M’Cheyne Bible Reading Plan

The passion of Christ. Of his death and burial.

15 And early in the dawning, the high priests consulted with the elders and the scribes and the whole council, and bound Jesus and led him away, and delivered him to Pilate.

² And Pilate asked him, Are you the king of the Jews? And he answered and said to him, It is as you say. ³ And the high priests accused him of many things. ⁴ So Pilate asked him again, saying, Do you answer nothing? Look how many things they lay to your charge. ⁵ But Jesus still answered never a word, so that Pilate marvelled.

⁶ At that feast it was Pilate’s custom to release to the people, at their pleasure, a prisoner – whomever they desired. ⁷ And there was one named Barabbas, who lay bound with those who had made insurrection, and in the insurrection had committed murder. ⁸ And the people called to Pilate and began to ask that he do as usual for them. ⁹ Pilate answered them and said, Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? ¹⁰ For he knew that the high priests had delivered him out of envy. ¹¹ But the high priests had moved the people to have Barabbas released to them instead.

¹² And Pilate answered again and said to them, What will you have me do then with him whom you call the king of the Jews? ¹³ And they cried again, Crucify him! ¹⁴ Pilate said to them, What evil has he done? And they cried the more fervently, Crucify him!

¹⁵ And so Pilate, choosing to appease the people, released Barabbas to them, and delivered Jesus, when had scourged him, to be crucified.

¹⁶ And the soldiers led him away into the common hall, and called together the whole company. ¹⁷ And they clothed him with purple, and they plaited a crown of thorns and crowned him with it, ¹⁸ and began to pay mock homage to him: Hail, King of the Jews! ¹⁹ And they struck him on the head with a reed, and spat upon him, and kneeled down and worshipped him.

²⁰ And when they had mocked him, they took the purple off him and put his own clothes on him, and led him out to crucify him. ²¹ And they compelled a man who was passing by, called Simon of Cyrene (who was coming out of the field, and was the father of Alexander and Rufus), to bear his cross. ²² And they brought him to a place named Golgotha (which translated is, the place of dead men’s skulls). ²³ And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but he would not receive it.

²⁴ And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments, casting lots for them, what every man should have. ²⁵ And it was about the third hour, and they crucified him. ²⁶ And the notice of his accusation was written: the king of the jews. ²⁷ And they crucified with him two thieves, one on the right hand and the other on his left. ²⁸ And the scripture was fulfilled which says, He was counted among the wicked.

²⁹ And people who were going by railed on him, wagging their heads and saying, Ah, wretch, who destroys the temple and builds it in three days! ³⁰ Save yourself, and come down from the cross!

³¹ Likewise also the high priests mocked him among themselves with the scribes, and said, He saved other men; himself he cannot save. ³² Let Christ the King of Israel now descend from the cross, so that we may see and believe.

And those who were crucified with him reviled him also.

³³ And when the sixth hour was come, darkness arose over all the earth until the ninth hour. ³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani? which is, if it be translated, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

³⁵ And some of the people who were standing by, when they heard that, said, Look, he is calling for Elijah. ³⁶ And one ran and filled a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a reed and gave him to drink, saying, Let him alone. Let’s see if Elijah will come and take him down.

³⁷ But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and gave up the spirit. ³⁸ And the veil of the temple did tear in two pieces, from the top to the bottom. ³⁹ And when the centurion who stood before Jesus saw that he so cried out and gave up the spirit, he said, Truly this man was the Son of God.

⁴⁰ There were also women a good way off beholding him, among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the Little and of Joses, and Mary Salome, ⁴¹ who also, when he was in Galilee, had followed him and ministered to him, and many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem.

⁴² And now when night was come (because it was the Preparation, the day before the Sabbath), ⁴³ Joseph of Arimathea came, a noble councillor, who also looked for the kingdom of God. He went in bravely to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. ⁴⁴ And Pilate marvelled that he was already dead, and called for the centurion, and asked him if Jesus was already dead. ⁴⁵ And when he knew the truth from the centurion, he gave the body to Joseph.

⁴⁶ And Joseph bought a linen cloth, and took him down, and wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was hewn out of the rock, and rolled a stone to the opening of the sepulchre. ⁴⁷ And Mary Magdalene and Mary Joses saw where he was laid.

The infirmity and frailness of the weak should be borne with all love and kindness, after the example of Christ.

15 We who are strong ought to bear the frailness of those who are weak, and not to stand in our own understanding. ² Let everyone please his neighbour for his wellbeing and encouragement. ³ Christ did not please himself, but, as it is written: The rebukes of those who rebuked you, fell on me. ⁴ The things that were written aforetime were written for our instruction, so that we, through patience and comfort from the scripture, might have hope.

⁵ May the God of patience and consolation grant to every one of you to have such a mind towards one another, after the example of Christ Jesus, ⁶ in order that you all, in harmony together, may with one mouth praise God, the Father of our Lord Jesus. ⁷ So then, receive one another as Christ received us, to the glory of God.

⁸ And I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made to the fathers. ⁹ And let the Gentiles praise God for his mercy, as it is written: For this cause I will praise you among the Gentiles, and sing in your name. ¹⁰ And again he says: Rejoice, ye Gentiles, with his people! ¹¹ And again: Praise the Lord, all ye Gentiles, and laud him, all nations! ¹² And in another place Isaiah says: The root of Jesse is to come, he who will rise to reign over the Gentiles; in him shall the Gentiles trust. ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may be rich in hope through the power of the Holy Spirit.

¹⁴ I myself am confident of you, my brethren, that you yourselves are full of goodness, and filled with all knowledge, and are able to exhort one another. ¹⁵ Nevertheless, brethren, I have somewhat boldly written to you, as one who puts you in mind through the grace that is given to me by God ¹⁶ to be the minister of Jesus Christ among the Gentiles, and to minister the glad tidings of God so that the Gentiles may be an acceptable offering, sanctified by the Holy Spirit. ¹⁷ I have therefore something I can make claim to in Christ Jesus, in those things that pertain to God. ¹⁸ For I shrink to speak of anything Christ has not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, with word and deed, ¹⁹ in mighty signs and wonders, by the power of the Spirit of God, so that from Jerusalem and the coasts round about to Illyricum, I have filled all countries with the glad tidings of Christ. ²⁰ Thus have I exerted myself to preach the gospel – not where Christ was already named, lest I should have built on another man’s foundation, ²¹ but as it is written: People who have not been told of him, they will see, and those who have not heard will understand.

²² For this cause I have often been prevented from going to you all. ²³ But now, seeing I have no more to do in these countries, and also having wanted for many years to go to you, ²⁴ when I take my journey into Spain, I will go to you. I trust to see you in my journey, and that you will help me on my way after I have enjoyed your company for a while.

²⁵ Now I am going to Jerusalem, to minister to the saints. ²⁶ For it has pleased the people of Macedonia and Achaia to send aid to the poor saints at Jerusalem. ²⁷ It has genuinely pleased them. And they are their debtors, for if the Gentiles are made partakers of their spiritual things, their duty is to minister to them in carnal things. ²⁸ When I have completed this, and have brought them this fruit sealed, I will come back again by you on my way into Spain. ²⁹ And I am sure that when I come, I will come with an abundance of the blessing of the gospel of Christ.

³⁰ I beseech you, brethren, for our Lord Jesus Christ’s sake, and for the love of the Spirit, to help me in my concerns, with your prayers to God for me, ³¹ that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe, and that this my service to Jerusalem may be accepted by the saints, ³² so that I may come to you with joy, by the will of God, and may with you be refreshed. ³³ The God of peace be with you. Amen.