’t have a knife, sell some of your clothes and buy one. Do this because the Scriptures say, ‘He was reckoned among the lawless.’ This was written about me, and it will soon come true.”

The disciples said, “Lord, here are two knives!” “That is enough.” Jesus replied.

Jesus went out to the Mount of Olives, as he often did that week, and his disciples went with him.  When they got there, he told them, “Pray that you won’t be put on trial.”

Jesus walked on a little way before he knelt down and prayed, “Father, if it is your will, don’t lead me to go through with this. Yet, not my will, but yours, come to pass.”

Then an angel from heaven came to strengthen him.

Jesus was in great pain and prayed so sincerely that his sweat fell to the ground like drops of blood.

He got up from praying and went over to his disciples. They were asleep, utterly worn out from being so full of sorrow. He said to them, “Why are you asleep? Wake up and pray that you won’t be put on trial.”

While Jesus was still speaking, a crowd came up. It was led by Judas, one of the twelve apostles. He went over to Jesus and gave him the kiss of greeting.

Jesus asked Judas, “Are you betraying the Son of Man with the kiss of greeting?”

When Jesus’ disciples realized what was about to happen, they asked, “Lord, should we attack them with our knives?” One of the disciples even struck at the high priest’s servant with his knife and cut off the servant’s right ear.

“That’s enough!” Jesus said. Then he touched the servant’s ear and healed it.

Jesus spoke to the chief priests, the temple guards, and the leaders who had come to arrest him. He said, “Why do you come out with swords and clubs and treat me like a criminal? I was with you every day in the Temple, and you didn’t seize me. But this is your time, and darkness is in control.”

Jesus was seized, and led away to the house of the high priest, while Peter followed at a distance. Some people built a fire in the middle of the high priest’s courtyard and were warming themselves around it. Peter sat there with them, and a servant girl saw him. After she had looked at him carefully, she said, “This man was with Jesus!”

Peter said, “Woman, I don’t even know that man!”

A little later someone else saw Peter and said, “You are one of them!”

“No, I’m not!” Peter replied.

About an hour later another insisted, “This man must have been with Jesus. They both come from Galilee.”

Peter replied, “I don’t know what you are talking about!” Right then, while Peter was still speaking, a rooster crowed.

[From across the courtyard] The Lord turned and looked at Peter. And Peter remembered that the Lord had said, “Before a rooster crows tomorrow morning, you will say three times that you don’t even know me.” Then Peter went out and wept bitterly.

The men who were guarding Jesus made fun of him and beat him. They put a blindfold on him and said, “Now tell us who struck you!” They kept on insulting and bullying Jesus over and over again.

At daybreak the nation’s leaders, the chief priests, and the teachers of the Law of Moses got together and brought Jesus before their executive council. They said, “Tell us! Are you the Messiah, the Anointed One?”

Jesus replied, “If I said so, you wouldn’t believe me. And if I asked you a question, you wouldn’t answer. But from now on, the Son of Man will be seated at the right side of God All-Powerful.”

Then they asked, “So you are the Son of God?”

Jesus said, “Your words and actions say I am!”

They replied, “Why do we need more witnesses? He said it himself!”

Everyone in the council got up and led Jesus off to Pilate, the Roman governor of the region.  They started accusing him and said, “We caught this man trying to get our people to revolt and to stop paying taxes to the Emperor. He also claims that he is an Anointed One, a king.”

Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the king of the Judeans?”

“Your words and actions are saying it,” Jesus answered.

Pilate told the chief priests and the crowd, “I don’t find him guilty of anything.”

But they all kept on saying, “He has been causing trouble with his teaching all over Judea. He started down in Galilee and has now come all the way up here.”

When Pilate heard this, he asked, “Is this man from Galilee?” After Pilate learned that Jesus came from a different region, ruled by Herod, he sent him to Herod, who happened to be in Jerusalem at that time.

