Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)
He rides into Jerusalem, drives the merchants out of the temple, curses the fig tree, and rebukes the Pharisees with the similitudes of the two sons and of the husbandmen who slew such as were sent to them.
21 When they drew near to Jerusalem and had come to Bethphage, to the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two of his disciples, 2 saying to them, Go into the town that lies in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and her colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. 3 And if anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord has need of them, and straightaway he will let them go.
4 All this was done to fulfil that which was spoken by the prophet, saying: 5 Tell ye the daughter of Zion: Behold, your king comes to you, humble and sitting upon a donkey and a colt, the foal of a donkey bred to the yoke.
6 The disciples went and did as Jesus told them, 7 and brought the donkey and the colt, and put on them their clothes, and set him thereon. 8 And many of the people spread their garments in the road. Others cut down branches from the trees and strew them in the road. 9 Moreover, the people who went ahead, and also those who came after, cried out, saying, Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Hosanna in the highest!
10 And when he came to Jerusalem, all the city was moved, saying, Who is this? 11 And the people said, This is Jesus, the prophet of Nazareth, a town of Galilee.
5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, being in the form of God, counted it not a prize to be equal to God, 7 but made himself of no reputation, and took on him the form of a servant, and became like humankind, 8 and was found in his appearance as a man. He humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. 9 For this God has exalted him, and given him a name above all names, 10 so that in the name of Jesus every knee will bow, both of things in heaven and things in earth, and things under the earth, 11 and so that all tongues will confess that Jesus Christ is the Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
14 Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, What will you give me, and I will deliver him to you? And they agreed with him for thirty pieces of silver. 16 And from that time, he sought an opportunity to betray him.
17 On the first day of sweet bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying to him, Where would you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover lamb? 18 And he said, Go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, The Master says, My time is at hand; I will keep my Passover at your place with my disciples.
19 And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and made ready the Passover lamb.
20 When the evening was come, he sat down with the twelve. 21 And as they were eating he said, Truly I say to you that one of you will betray me. 22 And they were exceeding sorrowful, and began every one of them to say to him, Is it I, Master? 23 He answered and said, He who dips his hand with me in the dish, the same will betray me. 24 The Son of man goes as it is written of him. But woe is to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed. It would have been good for that man if he had never been born.
25 Then Judas who betrayed him answered and said, Is it I, Master? Jesus said to him, You have said it.
26 As they were eating, Jesus took bread and gave thanks, broke it, and gave it to the disciples and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27 And he took the cup, and thanked, and gave it to them, saying, Drink of it, everyone. 28 For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. 29 I say to you, I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that day when I shall drink it new with you in my Father’s kingdom.
30 And when they had sung praises, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 31 Then Jesus said to them, You will all fall away because of me this night. For it is written: I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered abroad. 32 But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee.
33 Peter answered and said to him, Even if everyone were to fall away because of you, yet I would never fall away. 34 Jesus said to him, Truly I say to you that this same night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. 35 Peter said to him, If I had to die with you, yet I would not deny you. Likewise also said all the disciples.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place which is called Gethsemane, and said to the disciples, Sit here while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful, and to be in an agony. 38 Then said Jesus to them, My soul is heavy, even unto death. You stay here, and watch with me.
39 And he went a little apart and fell flat on his face and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.
40 And he came back to the disciples and found them asleep, and said to Peter, What, could you not watch with me for one hour? 41 Watch, and pray that you do not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.
42 He went away once more and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup cannot pass away from me but that I drink of it, thy will be fulfilled. 43 And he came and found his disciples asleep again. For their eyes were heavy. 44 And he left them and went again and prayed the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to his disciples and said to them, Sleep on now, and take your rest! Take heed: the hour is at hand, and the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Arise, let us be going. Behold, he who betrays me is at hand.
47 While he was yet speaking, lo, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a large band of men bearing swords and clubs, sent by the chief priests and elders of the people. 48 And he who betrayed him had arranged a sign, saying, Whomever I kiss, he is the one; lay hands on him. 49 And at once he went up to Jesus and said, Hail, Master! and kissed him. 50 And Jesus said to him, Friend, why have you come? Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and took him.
