The Easter Story - from the Bible

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The Easter Story - from the Bible

 

by the New Living Translation of the Bible

 

" For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, so that

everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life.

God did not send His Son into the world to condemn it,but to save it "

 

The Last Supper (Mark chapter 14)

 

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.

In the evening Jesus arrived with the twelve disciples. 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. " Greatly distressed, one by one they began to ask

Him, " I'm not the one, am I? " He replied, " It is one of you twelve,

one who is eating with Me now. 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! "

 

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. "

 

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. And He said to them, " This is My

blood, poured out for many, sealing the covenant between God and His

people. I solemnly declare that I will not drink wine again until

that day when I drink it new in the Kingdom of God. "

 

Then they sang a hymn and went out to the Mount of Olives.

 

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

 

And they came to an olive grove called Gethsemane, and Jesus

said, " Sit here while I go and pray. "

 

He took Peter, James, and John with Him, and He began to be filled

with horror and deep distress. He told them, " My soul is crushed with

grief to the point of death. Stay here and watch with Me. " 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. " 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. " 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? Keep alert and pray. Otherwise

temptation will overpower you. For though the spirit is willing

enough, the body is weak. "

 

Then Jesus left them again and prayed, repeating His pleadings.

 

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. 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. Up, let's be going.

See, My betrayer is here! " Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested.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. 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. "

 

As soon as they arrived, Judas walked up to Jesus. " Teacher! " he

exclaimed, and gave Him the kiss. Then the others grabbed Jesus and

arrested him. But someone pulled out a sword and slashed off an ear

of the high priest's servant. Jesus asked them,

 

" Am I some dangerous criminal, that you come armed with swords and

clubs to arrest Me? Why didn't you arrest Me in the Temple? I was

there teaching every day. But these things are happening to fulfill

what the Scriptures say about Me. "

 

Meanwhile, all His disciples deserted Him and ran away. There was a

young man following along behind, clothed only in a linen nightshirt.

When the mob tried to grab him, they tore off his clothes, but he

escaped and ran away naked.

 

Jesus is Crucified (Mark chapter 15 )

 

So 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. They dressed Him in a purple robe

and made a crown of long, sharp thorns and put it on His head. Then

they saluted, yelling, " Hail! King of the Jews! " And they beat Him on

the head with a stick, spit on Him and dropped to their knees in mock

worship. When 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.A man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, was

coming in from the country just then, and they forced him to carry

Jesus' cross. And they brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha

(which means Skull Hill). They offered Him wine drugged with myrrh,

but He refused it. Then they nailed Him to the cross. They gambled

for His clothes, throwing dice to decide who would get them.It was

nine o'clock in the morning when the crucifixion took place. A

signboard was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the

charge against Him. It read: " The King of the Jews. " Two criminals

were crucified with Him, their crosses on either side of His. And 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? Well then, save yourself and come

down from the cross! "

 

The leading priests and teachers of religious law also mocked

Jesus. " He saved others, " they scoffed, " but He can't save himself!

Let 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.

 

The Death of Jesus

 

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.

Then, 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? " Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought He was

calling for the prophet Elijah. One 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.

 

Then Jesus uttered another loud cry and breathed His last. And the

curtain in the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. When the

Roman officer who stood facing Him saw how He had died, he

exclaimed, " Truly, this was the Son of God! " Some women were there,

watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother

of James the younger and of Joseph) and Salome. They had been

followers of Jesus and had cared for Him while He was in Galilee.

Then they and many other women had come with Him to Jerusalem.

 

The Burial of Jesus

 

This all happened on Friday, the day of preparation, the day before

the Sabbath. As evening approached, an honored member of the high

council, Joseph from Arimathea (who was waiting for the Kingdom of

God to come), gathered his courage and went to Pilate to ask for

Jesus' body. Pilate couldn't believe that Jesus was already dead, so

he called for the Roman military officer in charge and asked him. The

officer confirmed the fact, and Pilate told Joseph he could have the

body. Joseph bought a long sheet of linen cloth, and taking Jesus'

body down from the cross, he wrapped it in the cloth and laid it in a

tomb that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in

front of the entrance. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph

saw where Jesus' body was laid.

 

The Resurrection - Jesus Is Risen! (Mark chapter 16 )

 

The next evening, when the Sabbath ended, Mary Magdalene, Salome and

Mary the mother of James went out and purchased burial spices to put

on Jesus' body. Very early on Sunday morning, just at sunrise, they

came to the tomb. On the way they were discussing who would roll the

stone away from the entrance to the tomb. But when they arrived, they

looked up and saw that the stone - a very large one - had already

been rolled aside. So they entered the tomb, and there on the right

sat a young man clothed in a white robe. The women were startled, but

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. Now 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! " The women fled from the tomb, trembling and

bewildered, saying nothing to anyone because they were too frightened

to talk.

 

It 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. She went and found the disciples, who were

grieving and weeping. But when she told them that Jesus was alive and

she had seen Him, they didn't believe her.

 

Afterward 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. When they realized who He was, they rushed

back to tell the others, but no one believed them.

 

Still 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.

 

And then He told them, " Go into all the world and preach the Good News

to everyone, everywhere. Anyone who believes and is baptized will be

saved. But anyone who refuses to believe will be condemned. These

signs will accompany those who believe: They will cast out demons in

My name, and they will speak new languages. They 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. "

 

When the Lord Jesus had finished talking with them, He was taken up

into heaven and sat down in the place of honor at God's right hand.

And the disciples went everywhere and preached, and the Lord worked

with them, confirming what they said by many miraculous signs.

God loves you so much that He send His son Jesus Christ to die for

your sins. After His resurrection and ascension into heaven, He sent

His Spirit to live in our lives and empower us to live the abundant

life. But we must personally ask Him into our lives to be our Lord

and Savior. If you are sincere about asking Him into your life, why

don't you pray the suggested prayer below:

 

(Prayer is talking to God. God knows your heart and is not as

concerned with your words as He is with the attitude of your heart.)

 

Prayer:

 

Lord Jesus, I want to know You personally. Thank You for dying on the

cross for my sins. I open the door of my life to You and ask you to

come in as my Savior and Lord. Take control of my life. Thank You for

forgiving my sins and giving me eternal life. Make me the kind of

person You want me to be. Amen.

 

Bow to Shri Sai - Peace be to all