Luke 23
23Then the entire council took Jesus to Pilate, the Roman governor.G2532G537G4128G846G450G71G846G1909G40912They began to state their case: "This man has been leading our people astray by telling them not to pay their taxes to the Roman government and by claiming he is the Messiah, a king."G1161G756G2723G846G3004G2147G5126G1294G1484G2532G2967G1325G5411G2541G3004G1438G1511G5547G9353So Pilate asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus replied, "You have said it."G1161G4091G1905G846G3004G1488G4771G935G2453G1161G611G846G5346G4771G30044Pilate turned to the leading priests and to the crowd and said, "I find nothing wrong with this man!"G1161G2036G4091G4314G749G2532G3793G2147G3762G158G1722G5129G4445Then they became insistent. "But he is causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes—all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!"G1161G2001G3004G3754G383G2992G1321G2596G3650G2449G756G575G1056G2193G56026"Oh, is he a Galilean?" Pilate asked.G1161G4091G191G1056G1905G1487G444G2076G10577When they said that he was, Pilate sent him to Herod Antipas, because Galilee was under Herod's jurisdiction, and Herod happened to be in Jerusalem at the time.G2532G1921G3754G2076G1537G2264G1849G375G846G4314G2264G5607G846G2532G5607G1722G2414G1722G5025G22508Herod was delighted at the opportunity to see Jesus, because he had heard about him and had been hoping for a long time to see him perform a miracle.G1161G2264G1492G2424G3029G5463G1063G2258G2309G1492G846G1537G2425G1223G191G4183G4012G846G2532G1679G1492G5100G4592G1096G5259G8469He asked Jesus question after question, but Jesus refused to answer.G1161G1905G846G1722G2425G3056G1161G846G611G846G376210Meanwhile, the leading priests and the teachers of religious law stood there shouting their accusations.G1161G749G2532G1122G2476G2159G2723G84611Then Herod and his soldiers began mocking and ridiculing Jesus. Finally, they put a royal robe on him and sent him back to Pilate.G1161G2264G4862G846G4753G1848G846G1848G2532G1702G4016G846G2986G2066G375G846G375G409112(Herod and Pilate, who had been enemies before, became friends that day)G1161G3739G1722G846G2250G4091G2532G2264G1096G5384G3326G5037G240G1063G4391G5607G1722G2189G4314G143813Then Pilate called together the leading priests and other religious leaders, along with the people,G1161G4091G4779G749G2532G758G2532G299214and he announced his verdict. "You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt. I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent.G2036G4314G846G4374G5129G444G3427G5613G654G2992G2532G2400G1473G350G1799G5216G2147G3762G158G1722G5126G444G3739G2596G2723G84615Herod came to the same conclusion and sent him back to us. Nothing this man has done calls for the death penalty.G235G3761G2264G1063G375G5209G4314G846G2532G2400G3762G514G2288G2076G4238G84616So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him."G3811G3767G3811G846G63017G1161G318G2192G630G1520G846G2596G185918Then a mighty roar rose from the crowd, and with one voice they shouted, "Kill him, and release Barabbas to us!"G1161G349G3826G3004G142G5126G1161G630G2254G91219(Barabbas was in prison for taking part in an insurrection in Jerusalem against the government, and for murder.)G3748G2258G1223G5100G4714G1096G1722G4172G2532G5408G906G1519G543820Pilate argued with them, because he wanted to release Jesus.G4091G3767G2309G630G2424G4377G3825G437721But they kept shouting, "Crucify him! Crucify him!"G1161G2019G3004G4717G4717G84622For the third time he demanded, "Why? What crime has he committed? I have found no reason to sentence him to death. So I will have him flogged, and then I will release him."G1161G2036G4314G846G5154G1063G5101G2556G4160G3778G4160G2147G3762G158G2288G1722G846G3811G3767G3811G846G63023But the mob shouted louder and louder, demanding that Jesus be crucified, and their voices prevailed.G1161G1945G3173G5456G154G846G4717G2532G5456G846G2532G749G272924So Pilate sentenced Jesus to die as they demanded.G1161G4091G1948G1096G846G15525As they had requested, he released Barabbas, the man in prison for insurrection and murder. But he turned Jesus over to them to do as they wished.G1161G630G846G1223G4714G2532G5408G906G1519G5438G3739G154G1161G3860G2424G846G230726As they led Jesus away, a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, happened to be coming in from the countryside. The soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it behind Jesus.G2532G5613G520G846G520G1949G5100G4613G2956G2064G575G68G2007G846G2007G4716G5342G3693G242427A large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken women.G1161G190G846G4183G4128G2992G2532G1135G3739G2532G2875G2532G2354G84628But Jesus turned and said to them, "Daughters of Jerusalem, don't weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.G1161G2424G4762G4314G846G2036G2364G2419G2799G3361G1909G1691G4133G2799G1909G1438G2532G1909G5216G504329For the days are coming when they will say, 'Fortunate