51 And at that, one of the men who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and struck a servant of the high priest and cut off his ear. 52 Then said Jesus to him, Put your sword back in its sheath. For all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53 Or do you think I cannot now pray to my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54 But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled? For this is how it must be.
55 At the same time Jesus said to the throng, You have come out as if against a thief, with swords and clubs to take me. I sat daily teaching in the temple among you, and you did not take me. 56 All this was done so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled.
57 Then all the disciples forsook him and fled.
And they took Jesus and led him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. 58 And Peter followed him from afar off to the high priest’s palace, and went in and sat with the servants, to see the end of it.
59 The chief priests and the elders and all the council sought false witness against Jesus in order to put him to death, 60 but found none. Though many false witnesses came forward, yet they found none. At the last came two false witnesses, 61 and said, This fellow said, I can destroy the temple of God and build it again in three days.
62 And the chief priest arose and said to Jesus, Do you answer nothing? How is it that these men bear witness against you? 63 But Jesus held his peace. And the chief priest spoke and said to him, I charge you in the name of the living God to tell us if you are Christ, the Son of God.
64 Jesus said to him, It is as you have said. But I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and come in the clouds of the sky.
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes, saying, He has blasphemed! Why do we need any more witnesses? Here, now you have heard his blasphemy. 66 What do you think? They answered and said, He is worthy to die. 67 Then they spat in his face and buffeted him with fists. And others struck him with the palm of their hands on the face, 68 saying, Tell us, Christ, who is it that hit you?
69 Peter was sitting out in the centre courtyard. And a maidservant came to him, saying, You also were with Jesus of Galilee. 70 But he denied it before them all, saying, I don’t know what you are saying. 71 When he had gone out into the porch, another servant girl saw him and said to the people who were there, This fellow was also with Jesus of Nazareth. 72 And again Peter denied with an oath that he knew the man. 73 And after a while, some people standing nearby came up and said to Peter, Surely you are also one of them, for your speech gives you away.
74 Then he began to curse, and to swear that he did not know the man. And immediately the cock crew. 75 And Peter remembered the words of Jesus, who had said to him, Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times. And he went out at the doors and wept bitterly.
Christ is delivered to Pilate. Judas hangs himself. Christ is crucified between thieves. He dies and is buried. Watchmen guard the grave.
27 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people held a council against Jesus, to put him to death, 2 and brought him bound, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then when Judas who had betrayed him saw that he was condemned, he repented, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, I have sinned, betraying the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? You see to it. 5 And Judas cast down the silver pieces in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. 7 And they took counsel, and bought with the money a potter’s field to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field is called the Field of Blood until this day. 9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying: And they took thirty silver pieces, the price of him that was sold, whom they bought from the children of Israel, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.
11 Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said to him, It is as you say. 12 And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they lay against you? 14 And he answered him never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15 At that feast the governor was accustomed to release to the people a prisoner, whomever they would request. 16 He had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. 17 And when the people were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Which do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? 18 For he knew well that it was for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was seated to give judgment, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that just man. For I have suffered many things this day in a dream about him. 20 But the chief priests and the elders had persuaded the people that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 Then the governor spoke and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to set free to you? And they said, Barabbas! 22 Pilate said to them, What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said to him, Let him be crucified! 23 Then said the governor, What evil has he done? And they cried out all the more, saying, Let him be crucified!
24 When Pilate saw that he was not prevailing, but that more of a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, and that you should see. 25 Then all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children!
26 Then he let Barabbas go free to them, and had Jesus scourged, and delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the common hall, and gathered to him the whole company of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him and put on him a purple robe, 29 and plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And they bowed their knees before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31 And when they had mocked him, they took the robe back from him and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And as they went out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon; him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 And when they came to the place called Golgotha (which means, a place of dead men’s skulls), 34 they gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted of it, he would not drink.
35 When they had crucified him, they parted his garments and cast lots, to fulfil that which was spoken by the prophet: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture did cast lots. 36 And they sat and kept watch over him there. 37 And they set up over his head his accusation, written this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 And there were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and another on the left.
39 The people who passed by reviled him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, You who destroy the temple of God and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!
