 CHAPTERS 22 THROUGH 28 Again Jesus spoke to them in figurative language. The kingdom of the heavens, he said, may be compared to a king who celebrated the marriage of his son, and sent his servants to call the invited guests to the wedding, but they were unwilling to come. Again he sent other servants with a message to those who were invited. My breakfast is now ready, he said, my bollocks and fat cattle are killed, and every preparation is made. Come to the wedding! They however gave no heed, but went one to his home in the country, another to his business, and the rest seized the king's servants, maltreated them, and murdered them. So the king's anger was stirred, and he sent his troops and destroyed those murderers and burnt their city. Then he said to his servants, the wedding banquet is ready, but those who were invited were unworthy of it. Go out, therefore, to the crossroads, and everybody you meet, invite to the wedding. So they went out into the roads, and gathered together all they could find, both good and bad, and the banqueting hall was filled with guests. Now the king came in to see the guests, and among them he discovered one who was not wearing a wedding robe. My friend, he said, how is it that you came in here without a wedding robe? The man stood speechless, then the king said to the servants, bind him hand and foot, and fling him into the darkness outside, there will be the weeping aloud and the gnashing of teeth, for there are many called, but few chosen. Then the Pharisees went and consulted together how they might entrap him in his conversation, so they sent to him their disciples together with the Herodians, who said, Teacher, we know that you are faithful and that you faithfully teach God's truth, and that no fear of manness leads you, for you are not biased by men's wealth or rank. Give us your judgment, therefore. Is it allowable for us to pay a toll tax to Caesar, or not? During their wickedness, Jesus replied, Why are you hypocrites trying to ensnare me? Show me the tribute coin. And they brought him a shilling. Whose likeness and inscription, he asked, is this? Caesar's, they replied. Pay therefore, he rejoined, what his Caesar's to Caesar and what his God's to God. They heard this and were astonished, then left him and went their way. On the same day a party of Sadducees came to him, contending that there is no resurrection, and they put this case to him. Teacher, they said, Moses enjoined, If a man died childless, his brother shall marry his widow and raise up a family for him. Now we had among us seven brothers, the eldest of them married but died childless, leaving his wife to his brother. So also did the second and the third down to the seventh, till the woman also died, after surviving them all. At the resurrection, therefore, whose wife of the seven will she be? For they all married her. The reply of Jesus was, You are in error through ignorance of the Scriptures and of the power of God. For in the resurrection men neither marry nor are women given in marriage, but they are like angels in heaven. But as to the resurrection of the dead, have you never read what God says to you? I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. He is not the God of dead, but of living men. All the crowd heard this, and were filled with amazement at his teaching. Now the Pharisees came up when they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, and one of them, an expounder of the law, asked him as a test question, Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law? Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, he answered, with thy whole heart, thy whole soul, thy whole mind. This is the greatest and foremost commandment, and the second is similar to it. Thou shalt love thy fellow man as much as thyself. The whole of the law and the prophets is summed up in these two commandments. While the Pharisees were still assembled there, Jesus put a question to them. What think you about the Christ, he said, whose son is he? David's, they replied. How then, he asked, does David, taught by the Spirit, call him Lord when he says, The Lord said to my Lord, sit at my right hand until I have put thy foes beneath thy feet? If therefore David calls him Lord, how can he be his son? No one could say a word in reply, nor from that day did anyone venture again to put a question to him. CHAPTER XXIII Then Jesus addressed the crowds and his disciples. The scribes, he said, and the Pharisees sit in the chair of Moses, therefore do and observe everything that they command you, but do not imitate their lives, for though they tell others what to do, they do not do it themselves. Only in cumbress burdens they bind together and load men's shoulders with them, while as for themselves, not with one finger do they choose to lift them, and everything they do, they do with a view to being observed by men, for they widen their phylacteries and make the tassels large and love the best seats at a dinner party or in the synagogues, and like to be bowed to in places of public resort, and to be addressed by men as, Rabbi! As for you, do not accept the title of Rabbi, for one alone is your teacher, and you are all brothers, and call no one on earth your father, for one alone is your father, the heavenly father, and do not accept the name of leader, for your leader is one alone, the Christ. He who is the greatest among you shall be your servant, and one who exalts himself