New Testament in a Year
The High Priest Questions Jesus(A)
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.[a] 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(B)
25 Meanwhile, Simon Peter was standing and warming himself. Some people[b] 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,[c] didn’t I?” 27 Peter again denied it, and immediately a rooster crowed.
Pilate Questions Jesus(C)
28 Then Jesus was led from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters[d] early in the morning. The Jews[e] did not go into the headquarters, to avoid becoming unclean[f] 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[g] told him, “It is not legal for us to put anyone to death.” 32 This was to fulfill what Jesus had said[h] when he indicated the kind of death he was to die.
33 So Pilate went back into the governor’s headquarters,[i] 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.[j] 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[k] 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.[l]
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