Matthew 26:50–27:50

⁵⁰Jesus replied, “Do what you came for, friend.”^dz

Then the men stepped forward, seized Jesus and arrested him. ⁵¹With that, one of Jesus’ companions reached for his sword,^a drew it out and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear.^b

⁵²“Put your sword back in its place,” Jesus said to him, “for all who draw the sword will die by the sword.^{c 53}Do you think I cannot call on my Father, and he will at once put at my disposal more than twelve legions of angels?^{d 54}But how then would the Scriptures be fulfilled^e that say it must happen in this way?”

⁵⁵In that hour Jesus said to the crowd, “Am I leading a rebellion, that you have come out with swords and clubs to capture me? Every day I sat in the temple courts teaching,^f and you did not arrest me. ⁵⁶But this has all taken place that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.”^g Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.

Jesus Before the Sanhedrin

26:57–68pp—Mk 14:53–65; Jn 18:12,13,19–24

⁵⁷Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas^h the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders had assembled. ⁵⁸But Peter followed him at a distance, right up to the courtyard of the high priest.ⁱ He entered and sat down with the guards^j to see the outcome.

⁵⁹The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin^k were looking for false evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death. ⁶⁰But they did not find any, though many false witnesses^l came forward.

Finally two^m came forward ⁶¹and declared, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and rebuild it in three days.’ ”ⁿ

⁶²Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?” ⁶³But Jesus remained silent.^o

The high priest said to him, “I charge you under oath^p by the living God:^q Tell us if you are the Messiah,^r the Son of God.”^s

⁶⁴“You have said so,”^t Jesus replied. “But I say to all of you: From now on you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One^u and coming on the clouds of heaven.”^ev

⁶⁵Then the high priest tore his clothes^w and said, “He has spoken blasphemy! Why do we need any more witnesses? Look, now you have heard the blasphemy. ⁶⁶What do you think?”

“He is worthy of death,”^x they answered.

⁶⁷Then they spit in his face and struck him with their fists.^y Others slapped him ⁶⁸and said, “Prophesy to us, Messiah. Who hit you?”^z

Peter Disowns Jesus

26:69–75pp—Mk 14:66–72; Lk 22:55–62; Jn 18:16–18,25–27

⁶⁹Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a servant girl came to him. “You also were with Jesus of Galilee,” she said.

⁷⁰But he denied it before them all. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said.

⁷¹Then he went out to the gateway, where another servant girl saw him and said to the people there, “This fellow was with Jesus of Nazareth.”

⁷²He denied it again, with an oath: “I don’t know the man!”

⁷³After a little while, those standing there went up to Peter and said, “Surely you are one of them; your accent gives you away.”

⁷⁴Then he began to call down curses, and he swore to them, “I don’t know the man!”

Immediately a rooster crowed. ⁷⁵Then Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three times.”^a And he went outside and wept bitterly.

Judas Hangs Himself

27Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed.^{b 2}So they bound him, led him away and handed him over^c to Pilate the governor.^d

³When Judas, who had betrayed him,^e saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver^f to the chief priests and the elders. ⁴“I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”

“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”^g

⁵So Judas threw the money into the temple^h and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.ⁱ

⁶The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸That is why it has been called the Field of Blood^j to this day. ⁹Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:^k “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”^al

Jesus Before Pilate

27:11–26pp—Mk 15:2–15; Lk 23:2,3,18–25; Jn 18:29–19:16

¹¹Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”^m

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

¹²When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.^{n 13}Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?”^{o 14}But Jesus made no reply,^p not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.

¹⁵Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner^q chosen by the crowd. ¹⁶At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus^b Barabbas. ¹⁷So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^{r 18}For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.

¹⁹While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat,^s his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent^t man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream^u because of him.”

²⁰But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.^v

²¹“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.

“Barabbas,” they answered.

²²“What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”^w Pilate asked.

They all answered, “Crucify him!”

²³“Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”

²⁴When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar^x was starting, he took water and washed his hands^y in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,”^z he said. “It is your responsibility!”^a

²⁵All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”^b

²⁶Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged,^c and handed him over to be crucified.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27:27–31pp—Mk 15:16–20

²⁷Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium^d and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,^{e 29}and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.^{f 30}They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.^{g 31}After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.^h

The Crucifixion of Jesus

27:33–44pp—Mk 15:22–32; Lk 23:33–43; Jn 19:17–24

³²As they were going out,ⁱ they met a man from Cyrene,^j named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.^{k 33}They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).^{l 34}There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;^m but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. ³⁵When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.^{n 36}And sitting down, they kept watch^o over him there. ³⁷Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

³⁸Two rebels were crucified with him,^p one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads^{q 40}and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,^r save yourself!^s Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”^{t 41}In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴²“He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!^u Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe^v in him. ⁴³He trusts in God. Let God rescue him^w now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” ⁴⁴In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus

27:45–56pp—Mk 15:33–41; Lk 23:44–49; Jn 19:29–30

⁴⁵From noon until three in the afternoon darkness^x came over all the land. ⁴⁶About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,^c lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).^dy

⁴⁷When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar,^z put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.^a