41 Likewise also the high priests, mocking him with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he really is the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God – let him deliver him now, if he will have him. For he said, I am the Son of God.
44 Also the thieves who were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth.
45 From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? (which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)
47 Some of the people who were standing there, when they heard that, said, This man is calling for Elijah! 48 And straightaway one of them ran and took a sponge, and filled it full of vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 Others said, Leave him be; let us see if Elijah will come and deliver him.
50 Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up the spirit. 51 And behold: the veil of the temple did tear in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks did split. 52 And graves did open, and the bodies of many saints who slept arose, 53 and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and came into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Surely this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there, watching him from afar – those who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s children.
57 When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Arimathea named Joseph, which man also was Jesus’ disciple. 58 He went to Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and put it in his new tomb, which he had hewn out even in the rock. He rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre and departed. 61 And there were Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, sitting across from the sepulchre.
62 The next day, which followed the day of preparing the Sabbath, the high priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate 63 and said, Sir, we remember what this deceiver said while he was still alive: After three days, I will arise again. 64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come and steal him away, and say to the people that he is risen from the dead, and the last error be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said to them, Take watchmen; go and make it as secure as you can. 66 And they went and made the sepulchre secure with watchmen, and sealed the stone.
11 Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the king of the Jews? Jesus said to him, It is as you say. 12 And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. 13 Then Pilate said to him, Do you not hear how many things they lay against you? 14 And he answered him never a word, insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15 At that feast the governor was accustomed to release to the people a prisoner, whomever they would request. 16 He had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. 17 And when the people were gathered together, Pilate said to them, Which do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? 18 For he knew well that it was for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was seated to give judgment, his wife sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that just man. For I have suffered many things this day in a dream about him. 20 But the chief priests and the elders had persuaded the people that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 Then the governor spoke and said to them, Which of the two do you want me to set free to you? And they said, Barabbas! 22 Pilate said to them, What shall I do then with Jesus who is called Christ? They all said to him, Let him be crucified! 23 Then said the governor, What evil has he done? And they cried out all the more, saying, Let him be crucified!
24 When Pilate saw that he was not prevailing, but that more of a tumult was made, he took water and washed his hands before the people, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person, and that you should see. 25 Then all the people answered and said, His blood be on us and on our children!
26 Then he let Barabbas go free to them, and had Jesus scourged, and delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the common hall, and gathered to him the whole company of soldiers. 28 And they stripped him and put on him a purple robe, 29 and plaited a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And they bowed their knees before him and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31 And when they had mocked him, they took the robe back from him and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. 32 And as they went out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon; him they compelled to bear his cross. 33 And when they came to the place called Golgotha (which means, a place of dead men’s skulls), 34 they gave him vinegar to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted of it, he would not drink.
35 When they had crucified him, they parted his garments and cast lots, to fulfil that which was spoken by the prophet: They divided my garments among them, and for my vesture did cast lots. 36 And they sat and kept watch over him there. 37 And they set up over his head his accusation, written this is jesus, the king of the jews. 38 And there were two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand and another on the left.
39 The people who passed by reviled him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, You who destroy the temple of God and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!
41 Likewise also the high priests, mocking him with the scribes and elders, said, 42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he really is the king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him. 43 He trusted in God – let him deliver him now, if he will have him. For he said, I am the Son of God.
44 Also the thieves who were crucified with him cast the same in his teeth.
45 From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? (which means, My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?)
47 Some of the people who were standing there, when they heard that, said, This man is calling for Elijah! 48 And straightaway one of them ran and took a sponge, and filled it full of vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. 49 Others said, Leave him be; let us see if Elijah will come and deliver him.
50 Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up the spirit. 51 And behold: the veil of the temple did tear in two, from the top to the bottom, and the earth did quake, and the rocks did split. 52 And graves did open, and the bodies of many saints who slept arose, 53 and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and came into the holy city and appeared to many.
54 When the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus saw the earthquake and those things that happened, they feared greatly, saying, Surely this was the Son of God.
Copyright © 2016 by Ruth Magnusson (Davis). Includes emendations to February 2022. All rights reserved.