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¹² Because of that statement, Pilate started trying to let him go. But the Jewish leaders were shouting out, “If you let this man go, you’re no friend of Caesar! Every person that makes himself out to be a king is challenging Caesar!”

¹³ So when Pilate heard those things, he brought Jesus outside and sat on the judgment bench at the place called “the Stone Pavement.” (In the Jewish language, it’s called “Gabbatha.”f.)

¹⁴ Now, it was about noon on the Day of Preparation for the Passover.g Pilate said to the Jewish leaders, “Look, your king.”

¹⁵ So they shouted out, “Execute him! Execute him!h Hang him on a cross!” Pilate said to them, “I’m supposed to hang your king on a cross?” The chief priests answered, “We don’t have any king except Caesar!”i

¹⁶ So then he handed him over to them to be hung on a cross. Jesus is Hung on a Cross (Mt. 27:32-56; Mk 15:21-32; Lk. 23:26-43) So they led Jesus away.

¹⁷ He was carrying his own cross, as he went out to what’s called “the Skull Place.” In the Jewish language, it’s called “Golgotha.”j

¹⁸ They hung him on the cross there-with two other people on either side of him, and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate also had had a sign madek and put on the cross. It read,l JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS

²⁰ So lots of Jews read the sign, because the place where Jesus was hung on the cross was near to the city, and it was written in the Jewish language, in Latin, and in Greek.

²¹ So then the Jewish chief priests started saying to Pilate, “Don’t write ‘The King of the Jews’! Write that he said ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”

²² Pilate answered, “What I’ve written, I’ve written.”

²³ So thenm the soldiers, when they hung him on the cross, took his outer clothes and divided them up into four pieces. Each soldier got a piece. And then there was his undershirt. But the undershirt was all in one piece,n woven from the top right through.

²⁴ So they said to each other, “Let’s not tear it, but draw lotso for it instead, to see whose it will be.” That happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled that says, They divided up my clothes between them, And they drew lotsp for my clothing.q

²⁵ So that’s what the soldiers did. Now, Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, and Clopas’s wife Mary, and Mary Magdalene, were all there standing by the cross.

²⁶ So Jesus saw his mother and the follower that he loved standing nearby. He said to his mother, “See, dear woman: your son!”

²⁷ Then he said to that follower, “See: your mother.” And that follower took her into his family from that moment on.

²⁸ After that, Jesus knew that everything was finished now. So the scripture would be fulfilled, he said, “I’m thirsty.”r

²⁹ A jar full of vinegars was sitting there. So they put a sponge full of the vinegar on a hyssopt stalk, and brought it up to his mouth.

³⁰ So then, when he’d taken the vinegar, Jesus said, “It’s done.”u He bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

³¹ A Soldier Pierces Jesus’ Side with a Spear So then, because it was the Day of Preparation, the Jewish leaders talked to Pilate so that the bodies wouldn’t stay on the cross on the Sabbath. (Because that was a very important Sabbath day.) They asked Pilate to break the men’s legs and take them off the crosses.v

³² So the soldiers came and broke the first person’s legs, then the other person’s, who was being hung on a cross there with him.

³³ Then they came around to Jesus, and saw that he’d already died. So they didn’t break his legs.

³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers stabbed him in the side with his spear. Right away blood and water came out.w

³⁵ The person who sawx it has always testified to this. His testimony is truthful, and he knows he’s telling the truth: you can believe it too.y

³⁶ Because all thisz happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: They are not to break any of his bones.aa

³⁷ And again, in another scripture: They’re going to look at the one they pierced.bb

³⁸ Jesus is Buried in a Tomb (Mt. 27:57-61; Mk 15:42-47; Lk. 23:50-56) Now after that, Joseph from Arimatheacc asked Pilate if he could take Jesus’ body off the cross. (He was a secret follower of Jesus, out of fear of the Jewish leaders.) And Pilate gave him permission. So he went and took his body off the cross.

