Revised Common Lectionary (Semicontinuous)
Thanksgiving to God
118 Give thanks to the Lord,
for he is good;
his gracious love is eternal.
2 Let Israel now say,
“His gracious love is eternal.”
19 Open for me the righteous gates
so I may enter through them to give thanks to the Lord.
20 This is the Lord’s gate—
The righteous will enter through it.
21 I will praise you because you have answered me
and have become my deliverer.
22 The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
23 This is from the Lord—
it is awesome in our sight.
24 This is the day that the Lord has made;
let’s rejoice and be glad in it.
25 Please Lord, deliver us!
Please Lord, hurry[a] and bring success now!
26 Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord!
Let us bless you from the Lord’s house.
27 The Lord is God—he will be our light!
Bind the festival sacrifice with ropes
to the horn at the altar.
28 You are my God, and I will praise you;
my God, and I will exalt you.
29 Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good
and his gracious love is eternal.
The King Enters Jerusalem(A)
21 When they came near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage on the Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples on ahead and 2 told them, “Go into the village ahead of you. At once you will find a donkey tied up and a colt with it. Untie them, and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, tell him, ‘The Lord needs them,’ and that person will send them at once.”
4 Now this happened to fulfill what had been spoken through the prophet when he said,
5 “Tell the daughter[a] of Zion,
‘Look, your king is coming to you![b]
He is humble and mounted on a donkey,
even on a colt of a donkey.’”[c]
6 So the disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them. 7 They brought the donkey and the colt and put their coats on them, and he sat upon them. 8 Many people in the crowd spread their own coats on the road, while others began cutting down branches from the trees and spreading them on the road. 9 Both the crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed him kept shouting,
“Hosanna[d] to the Son of David!
How blessed is the one who comes
in the name of the Lord![e]
Hosanna in the highest heaven!”[f]
10 When he came into Jerusalem, the whole city was trembling with excitement. The people[g] were asking, “Who is this?”
11 The crowds kept saying, “This is the prophet Jesus, the man from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The Servant’s Obedience
4 “The Lord God has given me
a learned tongue, so that I may know
how to sustain the weary with words.
And[a] morning after morning he wakens,
and[b] he wakens my ear to
listen like those who are being taught.
5 My Lord God[c] has opened my ears,
and I did not rebel;
I did not shrink back.
6 I gave my back to those who beat me
and my cheeks to those who pulled out my beard.[d]
I did not turn away[e] my face
from insults and spitting.
7 For the Lord God helps me,
so I won’t be disgraced.
Therefore I’ve made my face like flint,
and I know that I won’t be put to shame.”
The Servant’s Vindication
8 The one who vindicates me is near.
Who, then, will bring a charge against me?
Let’s face each other!
Who has a case against me?
Let him confront me!
9 See! It is the Lord God who will help me.
Who is it that will declare me guilty?
See! They will all wear out like a garment;
moths will eat them up.
9 Be gracious to me, Lord,
for I am in distress.
My eyes have been consumed by my grief
along with my soul and my body.
10 My life is consumed by sorrow,
my years with groaning.
My strength has faltered because of my iniquity;[a]
my bones have been consumed.
11 I have become an object of reproach to all my enemies,
especially to my neighbors.
I have become an object of fear to my friends,
and whoever sees me outside runs away from me.
12 Like a dead man, I am forgotten in their thoughts[b]—
like broken pottery.
13 I have heard the slander of many;
it is like terror all around me,
as they conspire together and plot to take my life.
14 But I trust in you, Lord.
I say, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hands.
Deliver me from the hands of my enemies
and from those who pursue me.
16 May your face shine on your servant;
in your gracious love, deliver me.
5 Have the same attitude among yourselves[a] that was also in the Messiah[b] Jesus:[c]
6 In God’s own form existed he,
and shared with God equality,
deemed nothing needed grasping.
7 Instead, poured out in emptiness,
a servant’s form did he possess,
a mortal man becoming.
In human form he chose to be,
8 and lived in all humility,
death on a cross obeying.
9 Now lifted up by God to heaven,
a name above all others given,
this matchless name possessing.
10 And so, when Jesus’ name is called,
the knees of everyone should fall,[d]
wherever they’re residing.[e]
11 Then every tongue in one accord,
will say that Jesus the Messiah[f] is Lord,
while God the Father praising.
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus(A)
14 Then one of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the high priests 15 and inquired, “What are you willing to give me if I betray Jesus[a] to you?” They offered him 30 pieces of silver, 16 and from then on he began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus.[b]
The Passover with the Disciples(B)
17 On the first day of the Festival[c] of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and asked, “Where do you want us to make preparations for you to eat the Passover meal?”
18 He said, “Go to a certain man in the city and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near. I will celebrate the Passover with my disciples at your house.”’”[d] 19 So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal.
20 When evening came, Jesus[e] was sitting at the table with the Twelve.[f] 21 While they were eating, he said, “I tell all of you[g] with certainty, one of you is going to betray me.”
22 Feeling deeply distressed, each one began to ask him, “Surely I am not the one, Lord?”
23 He replied, “The man who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me. 24 The Son of Man is going away, just as it has been written about him. How terrible it will be for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for him if he had never been born.”
25 Then Judas, who was going to betray him, asked, “Rabbi,[h] I’m not the one, am I?”
Jesus[i] told him, “You have said so.”
The Lord’s Supper(C)
26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread and blessed it. Then he broke it in pieces and handed it to the disciples, saying, “Take this and eat it. This is my body.”
27 Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, 28 because this is my blood of the new[j] covenant that is being poured out for many people for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell all of you[k] I will never again drink the product of the vine until that day when I drink it with you once again in my Father’s kingdom.”
30 After singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Predicts Peter’s Denial(D)
31 Then Jesus told them, “All of you will turn against me this very night, because it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’[l]
32 However, after I have been raised, I will go to Galilee ahead of you.”
33 But Peter told him, “Even if everyone else turns against you, I certainly won’t!”
34 Jesus told him, “I tell you[m] with certainty, before a rooster crows this very night, you will deny me three times.”
35 Peter told him, “Even if I have to die with you, I will never deny you!” And all the disciples said the same thing.
Jesus Prays in the Garden of Gethsemane(E)
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane. He told the disciples, “Sit down here while I go over there and pray.” 37 Taking Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him, he began to be grieved and troubled. 38 Then he told them, “I’m so deeply grieved that I feel I’m about to die. Wait here and stay awake with me.”
39 Going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, “O my Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not what I want but what you want.”
40 When he went back to the disciples, he found them asleep. He told Peter, “So, you men couldn’t stay awake with me for one hour, could you? 41 All of you must stay awake and pray that you won’t be tempted. The spirit is indeed willing, but the body[n] is weak.”
42 He went away a second time and prayed, “My Father, if this cup cannot go away unless I drink it, let your will be done.” 43 Then he came back and found them asleep, because they could not keep their eyes open. 44 After leaving them again, he went away and prayed again for the third time, saying the same thing.
45 Then he came back to the disciples and told them, “You might as well keep on sleeping and resting.[o] Look! The time is near for the Son of Man to be betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up! Let’s go! See, the one who is betraying me is near!”
Jesus is Arrested(F)
47 Just then, while Jesus[p] was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived. A large crowd armed with swords and clubs was with him. They were from the high priests and elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer personally had given them a signal, saying, “The one I kiss[q] is the man. Arrest him.”
49 So Judas[r] immediately went up to Jesus and said, “Hello, Rabbi!”[s] and kissed him tenderly.
50 Jesus asked him, “Friend, why are you here?”[t] Then the other men[u] surged forward, took hold of Jesus, and arrested him.
51 Suddenly, one of the men with Jesus reached out his hand, drew his sword, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear. 52 Jesus told him, “Put your sword back in its place! Everyone who uses a sword will be killed by a sword. 53 Don’t you think that I could call on my Father, and he would send me more than twelve legions of angels now? 54 How, then, would the Scriptures be fulfilled that say this must happen?”
55 At this point,[v] Jesus asked the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as if I were a bandit?[w] Day after day I sat teaching in the Temple, yet you didn’t arrest me. 56 But all of this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples deserted Jesus[x] and ran away.
Jesus is Tried before the High Priest(G)
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had assembled. 58 Peter, however, followed him at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard. He went inside and sat down with the servants to see how this would end.
59 Meanwhile, the high priests and the whole Council[y] were looking for false testimony against Jesus in order to have him put to death. 60 But they couldn’t find any, even though many false witnesses had come forward. At last two men came forward 61 and stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the sanctuary of God and rebuild it in three days.’”
