Matthew 27:1-31

Early the next morning, all the leading priests and elders of the people decided to kill Jesus. They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor. Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Judas was the one who gave Jesus to his enemies. When Judas saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the priests and the leaders. Judas said, “I sinned. I gave you an innocent man to be killed.” The leaders answered, “What is that to us? That’s your problem, not ours.” So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged himself. The 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. This money has paid for a man’s death.” So they decided to use the coins to buy a field called Potter’s Field. This field would be a place to bury strangers who died while visiting Jerusalem. That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. So the thing came true that Jeremiah the prophet had said: “They took 30 silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was worth. They used those 30 silver coins to buy Potter’s Field, as the Lord commanded me.” Jesus stood before Pilate the governor. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “Yes, I am.” When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing. So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear these people accusing you of all these things?” But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate. Pilate was very surprised at this. Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one person from prison. This was always a person the people wanted to be set free. At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas. All the people gathered at Pilate’s house. Pilate said, “Which man do you want me to free: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Christ?” Pilate knew that they gave Jesus to him because they were jealous. Pilate said these things while he was sitting on the judge’s seat. While he was sitting there, his wife sent a message to him. The message said, “Don’t do anything to that man. He is not guilty. Today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much.” But the leading priests and elders told the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed. Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?” The people answered, “Barabbas!” Pilate asked, “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?” They all answered, “Kill him on a cross!” Pilate asked, “Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?” But they shouted louder, “Kill him on a cross!” Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this, and a riot was starting. So he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing it!” All the people answered, “We will be responsible. We accept for ourselves and for our children any punishment for his death.” Then Pilate freed Barabbas. Pilate told some of the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross. Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus’ head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him. They said, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. After they finished making fun of Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross.