Promise for Today - Reaching Back for Salvation

18 Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit.
19 So he went and preached to the spirits in prison— 20 those who disobeyed God long ago when God waited patiently while Noah was building his boat. Only eight people were saved from drowning in that terrible flood. 21 And that water is a picture of baptism, which now saves you, not by removing dirt from your body, but as a response to God from a clean conscience. It is effective because of the resurrection of Jesus Christ.

1 Peter 3:18-21 NLT

6 That is why the Good News was preached to those who are now dead[a]—so although they were destined to die like all people,[b] they now live forever with God in the Spirit. 

1 Peter 4:6 NLT

I wanted to share some thoughts and Scriptures and dig a little deeper regarding Christ’s time on Holy Saturday. My personal belief is that Jesus descended into Hades to take back the keys to death and the grave, freeing those held in "Abraham’s Bosom" (or Paradise) until salvation was made possible through Christ's perfect sacrifice.

Scriptural Context:
Our Promises for Today - 1 Peter 3:18-21 & 4:6: These passages suggest Christ preached to the spirits in Hades—specifically those who rejected God during the time of Noah. This was an announcement of His triumph on the Cross, sealing the fate of the lost while bringing the Good News to the dead.

And Revelation 1:18: "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death."

Understanding Abraham’s Bosom:
According to resources like Christianity.com, Abraham’s Bosom is viewed as a temporary holding place for the righteous dead prior to the Resurrection. Because the way to the direct presence of God was not yet opened (Hebrews 9:8), even the righteous remained there until the sin debt was paid. Ephesians 4:8–10 suggests that after His death, Christ "led captivity captive," emptying this compartment and bringing the faithful into heaven. Today, to be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord, according to 2 Corinthians 5:8.

Another Point to Ponder
The High Priesthood and Mary Magdalene:
I also found an interesting perspective from the Israel Bible Center regarding why Jesus told Mary not to touch Him in the garden, yet later invited Thomas to do so. It relates to the purity requirements of the High Priest. As our ultimate High Priest, Jesus was preparing to minister in the heavenly tabernacle (Hebrews 9:11). Just as a priest required seven days of ordination, Jesus needed to remain in a consecrated state to complete His mission in the presence of God without delay or defilement. By the time He saw Thomas eight days later, His priestly work was complete.

While Abraham’s Bosom may no longer function as it once did, understanding it highlights the completeness of Christ’s work. He didn't just save us moving forward; He reached back through time to bring the faithful dead into the fulfilled promise of salvation.

Prayer:

Father,

          Thank You for revealing Your Word to us. Thank You for every minute detail of the plan You implemented for salvation - Reveal them all to us, O God, King of the Universe. Holy Spirit, lead us into all Truth according to the Word. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - The Assignment Should You Choose to Accept It

In those days John the Baptist came preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!” For this is he who was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying:
“The voice of one crying in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord; Make His paths straight.’ ”
Matthew 3:1-3 NKJV

How do we prepare the way for something or someone? We can clear obstacles or defeat them. We could provide an introduction to either the person or the subject, thus making the way easier. That is what John did.

How could people be prepared to receive Christ if they didn't recognize their need for Him? How would they know they needed Him unless they first acknowledged their sin? One text writes, "John prepared the way for Jesus by preparing others to welcome Him."1

Do we prepare others to welcome Him? Are we preparing the way of the Lord? He's coming soon...

Prayer:

Father,
We pray as Reverend Charles Halle prayed, O Lord God, at the first coming of your Son Jesus Christ, you sent John the Baptist in the spirit and power of Elijah to prepare the way before Him.
Grant to the ministers of your Word and sacraments the same burning zeal to prepare the way for His coming again; through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.

1 Tyndale Life Application Bible p 1996

 

Promise for Today - There is Hope

He which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus ...
2 Corinthians 4:14

The resurrection of Christ brings hope. The late Emil Brunner once said, “What oxygen is for the lungs, such is hope for the meaning of human life.” As the human organism is dependent on a supply of oxygen, so humanity is dependent on its supply of hope. Yet today, hopelessness and despair are everywhere. Peter, who himself was given to despair during the episode of Calvary, writes in a triumphant note, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to His abundant mercy hath begotten us again into a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3).

