Day 40:Mark 16:9-20-Jesus’ final instructions

⁹It was early on Sunday morning when Jesus rose from the dead, and the first person who saw him was Mary Magdalene, the woman from whom he had cast out seven demons. ¹⁰She went and found the disciples, who were grieving and weeping. ¹¹But when she told them that Jesus was alive and she had seen him, they didn’t believe her. ¹²Afterward he appeared to two who were walking from Jerusalem into the country, but they didn’t recognize him at first because he had changed his appearance. ¹³When they realized who he was, they rushed back to tell the others, but no one believed them. ¹⁴Still later he appeared to the eleven disciples as they were eating together. He rebuked them for their unbelief–their stubborn refusal to believe those who had seen him after he had risen. ¹⁵And then he told them, “Go into all the world and preach the Good News to everyone, everywhere. ¹⁶Anyone who believes and is baptized will be saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. ¹⁷These signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in my name, and they will speak new languages. ¹⁸They will be able to handle snakes with safety, and if they drink anything poisonous, it won’t hurt them. They will be able to place their hands on the sick and heal them.” ¹⁹When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, he was taken up into heaven and sat down in the place of honour at God’s right hand. ²⁰And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked with them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

Day 39:Mark 16:1-8-The resurrection of Jesus

¹The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene and Salome and Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put on Jesus’ body. ²Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they came to the tomb. ³On the way they were discussing who would roll the stone away from the entrance to the tomb. ⁴But when they arrived, they looked up and saw that the stone–a very large one–had already been rolled aside. ⁵So they entered the tomb, and there on the right sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, ⁶but the angel said, “Do not be so surprised. You are looking for Jesus, the Nazarene, who was crucified. He isn’t here! He has been raised from the dead! Look, this is where they laid his body. ⁷Now go and give this message to his disciples, including Peter: Jesus is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there, just as he told you before he died!” ⁸The women fled from the tomb, trembling and bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened to talk.

Day 38:Mark 15:21-47

²¹A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene was coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. (Simon is the father of Alexander and Rufus.) ²²And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means Skull Hill). ²³They offered him wine drugged with myrrh, but he refused it. ²⁴Then they nailed him to the cross. They gambled for his clothes, throwing dice to decide who would get them. ²⁵It was nine o’clock in the morning when the crucifixion took place. ²⁶A signboard was fastened to the cross above Jesus’ head, announcing the charge against him. It read: “The King of the Jews.” ²⁷Two criminals were crucified with him, their crosses on either side of his. ²⁹And the people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery. “Ha! Look at you now!” they yelled at him. “You can destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, can you? ³⁰Well then, save yourself and come down from the cross!” ³¹The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked Jesus. “He saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! ³²Let this Messiah, this king of Israel, come down from the cross so we can see it and believe him!” Even the two criminals who were being crucified with Jesus ridiculed him. ³³At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ³⁴Then, at that time Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ³⁵Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ³⁶One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a stick so he could drink. “Leave him alone. Let’s see whether Elijah will come and take him down!” he said. ³⁷Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed his last. ³⁸And the curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. ³⁹When the Roman officer who stood facing him saw how he had died, he exclaimed, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

Day 37:Mark 15:1-20-Jesus before the Romans

¹Very early in the morning the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law–the entire high council–met to discuss their next step. They bound Jesus and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor. ²Pilate asked Jesus, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Yes, it is as you say.” ³Then the leading priests accused him of many crimes, ⁴and Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to say something? What about all these charges against you?” ⁵But Jesus said nothing, much to Pilate’s surprise. ⁶Now it was the governor’s custom to release one prisoner each year at Passover time–anyone the people requested. ⁷One of the prisoners at that time was Barabbas, convicted along with others for murder during an insurrection. ⁸The mob began to crowd in toward Pilate, asking him to release a prisoner as usual. ⁹”Should I give you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. ¹⁰(For he realized by now that the leading priests had arrested Jesus out of envy.) ¹¹But at this point the leading priests stirred up the mob to demand the release of Barabbas instead of Jesus. ¹²”But if I release Barabbas,” Pilate asked them, “what should I do with this man you call the King of the Jews?” ¹³They shouted back, “Crucify him!” ¹⁴”Why?” Pilate demanded. “What crime has he committed?” But the crowd only roared the louder, “Crucify him!” ¹⁵So Pilate, anxious to please the crowd, released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to crucify him. ¹⁶The soldiers took him into their headquarters and called out the entire battalion. ¹⁷They dressed him in a purple robe and made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on his head. ¹⁸Then they saluted, yelling, “Hail! King of the Jews!” ¹⁹And they beat him on the head with a stick, spit on him, and dropped to their knees in mock worship. ²⁰When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.

