The Soldiers Mock Jesus

(Isaiah 50:4-11; Matthew 27:27-31; Mark 15:16-20; Luke 22:63-65)

1Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged Him. 2And the soldiers, twisting twigs of thorn into a wreath, put it on His head, and threw round Him a crimson cloak. 3Then they began to march up to Him, saying in a mocking voice, "Hail King of the Jews!" And they struck Him with the palms of their hands. 4Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews, "See, I am bringing him out to you to let you clearly understand that I find no crime in him." 5So Jesus came out, wearing the wreath of thorns and the crimson cloak. And Pilate said to them, "See, there is the man." 6As soon then as the High Priests and the officers saw Him, they shouted "To the cross! To the cross!" "Take him yourselves and crucify him," said Pilate; "for I, at any rate, find no crime in him." 7"We," replied the Jews, "have a Law, and in accordance with that Law he ought to die, for having claimed to be the Son of God."

8More alarmed than ever, Pilate no sooner heard these words than he re-entered the Praetorium and began to question Jesus. 9"What is your origin?" he asked. But Jesus gave him no answer. 10"Do you refuse to speak even to me?" asked Pilate; "do you not know that I have it in my power either to release you or to crucify you?" 11"You would have had no power whatever over me," replied Jesus, "had it not been granted you from above. On that account he who has delivered me up to you is more guilty than you are." 12Upon receiving this answer, Pilate was for releasing Him. But the Jews kept shouting, "If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar's. Every one who sets himself up as king declares himself a rebel against Caesar."

13On hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out, and sat down on the judge's seat in a place called the Pavement—or in Hebrew, Gabbatha. 14It was the day of Preparation for the Passover, about six o'clock in the morning. Then he said to the Jews, "There is your king!" 15This caused a storm of outcries, "Away with him! Away with him! Crucify him!" "Am I to crucify your king?" Pilate asked. "We have no king, except Caesar," answered the High Priests.

The Crucifixion

(Psalm 69:1-36; Matthew 27:32-44; Mark 15:21-32; Luke 23:26-43)

16Then Pilate gave Him up to them to be crucified. Accordingly they took Jesus;

17and He went out carrying His own cross, to the place called Skull-place—or, in Hebrew, Golgotha— 18where they nailed Him to a cross, and two others at the same time, one on each side and Jesus in the middle. 19And Pilate wrote a notice and had it fastened to the top of the cross. It ran thus: JESUS THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20Many of the Jews read this notice, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the notice was in three languages—Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. 21This led the Jewish High Priests to remonstrate with Pilate. "You should not write 'The King of the Jews,'" they said, "but that he claimed to be King of the Jews." 22"What I have written I have written," was Pilate's answer.

23So the soldiers, as soon as they had crucified Jesus, took His garments, including His tunic, and divided them into four parts—one part for each soldier. The tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece. 24So they said to one another, "Do not let us tear it. Let us draw lots for it." This happened that the Scripture might be fulfilled which says, "They shared my garments among them, and drew lots for my clothing." That was just what the soldiers did. 25Now standing close to the cross of Jesus were His mother and His mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary of Magdala. 26So Jesus, seeing His mother, and seeing the disciple whom He loved standing near, said to His mother, "Behold, your son!" 27Then He said to the disciple, "Behold, your mother!" And from that time the disciple received her into his own home.

The Death of Jesus

(Psalm 22:1-31; Matthew 27:45-56; Mark 15:33-41; Luke 23:44-49)

28After this, Jesus, knowing that everything was now brought to an end, said—that the Scripture might be fulfilled, "I am thirsty." 29There was a jar of wine standing there. With this wine they filled a sponge, put it on the end of a stalk of hyssop, and lifted it to His mouth. 30As soon as Jesus had taken the wine, He said, "It is finished." And then, bowing His head, He yielded up His spirit.

Jesus' Side is Pierced

(Zechariah 12:10-14)

31Meanwhile the Jews, because it was the day of Preparation for the Passover, and in order that the bodies might not remain on the crosses during the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was one of special solemnity) 32Accordingly the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first man and also of the other who had been crucified with Jesus. 33Then they came to Jesus Himself: but when they saw that He was already dead, they refrained from breaking His legs. 34One of the soldiers, however, made a thrust at His side with a lance, and immediately blood and water flowed out. 35This statement is the testimony of an eye-witness, and it is true. He knows that he is telling the truth—in order that you also may believe. 36For all this took place that the Scripture might be fulfilled which declares, "Not one of His bones shall be broken." 37And again another Scripture says, "They shall look on Him whom they have pierced."

The Burial of Jesus

(Isaiah 53:9-12; Matthew 27:57-61; Mark 15:42-47; Luke 23:50-56)

38After this, Joseph of Arimathaea, who was a disciple of Jesus, but for fear of the Jews a secret disciple, asked Pilate's permission to carry away the body of Jesus; and Pilate gave him leave. So he came and removed the body. 39Nicodemus too—he who at first had visited Jesus by night—came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, in weight about seventy or eighty pounds. 40Taking down the body they wrapped it in linen cloths along with the spices, in accordance with the Jewish mode of preparing for burial. 41There was a garden at the place where Jesus had been crucified, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had yet been buried. 42Therefore, because it was the day of Preparation for the Jewish Passover, and the tomb was close at hand, they put Jesus there.