Revised Common Lectionary (Complementary)

His Steadfast Love Endures For Ever

The Triumphal Entry

21 ^(A)Now when they drew near to Jerusalem and came to Bethphage, to ^(B)the Mount of Olives, then Jesus ^(C)sent two disciples, ² saying to them, “Go into the village in front of you, and immediately you will find a donkey tied, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them to me. ³ If anyone says anything to you, you shall say, ‘The Lord needs them’, and he will send them at once.” ⁴ This took place ^(D)to fulfil what was spoken by the prophet, saying,

⁶ The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. ⁷ They brought the donkey and the colt and put on them their cloaks, and he sat on them. ⁸ Most of the crowd ^(G)spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. ⁹ And the crowds that went before him and that followed him were shouting, ^(H)“Hosanna to ^(I)the Son of David! ^(J)Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna ^(K)in the highest!” ¹⁰ And ^(L)when he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, saying, “Who is this?” ¹¹ And the crowds said, “This is ^(M)the prophet Jesus, ^(N)from Nazareth of Galilee.”

^5 (A)Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus,^{[a] 6 (B)}who, though he was in ^(C)the form of God, did not count equality with God ^(D)a thing to be grasped, ⁷ but ^(E)made himself nothing, taking the form of a ^(F)servant,^{[b] (G)}being born in the likeness of men. ⁸ And being found in human form, he humbled himself by ^(H)becoming obedient to the point of death, ^(I)even death on a cross. ^9 (J)Therefore ^(K)God has ^(L)highly exalted him and bestowed on him ^(M)the name that is above every name, ¹⁰ so that at the name of Jesus ^(N)every knee should bow, ^(O)in heaven and on earth and under the earth, ¹¹ and ^(P)every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is ^(Q)Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Judas to Betray Jesus

^14 (A)Then one of the twelve, whose name was ^(B)Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests ¹⁵ and said, “What will you give me if I deliver him over to you?” And they ^(C)paid him ^(D)thirty pieces of silver. ¹⁶ And from that moment he sought an opportunity ^(E)to betray him.

The Passover with the Disciples

^17 (F)Now on ^(G)the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where would you have us prepare for you to eat the Passover?” ¹⁸ He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ^(H)‘The Teacher says, ^(I)My time is at hand. I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.’” ¹⁹ And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.

^20 (J)When it was evening, he reclined at table with the twelve.^{[a] 21} And as they were eating, ^(K)he said, “Truly, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” ²² And they were very sorrowful and began to say to him one after another, “Is it I, Lord?” ²³ He answered, ^(L)“He who has dipped his hand in the dish with me will betray me. ²⁴ The Son of Man goes ^(M)as it is written of him, but ^(N)woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! ^(O)It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.” ²⁵ Judas, who would betray him, answered, “Is it I, ^(P)Rabbi?” He said to him, ^(Q)“You have said so.”

Institution of the Lord's Supper

^26 (R)Now as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and ^(S)after blessing it broke it and gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; ^(T)this is my body.” ²⁷ And he took a cup, and when he ^(U)had given thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink of it, all of you, ²⁸ for ^(V)this is my ^(W)blood of the^[b] covenant, which is poured out for ^(X)many ^(Y)for the forgiveness of sins. ²⁹ I tell you I will not drink again of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you ^(Z)in my Father's kingdom.”

Jesus Foretells Peter's Denial

^30 (AA)And when they had sung a hymn, ^(AB)they went out to ^(AC)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 ^(AD)strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’ ³² But after I am raised up, ^(AE)I will go before you to Galilee.” ^33 (AF)Peter answered him, “Though they all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.” ^34 (AG)Jesus said to him, “Truly, I tell you, this very night, ^(AH)before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.” ^35 (AI)Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!” And all the disciples said the same.

Jesus Prays in Gethsemane

^36 (AJ)Then Jesus went with them ^(AK)to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” ³⁷ And taking with him ^(AL)Peter and ^(AM)the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. ³⁸ Then he said to them, ^(AN)“My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and ^(AO)watch^[c] with me.” ³⁹ And going a little farther he fell on his face ^(AP)and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let ^(AQ)this cup pass from me; ^(AR)nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” ⁴⁰ And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? ^41 (AS)Watch and ^(AT)pray that you ^(AU)may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” ⁴² Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, ^(AV)your will be done.” ⁴³ And again he came and found them sleeping, for ^(AW)their eyes were heavy. ⁴⁴ So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for ^(AX)the third time, saying the same words again. ⁴⁵ Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.^[d] See, ^(AY)the hour is at hand, and ^(AZ)the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. ⁴⁶ Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”

Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus

^47 (BA)While he was still speaking, ^(BB)Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. ⁴⁸ Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; seize him.” ⁴⁹ And he came up to Jesus at once and said, “Greetings, ^(BC)Rabbi!” And he kissed him. ⁵⁰ Jesus said to him, ^(BD)“Friend, ^(BE)do what you came to do.”^[e] Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him. ⁵¹ And behold, one of those who were with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his ^(BF)sword and struck the servant^[f] of the high priest and cut off his ear. ⁵² Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place. For ^(BG)all who take the sword will perish by the sword. ^53 (BH)Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me ^(BI)more than twelve ^(BJ)legions of angels? ^54 (BK)But how then should the Scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” ⁵⁵ At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day ^(BL)I sat in the temple ^(BM)teaching, and you did not seize me. ⁵⁶ But ^(BN)all this has taken place that the Scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” ^(BO)Then all the disciples left him and fled.

Jesus Before Caiaphas and the Council

^57 (BP)Then ^(BQ)those who had seized Jesus led him to ^(BR)Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. ⁵⁸ And ^(BS)Peter was following him at a distance, as far as ^(BT)the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with ^(BU)the guards to see the end. ⁵⁹ Now the chief priests and the whole Council^{[g] (BV)}were seeking false testimony against Jesus that they might put him to death, ⁶⁰ but they found none, ^(BW)though many false witnesses came forward. At last ^(BX)two came forward ⁶¹ and said, “This man said, ^(BY)‘I am able to ^(BZ)destroy the temple of God, and to rebuild it in three days.’” ⁶² And the high priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”^{[h] 63 (CA)}But Jesus remained silent. ^(CB)And the high priest said to him, ^(CC)“I adjure you by ^(CD)the living God, ^(CE)tell us if you are ^(CF)the Christ, ^(CG)the Son of God.” ⁶⁴ Jesus said to him, ^(CH)“You have said so. But I tell you, from now on ^(CI)you will see the Son of Man ^(CJ)seated at the right hand of Power and ^(CK)coming on the clouds of heaven.” ⁶⁵ Then the high priest ^(CL)tore his robes and said, ^(CM)“He has uttered blasphemy. What further witnesses do we need? You have now heard his blasphemy. ⁶⁶ What is your judgement?” They answered, ^(CN)“He deserves death.” ⁶⁷ Then ^(CO)they spat in his face ^(CP)and ^(CQ)struck him. And some slapped him, ⁶⁸ saying, “Prophesy to us, you ^(CR)Christ! Who is it that struck you?”

Peter Denies Jesus

^69 (CS)Now Peter was sitting outside ^(CT)in the courtyard. And a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” ⁷⁰ But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you mean.” ⁷¹ And when he went out to the entrance, another servant girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus ^(CU)of Nazareth.” ⁷² And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.” ⁷³ After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you too are one of them, for ^(CV)your accent betrays you.” ⁷⁴ Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man.” And immediately the cock crowed. ⁷⁵ And Peter remembered the saying of Jesus, ^(CW)“Before the cock crows, you will ^(CX)deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

27 ^(CY)When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people ^(CZ)took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. ² And they bound him and ^(DA)led him away and ^(DB)delivered him over to ^(DC)Pilate the governor.

Judas Hangs Himself

³ Then when ^(DD)Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus^[i] was condemned, ^(DE)he changed his mind and brought back ^(DF)the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? ^(DG)See to it yourself.” ⁵ And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, ^(DH)he departed, and he went and hanged himself. ⁶ But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into ^(DI)the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷ So they took counsel and bought with them the potter's field as a burial place for strangers. ⁸ Therefore ^(DJ)that field has been called the Field of Blood ^(DK)to this day. ^9 (DL)Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, ^(DM)“And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Before Pilate

^11 (DN)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you ^(DO)the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ^(DP)“You have said so.” ^12 (DQ)But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, ^(DR)“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” ¹⁴ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

^15 (DS)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or ^(DT)Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was out ^(DU)of envy that they had delivered him up. ¹⁹ Besides, while he was sitting on ^(DV)the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with ^(DW)that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today ^(DX)in a dream.” ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ^(DY)ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” ^(DZ)They all said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ And he said, “Why, ^(EA)what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that ^(EB)a riot was beginning, he took water and ^(EC)washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^(ED)this man's blood;^{[j] (EE)}see to it yourselves.” ²⁵ And all the people answered, ^(EF)“His blood be on us and ^(EG)on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having ^(EH)scourged^[k] Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 (EI)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^(EJ)governor's headquarters,^[l] and they gathered the whole ^(EK)battalion^[m] before him. ²⁸ And they stripped him and put ^(EL)a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they ^(EM)mocked him, saying, “Hail, ^(EN)King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And ^(EO)they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and ^(EP)led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

