Read the Gospels in 40 Days
The Soldiers Mock Jesus(A)
19 So then (B)Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2 And the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns and put it on His head, and they put on Him a purple robe. 3 [a]Then they said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” And they (C)struck Him with their hands.
4 Pilate then went out again, and said to them, “Behold, I am bringing Him out to you, (D)that you may know that I find no fault in Him.”
Pilate’s Decision
5 Then Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. And Pilate said to them, “Behold the Man!”
6 (E)Therefore, when the chief priests and officers saw Him, they cried out, saying, “Crucify Him, crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “You take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.”
7 The Jews answered him, (F)“We have a law, and according to [b]our law He ought to die, because (G)He made Himself the Son of God.”
8 Therefore, when Pilate heard that saying, he was the more afraid, 9 and went again into the Praetorium, and said to Jesus, “Where are You from?” (H)But Jesus gave him no answer.
10 Then Pilate said to Him, “Are You not speaking to me? Do You not know that I have [c]power to crucify You, and power to release You?”
11 Jesus answered, (I)“You could have no power at all against Me unless it had been given you from above. Therefore (J)the one who delivered Me to you has the greater sin.”
12 From then on Pilate sought to release Him, but the Jews cried out, saying, “If you let this Man go, you are not Caesar’s friend. (K)Whoever makes himself a king speaks against Caesar.”
13 (L)When Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat in a place that is called The Pavement, but in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14 Now (M)it was the Preparation Day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour. And he said to the Jews, “Behold your King!”
15 But they cried out, “Away with Him, away with Him! Crucify Him!”
Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your King?”
The chief priests answered, (N)“We have no king but Caesar!”
16 (O)Then he delivered Him to them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus [d]and led Him away.
The King on a Cross(P)
17 (Q)And He, bearing His cross, (R)went out to a place called the Place of a Skull, which is called in Hebrew, Golgotha, 18 where they crucified Him, and (S)two others with Him, one on either side, and Jesus in the center. 19 (T)Now Pilate wrote a title and put it on the cross. And the writing was:
JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
20 Then many of the Jews read this title, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin.
21 Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews.” ’ ”
22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”
23 (U)Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus, took His garments and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24 They said therefore among themselves, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be,” that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says:
(V)“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”
Therefore the soldiers did these things.
Behold Your Mother
25 (W)Now there stood by the cross of Jesus His mother, and His mother’s sister, Mary the wife of (X)Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. 26 When Jesus therefore saw His mother, and (Y)the disciple whom He loved standing by, He said to His mother, (Z)“Woman, behold your son!” 27 Then He said to the disciple, “Behold your mother!” And from that hour that disciple took her (AA)to his own home.
It Is Finished
28 After this, Jesus, [e]knowing that all things were now accomplished, (AB)that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said, “I thirst!” 29 Now a vessel full of sour wine was sitting there; and (AC)they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth. 30 So when Jesus had received the sour wine, He said, (AD)“It is finished!” And bowing His head, He gave up His spirit.
Jesus’ Side Is Pierced
31 (AE)Therefore, because it was the Preparation Day, (AF)that the bodies should not remain on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a (AG)high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first and of the other who was crucified with Him. 33 But when they came to Jesus and saw that He was already dead, they did not break His legs. 34 But one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately (AH)blood and water came out. 35 And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is (AI)true; and he knows that he is telling the truth, so that you may (AJ)believe. 36 For these things were done that the Scripture should be fulfilled, (AK)“Not one of His bones shall be broken.” 37 And again another Scripture says, (AL)“They shall look on Him whom they pierced.”
Jesus Buried in Joseph’s Tomb(AM)
38 (AN)After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, (AO)for fear of the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him permission. So he came and took the body of Jesus. 39 And (AP)Nicodemus, who at first came to Jesus by night, also came, bringing a mixture of (AQ)myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pounds. 40 Then they took the body of Jesus, and (AR)bound it in strips of linen with the spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury. 41 Now in the place where He was crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid. 42 So (AS)there they laid Jesus, (AT)because of the Jews’ Preparation Day, for the tomb was nearby.
The Empty Tomb(AU)
20 Now the (AV)first day of the week Mary Magdalene went to the tomb early, while it was still dark, and saw that the (AW)stone had been taken away from the tomb. 2 Then she ran and came to Simon Peter, and to the (AX)other disciple, (AY)whom Jesus loved, and said to them, “They have taken away the Lord out of the tomb, and we do not know where they have laid Him.”
3 (AZ)Peter therefore went out, and the other disciple, and were going to the tomb. 4 So they both ran together, and the other disciple outran Peter and came to the tomb first. 5 And he, stooping down and looking in, saw (BA)the linen cloths lying there; yet he did not go in. 6 Then Simon Peter came, following him, and went into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there, 7 and (BB)the [f]handkerchief that had been around His head, not lying with the linen cloths, but folded together in a place by itself. 8 Then the (BC)other disciple, who came to the tomb first, went in also; and he saw and believed. 9 For as yet they did not [g]know the (BD)Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. 10 Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.
Mary Magdalene Sees the Risen Lord
11 (BE)But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping, and as she wept she stooped down and looked into the tomb. 12 And she saw two angels in white sitting, one at the head and the other at the feet, where the body of Jesus had lain. 13 Then they said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping?”
She said to them, “Because they have taken away my Lord, and I do not know where they have laid Him.”
14 (BF)Now when she had said this, she turned around and saw Jesus standing there, and (BG)did not know that it was Jesus. 15 Jesus said to her, “Woman, why are you weeping? Whom are you seeking?”
She, supposing Him to be the gardener, said to Him, “Sir, if You have carried Him away, tell me where You have laid Him, and I will take Him away.”
16 Jesus said to her, (BH)“Mary!”
She turned and said to [h]Him, “Rabboni!” (which is to say, Teacher).
17 Jesus said to her, “Do not cling to Me, for I have not yet (BI)ascended to My Father; but go to (BJ)My brethren and say to them, (BK)‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to (BL)My God and your God.’ ”
18 (BM)Mary Magdalene came and told the [i]disciples that she had seen the Lord, and that He had spoken these things to her.
The Apostles Commissioned(BN)
19 (BO)Then, the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were [j]assembled, for (BP)fear of the Jews, Jesus came and stood in the midst, and said to them, (BQ)“Peace be with you.” 20 When He had said this, He (BR)showed them His hands and His side. (BS)Then the disciples were glad when they saw the Lord.
21 So Jesus said to them again, “Peace to you! (BT)As the Father has sent Me, I also send you.” 22 And when He had said this, He breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 (BU)If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven them; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained.”
Seeing and Believing
24 Now Thomas, (BV)called the Twin, one of the twelve, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 The other disciples therefore said to him, “We have seen the Lord.”
So he said to them, “Unless I see in His hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails, and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.”
26 And after eight days His disciples were again inside, and Thomas with them. Jesus came, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!” 27 Then He said to Thomas, “Reach your finger here, and look at My hands; and (BW)reach your hand here, and put it into My side. Do not be (BX)unbelieving, but believing.”
28 And Thomas answered and said to Him, “My Lord and my God!”
29 Jesus said to him, [k]“Thomas, because you have seen Me, you have believed. (BY)Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
That You May Believe
30 And (BZ)truly Jesus did many other signs in the presence of His disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 (CA)but these are written that (CB)you may believe that Jesus (CC)is the Christ, the Son of God, (CD)and that believing you may have life in His name.
Scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.