62 At this, the high priest stood up and asked Jesus,[z] “Don’t you have any answer to what these men are testifying against you?” 63 But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest told him, “I command you by the living God to tell us if you are the Messiah,[aa] the Son of God!”
64 Jesus told him, “You have said so. Nevertheless I tell you, from now on you will see ‘the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power’[ab] and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’”[ac]
65 Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? Listen! You yourselves have just heard the blasphemy! 66 What is your verdict?”
They replied, “He deserves to die!”
67 Then they spit in his face and hit him. Some slapped him, 68 saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah![ad] Who hit[ae] you?”
Peter Denies Jesus(H)
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard when a servant girl came up to him and said, “You, too, were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70 But he denied it in front of them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!” he exclaimed.
71 As he went out to the gateway, another woman saw him and told those who were there, “This man was with Jesus from Nazareth.”[af]
72 Again he denied it and swore with an oath, “I don’t know the man!”
73 After a little while, the people who were standing there came up and told Peter, “Obviously you’re also one of them, because your accent gives you away.”
74 Then he began to curse violently. “I don’t know the man!” he swore solemnly. Just then a rooster crowed. 75 Peter remembered the words of Jesus when he said, “Before a rooster crows, you’ll deny me three times.” Then he went outside and cried bitterly.
Jesus is Taken to Pilate(I)
27 When morning came, all the high priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put him to death. 2 They bound him with chains, led him away, and handed him over to Pontius[ag] Pilate, the governor.
The Death of Judas(J)
3 Then Judas, who had betrayed him, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus[ah] was condemned. He brought the 30 pieces of silver back to the high priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent[ai] blood.”
But they replied, “What do we care? Attend to that yourself.” 5 Then he flung the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, went outside, ran away, and hanged himself.
6 The high priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the Potter’s Field as a burial ground for foreigners. 8 That is why that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what had been declared through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled when he said,
“They[aj] took the 30 pieces of silver,
the value of the man on whom a price had been set by the Israelis,
10 and they[ak] gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord commanded me.”[al]
Pilate Questions Jesus(K)
11 Meanwhile, Jesus was made to stand in front of the governor. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus said, “You say so.”
12 While Jesus[am] was being accused by the high priests and elders, he made no reply. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus[an] did not reply at all, so that the governor was very surprised.
Jesus is Sentenced to Death(L)
15 At every festival[ao] the governor had a custom of releasing to the crowd any prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.[ap] 17 So when the people[aq] had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to release for you—Barabbas,[ar] or Jesus who is called ‘the Messiah’?”[as] 18 He did this[at] because he knew that they had handed him over out of jealousy.
19 While he was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message[au] that said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I have suffered terribly due to a dream I had about him.”
20 But the high priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to demand that Jesus be put to death. 21 So the governor asked them, “Which of the two men do you want me to release for you?”
“Barabbas!” they replied.
22 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?”[av]
They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23 He asked, “What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting louder and louder, “Let him be crucified!”
24 Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s[aw] blood. Attend to that yourselves.”
25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them, but he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus(M)
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the imperial headquarters[ax] and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped[ay] him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 Twisting some thorns into a victor’s crown, they placed it on his head and put[az] a stick in his right hand. They knelt down in front of him and began making fun of him, saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 30 Then they spit on him and took the stick and hit him repeatedly on his head. 31 When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Jesus is Crucified(N)
32 As they were leaving, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to carry Jesus’[ba] cross. 33 When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Skull Place”), 34 they offered him a drink of wine mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35 After they had crucified him, they determined who would get his clothes by throwing dice for them.[bb] 36 Then they sat down there and continued guarding him. 37 Above his head they placed the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38 At that time two bandits[bc] were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. 39 Those who passed by kept insulting[bd] him, shaking their heads, 40 and saying, “You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days—save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41 In the same way the high priests, along with the scribes and elders, were also making fun of him. They kept saying, 42 “He saved others but can’t save himself! He is the king of Israel. Let him[be] come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God[bf] rescue him, if he wants to do so now. After all, he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 In a similar way, the bandits[bg] who were being crucified with him kept insulting him.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(O)
45 From noon[bh] on, darkness came over the whole land[bi] until three in the afternoon.[bj] 46 About three o’clock,[bk] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, eli,[bl] lema sabachthani?”,[bm] which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[bn]
47 When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah.”[bo] 48 So one of the men ran off at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus[bp] a drink.
