Matthew 27
27
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and elders of the people decided to kill Jesus. 2They tied him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3Judas 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. 4Judas 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.”
5So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off 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. This money has paid for a man’s death.” 7So 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. 8That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9So 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. 10They used those 30 silver coins to buy Potter’s Field, as the Lord commanded me.”# See Zechariah 11:12–13 and Jeremiah 32:6–9.
Pilate Questions Jesus
11Jesus stood before Pilate the governor. Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Yes, I am.”
12When the leading priests and the elders accused Jesus, he said nothing.
13So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear these people accusing you of all these things?”
14But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate. Pilate was very surprised at this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
15Every 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. 16At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas.# Some Greek copies read “Jesus Barabbas.” 17All the people gathered at Pilate’s house. Pilate said, “Which man do you want me to free: Barabbas,# Some Greek copies read “Jesus Barabbas.” or Jesus who is called the Christ?” 18Pilate knew that they gave Jesus to him because they were jealous.
19Pilate 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.”
20But the leading priests and elders told the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
21Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate asked, “What should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
They all answered, “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 he could do nothing about this, and a riot was starting. So he took some water and washed his hands# He did this as a sign to show that he wanted no part in what the people did. 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!”
25All the people answered, “We will be responsible. We accept for ourselves and for our children any punishment for his death.”
26Then 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.
27Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. 28They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him. 29Then 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!” 30They spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. 31After 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.
Jesus Is Killed on a Cross
32The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. They forced another man to carry the cross to be used for Jesus. This man was Simon, from Cyrene. 33They all came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means the Place of the Skull.) 34At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall.# Probably a drink of wine mixed with drugs to help a person feel less pain. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it. 35The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. They threw lots to decide who would get his clothes.# Some Greek copies continue, “So what God said through the prophet came true, ‘They divided my clothes among them, and they threw lots for my clothing.’” 36The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. 37They put a sign above Jesus’ head with the charge against him written on it. The sign read: “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.” 38Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus, one on the right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and insulted Jesus. They shook their heads, 40saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the Jewish elders were also there. These men made fun of Jesus 42and said, “He saved other people, but he can’t save himself! People say he is the King of Israel! If he is the King, then let him come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusts in 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 robbers who were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also insulted him.
Jesus Dies
45At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness lasted for three hours. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you left me alone?”
47Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with vinegar and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to 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 in a loud voice. Then he died.
51Then the curtain in the Temple# A curtain divided the Most Holy Place from the other part of the Temple. That was the special building in Jerusalem where God commanded the Jews to worship him. split into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way down to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. 52The graves opened, and many of God’s people who had died were raised from death. 53They came out of the graves 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 else that happened. They were very frightened and said, “He really was the Son of God!”
55Many women were standing at a distance from the cross, watching. These were women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. 56Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.
Jesus Is Buried
57That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. He was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. 58Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus’ body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph. 59Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60He put Jesus’ body in a new tomb that he had cut in a wall of rock. He rolled a very large stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph 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, ‘After three days I will rise from death.’ 64So give the order for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. His followers might come and steal the body. Then they could tell the people that he has risen from death. That lie would be even worse than the first one.”
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 then putting soldiers there to guard it.
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Matthew 27: ICB
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Copyright © 2015 by Tommy Nelson™, a Division of Thomas Nelson, Inc. All rights reserved. Used by permission.
Matthew 27
27
Jesus before Pilate
1Early in the morning all the chief priests and the elders of the people reached the decision to have Jesus put to death. 2They bound him, led him away, and turned him over to Pilate the governor.
Judas’ death
3When Judas, who betrayed Jesus, saw that Jesus was condemned to die, he felt deep regret. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, and 4said, “I did wrong because I betrayed an innocent man.”