³⁹ Nicodemusdd came too-the man who came to Jesus at night before.ee He was bringing a mixtureff of myrrhgg and aloes, weighing about seventy-five pounds.hh

⁴⁰ So then they took Jesus’ body and wrapped it in strips of linen cloth with the perfumes. (That’s the Jewish way to prepare someone for burial.ii.)

⁴¹ Now, in the place where he had been hung on a cross, there was a garden. In that garden there was a new tomb, that no one had been buried injj yet.

⁴² So since the tomb was close by, they put Jesus there-because the Jewish Day of Preparation was about to start.

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¹ The Resurrection of Jesus (Mt. 28:1-10; Mk 16:1-8; Lk. 24:1-12) On the first day of the week,a Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark. She saw that the stone door had been removed from the tomb.

² So she ran and came to Simon Peter and the other follower that Jesus loved. She said to them, “They’ve taken our Teacher out of the tomb, and we don’t know where they’ve put him!”

³ So Peter and the other follower went out to the tomb.

⁴ They were running together, and the other follower outran Peter, and came to the tomb first.

⁵ He ducked in and saw the strips of linen cloth lying there, but he didn’t really go in.

⁶ So thenb Simon Peter came along after himc and went into the tomb. He saw the linen strips lying there,

⁷ and the towel that had been around his head. The towel was not lying with the linen strips, but was rolled up separately in one place.d

⁸ So then the other follower came in too-the one who’d come to the tomb first-and he saw it and believed.

⁹ (They hadn’t yet known the scripture that said Jesus had to rise from among the dead.)

¹⁰ So then the two followers went home again.

¹¹ Jesus Shows Mary Magdalene That he’s Alive Now, Mary had been standing outside, in front of the tomb, crying.e So then as she was crying, she stooped to look in the tomb.

¹² She saw two angels sitting there in white, where Jesus’ body had been lying. One was at the head, and one was at the foot.f

¹³ They said to her, “Ma’am,g why are you crying?” She said to them, “They’ve taken away my Teacher,h and I don’t know where they’ve put him!”

¹⁴ When she’d said that, she turned around behind her, and saw Jesus standing there, and she didn’t know it was him.

¹⁵ Jesus said to her, “Ma’am,i why are you crying? What’re you looking for?” She thought he was the gardener, and said to him, “Sir, if you’ve taken him,j tell me where you’ve put him, and I’ll get him.”

¹⁶ Jesus said to her, “Mary.” She turned around and said to him in the Jewish language, “Rabbouni!”k (which means “Teacher”).

¹⁷ Jesus said to her, “Don’t hold onto me, because I haven’t gone back to my Father yet. But go and tell my brothers and sisters,l ‘I’m going back to my Father and your Father-tom my God and your God.’”

¹⁸ Mary Magdalene went and told the other followers, “I’ve seen the Lord!,” and she told them the things he’d said to her.

¹⁹ Jesus Shows himself to his Followers (Lk. 24:36-43; 1 Cor. 15:5) So thenn cameo the evening of that first day of the week. The doors were locked where Jesus’ followers were, because of fear of the Jewish leaders. Jesus came and stood right there with them,p and said to them, “Peace be with you!”

²⁰ When he’d said that, he showed them his hands and his side. The followersq were overjoyed to see the Lord.

²¹ So then he said to them again, “Peace be with you! Just as the Fatherr sent me, I’m also sending you.”

²² After he said that, he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whosever sins you forgive, they’re forgiven.s

²³ Whosever sins you hold against them are held against them.”

²⁴ Jesus Gives Thomas the Proof That he Demanded Now, Thomas, one of the twelve, known as “the Twin,” wasn’t there with them when Jesus came.

²⁵ So the other followers were saying to him, “We’ve seen the Lord!” But he said to them, “If I don’t see the nail holest on his hands and put my finger in the nail holes,u and if I don’t put my hand in his side, I’m never going to believe.”

