Matthew 27
Judas
Hangs Himself
27 Early
in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their
plans how to have JESUS
executed.
2 So they bound HIM, led HIM away and handed HIM over to Pilate
the governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed HIM, saw
that JESUS
was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver 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.’
5 So Judas threw the money into the
temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests picked up the
coins and said, ‘It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it
is blood money.’
7 So they decided to use the money
to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.
8 That is why it has been called the
Field of Blood to this day.
9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah
the prophet was fulfilled:
‘They
took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on HIM by the people of Israel,
10 and they used them to buy the
potter’s field, as THE LORD commanded me.’
JESUS
Before Pilate
11 Meanwhile JESUS stood before
the governor, and the governor asked HIM, ‘Are YOU THE KING OF THE JEWS?’
‘You
have said so,’ JESUS replied.
12 When HE was accused by the chief
priests and the elders, HE gave no answer.
13 Then Pilate asked HIM, ‘Don’t YOU
hear the testimony they are bringing against YOU?’
14 But
JESUS made
no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom
at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd.
16 At that time they had a well-known
prisoner whose name was Jesus Barabbas.
17 So 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?’
18 For
he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed JESUS over to him.
19 While Pilate was sitting on the
judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Don’t have anything to do
with THAT INNOCENT MAN,
for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of HIM.’
20 But the chief priests and the
elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have JESUS executed.
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?’ Pilate
asked.
They
all answered, ‘Crucify HIM!’
23 ‘Why? What crime has HE committed?’
asked Pilate.
But
they shouted all the louder, ‘Crucify HIM!’
24 When Pilate saw that he was
getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water
and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of THIS MAN’s blood,’ he
said. ‘It is your responsibility!’
25 All the people answered, ‘HIS
blood is on us and on our children!’
26 Then he released Barabbas to them.
But he had JESUS
flogged, and handed HIM over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock JESUS
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took JESUS into the
Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around HIM.
28 They stripped HIM and put a scarlet
robe on HIM,
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.
30 They spit on HIM, and took the
staff and struck HIM on the head again and again.
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.
The Crucifixion of JESUS
32 As they were going out, they
met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the
cross.
33 They came to a place called
Golgotha (which means ‘the place of the skull’).
34 There they offered JESUS wine to drink,
mixed with gall; but after tasting it, HE refused to drink it.
35 When they had crucified HIM, they
divided up HIS clothes by casting lots.
36 And sitting down, they kept
watch over HIM there.
37 Above HIS head they placed the
written charge against HIM:
this is jesus,
the king of the jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with HIM, one
on HIS right and one on HIS left.
39 Those who passed by hurled insults
at HIM, shaking their heads
40 and saying, ‘You who are going to
destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down
from the cross, if you are THE SON OF GOD!’
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! Let HIM come down now from
the cross, and we will believe in HIM.
43 HE trusts in GOD. Let GOD rescue HIM
if HE wants HIM, for HE said, ‘I AM THE SON OF GOD.’
44 In the same way the rebels who
were crucified with HIM also heaped insults on HIM.
The Death of JESUS
45 From noon until three in the
afternoon darkness came over all the land.
46 About three in the afternoon JESUS cried out in a
loud voice,
‘Eli,
Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means ‘MY GOD, MY GOD, why have YOU forsaken ME?’
47 When some of those standing there
heard this, they said,
HE’s
calling Elijah.’
48 Immediately one of them ran and
got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and
offered it to JESUS
to drink.
49 The rest said, ‘Now leave HIM
alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save HIM.’
50 And when JESUS had cried out
again in a loud voice, HE gave up HIS SPIRIT.
51 At that moment the curtain of the
temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split
52 and the tombs broke open. The
bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life.
53 They came out of the tombs after JESUS’ resurrection
and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him
who were guarding JESUS
saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and
exclaimed, ‘Surely HE was THE
SON OF GOD!’
55 Many women were there, watching
from a distance. They had followed JESUS from Galilee to care for HIS needs.
56 Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
The
Burial of JESUS
57 As evening approached, there came
a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of JESUS.
58 Going to Pilate, he asked for JESUS’ body, and
Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it
in a clean linen cloth,
60 and placed it in his own new
tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of
the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The
Guard at the Tomb
62 The next day, the one after
Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate.
63 ‘Sir,’ they said, ‘we remember
that while HE was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise
again.’
64 So give the order for the tomb to
be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, HIS disciples may come and steal
the body and tell the people that HE has been raised from the dead. This
last deception will be worse than the first.’
65 ‘Take a guard,’ Pilate
answered. ‘Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.’
66 So
they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and
posting the guard.”