Day 36:Mark 14:53-72-Jesus and Peter on trial

⁵³Jesus was led to the high priest’s home where the leading priests, other leaders, and teachers of religious law had gathered. ⁵⁴Meanwhile, Peter followed far behind and then slipped inside the gates of the high priest’s courtyard. For a while he sat with the guards, warming himself by the fire. ⁵⁵Inside, the leading priests and the entire high council were trying to find witnesses who would testify against Jesus, so they could put him to death. But their efforts were in vain. ⁵⁶Many false witnesses spoke against him, but they contradicted each other. ⁵⁷Finally, some men stood up to testify against him with this lie: ⁵⁸”We heard him say, `I will destroy this Temple made with human hands, and in three days I will build another, made without human hands.’ “⁵⁹But even then they didn’t get their stories straight! ⁶⁰Then the high priest stood up before the others and asked Jesus, “Well, aren’t you going to answer these charges? What do you have to say for yourself?” ⁶¹Jesus made no reply. Then the high priest asked him, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the blessed God?” ⁶²Jesus said, “I am, and you will see me, the Son of Man, sitting at God’s right hand in the place of power and coming back on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶³Then the high priest tore his clothing to show his horror and said, “Why do we need other witnesses? ⁶⁴You have all heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?” And they all condemned him to death. ⁶⁵Then some of them began to spit at him, and they blindfolded him and hit his face with their fists. “Who hit you that time, you prophet?” they jeered. And even the guards were hitting him as they led him away. ⁶⁶Meanwhile, Peter was below in the courtyard. One of the servant girls who worked for the high priest ⁶⁷noticed Peter warming himself at the fire. She looked at him closely and then said, “You were one of those with Jesus, the Nazarene.” ⁶⁸Peter denied it. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, and he went out into the entryway. Just then, a rooster crowed ⁶⁹The servant girl saw him standing there and began telling the others, “That man is definitely one of them!” ⁷⁰Peter denied it again. A little later some other bystanders began saying to Peter, “You must be one of them because you are from Galilee.” ⁷¹Peter said, “I swear by God, I don’t know this man you’re talking about.” ⁷²And immediately the rooster crowed the second time. Suddenly, Jesus’ words flashed through Peter’s mind: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and cried.

Day 35: Mark 14:32-51-Jesus in the garden

³² And they came to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus said, “Sit here while I go and pray.” ³³ He took Peter, James, and John with him, and he began to be filled with horror and deep distress. ³⁴ He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with me.” ³⁵ He went on a little farther and fell face down on the ground. He prayed that, if it were possible, the awful hour awaiting him might pass him by. ³⁶ “Abba, Father,” he said, “everything is possible for you. Please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will, not mine.” ³⁷ Then he returned and found the disciples asleep. “Simon!” he said to Peter. “Are you asleep? Couldn’t you stay awake and watch with me even one hour? ³⁸ Keep alert and pray. Otherwise temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing enough, the body is weak.” ³⁹ Then Jesus left them again and prayed, repeating his pleadings. ⁴⁰ Again he returned to them and found them sleeping, for they just couldn’t keep their eyes open. And they didn’t know what to say. ⁴¹ When he returned to them the third time, he said, “Still sleeping? Still resting? Enough! The time has come. I, the Son of Man, am betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴² Up, let’s be going. See, my betrayer is here!” ⁴³ And immediately, as he said this, Judas, one of the twelve disciples, arrived with a mob that was armed with swords and clubs. They had been sent out by the leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the other leaders. ⁴⁴ Judas had given them a prearranged signal: “You will know which one to arrest when I go over and give him the kiss of greeting. Then you can take him away under guard.” ⁴⁵

Day 34:Mark 14:12-31-the last supper

¹² On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread (the day the Passover lambs were sacrificed), Jesus’ disciples asked him, “Where do you want us to go to prepare the Passover supper?” ¹³ So Jesus sent two of them into Jerusalem to make the arrangements. “As you go into the city,” he told them, “a man carrying a pitcher of water will meet you. Follow him. ¹⁴ At the house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks, Where is the guest room where I can eat the Passover meal with my disciples?’ ¹⁵ He will take you upstairs to a large room that is already set up. That is the place; go ahead and prepare our supper there.” ¹⁶ So the two disciples went on ahead into the city and found everything just as Jesus had said, and they prepared the Passover supper there. ¹⁷ In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples. ¹⁸ As they were sitting around the table eating, Jesus said, “The truth is, one of you will betray me, one of you who is here eating with me.” ¹⁹ Greatly distressed, one by one they began to ask him, “I’m not the one, am I?” ²⁰ He replied, “It is one of you twelve, one who is eating with me now. ²¹ For I, the Son of Man, must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for my betrayer. Far better for him if he had never been born!” ²² As they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and asked God’s blessing on it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it, for this is my body.” ²³ And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them, and they all drank from it.

Day 33:Mark 14:1-11-A woman anoints Jesus

It was now two days before the Passover celebration and the Festival of Unleavened Bread. The leading priests and the teachers of religious law were still looking for an opportunity to capture Jesus secretly and put him to death. ² “But not during the Passover,” they agreed, “or there will be a riot.” ³ Meanwhile, Jesus was in Bethany at the home of Simon, a man who had leprosy. During supper, a woman came in with a beautiful jar of expensive perfume. She broke the seal and poured the perfume over his head. ⁴ Some of those at the table were indignant. “Why was this expensive perfume wasted?” they asked. ⁵ “She could have sold it for a small fortune and given the money to the poor!” And they scolded her harshly. ⁶ But Jesus replied, “Leave her alone. Why berate her for doing such a good thing to me? ⁷ You will always have the poor among you, and you can help them whenever you want to. But I will not be here with you much longer. ⁸ She has done what she could and has anointed my body for burial ahead of time. ⁹ I assure you, wherever the Good News is preached throughout the world, this woman’s deed will be talked about in her memory.” ¹⁰ Then Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve disciples, went to the leading priests to arrange to betray Jesus to them. ¹¹ The leading priests were delighted when they heard why he had come, and they promised him a reward. So he began looking for the right time and place to betray Jesus.

Day 32: Mark 13-Things to come

As Jesus was leaving the Temple that day, one of his disciples said, “Teacher, look at these tremendous buildings! Look at the massive stones in the walls!” ² Jesus replied, “These magnificent buildings will be so completely demolished that not one stone will be left on top of another.” ³ Later, Jesus sat on the slopes of the Mount of Olives across the valley from the Temple. Peter, James, John, and Andrew came to him privately and asked him, ⁴ “When will all this take place? And will there be any sign ahead of time to show us when all this will be fulfilled?” ⁵ Jesus replied, “Don’t let anyone mislead you, ⁶ because many will come in my name, claiming to be the Messiah. They will lead many astray. ⁷ And wars will break out near and far, but don’t panic. Yes, these things must come, but the end won’t follow immediately. ⁸ Nations and kingdoms will proclaim war against each other, and there will be earthquakes in many parts of the world, and famines. But all this will be only the beginning of the horrors to come. ⁹ But when these things begin to happen, watch out! You will be handed over to the courts and beaten in the synagogues. You will be accused before governors and kings of being my followers. This will be your opportunity to tell them about me. ¹⁰ And the Good News must first be preached to every nation. ¹¹ But when you are arrested and stand trial, don’t worry about what to say in your defence. Just say what God tells you to. Then it is not you who will be speaking, but the Holy Spirit. ¹² “Brother will betray brother to death, fathers will betray their own children, and children will rise against their parents and cause them to be killed. ¹³ And everyone will hate you because of your allegiance to me. But those who endure to the end will be saved. ¹⁴ The time will come when you will see the sacrilegious object that causes desecration standing where it should not be”-reader, pay attention! “Then those in Judea must flee to the hills. ¹⁵ A person outside the house must not go back into the house to pack. ¹⁶ A person in the field must not return even to get a coat. ¹⁷ How terrible it will be for pregnant women and for mothers nursing their babies in those days. ¹⁸ And pray that your flight will not be in winter. ¹⁹ For those will be days of greater horror than at any time since God created the world. And it will never happen again. ²⁰ In fact, unless the Lord shortens that time of calamity, the entire human race will be destroyed. But for the sake of his chosen ones he has shortened those days. ²¹ And then if anyone tells you, ‘Look, here is the Messiah,’ or, ‘There he is,’ don’t pay any attention. ²² For false messiahs and false prophets will rise up and perform miraculous signs and wonders so as to deceive, if possible, even God’s chosen ones. ²³ Watch out! I have warned you!

²⁴ “At that time, after those horrible days end,

the sun will be darkened,

the moon will not give light,

²⁵ the stars will fall from the sky,

and the powers of heaven will be shaken.

Day 31:Mark 12:28-44-The most important commandment

²⁸ One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the discussion. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?” ²⁹ Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord. ³⁰ And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ ³¹ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” ³² The teacher of religious law replied, “Well said, Teacher. You have spoken the truth by saying that there is only one God and no other. ³³ And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbours as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” ³⁴ Realizing this man’s understanding, Jesus said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.” And after that, no one dared to ask him any more questions. ³⁵ Later, as Jesus was teaching the people in the Temple, he asked, “Why do the teachers of religious law claim that the Messiah will be the son of David? ³⁶ For David himself, speaking under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, said,

‘The LORD said to my Lord,

Sit in honour at my right hand

until I humble your enemies beneath your feet.’