indeed are the women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and the breasts that have never nursed.'G3754G2400G2250G2064G1722G3739G2046G3107G4723G2532G2836G3739G3756G1080G2532G3149G3739G3756G233730People will beg the mountains, 'Fall on us,' and plead with the hills, 'Bury us.'G5119G756G3004G3735G4098G1909G2248G2532G1015G2572G224831For if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen when it is dry?"G3754G1487G4160G5023G1722G5200G3586G5101G1096G1722G358432Two others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him.G1161G2532G1417G2087G2557G71G4862G846G33733When they came to a place called The Skull, they nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one on his right and one on his left.G2532G3753G565G1909G5117G3588G2564G2898G1563G4717G846G2532G2557G3739G3303G1537G1188G1161G3739G1537G71034Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they don't know what they are doing." And the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.G1161G3004G2424G3962G863G846G1063G1492G3756G5101G4160G1161G1266G846G2440G906G281935The crowd watched and the leaders scoffed. "He saved others," they said, "let him save himself if he is really God's Messiah, the Chosen One."G2532G2992G2476G2334G1161G758G2532G4862G846G1592G3004G4982G243G4982G1438G1487G3778G2076G5547G1588G231636The soldiers mocked him, too, by offering him a drink of sour wine.G1161G4757G2532G1702G846G4334G2532G4374G846G369037They called out to him, "If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!"G2532G3004G1487G4771G1488G935G2453G4982G457238A sign was fastened to the cross above him with these words: "This is the King of the Jews."G1161G1923G2532G2258G1125G1909G846G1121G1673G2532G4513G2532G1444G3778G2076G935G245339One of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, "So you're the Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while you're at it!"G1161G1520G2557G2910G987G846G3004G1487G4771G1488G5547G4982G4572G2532G224840But the other criminal protested, "Don't you fear God even when you have been sentenced to die?G1161G2087G611G2008G846G3004G5399G3761G4771G5399G2316G3754G1488G1722G846G291741We deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn't done anything wrong."G2532G2249G3303G1346G1063G618G514G3739G4238G1161G3778G4238G3762G82442Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom."G2532G3004G2424G2962G3415G3450G3752G2064G1722G4675G93243And Jesus replied, "I assure you, today you will be with me in paradise."G2532G2424G2036G846G281G3004G4671G4594G2071G3326G1700G1722G385744By this time it was noon, and darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.G1161G2258G5616G1623G5610G2532G1096G4655G1909G3650G1093G2193G1766G561045The light from the sun was gone. And suddenly, the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn down the middle.G2532G2246G4654G2532G2665G3485G4977G331946Then Jesus shouted, "Father, I entrust my spirit into your hands!" And with those words he breathed his last.G2532G2424G5455G3173G5456G2036G3962G1519G4675G5495G3908G3450G4151G2532G2036G5023G160647When the Roman officer overseeing the execution saw what had happened, he worshiped God and said, "Surely this man was innocent."G1161G1543G1492G1096G1392G2316G3004G3689G3778G2258G1342G44448And when all the crowd that came to see the crucifixion saw what had happened, they went home in deep sorrow.G2532G3956G3793G4836G1909G5026G2335G2334G1096G5180G1438G4738G529049But Jesus' friends, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance watching.G1161G3956G846G1110G2532G1135G4870G846G575G1056G2476G3113G3708G502350Now there was a good and righteous man named Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish high council,G2532G2400G435G3686G2501G1010G5225G18G435G2532G134251but he had not agreed with the decision and actions of the other religious leaders. He was from the town of Arimathea in Judea, and he was waiting for the Kingdom of God to come.G3778G4784G3756G4784G2258G1012G2532G4234G846G575G707G4172G2453G2532G3739G2532G846G4327G932G231652He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body.G3778G4334G4091G154G4983G242453Then he took the body down from the cross and wrapped it in a long sheet of linen cloth and laid it in a new tomb that had been carved out of rock.G2532G2507G846G2507G1794G846G4616G2532G5087G846G1722G3418G2991G3757G3756G3764G3762G2258G274954This was done late on Friday afternoon, the day of preparation, as the Sabbath was about to begin.G2532G2250G2258G3904G2532G4521G202055As his body was taken away, the women from Galilee followed and saw the tomb where his body was placed.G1161G1135G2532G3748G2258G4905G846G1537G1056G2628G2300G3419G2532G5613G846G4983G508756Then they went home and prepared spices and ointments to anoint his body. But by the time they were finished the Sabbath had begun, so they rested as required by the law.G5290G1161G2090G759G2532G3464G2532G2270G3303G4521G2596G1785
Columbus, OH
G1161