shall be abased, while one who abases himself shall be exalted, but alas for you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you lock the door of the kingdom of the heavens against men, you yourselves do not enter, nor do you allow those to enter who are seeking to do so, alas for you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you scour sea and land in order to win one convert, and when he is gained, you make him twice as much a son of Gehenna as yourselves, alas for you, you blind guides who say whoever swears by the sanctuary, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the gold of the sanctuary is bound by the oath. Blind fools, why, which is greater, the gold or the sanctuary which has made the gold holy, and you say whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing, but whoever swears by the offering lying on it is bound by the oath, you are blind, why, which is greater, the offering or the altar which makes the offering holy, he who swears by the altar swears both by it and by everything on it, he who swears by the sanctuary swears both by it and by him who dwells in it, and he who swears by heaven swears both by the throne of God and by him who sits upon it, alas for you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you pay the tithe on mint, dill, and cumin, while you have neglected the weightier requirements of the law, just judgment, mercy, and faithful dealing, these things you ought to have done, and yet you ought not to have left the others undone, you blind guides, straining out the nat, while you gulp down the camel, alas for you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you wash clean the outside of the copper dish, while within they are full of greed and self indulgence, blind Pharisee first wash clean the inside of the copper dish, and then the outside will be clean also, alas for you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you are just like whitewashed sepulchres, the outside of which pleases the eye, though inside they are full of dead men's bones and of all that is unclean, the same is true of you. Outwardly, you seem to the human eye to be good and honest men, but within you are full of insincerity and disregard of God's law, alas for you scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites, for you repair the sepulchres of the prophets, and keep in order the tombs of the righteous, and your boast is, if we had lived in the time of our forefathers, we should not have been implicated with them in the murder of the prophets, so that you bear witness against yourselves, that you are descendants of those who murdered the prophets, fill up the measure of your forefathers guilt. Oh, serpents, oh, vipers brood, how are you to escape condemnation to Gehenna? For this reason, I am sending to you prophets and wise men and scribes, some of them you will put to death, nay, crucify, some of them you will flog in your synagogues and chase from town to town, that all the innocent blood shed upon earth may come on you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, the son of Barakiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. I tell you in solemn truth that all these things will come upon the present generation. Oh Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou who murderous the prophets and stonest those who have been sent to thee, how often have I desire to gather thy children to me just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, and you would not come. See, your house will now be left to you desolate, for I tell you that you will never see me again until you say, blessed be he who comes in the name of the Lord. Chapter twenty-four. Jesus had left the temple and was going on his way when his disciples came and called his attention to the temple buildings. You see all these, he replied, in solemn truth I tell you that there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be pulled down. Afterwards he was on the Mount of Olives and was seated there when the disciples came to him, apart from the others, and said, tell us when this will be, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the close of the age? Take care that no one misleads you, answered Jesus, for many will come assuming my name and saying, I am the Christ, and they will mislead many, and before long you will hear of wars and rumors of wars. Do not be alarmed, for such things must be, but the end is not yet. For nation will rise in arms against nation, kingdom against kingdom, and there will be famines at earthquakes in various places, but all these miseries are but like the early pains of childbirth. At that time they will deliver you up to punishment and will put you to death, and you will be objects of hatred to all the nations because you are called by my name. Then will many stumble and fall, and they will betray one another and hate one another. Many false prophets will rise up and lead multitudes astray, and because of the prevalent disregard of God's law, the love of the great majority will grow cold. But those who stand firm to the end shall be saved, and this good news of the kingdom shall be proclaimed throughout the whole world to set the evidence before all the Gentiles, and then the end will come. When you have seen, to use the language of the prophet Daniel, the abomination of desolation standing in the holy place, let the reader observe these words, then let those who are in Judea