Matthew 26:1-10

1 When Jesus finished saying these things, he told his disciples,
2 "You know that Passover comes in two days. That's when the Son of Man will be betrayed and handed over for crucifixion."
3 At that very moment, the party of high priests and religious leaders was meeting in the chambers of the Chief Priest named Caiaphas,
4 conspiring to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.
5 They agreed that it should not be done during Passover Week. "We don't want a riot on our hands," they said.
6 When Jesus was at Bethany, a guest of Simon the Leper,
7 a woman came up to him as he was eating dinner and anointed him with a bottle of very expensive perfume.
8 When the disciples saw what was happening, they were furious. "That's criminal!
9 This could have been sold for a lot and the money handed out to the poor."
10 When Jesus realized what was going on, he intervened. "Why are you giving this woman a hard time? She has just done something wonderfully significant for me.
Published by permission. Originally published by NavPress in English as THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright 2002 by Eugene Peterson. All rights reserved.