But they said, “What is that to us? That’s your problem.” 5Judas threw the silver pieces into the temple and left. Then he went and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, “According to the Law it’s not right to put this money in the treasury. Since it was used to pay for someone’s life, it’s unclean.” 7So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field where strangers could be buried. 8That’s why that field is called “Field of Blood” to this very day. 9This fulfilled the words of Jeremiah the prophet: And I took the thirty pieces of silver, the price for the one whose price had been set by some of the Israelites, 10and I gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.#27.10 Zech 11:12-13; Jer 32:6-9
Questioned by Pilate
11Jesus was brought before the governor. The governor said, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus replied, “That’s what you say.” 12But he didn’t answer when the chief priests and elders accused him.
13Then Pilate said, “Don’t you hear the testimony they bring against you?” 14But he didn’t answer, not even a single word. So the governor was greatly amazed.
Death sentence
15It was customary during the festival for the governor to release to the crowd one prisoner, whomever they might choose. 16At that time there was a well-known prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. 17When the crowd had come together, Pilate asked them, “Whom would you like me to release to you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18He knew that the leaders of the people had handed him over because of jealousy.
19While he was serving as judge, his wife sent this message to him, “Leave that righteous man alone. I’ve suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and kill Jesus. 21The governor said, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
“Barabbas,” they replied.
22Pilate said, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said, “Crucify him!”
23But he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
They shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
24Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was starting. So he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I’m innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It’s your problem.”
25All the people replied, “Let his blood be on us and on our children.” 26Then he released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus whipped, then handed him over to be crucified.
Soldiers mocking Jesus
27The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s house, and they gathered the whole company#27.27 Or cohort (approximately six hundred soldiers) of soldiers around him. 28They stripped him and put a red military coat on him. 29They twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then they bowed down in front of him and mocked him, saying, “Hey! King of the Jews!” 30After they spit on him, they took the stick and struck his head again and again. 31When they finished mocking him, they stripped him of the military coat and put his own clothes back on him. They led him away to crucify him.
Crucifixion
32As they were going out, they found Simon, a man from Cyrene. They forced him to carry his cross. 33When they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Skull Place, 34they gave Jesus wine mixed with vinegar to drink. But after tasting it, he didn’t want to drink it. 35After they crucified him, they divided up his clothes among them by drawing lots. 36They sat there, guarding him. 37They placed above his head the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.” 38They crucified with him two outlaws, one on his right side and one on his left.
39Those who were walking by insulted Jesus, shaking their heads 40and saying, “So you were going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, were you? Save yourself! If you are God’s Son, come down from the cross.”
41In the same way, the chief priests, along with the legal experts and the elders, were making fun of him, saying, 42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. He’s the king of Israel, so let him come down from the cross now. Then we’ll believe in him. 43He trusts in God, so let God deliver him now if he wants to. He said, ‘I’m God’s Son.’” 44The outlaws who were crucified with him insulted him in the same way.
Death
45From noon until three in the afternoon the whole earth was dark. 46At about three Jesus cried out with a loud shout, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani,” which means, “My God, my God, why have you left me?”#27.46 Ps 22:1
47After hearing him, some standing there said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48One of them ran over, took a sponge full of vinegar, and put it on a pole. He offered it to Jesus to drink.
49But the rest of them said, “Let’s see if Elijah will come and save him.”
50Again Jesus cried out with a loud shout. Then he died.
51Look, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split, 52and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised. 53After Jesus’ resurrection they came out of their graves and went into the holy city where they appeared to many people. 54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what had just happened, they were filled with awe and said, “This was certainly God’s Son.”
55Many women were watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to serve him. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Burial
57That evening a man named Joseph came. He was a rich man from Arimathea who had become a disciple of Jesus. 58He came to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate gave him permission to take it. 59Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had carved out of the rock. After he rolled a large stone at the door of the tomb, he went away. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting in front of the tomb.
Guard at the tomb
62The next day, which was the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was still alive he said, ‘After three days I will arise.’ 64Therefore, order the grave to be sealed until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people, ‘He’s been raised from the dead.’ This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate replied, “You have soldiers for guard duty. Go and make it as secure as you know how.” 66Then they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
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