Chronological
Jesus is Taken to Pilate(A)
23 Then the whole crowd got up and took him to Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, “We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding us to pay taxes to Caesar, and saying that he is the Messiah,[a] a king.”
3 Then Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
He answered, “You say so.”
4 Then Pilate told the high priests and crowds, “I do not find anything chargeable in this man.”
5 But they kept insisting, “He is stirring up the people with what he teaches all over Judea, from where he started in Galilee to this place.”
Jesus is Sent to Herod
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked whether the man was a Galilean. 7 When he learned with certainty that Jesus[b] came from Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him off to Herod, who was in Jerusalem at that time. 8 Now Herod was very glad to see Jesus, because he had been wanting to see him for a long time on account of what he had heard about him. He was also hoping to see some sign done by him. 9 So he continued to question him for a long time, but Jesus[c] gave him no answer at all. 10 Meanwhile, the high priests and the scribes stood nearby and continued to accuse him vehemently. 11 Even[d] Herod and his soldiers treated him with contempt and made fun of him. He put a magnificent robe on Jesus[e] and sent him back to Pilate. 12 So Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day. Before this they had been enemies.
Jesus is Sentenced to Death(B)
13 Then Pilate called the high priests, the other[f] leaders, and the people together 14 and told them, “You brought this man to me as one who turns the people against the government. And here in your presence I have examined him and have found him ‘Not Guilty’ of the charges you make against him. 15 Neither does Herod, because he sent him back to us! Indeed, this man[g] has done nothing to deserve death. 16 So I will punish him and let him go.”
17 Now he was obligated to release someone for them at the festival.[h] 18 But they all shouted out together, “Away with this man! Release Barabbas for us!” 19 (This man had been put in prison for murder and for a revolt that had taken place in the city.) 20 But Pilate wanted to let Jesus go, so he appealed to them again, 21 but they continued to shout, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
22 Then he spoke to them a third time: “What has he done wrong? I have found nothing in him worthy of death. So I will punish him and let him go.” 23 But they kept pressing him with loud shouts, demanding that Jesus[i] be crucified, and their shouts began to prevail.
24 Then Pilate pronounced his sentence that their demand should be carried out. 25 So he released the man who had been put in prison for revolt and murder—the man whose release[j] they continued to demand—but he let them have their way with Jesus.[k]
Jesus is Crucified(C)
26 As they led Jesus[l] away, they grabbed Simon, a man from Cyrene, as he was coming in from the country, and they put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 27 A large crowd of people followed him, including some women who kept mourning and wailing for him.
28 But Jesus turned to them and said, “Women[m] of Jerusalem, stop crying for me. Instead, cry for yourselves and for your children, 29 because the time is surely coming when people[n] will say, ‘How blessed are the women who couldn’t bear children and the wombs that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ 30 Then people[o] will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’, and to the hills, ‘Cover us up!’[p] 31 And if they do this when the wood is green, what will happen when it is dry?”
32 Two others, who were criminals, were also led away to be executed with Jesus.[q] 33 When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on his right and one on his left. 34 Jesus kept saying, “Father, forgive them, because they don’t know what they’re doing.”[r] Then they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice.
35 Meanwhile, the people stood looking on. The leaders were mocking him by saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if he is the Messiah[s] of God, the chosen one!”
36 The soldiers also made fun of Jesus[t] by coming up and offering him sour wine, 37 saying, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!” 38 There was also an inscription over him written in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:[u] “This is the King of the Jews.”
39 Now one of the criminals hanging there kept insulting[v] him, “You are the Messiah,[w] aren’t you? Save yourself…and us!”
40 But the other criminal rebuked him, “Aren’t you afraid of God, since you are suffering the same penalty? 41 We have been condemned justly, because we are getting what we deserve for what we have done, but this man has done nothing wrong.” 42 Then he went on to plead, “Jesus, remember me when you come into[x] your kingdom!”
43 Jesus[y] told him, “I tell you[z] with certainty, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
Jesus Dies on the Cross(D)
44 It was already about noon,[aa] and the whole land[ab] became dark until three in the afternoon[ac] 45 because the sun had stopped shining, and the curtain[ad] in the sanctuary was torn in two. 46 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice and said, “Father, into your hands I entrust my spirit.”[ae] After he said this, he breathed his last.
47 When the centurion[af] saw what had taken place, he praised God and said, “This man certainly was righteous!” 48 When all the crowds who had come together for this spectacle saw what had taken place, they beat their chests and left. 49 But all his acquaintances, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, were standing at a distance watching these things.
