Matthew 27
27
Jesus Brought before Pilate
1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
The Suicide of Judas
3When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus#27.3 Gk he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4He said, “I have sinned by betraying innocent#27.4 Other ancient authorities read righteous blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” 7After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. 8For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah,#27.9 Other ancient authorities read Zechariah or Isaiah “And they took#27.9 Or I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set,#27.9 Or the price of the precious One on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10and they gave#27.10 Other ancient authorities read I gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
11Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you?” 14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Barabbas or Jesus?
15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus#27.16 Other ancient authorities lack Jesus Barabbas. 17So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus#27.17 Other ancient authorities lack Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?”#27.17 Or the Christ 18For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” 20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”#27.22 Or the Christ All of them said, “Let him be crucified!” 23Then he asked, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
Pilate Hands Jesus over to Be Crucified
24So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man's blood;#27.24 Other ancient authorities read this righteous blood, or this righteous man's blood see to it yourselves.” 25Then the people as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters,#27.27 Gk the praetorium and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
32As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. 33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots;#27.35 Other ancient authorities add in order that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, “They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots.” 36then they sat down there and kept watch over him. 37Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
38Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39Those who passed by derided#27.39 Or blasphemed him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42“He saved others; he cannot save himself.#27.42 Or is he unable to save himself? He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God's Son.’ ” 44The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45From noon on, darkness came over the whole land#27.45 Or earth until three in the afternoon. 46And about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47When some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”#27.49 Other ancient authorities add And another took a spear and pierced his side, and out came water and blood 50Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last.#27.50 Or gave up his spirit 51At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. 53After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God's Son!”#27.54 Or a son of God
55Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63and said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard#27.65 Or Take a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.”#27.65 Gk you know how 66So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
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Matthew 27: NRSV
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New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Matthew 27
27
Jesus Is Taken to Governor Pilate
(Mk. 15:1; Lk. 23:1–2; Jn. 18:28–32)
1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people met and decided to kill Jesus. 2They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
(Acts 1:18–19)
3Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. He was the one who had handed him over. When he saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the leading priests and the older leaders. 4Judas said, “I sinned. I handed over to you an innocent man to be killed.”
The Jewish leaders answered, “We don’t care! That’s a problem for you, not us.”
5So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went out from there and hanged himself.
6The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple. They said, “Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because this money has paid for a man’s death.” 7So they decided to use the money to buy a field called Potter’s Field. This field would be a place to bury people who died while visiting in Jerusalem. 8That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9This showed the full meaning of what Jeremiah the prophet said:
“They took 30 silver coins. That was how much the people of Israel decided to pay for his life. 10They used those 30 silver coins to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”#27:10 “They took … me” See Zech. 11:12-13; Jer. 32:6-9.
Governor Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mk. 15:2–5; Lk. 23:3–5; Jn. 18:33–38)
11Jesus stood before Pilate, the governor, who asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, that’s right.”
12Then, when the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders made their accusations against Jesus, he said nothing.
13So Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you? Why don’t you answer?”
14But Jesus did not say anything, and this really surprised the governor.
Pilate Tries but Fails to Free Jesus
(Mk. 15:6–15; Lk. 23:13–25; Jn. 18:39–19:16)
15Every year at Passover time the governor would free one prisoner—whichever one the people wanted him to free. 16At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas.#27:16 Barabbas In some Greek copies the name is Jesus Barabbas.
17When a crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, “I will free one man for you. Which one do you want me to free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him.
19While Pilate was sitting there in the place for judging, his wife sent a message to him. It said, “Don’t do anything with that man. He is not guilty. Last night I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20But the leading priests and older Jewish leaders told the people to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed.
21Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which one do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Messiah?”
All the people said, “Kill him on a cross!”
23Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!”
24Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do to make the people change. In fact, it looked as if there would be a riot. So he took some water and washed his hands#27:24 washed his hands Pilate did this as a sign to show that he wanted no part in what the people did. in front of them all. He said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are doing it!”
25The people answered, “We will take full responsibility for his death. You can blame us and even our children!”
26Then Pilate set Barabbas free. And he told some soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.
Pilate’s Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mk. 15:16–20; Jn. 19:2–3)
27Then Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around him. 28They took off Jesus’ clothes and put a red robe on him. 29Then they made a crown from thorny branches and put it on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then they bowed before him, making fun of him. They said, “We salute you, king of the Jews!” 30They spit on him. Then they took his stick and kept hitting him on the head with it. 31After they finished making fun of him, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be killed on a cross.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
(Mk. 15:21–32; Lk. 23:26–39; Jn. 19:17–19)
32The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They saw a man from Cyrene named Simon, and they forced him to carry Jesus’ cross. 33They came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means “The Place of the Skull.”) 34There the soldiers gave Jesus some wine mixed with gall.#27:34 gall Probably used as a drug to relieve pain. But when he tasted it, he refused to drink it.
35The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they threw dice to divide his clothes between them. 36The soldiers stayed there to guard him. 37They put a sign above his head with the charge against him written on it: “this is jesus, the king of the jews.”
38Two criminals were nailed to crosses beside Jesus—one on the right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads 40and said, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you really are the Son of God!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. 42They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the king of Israel. If he is the king, he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44And in the same way, the criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
(Mk. 15:33–41; Lk. 23:44–49; Jn. 19:28–30)
45At noon the whole country became dark. The darkness continued for three hours. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out loudly, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”#Quote from Ps. 22:1.
47Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”#27:47 “He is calling Elijah” The word for “My God” (Eli in Hebrew or Eloi in Aramaic) sounded to the people like the name of Elijah, a famous man who spoke for God about 850 B.C.
48Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. 49But the others said, “Don’t bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50Again Jesus cried out loudly and then died.#27:50 died Literally, “let his spirit leave.”
51When Jesus died, the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were broken. 52The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death. 53They came out of the graves. And after Jesus was raised from death, they went into the holy city, and many people saw them.
54The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55Many women were standing away from the cross, watching. These were the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. 56Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John#27:56 James and John Literally, “the sons of Zebedee.” were there.
Jesus Is Buried
(Mk. 15:42–47; Lk. 23:50–56; Jn. 19:38–42)
57That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. He was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. 58He went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give Jesus’ body to him. 59Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a new linen cloth. 60He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. After he did this, he went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62That day was the day called Preparation day. The next day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, ‘I will rise from death in three days.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be guarded well for three days. His followers might come and try to steal the body. Then they could tell everyone that he has risen from death. That lie will be even worse than what they said about him before.”
65Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know.” 66So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
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