Matthew 27

¹When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people held a council against Jesus in order to put him to death. ²They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

³Then Judas, the one who had handed him over, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and elders, ⁴saying, "I have sinned by handing over innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? That is your concern." ⁵And throwing the silver coins into the sanctuary, he withdrew. Then he went away and hanged himself.

⁶The chief priests took the silver coins and said, "It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood." ⁷So after holding a council, they used the coins to purchase the Potter's Field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: "And they took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one whose price was set, the price set by the sons of Israel, ¹⁰and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord directed me."

¹¹Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said, "You are saying it." ¹²And while he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. ¹³Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?" ¹⁴But he did not answer him regarding even a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.

¹⁵Now at the festival, the governor was accustomed to release one prisoner to the crowd—whomever they wanted. ¹⁶At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. ¹⁷So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?" ¹⁸For he knew that they had handed him over out of envy.

¹⁹While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him: "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered greatly today because of a dream about him."

²⁰But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus destroyed. ²¹The governor responded and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas." ²²Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" They all said, "Let him be crucified!" ²³He said, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"

²⁴When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing but rather that an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood. You will see to it." ²⁵And all the people answered, "His blood be on us and on our children!" ²⁶Then he released Barabbas to them, and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.

²⁷Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. ²⁸They stripped him and put a scarlet military cloak on him, ²⁹and having woven a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And falling on their knees before him, they mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" ³⁰They spit on him, took the reed, and kept striking him on the head. ³¹And when they had finished mocking him, they stripped off the cloak and put his own garments on him and led him away to crucify him.

³²As they were going out, they found a man from Cyrene named Simon. They pressed him into service to carry his cross. ³³And when they came to the place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, ³⁴they gave him wine mixed with gall to drink. But after tasting it, he refused to drink.

³⁵When they had crucified him, they divided his garments among themselves by casting lots. ³⁶Then they sat down and kept guard over him there. ³⁷Above his head they placed the written charge against him: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."

³⁸Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. ³⁹Those passing by were reviling him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, "You who would destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days—save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" ⁴¹Likewise the chief priests, along with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ⁴²"He saved others; he cannot save himself! He is the King of Israel—let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³He has put his trust in God—let God rescue him now if he wants him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'" ⁴⁴In the same way, the bandits who were crucified with him also kept insulting him.

⁴⁵From the sixth hour, darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?"—that is, "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?" ⁴⁷Some of those standing there heard this and said, "This man is calling for Elijah." ⁴⁸Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and began giving him a drink. ⁴⁹But the others said, "Wait—let us see if Elijah comes to save him."

⁵⁰Then Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and released his spirit. ⁵¹And look—the curtain of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, and the rocks were split apart. ⁵²The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the holy ones who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³Coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.

⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"

⁵⁵Many women were there, watching from a distance—women who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

⁵⁷When evening came, a wealthy man from Arimathea arrived, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸This man approached Pilate and requested the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be released. ⁵⁹Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰and placed it in his own new tomb, which he had cut into the rock. After rolling a large stone against the entrance of the tomb, he departed. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.

⁶²On the next day, which is after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate, ⁶³saying, "Sir, we remember that while he was still alive, that deceiver said, 'After three days I will be raised.' ⁶⁴Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead.' Then the last deception would be worse than the first." ⁶⁵Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go and make it as secure as you know how." ⁶⁶So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone, along with the guard.