Read the Gospels in 40 Days
Jesus is brought before Pilate and Herod. The women make lamentation for him. He prays for his enemies, forgives the thief upon his right hand, and dies on the cross and is buried.
23 And the whole number of them arose, and led Jesus to Pilate. 2 And they began to accuse him, saying, We have found his fellow upsetting the people, and forbidding to pay tribute to Caesar, saying that he is Christ, a king. 3 And Pilate questioned him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? He answered him and said, It is as you say.
4 Then Pilate said to the high priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man. 5 But they were all the more fierce, saying, He stirs up the people, teaching throughout Judea, beginning at Galilee, and even to this place.
6 When Pilate heard mention of Galilee, he asked whether the man was from Galilee. 7 And as soon as he knew he was of Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also at Jerusalem in those days.
8 And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad. He had desired to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him, and trusted to see some miracle done by him. 9 Then he questioned him concerning many things, but Jesus answered him not one word. 10 The high priests and scribes stood forth and accused him vehemently. 11 And Herod with his men of war derided him and mocked him, and arrayed him in white, and sent him again to Pilate.
12 And that same day, Pilate and Herod were brought together as friends. For before, they were at variance.
13 And Pilate called together the high priests, the rulers, and the people, 14 and said to them, You have brought this man to me as one who incited uprising among the people. But I have examined him before you, and have found no fault in this man concerning those things that you accuse him of. 15 No, nor did Herod; for I sent you to him, and lo, nothing worthy of death was determined against him. 16 I will therefore chastise him and let him go. 17 (For custom constrained Pilate to release one prisoner to them at that feast.)
18 And all the people cried out at once, saying, Away with him, and release Barabbas to us! 19 (who for insurrection made in the city and for murder had been cast into prison).
20 Pilate spoke again to them, wanting to let Jesus go free. 21 But they shouted, saying, Crucify him! Crucify him!
22 He said to them the third time, What evil has he done? I find no cause of death in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.
23 But they called with loud voices for him to be crucified.
And the voice of the people and of the high priests prevailed, 24 and Pilate gave sentence that it should be as they required, 25 and released to them the one who for insurrection and murder had been cast into prison, whom they desired, and delivered Jesus to do with him what they would. 26 And as they led him away, they caught one Simon of Cyrene coming out of the field, and on him they laid the cross, to bear it after Jesus.
27 And there followed him a great company of people, and of women, which women bewailed and lamented him. 28 But Jesus turned back to them and said, Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For behold, the days will come when men will say, Happy are the barren, and the wombs that never bore, and the paps that never gave suck. 30 Then will they begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us! and to the hills, Cover us! 31 For if they do this to a green tree, what shall be done to the dry?
32 And there were two evil-doers led with him to be slain. 33 And when they came to the place that is called Calvary, there they crucified him, and the evil-doers also, one on the right hand and the other on the left. 34 Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.
And they divided up his garments and cast lots for them. 35 And the people stood and looked on. And the leaders mocked him with them, saying, He helped other men; let him help himself, if he is Christ, the chosen of God. 36 The soldiers also mocked him, and came and gave him vinegar, 37 and said, If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself. 38 And a superscription was written over him in Greek, in Latin, and Hebrew: this is the king of the jews.
39 And one of the evil-doers who hung there railed on him, saying, If you are the Christ, save yourself and us. 40 But the other answered and rebuked him, saying, Do you not fear God, seeing that you are under the same sentence? 41 We are rightly punished, for we receive according to our deeds, but this man has done nothing amiss. 42 And he said to Jesus, Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom. 43 And Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you, today you shall be with me in Paradise.
44 And it was about the sixth hour. And there came a darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, 45 and the sun was darkened. And the veil of the temple did tear, right through the middle. 46 And Jesus cried with a great voice and said, Father, into your hands I commit my spirit. And when he had thus spoken, he gave up the spirit.
47 When the centurion saw what had happened, he glorified God, saying, Surely this was a just man. 48 And all the people who came together to that sight, beholding the things that were done, smote their breasts and returned home. 49 And all those who knew him, and the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood afar off beholding these things.