²⁶ A weekv later, his followers were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Jesus came. The doors were locked, yet he stood right there with them.w

²⁷ Jesus said to Thomas, “Give me your finger. See my hands? Give me your hand. Now put it in my side. Stop doubting, and believe.”x

²⁸ Thomas said back to him, “My Lord and my God!”

²⁹ Jesus said to him, “Because you’ve seen me, you believe now?y The people who are blessed are the ones that believe withoutz having seen.

³⁰ The Purpose of This Book Jesus certainly did lots of other miraclesaa in front of his followers, which are not written here in this book.

³¹ But these are written here so that you’ll believebb that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and so that by believing, you’ll have life in his name.

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¹ Jesus Meets his Followers at Lake Tiberias (Lake Galilee) After that, Jesus revealed himself to his followers on the shore of Lake Tiberias.a This is how he did it:b

² Simon Peter, Thomas, known as “the Twin,” Nathaniel, from Canac in Galilee, the Zebedee brothers, and two other followers of Jesus, were together.

³ Simon Peter said to them, “I’m going fishing.” They said to him, “We’re coming with you too.” So they went out and got in the boat, and that night they didn’t catch anything.

⁴ When it got to be early morning, Jesus stood there on the beach-but his followers didn’t know that it was Jesus.

⁵ So thend Jesus said to them, “Fellows,e haven’t you caught any fish?” They said back to him, “No!”

⁶ He said to them, “Throw the net on the right side of the boat, and you’ll find some.” So they threw the net over on that side, and there were so many fish they couldn’t pull it in.f

⁷ So the follower that Jesus loved said to Peter, “It’s the Lord!” So when Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on his outer clothes (because he had them off), and jumped in the lake.

⁸ But the other followers came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish. They weren’t far from the shore-maybe three hundred feet or so.

⁹ So then, when they landed on the beach,g they saw a charcoal fire had been made, withh fish and bread on it.

¹⁰ Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish you caught just now.”

¹¹ So Simon Peter got in the boat and dragged ashore the net full of big fish-a hundred and fifty-three of them. Despite there being so many, the net wasn’t torn.

¹² Jesus said to them, “Come have breakfast.” Now, none of his followers dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord.

¹³ Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish.

¹⁴ This was now the third time Jesus appeared toi his followers after rising from among the dead.

¹⁵ Jesus Has a Deep Talk with Simon Peter So then, when they’d had breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, John’s son, do you love me more than they do?”j He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Take care of my lambs.”

¹⁶ He asked him again a second time, “Simon, John’s son, do you love me?” Peter said to him, “Yes, Lord —you know I that love you.” He said to him, “Be a shepherd to my sheep.”

¹⁷ Jesus said to him for the third time, “Simon, John’s son, do you love me?” Peter was hurt that he’d asked him for the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know everything! You really know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Take care of my sheep.

¹⁸ I’m telling you very seriously: when you were younger, you used to tie your belt around your waist, and you’d walk around wherever you pleased. But when you’re old, you’re going to put out your hands and somebody else is going to tie you up, and they’ll take you where you don’t want to go.”

¹⁹ (Jesus said that to indicate the way Peter would die and bring glory to God.)k After he said that, he said to him, “Follow me!”l

²⁰ The Destiny of the Follower That Jesus Loved-To Write This Book! Peter turned around and saw the follower that Jesus loved following them. He was the very person who leaned back in Jesus’ arms at dinner and said, “Teacher, who’s the one who’s betraying you?”m

²¹ So anyway, when he saw him, Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, and what about him?”

²² Jesus said to him, “If I want him to stay until I come, what’s that got to do with you?n You follow me.”

²³ So the ideao went around among the Christiansp that this follower wasn’t going to die. But Jesus didn’t say to Peter that he wasn’t going to die, but only, “If I want him to stay until I come, what’s that got to do with you?”q

²⁴ It’s that follower who is testifying about all this,r and he’s written all this. We know that his testimony is true.

²⁵ There are lots of other things that Jesus did-and if every single one was written down, I suppose the world itself wouldn’t even have room for all the books that would have to be written.