Jesus is Buried(E)
50 Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council,[ag] a good and righteous man— 51 he had not voted for their plan and action—from the Jewish town of Arimathea; and he was waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. 53 Then he took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb cut in the rock, in which no one had yet been laid.
54 It was the Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was just beginning. 55 So the women who had come with Jesus[ah] from Galilee, following close behind, saw the tomb and how his body was laid. 56 Then they went back and prepared spices and perfumes, and on the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.
Jesus is Betrayed and Arrested(A)
18 After Jesus had said all of this, he went with his disciples across the Kidron valley to a place where there was a garden, which he and his disciples entered. 2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also knew the place, because Jesus often met there with his disciples. 3 So Judas took a detachment of soldiers and some officers from the high priests and the Pharisees and went there with lanterns, torches, and weapons.
4 Then Jesus, knowing everything that was going to happen, went forward and asked them, “Who are you looking for?”
5 They answered him, “Jesus from Nazareth.”[a]
Jesus told them, “I AM.” Judas, the man who betrayed him, was standing with them.
6 When Jesus[b] told them, “I AM,” they backed away and fell to the ground.
7 So he asked them again, “Who are you looking for?”
They said, “Jesus from Nazareth.”[c]
8 Jesus replied, “I told you that I am the one,[d] so if you are looking for me, let these men go.” 9 This was to fulfill what he had said, “I did not lose a single one of those you gave me.”[e]
10 Then Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his right ear. The servant’s name was Malchus. 11 Jesus told Peter, “Put your sword back into its sheath. Shouldn’t I drink the cup that the Father has given me?”
Jesus before the High Priest(B)
12 Then the soldiers, along with their commander and the Jewish officers, arrested Jesus and tied him up. 13 First they brought him to Annas, because he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, the high priest that year. 14 Caiaphas was the person who had advised the Jews that it was better to have one man die for the people.
Peter Denies Jesus(C)
15 Simon Peter and another disciple were following Jesus. Since the other disciple was known to the high priest, he accompanied Jesus into the courtyard of the high priest. 16 Peter, however, stood outside the gate. So this other disciple who was known to the high priest went out and spoke to the gatekeeper and brought Peter inside. 17 The young woman at the gate asked Peter, “You aren’t one of this man’s disciples, too, are you?”
“I am not,” he replied.
18 Meanwhile, the servants and officers were standing around a charcoal fire they had built and were warming themselves because it was cold. Peter was also standing with them, keeping himself warm.
The High Priest Questions Jesus(D)
19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his own teaching. 20 Jesus answered him, “I have spoken publicly to the world. I have always taught in the synagogue or in the Temple, where all Jews meet together, and I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you question me? Question those who heard what I said. These are the people who know what I said.”
22 When he said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Jesus on the face and demanded, “Is that any way to answer the high priest?”
23 Jesus answered him, “If I have said anything wrong, tell me what it was.[f] But if I have told the truth, why do you hit me?” 24 Then Annas sent him, with his hands tied, to Caiaphas the high priest.
Peter Denies Jesus Again(E)
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. Some people[g] asked him, “You aren’t one of his disciples, too, are you?”
He denied it by saying, “I am not!”
26 Then one of the high priest’s servants, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, said, “I saw you in the garden with Jesus,[h] didn’t I?” 27 Peter again denied it, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Pilate Questions Jesus(F)
28 Then Jesus was led from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters[i] early in the morning. The Jews[j] did not go into the headquarters, to avoid becoming unclean[k] and unable to eat the Passover meal. 29 So Pilate came out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?”
30 They answered him, “If he weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate told them, “You take him and try him according to your Law.”
The Jewish leaders[l] told him, “It is not legal for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill what Jesus had said[m] when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.
33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s headquarters,[n] summoned Jesus, and asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
34 Jesus replied, “Are you asking this on your own initiative, or did others tell you about me?”
35 Pilate replied, “I am not a Jew, am I? It is your own nation and high priests who have handed you over to me. What have you done?”
36 Jesus answered, “My kingdom does not belong to this world. If my kingdom belonged to this world, my servants would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish leaders.[o] But for now my kingdom is not from here.”
37 Pilate asked him, “So you are a king?”
Jesus answered, “You say that I am a king. I was born for this, and I came into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is committed to the truth listens to my voice.”
38 Pilate asked him, “What is ‘truth’?” and then he went out to the Jewish leaders[p] again and told them, “I find no basis for a charge against him. 39 But you have a custom that I release one person for you at Passover. Do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews?”