escape to the hills. Let him who is on the roof not go down to fetch what is in his house, nor let him who is outside the city stay to pick up his outer garment, and alas for the women who at that time are with child or have infants, but pray that your flight may not be in winter nor on the Sabbath, for it will be a time of great suffering, such as never has been from the beginning of the world till now, and assuredly never will be again. And if those days had not been cut short, no one would escape, but for the sake of God's own people those days will be cut short. If at that time anyone should say to you, See, here is the Christ, or here, give no credence to it, for there will rise up false Christs and false prophets, displaying wonderful signs and prodigies, so as to deceive were it possible, even God's own people. Remember, I have forewarned you. If therefore they should say to you, See, he is in the desert, do not go out there, or See, he is indoors in the room, do not believe it, for just as the lightning flashes in the east and is seen to the very west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man, wherever the dead body is, there will the vultures flock together. But immediately after those times of distress, the sun will be darkened, the moon will not shed her light, the stars will fall from the firmament, and the forces which control the heavens will be disordered and disturbed, then will appear the sign of the Son of Man in the sky, and then will all the nations of the earth lament when they see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky with great power and glory, and he will send out his angels with a loud trumpet blast, and they will bring together his own people to him from north, southeast, and west, from one extremity of the world to the other. Now learn from the fig tree the lesson it teaches, as soon as its branches have now become soft, and it is bursting into leaf, you all know that summer is near, so you also when you see all these signs, may be sure that he is near, at your very door. I tell you in solemn truth, that the present generation will certainly not pass away without all these things having first taken place. Earth and sky will pass away, but it is certain that my words will not pass away. But as to that day, and the exact time no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone. For as it was in the time of Noah, so it will be at the coming of the Son of Man. At that time, before the Deluge, men were busy eating and drinking, taking lives or giving them, up to the very day when Noah entered the ark, nor did they realize any danger till the Deluge came and swept them all away. So will it be at the coming of the Son of Man. Then will two men be in the open country, one will be taken away, and one left behind. Two women will be grinding at the mill, one will be taken away, and one left behind. Be on the alert, therefore, for you do not know the day on which your Lord is coming, but of this be assured, that if the Master of the house had known the hour at which the robber was coming, he would have kept awake and not have allowed his house to be broken into, therefore you also must be ready, for it is at a time when you do not expect him that the Son of Man will come. Who, therefore, is the loyal and intelligent servant, to whom his Master has entrusted the control of his household, to give them their rations at the appointed time? Blessed is that servant whom his Master, when he comes, shall find so doing. In solemn truth I tell you, that he will give him the management of all his wealth. But if the man, being a bad servant, should say in his heart, my Master is a long time in coming, and should begin to beat his fellow-servants, while he eats and drinks with drunkards, the Master of that servant will arrive on a day when he is not expecting him, and at an hour of which he has not been informed. He will treat him with the utmost severity, and assign him a place among the hypocrites. There will be the weeping, and the gnashing of teeth. Chapter 25 Then will the kingdom of the heavens be found to be like ten bridesmaids who took their torches and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. For the foolish, when they took their torches, did not provide themselves with oil, but the wise, besides their torches, took oil in their flasks. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, so that meanwhile they all became drowsy and fell asleep. But at midnight there is a loud cry, the bridegroom, go out and meet him! Then all those bridesmaids roused themselves and trimmed their torches. Give us some of your oil, said the foolish ones to the wise, for our torches are going out. But perhaps, replied the wise, there will not be enough for all of us. Go to the shops, rather, and buy some for yourselves. So they went to buy. But meanwhile the bridegroom came. Those bridesmaids who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet, and the door was shut. Afterwards the other bridesmaids came and cried, Sir, Sir, open the door to us! In solemn truth I tell you, he replied, I do not know you. Keep awake, therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour. Why, it is like a man who, when going on his travels, called his bond-servants and entrusted his property to their care. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his individual capacity, and then started from home. Without delay the one who had received the five talents went and employed them in business and gained five more. In the same way he who had the two gained two more. But the man who had received the one went and dug a hole and buried his master's money. After a long lapse of time the master of those servants returned and had a reckoning with them. The one who had received the five talents came and brought five more, and said, Sir, it was five talents that you entrusted to me. See, I have gained five more. You have done well, good and trustworthy servant, replied his master. You have been trustworthy in the management of a little. I will put you in charge of much. Share your master's joy. The second, who had received the two talents, came and said, Sir, it was two talents you entrusted to me. See, I have gained two more. Good and trustworthy servant, you have done well, his master replied. You have been trustworthy in the management of a little. I will put you in charge of much. Share your master's joy. But next the man who had the one talent in his keeping came and said, Sir, I knew you to be a severe man, reaping where you had not sown and garnering what you had not winnowed. So being afraid, I went and buried your talent in the ground. There you have what belongs to you. You wicked and slothful servant replied his master, did you know that I reap where I have not sown and garner what I have not winnowed? Your duty then was to deposit my money in some bank and so when I came I should have got back my property with interest. So take away the talent from him and give it to the man who has the ten for to everyone who has more shall be given and he shall have abundance but from him who has nothing even what he has shall be taken away. But as for this worthless servant put him out into the darkness outside there will be the weeping and the gnashing of teeth. When the son of man comes in his glory and all the angels with him then will he sit upon his glorious throne and all the nations will be gathered into his presence and he will separate them from one another just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats and will make the sheep stand at his right hand and the goats at his left. Then the king will say to those at his right, come my father's blessed ones receive your inheritance of the kingdom which has been divinely intended for you ever since the creation of the world for when I was hungry you gave me food when I was thirsty you gave me drink when I was homeless you gave me a welcome when I was ill clad you clothed me when I was sick you visited me when I was in prison you came to see me when Lord the righteous will reply did we see the hungry and feed the or thirsty and give the drink when did we see the homeless and give the a welcome or ill clad and cloth the when did we see the sick or in prison and come to see the but the king will answer them in solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you rendered such services to one of the humblest of these my brethren you rendered them to myself then he will say to those at his left be gone from me with a curse resting upon you into the fire of the ages which has been prepared for the devil and his angels for when I was hungry you gave me nothing to eat when thirsty you gave me nothing to drink when homeless you gave me no welcome ill clad you clothed me not sick or in prison you visited me not then will they also answer Lord when did we see the hungry or thirsty or homeless or ill clad or sick or in prison and not come to serve thee but he will reply in solemn truth I tell you that in so far as you withheld such services from one of the humblest of these you withheld them from me and these shall go away into the punishment of the ages but the righteous into the life of the ages chapter 26 when Jesus had ended all these discourses he said to his disciples you know that in two days time the Passover comes and the son of man will be delivered up to be crucified then the high priests and elders of the people assembled in the court of the palace of the high priest Caiaphas and consulted how to get Jesus into their power by stratagem and put him to death but they said not during the festival lest there be a riot among the people now in Jesus was come to Bethany and was at the house of Simon the lever a woman came to him with a jar of very costly sweet scented ointment which she poured over his head as he reclined at table why such waste indignantly exclaimed the disciples for this might have been sold for a considerable sum and the money given to the poor but Jesus heard it and said to them why are you vexing her for she has done a most gracious act towards me the poor you always have with you but me you have not always in pouring this ointment over me her object was to prepare me for burial in solemn truth i tell you that wherever in the whole world this good news shall be proclaimed this deed of hers shall be spoken of in memory of her at that time one of the twelve the one called Judas Iscariot went to the high priests and said what are you willing to give me if I betray him to you so they weighed out to him thirty shekels and from that moment he was on the lookout for an opportunity to betray him on the first day of the unleavened bread the disciples came to Jesus with the question where shall we make preparations for you to eat the Passover go into the city he replied to a certain man and tell him the teacher says my time is close at