50 And there was a man named Joseph, a member of the council, and he was a good man and just. 51 He had not consented to their counsel and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, and he was also waiting for the kingdom of God. 52 He went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus, 53 and took it down, wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid it in a tomb hewn out in stone, in which no man had ever before been laid. 54 And that day was the day of preparation; and the Sabbath drew on.
55 The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed after, and saw the sepulchre and how his body was laid. 56 And they returned and prepared spices and oyntments, but rested on the Sabbath day according to the commandment.
The women come to the grave. Christ appears to the two disciples on their way to Emmaus, stands in the midst of his disciples, opens their understanding in the scriptures, gives them a charge, and ascends up to heaven.
24 On the morrow after the Sabbath, early in the morning, the women went to the tomb, bringing the spices they had prepared and other women with them. 2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre, 3 and went in, but did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 And it happened as they wondered at this, behold, two men stood by them in shining vestures.
5 And as the women became afraid and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said to them, Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen. 6 Remember how he spoke to you when he was yet with you in Galilee, 7 saying that the Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men and be crucified, and the third day rise again?
8 And they remembered his words, 9 and returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things to the eleven and to all the rest. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary Jacobi, and others that were with them, who told these things to the apostles. 11 But their words seemed to them like vain things, and they did not believe them.
12 Then Peter arose and ran to the sepulchre, and stooped in and saw the linen cloths laid by themselves. And he departed, wondering in himself at that which had happened.
13 And behold, two of them set out that same day for a town called Emmaus, which was about sixty furlongs from Jerusalem, 14 and they talked together about all these things that had happened. 15 And it so was, as they conversed together and discussed, that Jesus himself drew near and went alongside them. 16 But their eyes were held, so they could not know him. 17 And he said to them, What sort of conversations are these that you are having with each other as you walk and are sad?
18 And the one named Cleopas answered and said to him, Are you only a stranger in Jerusalem, and do not know about the things that have happened there in these days?
19 Jesus said to them, What things?
And they said to him, Of Jesus of Nazareth, who was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, 20 and how the high priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. 21 But we trusted that it was he who would deliver Israel. And regarding all these things, today is just the third day since they happened. 22 Yea, and also certain women of our company have us mystified. They went early to the sepulchre, 23 but did not find his body, and came saying that they had seen a vision of angels who said that he was alive. 24 And some of those who were with us went their way to the sepulchre and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see him.
25 And he said to them, O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into his glory?
27 And he began at Moses and at all the prophets, and interpreted to them all the scriptures that were written about him. 28 And they drew near the town they were headed to, and Jesus made as though he would have gone further. 29 But they constrained him, saying, Stay with us, for it is drawing towards night and the day is far past. And he went in to stay with them.
30 And it came to pass, as he sat at food with them, he took bread, blessed it, broke, and gave to them. 31 And their eyes were opened and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. 32 And they said between themselves, Did not our hearts burn within us while he talked with us along the road and as he opened to us the scriptures?
33 And they rose up the same hour and returned again to Jerusalem. And they found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, 34 who said, The Lord is risen indeed, and has appeared to Simon!
35 And the two told what things had happened along the road, and how they knew him in the breaking of bread.
36 As they were thus speaking, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them and said to them, Peace be with you. 37 And they were startled and afraid, supposing they saw a spirit. 38 And he said to them, Why are you troubled, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? 39 Behold my hands and my feet, that it is even I myself. Handle me and see. For spirits do not have flesh and bones, as you see me to have.
40 And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet. 41 And while they still could not believe for joy and wonderment, he said to them, Have you any food here? 42 And they gave him a piece of broiled fish and some honeycomb. 43 And he took it and ate it before them.
44 And he said to them, These are the things that I told to you while I was still with you: that all must be fulfilled that was written about me in the law of Moses, and in the Prophets, and in the Psalms.
45 Then he opened their wits to understand the scriptures, 46 and said to them, Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for Christ to suffer, and to rise again from death the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, and must begin at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 And behold, I will send the promise of my Father upon you. But stay in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.
50 And he led them out into Bethany, and lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 And it came to pass, as he blessed them, he departed from them and was carried up into heaven.
52 And they worshipped him, and returned to Jerusalem with great joy, 53 and were continually in the temple, praising and lauding God.
Amen.
Here ends the gospel
of Saint Luke.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.