Readings for Lent and Easter

¹¹ Herod and his soldiers treated Jesus with contempt; they ridiculed him by dressing him up in a splendid robe, and sent him back to Pilate. ¹² And so it happened, that very day, that Herod and Pilate became friends with each other. Up until then, they had been enemies.

Pilate pressured by the crowds

¹³ So Pilate called the chief priests, the rulers and the people.

¹⁴ “You brought this man before me,” he said to them, “on the grounds that he was leading the people astray. Look here, then: I examined him in your presence and I found no evidence in him of the charges you’re bringing against him. ¹⁵ Nor did Herod; he sent him back to me. Look: there is no sign that he’s done anything to deserve death. ¹⁶ So I’m going to flog him and let him go.”

¹⁸ “Take him away!” they shouted out all together. “Release Barabbas for us!” ¹⁹ (Barabbas had been thrown into prison because of an uprising that had taken place in the city, and for murder.) ²⁰ Pilate spoke to them again, with the intention of letting Jesus go, ²¹ but they shouted back, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

²² “Why?” he said for the third time. “What’s he done wrong? I can’t find anything he’s done that deserves death, so I’m going to beat him and let him go.”

²³ But they went on shouting out at the tops of their voices, demanding that he be crucified; and eventually their shouts won the day. ²⁴ Pilate gave his verdict that their request should be granted. ²⁵ He released the man they asked for, the one who’d been thrown into prison because of rebellion and murder, and gave Jesus over to their demands.