hand it is at your house that i shall keep the Passover with my disciples the disciples did as Jesus directed them and got the Passover ready when evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples and the meal was proceeding when Jesus said in solemn truth i tell you that one of you will betray me intensely grieved they began one after another to ask him can it be i master the one who has dipped his fingers in the bowl with me he answered is the man who will betray me the son of man is indeed going as is written concerning him but alas for that man by whom the son of man is betrayed it had been a happy thing for that man if he had never been born then Judas the disciple who was betraying him asked can it be i rabbi it is you he replied during the meal Jesus took a Passover biscuit blessed it and broke it he then gave it to the disciples saying take this and eat it it is my body and he took the cup and gave thanks and gave it to them saying drink from it all of you for this is my blood which is to be poured out for many for the remission of sins the blood which ratifies the covenant i tell you that i will never again take the produce of the wine till that day when i shall drink the new wine with you in my father's kingdom so they sang the hymn and went out to the mount of allans then said Jesus this night all of you will stumble and fail in your fidelity to me for it is written i will strike the shepherd and the sheep of the flock will be scattered in all directions but after i have risen to life again i will go before you into Galilee all may stumble and fail said Peter but i never will in solemn truth i tell you replied Jesus that this very night before the cock crows you will three times disown me even if i must die with you declared peter i will never disown you in like manner protested all the disciples then jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane and he said to the disciples sit down here whilst i go yonder and there pray and he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zabdai then he began to be full of anguish and distress and he said to them my soul is crushed with anguish to the very point of death wait here and keep awake with me going forward a short distance he fell on his face and prayed my father he said if it is possible let this cup pass away from me nevertheless not as i will but as thou willest then he came to the disciples and found them asleep and he said to peter alas none of you could keep awake with me for even a single hour keep awake and pray that you may not enter into temptation the spirit is right willing but the body is frail again a second time he went away and prayed saying my father if it is impossible for this cup to pass without my drinking it thy will be done he came and again found them asleep for they were very tired so he left them and went away once more and prayed a third time again using the same words then he came to the disciples and said sleep on and rest see the moment is close at hand when the son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinful men rouse yourselves let us be going my betrayer is close at hand he had scarcely finished speaking when judas came one of the twelve accompanied by a great crowd of men armed with swords and bludgeons sent by the high priests and elders of the people now the betrayer had agreed upon a sign with them to direct them he had said the one whom i kiss is the man lay hold of him so he went straight to jesus and said peace to you rabbi and he kissed him eagerly friend said jesus carry out your intention then they came and laid their hands on jesus and seized him firmly but one of those with jesus drew his sword and struck the high priest's servant cutting off his ear put back your sword again said jesus for all who draw the sword shall perish by the sword or do you suppose i cannot entreat my father and he would instantly send to my help more than 12 legions of angels in that case how are the scriptures to be fulfilled which declared that thus it must be then said jesus to the crowds have you come out as if to fight with a robber with swords and bludgeons to apprehend me day after day i have been sitting teaching in the temple and you did not arrest me but all this has taken place in order that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled at this point the disciples all left him and fled but the officers who had laid hold of jesus led him away to kaiathus the high priest at whose house the scribes and the elders had assembled and peter kept following him at a distance till he came even to the court of the high priest's palace where he entered and sat down among the officers to see the issue meanwhile the high priest and the whole sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against jesus in order to put him to death but they could find none although many false witnesses came forward at length there came two who testified this man said i am able to pull down the sanctuary of god and three days afterwards to build a new one then the high priest stood up and asked him have you no answer to make what is it these men are saying in evidence against you jesus however remained silent again the high priest addressed him in the name of the ever-living god he said i now put you on your oath tell us whether you are the christ the son of god i am he replied jesus but i tell you that later on you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of