For a long time Herod had wanted to see Jesus and was very happy because he finally had this chance. He had heard a lot about Jesus and hoped to see him work a miracle.

Herod asked him a lot of questions, but Jesus didn’t answer. Then the chief priests and the teachers of the Law of Moses stood up and accused him of all kinds of rebellious things.

Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus and insulted him. They put an amazing robe on him and sent him back to Pilate. That same day Herod and Pilate became friends, even though they had been enemies before this.

Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people. He told them, “You brought Jesus to me and said he was a threat to public order. But I have questioned him here in front of you, and I have not found him guilty of anything that you say he has done. Herod also did not find him guilty and sent him back to me. This man doesn’t deserve to be put to death! I’m just going to have him beaten with a whip and set free.”

But the whole crowd shouted, “No, do away with this one! Give us the son of Ahbas!” Now Bar-Ahbas was in prison because he had started a revolt in the city and had murdered someone. Pilate wanted to get away with setting Jesus free, so he again tried to reason with the crowds. But they kept shouting, “Crucify him! Nail him to a cross!”

Pilate again spoke to them: a third time, “But what crime has he done? I have not found him guilty of anything for which he should be executed. I will have him beaten with a whip and released.”

The people kept on shouting as loud as they could for Jesus to be executed.

Finally, Pilate gave in: He freed the man who was in jail for insurrection and murder, because he was the one the crowd wanted to be freed, and he handed Jesus over to his soldiers for crucifixion, to carry out the will of the crowd and their leaders.

As Jesus was being led away, some soldiers grabbed hold of a man from Cyrene named Simon. He was coming in from the fields, but they put the big cross bar on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.

A large crowd was following Jesus, and in the crowd a lot of women were crying and weeping for him. Jesus turned to the women and said:

Women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me! Cry for yourselves and for your children. Someday people will say, “Women who never had children are really fortunate!” At that time everyone will say to the mountains, “Please, fall upon us!” They will say to the hills, “Please, hide us!” For if they carry out this execution when the tree is full of sap, what will happen when it is dead and dry?

Two criminals were led out to be executed with Jesus. When the soldiers came to the place called “Golgotha – the Skull,” they nailed Jesus to the cross bar and mounted him on the post. They did the same to the two criminals, and put one on each side of Jesus.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people! They have no idea what they’re doing.”

While the crowd stood there watching Jesus, the soldiers gambled for his clothes. The leaders insulted him by saying, “He saved others. Now he should save himself, if he really is God’s chosen Anointed One!”

The soldiers made fun of Jesus and brought him some bitter wine. They said, “If you are the king of the Judeans, save yourself!”

Above him was a sign that said, “This is the King of the Judeans.”

One of the criminals hanging there also insulted Jesus by saying, “Aren’t you the Anointed One? Save yourself and save us!”

But the other criminal told the first one off, “Don’t you fear God? Aren’t you getting the same punishment as this man? We got what was coming to us, but he didn’t do anything wrong.” Then he said to Jesus, “Remember me when you begin your reign!”

Jesus replied, “I promise that today you will be with me in paradise.”

Around noon the sky turned dark and remained so until the middle of the afternoon. The sun stopped shining, and the curtain in the temple split down the middle. Jesus crying out in a loud voice, Jesus said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit!” With that, he died.

When the Roman officer saw what happened, he praised God and said, “This, truly, was an upright man.”

A crowd had gathered to see the spectacle. Then after they had seen it, they were brokenhearted and went home. All who knew him, and the women who had come with him from Galilee, stood at a distance and watched.

There was a man named Joseph, who was from Arimathea in Judea. Joseph was a just and honest man, and he was eager for God’s reign to begin. He was also a member of the Executive Council, but he did not agree with what they had decided.

Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. He took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in fine cloth. He had a tomb that had never been used, cut from solid rock, and he laid the body in the tomb.

May God bless this reading, and may it bear fruit in our lives. Amen.