There is hope that mistakes and sins can be forgiven. There is hope that we can have joy, peace, assurance, and security in the midst of the despair of this age. There is hope that Christ is coming soon—this is what is called in Scripture “the blessed hope.” There is hope that there will come some day a new heaven and a new earth, and that the Kingdom of God will reign and triumph. Our hope is not in our own ability, or in our goodness, or in our physical strength. Our hope is instilled in us by the resurrection of Christ.

(Rev. Billy Graham devotional)

Prayer:

Father,
           Our hope is in You, our resurrected Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ! May we never despair, as we remember Your triumph and love. In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

Promise for Today - What to Do On a Saturday

When I saw him, I fell at his feet as if I were dead. But he laid his right hand on me and said, “Don’t be afraid! I am the First and the Last. I am the living one. I died, but look—I am alive forever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and the grave.

Revelation 1:17-18 NLT

He was dead. They all saw it - watched in horror as it happened. Beaten beyond recognition, whipped within an inch of his life, bloodied and stripped. Then nailed to a cross and crucified... where His life's blood and water flowed out from His pierced side. He said Himself, "It is finished..."

When we say, "It is finished." We mean it's done. It's over. There's nothing else to do with it or for it. It's ended. There's nothing left. The good news is His ways are not our ways. His thoughts are not our thoughts. When Jesus said, "It is finished." It meant only that the Master Plan for His time on Earth that time was completed. It wasn't over. It was just the beginning.

He descended into hell and fought the enemy and He won. Jesus now holds the keys to death and the grave. That's what He was doing the Saturday of what we call Holy Week.

Prayer:

Father,
           Thank You for sending Your Son as the propitiation for our sins. Thank You that we have been redeemed and set free by His Blood shed at Calvary. Thank You that we are overcomers by the Blood of the Lamb (Jesus) and the word of our testimony! Give us courage and opportunity to testify! In Jesus' Name we pray. Amen

2026 Lenten Season - Day 40 - Empty

We finish the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals.
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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The empty tomb stands as your guarantee of help today and gives you hope for what is to come.

Life in this fallen world is hard. It can be hope-defeating and discouraging. Sometimes it looks as if the good guys are losing and the bad guys are winning. Unexpected visitors enter your door, bringing the pain of various kinds of loss with them. Things you thought you could depend on fail you, and the promises of people you thought you could trust fail you. Our lives right here, right now, are a mix of joys and sorrows. It’s frustrating how complicated things can be. Grief is an all-too-frequent visitor, and anger often bubbles up inside us.

The Bible gives us three reasons for the hardships of life that we all experience, whether in momentary frustrations or in prolonged seasons of pain and loss.

1. The World
The Bible has much to say about the world we all live in, but it warns us that the place that is our present address is dramatically broken and not functioning as the Creator intended. In Romans 8, Paul says our world is “groaning” as it waits for redemption (Romans 8:22). You groan when you’re in pain, you groan when you’re frustrated, you groan when you’re discouraged. Everything around us is not as it was meant to be. The world around you is like a car you need to get from point A to point B, but it has mechanical difficulties. It doesn’t do well what it was created to do, so you have to face the daily frustration of wondering what will happen next. Each trip you take is marked with a bit of worry, and often your trips are interrupted by yet another mechanical failure. Such is the world we live in.

2. The Flesh
When the Bible talks about the flesh, it’s not talking about our physical bodies but rather our fallen nature, that is, our struggle with sin. Yes, we have been forgiven. Because of what Christ has done, God views us as righteous, and sin is no longer our master. It is vital to remember that the presence of sin within us still remains and is being progressively eradicated by sanctifying grace. Sin is in us and all around us. Marriage would be dramatically easier if every husband and wife were sin-free. The same would be true of friendship, parenting, the workplace, government, your neighborhood, the church, the world of entertainment, education, and the list could go on. Sin complicates everything in our lives. Many of our daily frustrations and disappointments are the result of the presence of sin in us and in the people around us.