40 At this, they shouted out again, “Not this fellow, but Barabbas!” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.[q]
Jesus is Sentenced to Death(G)
19 Then Pilate had Jesus taken away and whipped. 2 The soldiers twisted some thorns into a victor’s crown, put it on his head, and threw a purple robe on him. 3 They kept coming up to him and saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” Then they began to slap him on the face.
4 Pilate went outside again and told the Jews,[r] “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 Then Jesus came outside, wearing the victor’s crown of thorns and the purple robe.
Pilate told them, “Here is the man!”
6 When the high priests and the officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”
Pilate told them, “You take him and crucify him. I find no basis for a charge against him.”
7 The Jewish leaders[s] answered Pilate,[t] “We have a law, and according to that Law he must die because he made himself out to be the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this, he became even more afraid. 9 Returning to his headquarters,[u] he asked Jesus, “Where are you from?”
But Jesus did not answer him.
10 So Pilate asked him, “Aren’t you going to speak to me? You realize, don’t you, that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you?”
11 Jesus answered him, “You have no authority over me at all, except what was given to you from above. That’s why the one who handed me over to you is guilty of a greater sin.”
12 From then on, Pilate tried to release him, but the Jewish leaders[v] kept shouting, “If you release this fellow, you’re not a friend of Caesar! Anyone who claims to be a king is defying Caesar!”
13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside and sat down on the judgment seat in a place called The Pavement, which in Hebrew is called Gabbatha. 14 Now it was the Preparation Day for the Passover, about noon.[w] He told the Jewish leaders,[x] “Here is your king!”
15 Then they shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him!”
Pilate asked them, “Should I crucify your king?”
The high priests responded, “We have no king but Caesar!” 16 Then Pilate[y] handed him over to be crucified, and they took Jesus away.
Jesus is Crucified(H)
17 Carrying the cross all by himself, he went out to what is called The Place of a Skull, which in Hebrew is called Golgotha. 18 There they crucified him, along with two others, one on each side of him with Jesus in the middle. 19 Pilate wrote an inscription and put it on the cross. It read, “Jesus from Nazareth,[z] the King of the Jews.” 20 Many Jews read this inscription, because the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city. It was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
21 Then the Jewish high priests told Pilate, “Don’t write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this fellow said, ‘I am the King of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate replied, “What I have written I have written.”
23 When the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one for each soldier, and took his cloak[aa] as well. The cloak was seamless, woven in one piece from the top down. 24 So they told each other, “Let’s not tear it. Instead, let’s throw dice to see who gets it.” This was to fulfill the Scripture that says,
“They divided my clothes among themselves,
and for my clothing they threw dice.”[ab]
So that is what the soldiers did.
25 Meanwhile, standing near Jesus’ cross were his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene.[ac] 26 When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he kept loving standing there, he told his mother, “Dear lady,[ad] here is your son.” 27 Then he told the disciple, “Here is your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his own home.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(I)
28 After this, when Jesus realized that everything was now completed, he said (in order to fulfill the Scripture), “I’m thirsty.” 29 A jar of sour wine was standing there, so they put a sponge full of the wine on a branch of hyssop and held it to his mouth. 30 After Jesus had taken the wine, he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and released his spirit.
Jesus’ Side is Pierced
31 Since it was the Preparation Day, the Jewish leaders[ae] did not want to leave the bodies on the crosses during the Sabbath, because that was a particularly important Sabbath. So they asked Pilate to have the men’s legs broken and the bodies[af] removed. 32 So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. 34 Instead, one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear, and blood and water immediately came out. 35 The one who saw this has testified, and his testimony is true. He knows he is telling the truth so that you, too, may believe, 36 because these things happened so that the Scripture might be fulfilled:
“None of his bones will be broken.”[ag]
37 In addition, another passage of Scripture says,
“They will look on the one whom they pierced.”[ah]
Jesus is Buried(J)
38 Later on, Joseph of Arimathea, who was a disciple of Jesus (though a secret one because he was afraid of the Jewish leaders),[ai] asked Pilate to let him remove the body of Jesus. Pilate gave him permission, and he came and removed his body. 39 Nicodemus, the man who had first come to Jesus at night, also arrived, bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes weighing about 100 litra.[aj] 40 They took the body of Jesus and wrapped it in linen cloths along with spices, according to the burial custom of the Jews. 41 A garden was located in the place where he was crucified, and in that garden was a new tomb in which no one had yet been placed. 42 Because it was the Jewish Preparation Day, and because the tomb was nearby, they put Jesus there.
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