Matthew 27:1-31

Now when it was early morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus in order to put him to death. And after tying him up, they led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor. Then when Judas, the one who had betrayed him, saw that he had been condemned, he regretted what he had done and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!” And throwing the silver coins into the temple he departed. And he went away and hanged himself. But the chief priests took the silver coins and said, “It is not permitted to put them into the temple treasury, because it is blood money.” And after taking counsel, they purchased with them the Potter’s Field, for a burial place for strangers. (For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood until today.) Then what was spoken by the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, who said, “And they took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one who had been priced, on whom a price had been set by the sons of Israel, and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.” So Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the king of the Jews?” And Jesus said, “You say so.” And when he was being accused by the chief priests and elders he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” And he did not reply to him, not even with reference to one statement, so that the governor was very astonished. Now at each feast, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd—the one whom they wanted. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner named Jesus Barabbas. So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” (For he knew that they had handed him over because of envy. And while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent a message to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much as a result of a dream today because of him.”) But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they should ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death. So the governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “What then should I do with Jesus, the one who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why? What wrong has he done?” But they began to shout even louder, saying, “Let him be crucified!” So Pilate, when he saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but instead an uproar was developing, took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this man. You see to it!” And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released Barabbas for them, but after he had Jesus flogged, he handed him over so that he could be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole cohort to him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet military cloak around him, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling down before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they spat on him and took the reed and repeatedly struck him on his head. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the military cloak and put his own clothes on him, and led him away in order to crucify him.