Luke 23:13–34

¹³Then Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people. ¹⁴He told them, “You brought me this man as someone who turns the people against the government. I’ve questioned him in front of you and haven’t found this man guilty of the crimes of which you accuse him. ¹⁵Neither could Herod. So he sent this man back to us. This man hasn’t done anything to deserve the death penalty. ¹⁶So I’m going to have him whipped and set free.”^a

The Crowd Rejects Jesus—Matthew 27:15–26; Mark 15:6–15; John 18:39–40

¹⁸The whole crowd then shouted, “Take him away! Free Barabbas for us.” ¹⁹(Barabbas had been thrown into prison for his involvement in a riot that had taken place in the city and for murder.) 

²⁰But because Pilate wanted to free Jesus, he spoke to the people again. 

²¹They began yelling, “Crucify him! Crucify him!” 

²²A third time Pilate spoke to them. He asked, “Why? What has he done wrong? I haven’t found this man deserving of the death penalty. So I’m going to have him whipped and set free.” 

²³But the crowd pressured Pilate. They shouted that Jesus had to be crucified, and they finally won. ²⁴Pilate decided to give in to their demand. ²⁵He freed Barabbas, who had been put in prison for rioting and murdering, because that’s what they wanted. But he let them do what they wanted to Jesus. 

Jesus Is Led Away to Be Crucified

²⁶As the soldiers led Jesus away, they grabbed a man named Simon, who was from the city of Cyrene. Simon was coming into Jerusalem. They laid the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus. 

²⁷A large crowd followed Jesus. The women in the crowd cried and sang funeral songs for him. ²⁸Jesus turned to them and said, “You women of Jerusalem, don’t cry for me! Rather, cry for yourselves and your children! ²⁹The time is coming when people will say, ‘Blessed are the women who couldn’t get pregnant, who couldn’t give birth, and who couldn’t nurse a child.’ ³⁰Then people will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ ³¹If people do this to a green tree, what will happen to a dry one?” 

³²Two others, who were criminals, were led away to be executed with him. 

The Crucifixion—Matthew 27:31–44; Mark 15:20–32; John 19:16b–24

³³When they came to the place called The Skull, they crucified him. The criminals were also crucified, one on his right and the other on his left. 

³⁴Then Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they’re doing.”^b

Meanwhile, the soldiers divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice.