Matthew 27-28; Psalms 94 - Prayer Tents

Judas Hangs Himself

27Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death.G1161G4405G1096G3956G749G2532G4245G2992G2983G4824G2596G2424G5620G2289G846G2289 2Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.G2532G1210G846G520G2532G3860G846G4194G4091G2232 3When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders.G5119G2455G3588G3860G846G1492G3754G2632G3338G654G5144G694G749G2532G4245 4"I have sinned," he declared, "for I have betrayed an innocent man." "What do we care?" they retorted. "That's your problem."G3004G264G3860G121G129G1161G2036G5101G4314G2248G3700G4771 5Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself.G2532G4496G694G1722G3485G402G2532G565G519 6The leading priests picked up the coins. "It wouldn't be right to put this money in the Temple treasury," they said, "since it was payment for murder."G1161G749G2983G694G2036G1832G3756G1832G906G846G1519G2878G1893G2076G5092G129 7After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter's field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners.G1161G2983G4824G59G1537G846G2763G68G1519G5027G3581G5027 8That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood.G1352G1565G68G2564G68G129G2193G4594 9This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says, "They took the thirty pieces of silver—the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,G5119G4137G3588G4483G1223G2408G4396G3004G2532G2983G5144G694G5092G5091G3739G575G5207G2474G5091 10and purchased the potter's field, as the LORD directed."G2532G1325G846G1519G2763G68G2505G2962G4929G3427

Jesus’ Trial before Pilate

11Now Jesus was standing before Pilate, the Roman governor. "Are you the king of the Jews?" the governor asked him. Jesus replied, "You have said it."G1161G2424G2476G1715G2232G2532G2232G1905G846G3004G1488G4771G935G2453G1161G2424G5346G846G4771G3004 12But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.G2532G1722G846G2723G5259G749G2532G4245G611G3762 13"Don't you hear all these charges they are bringing against you?" Pilate demanded.G5119G3004G4091G846G191G3756G4214G2649G4675 14But Jesus made no response to any of the charges, much to the governor's surprise.G2532G3756G611G846G4314G3761G1520G4487G5620G2232G2296G3029 15Now it was the governor's custom each year during the Passover celebration to release one prisoner to the crowd—anyone they wanted.G1161G2596G1859G2232G1486G630G3793G1520G1198G3739G2309 16This year there was a notorious prisoner, a man named Barabbas.G1161G2192G5119G1978G1198G3004G912 17As the crowds gathered before Pilate's house that morning, he asked them, "Which one do you want me to release to you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"G3767G846G4863G4091G2036G846G5101G2309G630G5213G912G2228G2424G3588G3004G5547 18(He knew very well that the religious leaders had arrested Jesus out of envy.)G1063G1492G3754G1223G5355G3860G846 19Just then, as Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: "Leave that innocent man alone. I suffered through a terrible nightmare about him last night."G1161G846G2521G1909G968G846G1135G649G4314G846G3004G2532G4671G3367G1565G1342G1063G3958G4183G4594G2596G3677G1223G846 20Meanwhile, the leading priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be put to death.G1161G749G2532G4245G3982G3793G2443G154G912G1161G622G2424 21So the governor asked again, "Which of these two do you want me to release to you?" The crowd shouted back, "Barabbas!"G2232G611G1161G2036G846G5101G575G1417G2309G630G5213G1161G2036G912 22Pilate responded, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" They shouted back, "Crucify him!"G4091G3004G846G5101G4160G3767G2424G3588G3004G5547G3956G3004G846G4717 23"Why?" Pilate demanded. "What crime has he committed?" But the mob roared even louder, "Crucify him!"G1161G2232G5346G1063G5101G2556G4160G1161G2896G4057G3004G4717 24Pilate saw that he wasn't getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood. The responsibility is yours!"G1161G4091G1492G3754G5623G3762G235G3123G2351G1096G2983G5204G633G5495G561G3793G3004G1510G121G575G129G5127G1342G3700G5210 25And all the people yelled back, "We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children!"G2532G611G3956G2992G2036G846G129G1909G2248G2532G1909G2257G5043 26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. He ordered Jesus flogged with a lead-tipped whip, then turned him over to the Roman soldiers to be crucified.G5119G630G912G846G1161G5417G2424G3860G2443G4717

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27Some of the governor's soldiers took Jesus into their headquarters and called out the entire regiment.G5119G4757G2232G3880G2424G1519G4232G4863G1909G846G3650G4686 28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him.G2532G1562G846G4060G846G2847G5511 29They wove thorn branches into a crown and put it on his head, and they placed a reed stick in his right hand as a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mockery and taunted, "Hail! King of the Jews!"G2532G4120G4735G1537G173G2007G1909G846G2776G2532G2563G1909G846G1188G2532G1120G1715G846G1702G846G3004G5463G935G2453 30And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.G2532G1716G1519G846G2983G2563G2532G5180G846G1519G2776 31When they were finally tired of mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be crucified.G2532G3753G1702G846G1562G5511G1562G846G2532G1746G846G2440G1746G846G2532G520G846G520G1519G4717

The Crucifixion

32Along the way, they came across a man named Simon, who was from Cyrene, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus' cross.G1161G1831G2147G444G2956G4613G3686G5126G29G2443G142G846G4716 33And they went out to a place called Golgotha (which means "Place of the Skull").G2532G2064G1519G5117G3004G1115G3739G2076G3004G5117G2898 34The soldiers gave him wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted it, he refused to drink it.G1325G846G3690G4095G3396G3326G5521G2532G1089G2309G3756G4095 35After they had nailed him to the cross, the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.G1161G4717G846G1266G846G2440G906G2819G2443G4137G3588G4483G5259G4396G1266G3450G2440G1438G2532G1909G3450G2441G906G2819 36Then they sat around and kept guard as he hung there.G2532G2521G5083G846G1563 37A sign was fastened to the cross above Jesus' head, announcing the charge against him. It read: "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."G2532G2007G1883G846G2776G846G156G1125G3778G2076G2424G935G2453 38Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.G5119G1417G3027G4717G4862G846G1520G1537G1188G2532G1520G1537G2176 39The people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in mockery.G1161G3899G987G846G2795G846G2776 40"Look at you now!" they yelled at him. "You said you were going to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!"G2532G3004G2647G3485G2532G3618G1722G5140G2250G4982G4572G1487G1488G5207G2316G2597G575G4716 41The leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also mocked Jesus.G1161G3668G2532G749G1702G3326G1122G2532G4245G3004 42"He saved others," they scoffed, "but he can't save himself! So he is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right now, and we will believe in him!G4982G243G1438G3756G1410G4982G1487G2076G935G2474G2597G3568G2597G575G4716G2532G4100G846 43He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"G3982G1909G2316G4506G846G3568G1487G2309G846G1063G2036G3754G1510G5207G2316 44Even the revolutionaries who were crucified with him ridiculed him in the same way.G1161G3027G2532G3588G4957G846G3679G846G846G3679

The Death of Jesus

45At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o'clock.G1161G575G1623G5610G1096G4655G1909G3956G1093G2193G1766G5610 46At about three o'clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" which means "My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?"G1161G4012G1766G5610G2424G310G3173G5456G3004G2241G2241G2982G4518G5123G3450G2316G3450G2316G2444G1459G3165 47Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah.G1161G5100G2476G1563G191G3004G3754G3778G5455G2243 48One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink.G2532G2112G1520G1537G846G5143G2532G2983G4699G5037G4130G3690G2532G4060G2563G4222G846G4222 49But the rest said, "Wait! Let's see whether Elijah comes to save him."G1161G3062G3004G863G1492G1487G2243G2064G4982G846 50Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit.G1161G2424G2896G3825G3173G5456G863G4151 51At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,G2532G2400G2665G3485G4977G1519G1417G575G509G2193G2736G2532G1093G4579G2532G4073G4977 52and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead.G2532G3419G455G2532G4183G4983G40G3588G2837G1453 53They left the cemetery after Jesus' resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.G2532G1831G1537G3419G3326G846G1454G1525G1519G40G4172G2532G1718G4183 54The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, "This man truly was the Son of God!"G1161G1543G2532G3326G846G5083G2424G1492G4578G2532G1096G5399G4970G3004G230G3778G2258G5207G2316 55And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance.G1161G4183G1135G2258G1563G2334G575G3113G3748G190G2424G575G1056G1247G846 56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary , and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.G1722G3739G2258G3137G3094G2532G3137G3384G2385G2532G2500G2532G3384G2199G5207

The Burial of Jesus

57As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus,G1161G3798G1096G2064G4145G444G575G707G5122G2501G3739G2532G846G3100G2424G3100 58went to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. And Pilate issued an order to release it to him.G3778G4334G4091G154G4983G2424G5119G4091G2753G4983G591 59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth.G2532G2501G2983G4983G1794G846G2513G4616 60He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left.G2532G5087G846G1722G846G2537G3419G3739G2998G1722G4073G2532G4351G3173G3037G2374G3419G565 61Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.G1161G1563G2258G3137G3094G2532G243G3137G2521G561G5028

The Guard at the Tomb

62The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate.G1161G1887G3748G2076G3326G3904G749G2532G5330G4863G4314G4091 63They told him, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise from the dead.'G3004G2962G3415G3754G1565G4108G2036G2089G2198G3326G5140G2250G1453 64So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we'll be worse off than we were at first."G2753G3767G5028G805G2193G5154G2250G3379G846G3101G2064G3571G2813G846G2813G2532G2036G2992G1453G575G3498G2532G2078G4106G2071G5501G4413 65Pilate replied, "Take guards and secure it the best you can."G1161G4091G5346G846G2192G2892G5217G805G5613G1492 66So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.G1161G4198G805G5028G805G4972G3037G3326G2892