omnipotence and coming on the clouds of the sky then the high priest tore his robes and exclaimed impious language what further need have we of witnesses see you have now heard the impiety what is your verdict he deserves to die they replied then they spat in his face and struck him some with the fist some with the open hand while they taunted him saying christ prove yourself a prophet by telling us who it was that struck you peter meanwhile was sitting outside in the court of the palace when one of the maid servants came over to him and said you two were with jesus the Galilean he denied it before them all saying i do not know what you mean soon afterwards he went out and stood in the gateway when another girl saw him and said addressing the people there this man was with jesus the nazarene again he denied it with an oath i do not know the man he said a short time afterwards the people standing there came and said to peter certainly you too are one of them for your brogue shows it then with curses and oaths he declared i do not know the man immediately a cock crowed and peter recollected the words of jesus how he had said before the cock crows you will three times disown me and he went out and wept aloud bitterly chapter 27 when morning came all the high priests and the elders of the people consulted together against jesus to put him to death and binding him they led him away and handed him over to pilot the governor then when judas who had betrayed him saw that he was condemned smitten with remorse he brought back the 30 shekels to the high priests and elders and said i have sinned in betraying to death one who is innocent what does that matter to us they replied it is your business flinging the shekels into the sanctuary he left the place and went and hanged himself when the high priests had gathered up the money they said it is illegal to put it into the treasury because it is the price of blood so after consulting together they spent the money in the purchase of the potters field as a burial place for people not belonging to the city for which reason that piece of ground received the name which it still bears of the field of blood then were fulfilled the words spoken by the prophet Jeremiah and i took the 30 shekels the price of the prized one on whom israelites had set a price and gave them for the potters field as the lord directed me meanwhile jesus was brought before the governor and the latter put the question are you the king of the jews i am their king he answered when however the high priests and the elders kept bringing their charges against him he said not a word in reply do you not hear asked pilot what a massive evidence they are bringing against you but he made no reply to a single accusation so that the governor was greatly astonished now it was the governor's custom at the festival to release some one prisoner whom so ever the populace desired and at this time they had a notorious prisoner called barabas so when they were now assembled pilot appealed to them whom shall i release to you he said barabas or jesus the so-called christ for he knew that it was from envious hatred that jesus had been brought before him while he was sitting on the tribunal a message came to him from his wife have nothing to do with that innocent man she said for during the night i have suffered terribly in a dream through him the high priests however and the elders urged the crowd to ask for barabas and to demand the death of jesus so when the governor a second time asked them which of the two shall i release to you they cried barabas what then said pilot shall i do with jesus the so-called christ with one voice they shouted let him be crucified why what crime has he committed asked pilot but they kept on furiously shouting let him be crucified so when he saw that he could gain nothing but that on the contrary there was a riot threatening he called for water and washed his hands incited them all saying i am not responsible for this murder you must answer for it his blood replied all the people be on us and on our children then he released barabas to them but jesus he ordered to be scourged and gave him up to be crucified then the governor soldiers took jesus into the praetorium and called together the whole battalion to make sport of him stripping off his garments they put on him a general's short crimson cloak they twisted a wreath of thorny twigs and put it on his head and they put a scepter of cane in his right hand and kneeling to him they shouted in mockery long live the king of the jews then they spat upon him and taking the cane they repeatedly struck him on the head with it at last having finished their sport they took off the cloak clothed him again in his own garments and led him away for crucifixion going out they met a sirenian named simon whom they compelled to carry his cross and so they came to a place called gogatha which means skull ground here they gave him a mixture of wine and gall to drink but having tasted it he refused to drink it after crucifying him they divided his garments among them by lot and sat down there on guard over his head they placed a written statement of the charge against him this is jesus the king of the jews at the same time two robbers were crucified with him one at his right hand and the other at his left and the passersby reviled him they shook their heads at him and said you who would pull down the sanctuary and build a new one with