3. The Devil
The apostle Paul ends his practical instructions in Ephesians 6 by reminding us that we live in the midst of a great spiritual war. Our struggle is not really with people, places, and things. No, what we wrestle with every day are principalities and powers, “cosmic powers over this present darkness... spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12). There really is a great, dark, deceitful enemy who prowls around like a hungry lion, seeking to devour us. Life is hard because life is war. All the things that we do every day and all our relationships are made more difficult because they take place in the middle of a spiritual war. There is a tempter, a deceiver, who will mess with your faith, seeking to instill doubt of God’s goodness, faithfulness, and love in your heart. He doesn’t have the power to remove your salvation, but he is intent on messing up your journey.

Because of the world, the flesh, and the devil, it is wonderful that the work of Christ on Earth didn’t end on the cross but with the shocking glory of the empty tomb. The empty tomb of Jesus is your guarantee of help here and now and of help to come. Paul tells us in 1 Corinthians 15 that the resurrection of Christ guarantees the present reign of Christ (see vv. 20–28.) What is the King doing right now? Paul says, “He must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet” (1 Corinthians 15:25). The sin that causes us so much heartache will be defeated. The enemy, who sows so much turmoil in our lives, will be defeated. Death, which seems to be the inescapable reality of our lives, will be defeated. The risen, conquering King will defeat these enemies, and the empty tomb is his promise.

But there is more. Paul tells us that the resurrection of Christ is a “firstfruit” resurrection (1 Corinthians 15:20). This is such an encouraging word picture. When that first apple appears on the tree, the first grape on the vine, or the first bean on the plant, it is a guarantee of a harvest of many more to come. The empty tomb of Jesus guarantees another resurrection. We will rise up on the last day and be transported to a new world, a world where all things have been made new. There will be no more sin, there will be no more broken world, and there will be no more death. All pain, frustration, discouragement, and suffering will forever end. And as risen and fully redeemed beings, we will live forever in peace and harmony with our risen Savior King.

The empty tomb of Jesus is your guarantee that what you live with today will not always be. Every enemy that troubles your life right here, right now, will be under the victorious feet of your risen Savior, Jesus. His empty tomb guarantees the completion of the work. He will not quit; he refuses to relent until that last enemy is under his feet. Then, and only then, will he usher in his final kingdom and invite us into a world where all things have been made new.

The journey of Jesus to the cross didn’t end with the cross, but with the victory of the empty tomb, and that’s a very good thing.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. How has what you’ve considered in this Lenten study informed or changed your perspective on the suffering and grief inherent in life on Earth?

2. How will considering Jesus’s sacrifice make the triumph of Easter different for you this year?

3. What implications does the victory of the empty tomb have for your life?

Read the end of the story in John 20:1–29, and relive the joy of the first Easter.

The Resurrection

1 Early on Sunday morning, while it was still dark, Mary Magdalene came to the tomb and found that the stone had been rolled away from the entrance. 2 She ran and found Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one whom Jesus loved. She said, “They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they have put him!”
3 Peter and the other disciple started out for the tomb. 4 They were both running, but the other disciple outran Peter and reached the tomb first. 5 He stooped and looked in and saw the linen wrappings lying there, but he didn’t go in. 6 Then Simon Peter arrived and went inside. He also noticed the linen wrappings lying there, 7 while the cloth that had covered Jesus’ head was folded up and lying apart from the other wrappings. 8 Then the disciple who had reached the tomb first also went in, and he saw and believed— 9 for until then they still hadn’t understood the Scriptures that said Jesus must rise from the dead. 10 Then they went home.

11 Mary was standing outside the tomb crying, and as she wept, she stooped and looked in. 

12 She saw two white-robed angels, one sitting at the head and the other at the foot of the place where the body of Jesus had been lying. 