^32 (EQ)(ER)As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to ^(ES)carry his cross. ^33 (ET)And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), ^34 (EU)they offered him wine to drink, mixed with ^(EV)gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. ³⁵ And when they had crucified him, ^(EW)they divided his garments among them by casting lots. ³⁶ Then they sat down and ^(EX)kept watch over him there. ³⁷ And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, ^(EY)the King of the Jews.” ³⁸ Then two ^(EZ)robbers were crucified with him, ^(FA)one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And ^(FB)those who passed by ^(FC)derided him, ^(FD)wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, ^(FE)“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ^(FF)If you are ^(FG)the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ^42 (FH)“He saved others; ^(FI)he cannot save himself. ^(FJ)He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ^43 (FK)He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ^44 (FL)And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour^[n] there was darkness over all the land^[o] until the ninth hour.^{[p] 46} And about the ninth hour Jesus ^(FM)cried out with a loud voice, saying, ^(FN)“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with ^(FO)sour wine, and put it on a reed and ^(FP)gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(FQ)cried out again with a loud voice and ^(FR)yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(FS)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And ^(FT)the earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of ^(FU)the saints ^(FV)who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into ^(FW)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (FX)When the centurion and those who were with him, ^(FY)keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ^(FZ)“Truly this was the Son^[q] of God!”

⁵⁵ There were also ^(GA)many women there, looking on ^(GB)from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ^(GC)ministering to him, ⁵⁶ among whom were ^(GD)Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph and ^(GE)the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Jesus Is Buried

^57 (GF)When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸ He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. ⁵⁹ And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud ⁶⁰ and ^(GG)laid it in his own new tomb, ^(GH)which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled ^(GI)a great stone to the entrance of the tomb and went away. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and ^(GJ)the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, that is, after the day of ^(GK)Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate ⁶³ and said, “Sir, we remember how ^(GL)that impostor said, while he was still alive, ^(GM)‘After three days I will rise.’ ⁶⁴ Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, ^(GN)lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead’, and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have ^(GO)a guard^[r] of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.” ⁶⁶ So they went and made the tomb secure by ^(GP)sealing the stone and setting a guard.

Jesus Before Pilate

^11 (A)Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you ^(B)the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, ^(C)“You have said so.” ^12 (D)But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, ^(E)“Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” ¹⁴ But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

^15 (F)Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. ¹⁶ And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. ¹⁷ So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or ^(G)Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that it was out ^(H)of envy that they had delivered him up. ¹⁹ Besides, while he was sitting on ^(I)the judgement seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with ^(J)that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today ^(K)in a dream.” ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ^(L)ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. ²¹ The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” ²² Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” ^(M)They all said, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ And he said, “Why, ^(N)what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified

²⁴ So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that ^(O)a riot was beginning, he took water and ^(P)washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of ^(Q)this man's blood;^{[a] (R)}see to it yourselves.” ²⁵ And all the people answered, ^(S)“His blood be on us and ^(T)on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released for them Barabbas, and having ^(U)scourged^[b] Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

^27 (V)Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the ^(W)governor's headquarters,^[c] and they gathered the whole ^(X)battalion^[d] before him. ²⁸ And they stripped him and put ^(Y)a scarlet robe on him, ²⁹ and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they ^(Z)mocked him, saying, “Hail, ^(AA)King of the Jews!” ³⁰ And ^(AB)they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹ And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and ^(AC)led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

^32 (AD)(AE)As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to ^(AF)carry his cross. ^33 (AG)And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), ^34 (AH)they offered him wine to drink, mixed with ^(AI)gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. ³⁵ And when they had crucified him, ^(AJ)they divided his garments among them by casting lots. ³⁶ Then they sat down and ^(AK)kept watch over him there. ³⁷ And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, ^(AL)the King of the Jews.” ³⁸ Then two ^(AM)robbers were crucified with him, ^(AN)one on the right and one on the left. ³⁹ And ^(AO)those who passed by ^(AP)derided him, ^(AQ)wagging their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, ^(AR)“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! ^(AS)If you are ^(AT)the Son of God, come down from the cross.” ⁴¹ So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ^42 (AU)“He saved others; ^(AV)he cannot save himself. ^(AW)He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ^43 (AX)He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ^44 (AY)And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

The Death of Jesus

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour^[e] there was darkness over all the land^[f] until the ninth hour.^{[g] 46} And about the ninth hour Jesus ^(AZ)cried out with a loud voice, saying, ^(BA)“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with ^(BB)sour wine, and put it on a reed and ^(BC)gave it to him to drink. ⁴⁹ But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” ⁵⁰ And Jesus ^(BD)cried out again with a loud voice and ^(BE)yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And behold, ^(BF)the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And ^(BG)the earth shook, and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of ^(BH)the saints ^(BI)who had fallen asleep were raised, ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into ^(BJ)the holy city and appeared to many. ^54 (BK)When the centurion and those who were with him, ^(BL)keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said, ^(BM)“Truly this was the Son^[h] of God!”