him three days save yourself if you are god's son come down from the cross in like manner the high priests also together with the scribes and the elders taunted him he saved others they said himself he cannot save he is the king of israel let him now come down from the cross and we will believe in him his trust is in god let god deliver him now if he will have him for he said i am god's son insults of the same kind were heaped on him even by the robbers who were being crucified with him now from noon until three o'clock in the afternoon there was darkness over the whole land but about three o'clock jesus cried out in a loud voice Eli lamas up back tonight that is to say my god my god why has thou forsaken me the man is calling for Elijah said some of the bystanders one of them ran forthwith and filling a sponge with sour wine put it on the end of a cane and offered it him to drink while the rest said let us see whether Elijah is coming to deliver him but jesus uttered another loud cry and then yielded up his spirit immediately the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom the earth quaked the rocks split the tombs opened and many of god's people who were asleep in death awoke and coming out of their tombs after christ's resurrection they entered the holy city and showed themselves to many as for the captain and the soldiers who were with him keeping guard over Jesus when they witnessed the earthquake in the other occurrences they were filled with terror and exclaimed assuredly he was god's son and there were a number of women they're looking on from a distance who had followed jesus from Galilee ministering to his necessities among them being Mary of Magdala Mary the mother of James and Josie's and the mother of the sons of Zabdi towards sunset there came a wealthy inhabitant of Arimathea named Joseph who himself also had become a disciple of Jesus he went to Pilate and begged to have the body of Jesus and Pilate ordered it to be given to him so joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean sheet of fine linen he then laid it in his own new tomb which he had hewn in the solid rock and after rolling a great stone against the door of the tomb he went home Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were both present there sitting opposite to the sepulcher on the next day the day after the preparation the high priests and the Pharisees came in a body to Pilate sir they said we recollect that during his lifetime that impostor pretended that after two days he was to rise to life again so give orders for the sepulcher to be securely guarded till the third day for fear his disciples should come by night and steal the body and then tell the people that he has come back to life and so the last impostor will be more serious than the first you can have a guard said Pilate go and make all safe as best you can so they went and made the sepulcher secure sealing the stone besides setting the guard chapter 28 after the Sabbath in the early dawn of the first day of the week Mary of Magdala and the other Mary came to see the sepulcher but to their amazement there had been a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord had descended from heaven and had come and rolled back the stone and was sitting upon it his appearance was like lightning and his raiment white as snow for fear of him the guards trembled violently and became like dead men but the angel said to the women as for you dismiss your fears I know that it is Jesus that you are looking for the crucified one he is not here he has come back to life as he foretold come and see the place where he lay and go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead and is going before you into Galilee there you shall see him remember I have told you they quickly left the tomb and ran still terrified but full of unspeakable joy to carry the news to his disciples and then suddenly they saw Jesus coming to meet them peace be to you he said and they came and clasped his feet bowing to the ground before him then he said dismiss all fear go and take word to my brethren to go into Galilee and there they shall see me while they went on this errand some of the guards came into the city and reported to the high priests every detail of what had happened so the latter held a conference with the elders and after consultation with them they heavily bribed the soldiers telling them to say his disciples came during the night and stole his body while we were asleep and if this they added is reported to the governor we will satisfy him and screen you from punishment so they took the money and did as they were instructed and this story was noised about among the Jews and is current to this day as for the 11 disciples they proceeded into Galilee to the hill where Jesus had arranged to meet them there they saw him and prostrated themselves before him yet some doubted Jesus however came near and said to them all power in heaven and over the earth has been given to me go therefore and make disciples of all the nations baptize them into the name of the father and of the son and of the holy spirit and teach them to obey every command which I have given you and remember I am with you always day by day until the close of the age Amen the end of chapters 22 through 28 and the end of the gospel according to Matthew from the Weymouth New Testament in modern speech translated by Richard Francis Weymouth recording by Mark Penfold