13 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” the angels asked her.
“Because they have taken away my Lord,” she replied, “and I don’t know where they have put him.” 14 She turned to leave and saw someone standing there. It was Jesus, but she didn’t recognize him.

15 “Dear woman, why are you crying?” Jesus asked her. “Who are you looking for?”
She thought he was the gardener. “Sir,” she said, “if you have taken him away, tell me where you have put him, and I will go and get him.”
16 “Mary!” Jesus said.
She turned to him and cried out, “Rabboni!” (which is Hebrew for “Teacher”).
17 “Don’t cling to me,” Jesus said, “for I haven’t yet ascended to the Father. But go find my brothers and tell them, ‘I am ascending to my Father and your Father, to my God and your God.’”
18 Mary Magdalene found the disciples and told them, “I have seen the Lord!” Then she gave them his message.
19 That Sunday evening, the disciples were meeting behind locked doors because they were afraid of the Jewish leaders. Suddenly, Jesus was standing there among them! “Peace be with you,” he said. 

20 As he spoke, he showed them the wounds in his hands and his side. They were filled with joy when they saw the Lord! 21 Again he said, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.” 22 Then he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone’s sins, they are forgiven. If you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”

24 One of the twelve disciples, Thomas (nicknamed the Twin), was not with the others when Jesus came. 25 They told him, “We have seen the Lord!”
But he replied, “I won’t believe it unless I see the nail wounds in his hands, put my fingers into them, and place my hand into the wound in his side.”

26 Eight days later, the disciples were together again, and this time Thomas was with them. The doors were locked; but suddenly, as before, Jesus was standing among them. “Peace be with you,” he said. 

27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and look at my hands. Put your hand into the wound in my side. Don’t be faithless any longer. Believe!”
28 “My Lord and my God!” Thomas exclaimed.
29 Then Jesus told him, “You believe because you have seen me. Blessed are those who believe without seeing me.”

2026 Lenten Season - Day 39 - Unwilling

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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We have hope because Jesus was willing.

It is sad but unavoidably true: one of the marked characteristics of sin is unwillingness.
Sin causes us to be:
unwilling to forgive
unwilling to obey
unwilling to serve
unwilling to trust
unwilling to give
unwilling to make peace
unwilling to be gentle
unwilling to persevere
unwilling to suffer
unwilling to submit
unwilling to sacrifice
unwilling to surrender

And the list could go on and on. We are often unwilling because of the selfishness of sin. Our “me-ism” puts us in the center. It makes life all about us: our wants, our dreams, our needs, and our feelings. Our struggle with the self-ism of sin will not be fully defeated until the sin inside us is no more. So, we face a world of difficulty. A marriage can’t work if a husband and wife are unwilling to live in self-sacrificing, forgiving love. A parent-child relationship falls apart when the parent is unwilling to be patient and kind or the child is unwilling to honor and obey. Friendships don’t work when the friends are unwilling to give and to serve. The workplace is hard and inefficient if the employer is unwilling to love his workers as he loves himself. Unwillingness to be temperate with food and drink will destroy your health. When we begin to examine our daily lives, it becomes clear that so many of the problems we live with are the fruit of our collective unwillingness to live as our wise and loving Creator has designed us to live.

God, in his vast wisdom, knew that the only way to rescue us from our unwillingness and its bitter fruit was to send his Son to be willing to be what we would never choose to be, to do what we would be unwilling to do, and he would willingly die in our place. This is why the following stop on Christ’s journey to the cross is so striking, convicting, and hope-giving:

Luke 22:39– 46
[And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. And when he came to the place, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, saying, “Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony, he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose from prayer, he came to the disciples and found them sleeping for sorrow, and he said to them, “Why are you sleeping? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation.”]

This passage is a clear window into the willingness of Jesus. We find him in the garden of Gethsemane, facing what would crush any of us. Because he is God, he knows the redemptive plan. He knows he is facing injustice, torture, public ridicule, the cruelest death possible, and the rejection of his Father, all because he is going to load our sin onto his own shoulders and pay our penalty. In his humanity, he is quaking at the thought of it all, and he asks if there is any possibility that there is another way. Will you stop for a moment and imagine what would be going through your heart and mind if you knew you were facing such horror? 

