Then ¹  a cloud ²  overshadowed them, ³  and a voice came from the cloud, “This is my one dear Son. ⁴  Listen to him!” ⁵ 

But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’

Now when the centurion, ¹  who stood in front of him, saw how he died, ²  he said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”

He ¹  will be great, ²  and will be called the Son of the Most High, ³  and the Lord God will give him the throne of his father ⁴  David.

“And look, ¹  your relative ²  Elizabeth has also become pregnant with ³  a son in her old age – although she was called barren, she is now in her sixth month! ⁴ 

This is the one about whom it is written, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, ¹  who will prepare your way before you.’ ² 

Herod said, “I had John ¹  beheaded, but who is this about whom I hear such things?” So Herod wanted to learn about Jesus. ² 

For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, ¹  but whoever loses his life for my sake will save it.

Then ¹  a voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, my Chosen One. ²  Listen to him!” ³ 

because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ ¹  So ²  they began to celebrate.

But when this son of yours ¹  came back, who has devoured ²  your assets with prostitutes, ³  you killed the fattened calf ⁴  for him!’

It was appropriate ¹  to celebrate and be glad, for your brother ²  was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’” ³ 

But when the tenants saw him, they said to one another, ‘This is the heir; let’s kill him so the inheritance will be ours!’

Then a slave girl, ¹  seeing him as he sat in the firelight, stared at him and said, “This man was with him too!”

And after about an hour still another insisted, ¹  “Certainly this man was with him, because he too is a Galilean.” ² 

A third time he said to them, “Why? What wrong has he done? I have found him guilty ¹  of no crime deserving death. ²  I will therefore flog ³  him and release him.”

Now when the centurion ¹  saw what had happened, he praised God and said, “Certainly this man was innocent!” ² 

(He ¹  had not consented ²  to their plan and action.) He ³  was from the Judean town ⁴  of Arimathea, and was looking forward to ⁵  the kingdom of God. ⁶ 

This is the one about whom I said, ‘After me comes a man who is greater than I am, ¹  because he existed before me.’

He first ¹  found his own brother Simon and told him, “We have found the Messiah!” ²  (which is translated Christ). ³