49 But the others kept saying, “Wait! Let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.”[bq]
50 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice again and died.[br] 51 Suddenly, the curtain[bs] in the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, rocks were split open, 52 tombs were opened, and many[bt] saints who had died[bu] were brought back to life. 53 After his resurrection, they came out of their tombs, went into the Holy City,[bv] and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion[bw] and those guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things that were taking place, they were terrified and said, “This man certainly was the Son of God!”
55 Now many women were also there, watching from a distance. They had accompanied Jesus from Galilee and had ministered to[bx] him. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene,[by] Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus is Buried(P)
57 Later that evening, a rich man arrived from Arimathea. His name was Joseph, and he had become a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered it to be done. 59 So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60 Then he placed it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone across the door of the tomb, he left, 61 but Mary Magdalene[bz] and the other Mary remained there, sitting in front of the tomb.
The Tomb is Secured
62 The following day (that is, after the Day of Preparation), the high priests and Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘I will be raised after three days.’ 64 Therefore, order the tomb to be secured until the third day, or his disciples may go and steal him and then tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ Then the last deception would be worse than the first one.”
65 Pilate told them, “You have[ca] a military guard. Go and make the tomb[cb] as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and secured the tomb by putting a seal on the stone in the presence of the guards.
Pilate Questions Jesus(A)
11 Meanwhile, Jesus was made to stand in front of the governor. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus said, “You say so.”
12 While Jesus[a] was being accused by the high priests and elders, he made no reply. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus[b] did not reply at all, so that the governor was very surprised.
Jesus is Sentenced to Death(B)
15 At every festival[c] the governor had a custom of releasing to the crowd any prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.[d] 17 So when the people[e] had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to release for you—Barabbas,[f] or Jesus who is called ‘the Messiah’?”[g] 18 He did this[h] because he knew that they had handed him over out of jealousy.
19 While he was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message[i] that said, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, because today I have suffered terribly due to a dream I had about him.”
20 But the high priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to demand that Jesus be put to death. 21 So the governor asked them, “Which of the two men do you want me to release for you?”
“Barabbas!” they replied.
22 Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?”[j]
They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23 He asked, “What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting louder and louder, “Let him be crucified!”
24 Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was about to break out instead. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s[k] blood. Attend to that yourselves.”
25 All the people answered, “Let his blood be on us and our children!” 26 Then he released Barabbas for them, but he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus(C)
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the imperial headquarters[l] and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped[m] him and put a scarlet robe on him. 29 Twisting some thorns into a victor’s crown, they placed it on his head and put[n] a stick in his right hand. They knelt down in front of him and began making fun of him, saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 30 Then they spit on him and took the stick and hit him repeatedly on his head. 31 When they had finished making fun of him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes back on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Jesus is Crucified(D)
32 As they were leaving, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon, whom they forced to carry Jesus’[o] cross. 33 When they came to a place called Golgotha (which means “Skull Place”), 34 they offered him a drink of wine mixed with gall. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35 After they had crucified him, they determined who would get his clothes by throwing dice for them.[p] 36 Then they sat down there and continued guarding him. 37 Above his head they placed the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38 At that time two bandits[q] were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. 39 Those who passed by kept insulting[r] him, shaking their heads, 40 and saying, “You who were going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days—save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41 In the same way the high priests, along with the scribes and elders, were also making fun of him. They kept saying, 42 “He saved others but can’t save himself! He is the king of Israel. Let him[s] come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God[t] rescue him, if he wants to do so now. After all, he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 In a similar way, the bandits[u] who were being crucified with him kept insulting him.
Jesus Dies on the Cross(E)
45 From noon[v] on, darkness came over the whole land[w] until three in the afternoon.[x] 46 About three o’clock,[y] Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Eli, eli,[z] lema sabachthani?”,[aa] which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”[ab]
47 When some of the people standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling for Elijah.”[ac] 48 So one of the men ran off at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some sour wine. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus[ad] a drink.
49 But the others kept saying, “Wait! Let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.”[ae]
50 Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice again and died.[af] 51 Suddenly, the curtain[ag] in the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, rocks were split open, 52 tombs were opened, and many[ah] saints who had died[ai] were brought back to life. 53 After his resurrection, they came out of their tombs, went into the Holy City,[aj] and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion[ak] and those guarding Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things that were taking place, they were terrified and said, “This man certainly was the Son of God!”
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