You and I get upset at a flat tire, a sassy child, a mean boss, an unexpected bill, or a bad day. We go through a tough patch, and we begin to question the goodness of God.

But Jesus did not end his prayer by asking to be released from the sacrificial suffering awaiting him. Instead, he said to his Father, “Not my will, but yours, be done.” That final sentence of Jesus’s prayer in the garden gives hope to every sinner who has ever lived. Jesus did not think of himself first. He was not propelled by his own comfort. He did not protect his rights. He did not demand to be accepted and respected. He willingly forsook all the things that we think are our just due. He forsook those things willingly and without coercion. He was willing because he knew what was at stake, and he knew what the result of his self-sacrifice would be.

In that garden, there was angst and fear, but there was not a shred of selfishness or rebellion. Jesus knew what he had been appointed to do. He knew what the culmination of his earthly work would be. In his humanity, it was a fearful thing to consider, but he had a submissive, loving, and willing heart. This moment of willingness is a moment of hope for all of us, who, in our sin, have lives that are marked by unwillingness. Our hope in this life and the one to come is never to be found in our willingness to believe in and follow him, but in his willingness to endure suffering and death for us. His willingness unleashes the grace we need to be forgiven and to become more and more willing to lay down our lives for his kingdom and his glory.

GOING DEEPER
Reflection Questions

1. Think of your difficult or challenging relationships. Where has “unwillingness” of sin crept in? What could happen if you chose to be willing in those areas instead?

2. Imagine yourself in the garden watching Jesus pray—what are you thinking? Feeling? Wondering about?

3. What specific things was Jesus willing to do for you? List them out, meditate on them, and thank him!

Read Matthew 26:36–46, and praise Jesus for withstanding every temptation toward selfishness and his own comfort.

Matthew 26:36-46  New Living Translation
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

36 Then Jesus went with them to the olive grove called Gethsemane, and he said, “Sit here while I go over there to pray.” 37 He took Peter and Zebedee’s two sons, James and John, and he became anguished and distressed. 38 He told them, “My soul is crushed with grief to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.”
39 He went on a little farther and bowed with his face to the ground, praying, “My Father! If it is possible, let this cup of suffering be taken away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine.”
40 Then he returned to the disciples and found them asleep. He said to Peter, “Couldn’t you watch with me even one hour? 41 Keep watch and pray, so that you will not give in to temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak!”
42 Then Jesus left them a second time and prayed, “My Father! If this cup cannot be taken away unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 When he returned to them again, he found them sleeping, for they couldn’t keep their eyes open.
44 So he went to pray a third time, saying the same things again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said, “Go ahead and sleep. Have your rest. But look—the time has come. The Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Up, let’s be going. Look, my betrayer is here!”

2026 Lenten Season - Day 38 - The Passover Lamb

We continue the tradition of 40 days of Lent-related devotionals (46 counting the Sundays).
Sharing "Journey to the Cross" by Paul David Tripp.
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Our hope is found in the fact that Jesus came to be the final Passover Lamb, not just a great teacher and a miracle healer.

Luke 22:14 –23
And when the hour came, he reclined at table, and the apostles with him. And he said to them, “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer. For I tell you I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God.” And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks, he said, “Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes.” And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, “This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” Likewise, the cup after they had eaten, saying, “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood. But behold, the hand of him who betrays me is with me on the table. For the Son of Man goes as it has been determined, but woe to that man by whom he is betrayed!” And they began to question one another, which of them it could be who was going to do this.

If there had been no upper room, if there had been no fulfillment of the promises of the Passover, and if Jesus were not the final Passover Lamb, we would simply have no hope in this life or the one to come.  It is impossible to overstate the importance of Jesus saying these profound words: “This is my body, which is given for you,” and “This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.”  Here is Jesus, in that intimate final night with his disciples, saying, “I am the hope of fallen humanity,  because I am the promised, spotless Lamb of God.”

Just as the blood painted on the Israelites’ doors in Egypt meant that the angel of death would pass over those houses, so all who put their trust in the Messiah Jesus are covered by his blood and therefore will not bear the punishment for their own sin. It’s not enough that Jesus was a great teacher. If all he had done were teach truth, but had not shed his blood as the fulfillment of all the truth teaches us about sin and redemption, then we would be damned. If all Jesus had done were perform physical healings, then we would still be the spiritual walking dead. If all he had done was confront the false religion of the scribes, Pharisees, and Sadducees, but had not gone on to be the sacrificial Lamb that true religion requires, then we would be doomed. If all he had done was send his disciples out with a theological message, but had not been the historical, physical covering, by his shed blood, which that theological message requires, then we would be without hope and without God, sinners alone in this fallen world.

But he is the Passover Lamb. He is the fulfillment of the covenant promises of old. His blood covers and cleanses us. All human history marched to this moment in the upper room and the sacrifice of Jesus’s life that would follow.

Whenever I read the account of the incredible moment in that rented room and hear Jesus talk of his blood that was about to be poured out, a hymn always comes to mind. Its words are near and dear to my heart. It was written in 1876 by Robert Lowry, who was a pastor in Philadelphia, the city where I live.

“Nothing but the Blood of Jesus”

What can wash away my sin?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.
What can make me whole again?
Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

Refrain:
Oh, precious is the flow
that makes me white as snow;
no other fount I know,
nothing but the blood of Jesus.

For my cleansing, this I see—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!
For my pardon this my plea—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Nothing can for sin atone—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Naught of good that I have done—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!

This is all my hope and peace—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!
This is all my righteousness—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Now by this I’ll overcome—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!
Now by this I’ll reach my home—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!

Glory! Glory! This I sing—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!
All my praise for this I bring—
nothing but the blood of Jesus!

May you attach your sense of self, your meaning and purpose, your moral compass, and your hopes and dreams to the message delivered in that upper room and to the actual moment of sacrifice on that hill  outside the city. And may every moment of sin, weakness, and failure be punctuated by you singing to yourself the ultimate answer to the ultimate question, What can wash away my sin?

Nothing but the blood of Jesus.

GOING DEEPER

Reflection Questions

1. What helps you enter into the true meaning of the Lord’s Table, Jesus’s blood and flesh for you?

2. In what ways are you trusting in something other than or in addition to Jesus’s blood to save you?

3. How might it affect your day-to-day life if you really, deeply understood the importance of Jesus as your Passover Lamb, the way the Jews in Jesus’s day did?

Read Matthew 26:17–30, and enter into the story.

17 On the first day of the Festival of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to prepare the Passover meal for you?”

18 “As you go into the city,” he told them, “you will see a certain man. Tell him, ‘The Teacher says: My time has come, and I will eat the Passover meal with my disciples at your house.’” 19 So the disciples did as Jesus told them and prepared the Passover meal there.

20 When it was evening, Jesus sat down at the table[a] with the Twelve. 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell you the truth, one of you will betray me.”

22 Greatly distressed, each one asked in turn, “Am I the one, Lord?”

23 He replied, “One of you who has just eaten from this bowl with me will betray me. 24 For the Son of Man must die, as the Scriptures declared long ago. But how terrible it will be for the one who betrays him. It would be far better for that man if he had never been born!”

25 Judas, the one who would betray him, also asked, “Rabbi, am I the one?”
And Jesus told him, “You have said it.”

26 As they were eating, Jesus took some bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it, for this is my body.”

27 And he took a cup of wine and gave thanks to God for it. He gave it to them and said, “Each of you drink from it, 28 for this is my blood, which confirms the covenant[b] between God and his people. It is poured out as a sacrifice to forgive the sins of many. 29 Mark my words—I will not drink wine again until the day I drink it new with you in my Father’s Kingdom.”

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