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.
Currently Selected:
Matthew 27: ERV
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
© 1987, 2004 Bible League International
Matthew 27
27
The Death of Judas
1Early in the morning all the chief priests and the leaders of the people decided to execute Jesus. 2They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. 4He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”
They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”
5So he threw the money into the temple, went away, and hanged himself.
6The chief priests took the money and said, “It’s not right to put it into the temple treasury, because it’s blood money.” 7So they decided to use it to buy a potter’s field for the burial of strangers. 8That’s why that field has been called the Field of Blood ever since. 9Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true, “They took the 30 silver coins, the price the people of Israel had placed on him, 10and used the coins to buy a potter’s field, as the Lord had directed me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mark 15:1–5; Luke 23:1–4; John 18:28–38)
11Jesus stood in front of the governor, ⌞Pilate⌟. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, I am,” Jesus answered.
12While the chief priests and leaders were accusing him, he said nothing. 13Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?”
14But Jesus said absolutely nothing to him in reply, so the governor was very surprised.
The Crowd Rejects Jesus
(Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:18–25; John 18:39, 40)
15At every Passover festival the governor would free one prisoner whom the crowd wanted. 16At that time there was a well-known prisoner by the name of Barabbas. 17So when the people gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to free for you? Do you want me to free Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?” 18Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
19While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Leave that innocent man alone. I’ve been very upset today because of a dream I had about him.”
20But the chief priests and leaders persuaded the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
21The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to free for you?”
They said, “Barabbas.”
22Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
“He should be crucified!” they all said.
23Pilate asked, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they began to shout loudly, “He should be crucified!”
24Pilate saw that he was not getting anywhere. Instead, a riot was breaking out. So Pilate took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. He said, “I won’t be guilty of killing this man. Do what you want!”
25All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
26Then Pilate freed Barabbas for the people. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mark 15:16–19; John 19:1–3)
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace and gathered the whole troop around him. 28They took off his clothes and put a bright red cape on him. 29They twisted some thorns into a crown, placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt in front of him and made fun of him by saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 30After they had spit on him, they took the stick and kept hitting him on the head with it.
The Crucifixion
(Mark 15:20–32; Luke 23:33–38; John 19:16b–24)
31After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32On the way they found a man named Simon. He was from the city of Cyrene. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34They gave him a drink of wine mixed with a drug called gall. When he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35After they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice. 36Then they sat there and kept watch over him. 37They placed a written accusation above his head. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38At that time they crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.
39Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads 40and said, “You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41The chief priests together with the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders made fun of him in the same way. They said, 42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. So he’s Israel’s king! Let him come down from the cross now, and we’ll believe him. 43He trusted God. Let God rescue him now if he wants. After all, this man said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44Even the criminals crucified with him were insulting him the same way.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
(Mark 15:33–41; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
45At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 47When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. 49The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.
51Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. 52The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. 53They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.
54An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!”
55Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. 56Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb
(Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
57In the evening a rich man named Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and had become a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60Then he laid it in his own new tomb, which had been cut in a rock. After rolling a large stone against the door of the tomb, he went away. 61Mary from Magdala and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.
The Chief Priests and Pharisees Secure Jesus’ Tomb
62The next day, which was the day of rest—a holy day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together and went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be brought back to life.’ 64Therefore, give the order to make the tomb secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been brought back to life.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate told them, “You have the soldiers you want for guard duty. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66So they went to secure the tomb. They placed a seal on the stone and posted the soldiers on guard duty.
Currently Selected:
:
Highlight
Share
Copy
Want to have your highlights saved across all your devices? Sign up or sign in
GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.