Palm Sunday Gospel Reading
Matthew 26:1-27:66
1 When
Jesus had finished all these words, He said to His disciples, 2 “You know that after two
days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is to be handed
over for crucifixion.”
3 Then
the chief priests and the elders of the people were gathered together
in the court of the high priest, named Caiaphas; 4 and
they plotted together to seize Jesus by stealth and kill Him. 5 But
they were saying, “Not during the festival, otherwise a riot might occur
among the people.”
6 Now when Jesus was in Bethany,
at the home of Simon the leper, 7 a woman came to Him with an alabaster vial of very
costly perfume, and she poured it on His head as He reclined at the table. 8 But the disciples were indignant
when they saw this, and said, “Why this waste? 9 For this perfume might
have been sold for a high price and the money given to the
poor.” 10But Jesus,
aware of this, said to them, “Why do you bother the woman? For she has
done a good deed to Me. 11 For you always have the poor with you; but you do
not always have Me. 12 For when she poured this perfume on My body, she did
it to prepare Me for burial. 13 Truly I say to you, wherever this gospel is
preached in the whole world, what this woman has done will also be spoken of in
memory of her.” 14 Then one of the twelve, named Judas Iscariot, went
to the chief priests 15and said, “What are you willing to give me to betray
Him to you?” And they weighed out thirty pieces of silver to
him. 16From then
on he began looking for a good opportunity to betray
Jesus.
17 Now
on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came
to Jesus and asked, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the
Passover?” 18 And He said, “Go into the city to a certain
man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I am to keep
the Passover at your house with My disciples.”’” 19 The
disciples did as Jesus had directed them; and they prepared the Passover.
20 Now when evening came, Jesus was
reclining at the table with the twelve disciples. 21 As they were eating, He said, “Truly
I say to you that one of you will betray Me.” 22 Being deeply grieved, they each
one began to say to Him, “Surely not I, Lord?” 23 And He answered, “He who dipped
his hand with Me in the bowl is the one who will betray Me. 24 The Son of Man is to go, just
as it is written of Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is
betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been
born.” 25 And Judas,
who was betraying Him, said, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Jesus *said to
him, “You have said it yourself.” 26 While they were eating, Jesus
took some bread, and after a blessing, He broke it and
gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is
My body.”27 And
when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave it to them,
saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is My blood of the
covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins. 29 But I say to you, I will not drink
of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with
you in My Father’s kingdom.”
30 After
singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then
Jesus *said to them, “You will all fall away because of Me this
night, for it is written, ‘I WILL STRIKE DOWN THE SHEPHERD, AND THE SHEEP OF
THE FLOCK SHALL BESCATTERED.’ 32 But after I
have been raised, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 But
Peter said to Him, “Even though all may fall away because of You, I
will never fall away.” 34 Jesus said to
him, “Truly I say to you that this very night,
before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” 35 Peter
*said to Him, “Even if I have to die with You, I will not deny You.” All the
disciples said the same thing too.
36 Then Jesus *came with them to a
place called Gethsemane, and *said to His disciples, “Sit here while
I go over there and pray.” 37 And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of
Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. 38 Then He *said to them, “My soul
is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with
Me.”
39 And
He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed,
saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from
Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 40 And
He *came to the disciples and *found them sleeping, and *said to Peter, “So,
you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? 41Keep
watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is
willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 He
went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if
this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” 43 Again
He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 And
He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same
thing once more. 45Then He *came to the disciples and *said to them, “Are
you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of
Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get
up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!”
47 While He was still speaking,
behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large
crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests
and elders of the people. 48 Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying,
“Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” 49Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said,
“Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 50 And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what
you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him.
51 And
behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out
his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his
ear. 52 Then Jesus *said to him, “Put your sword back
into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the
sword. 53 Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father,
and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions
of angels? 54 How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which
say that it must happen this way?”
55 At
that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and
clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every
day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. 56 But
all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the
prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled.
57 Those who had seized Jesus led Him
away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were
gathered together. 58 But Peter
was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high
priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome.
59 Now
the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false
testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. 60 They
did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward.
But later on two came forward,61 and said, “This
man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in
three days.’” 62 The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not
answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” 63 But Jesus
kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the
living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of
God.” 64 Jesus *said to him, “You have said it yourself;
nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see THE SON OF MAN
SITTING AT THE RIGHT HAND OF POWER, and COMING ON THE CLOUDS OF HEAVEN.”
65 Then
the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What
further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the
blasphemy; 66 what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves
death!”
67 Then
they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and
others slapped Him, 68 and said,
“Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?”
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in
the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with
Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before them all,
saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he had gone out to the gateway,
another servant-girl saw him and *said to those who were
there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”72 And again he denied it with
an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73 A little later the bystanders came up and said to
Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way
you talk gives you away.” 74 Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the
man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. 75And Peter remembered the word which Jesus
had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And
he went out and wept bitterly.
Matthew 27
1 Now when morning came, all the chief
priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put
Him to death; 2 and
they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the
governor.
3 Then
when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt
remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and
elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5 And
he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed;
and he went away and hanged himself. 6 The
chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them
into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” 7 And
they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a
burial place for strangers. 8 For this reason
that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then
that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
“AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF THE ONE WHOSE
PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; 10 ANDTHEY
GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor,
and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12 And while He was being accused by
the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. 13 Then Pilate *said to Him, “Do You
not hear how many things they testify against You?” 14 And He did not answer him with
regard to even a single charge, so the governor was quite
amazed.
15 Now
at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for
the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 At
that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas.17 So
when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to
release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For
he knew that because of envy they had handed Him over.
19 While
he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message,
saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous Man; for last night I
suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20 But
the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas
and to put Jesus to death. 21 But the
governor said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for
you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22Pilate *said to
them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all
*said, “Crucify Him!” 23 And he said,
“Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying,
“Crucify Him!”
24 When
Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was
starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd,
saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” 25 And
all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” 26 Then
he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he
handed Him over to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor
took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort
around Him.28 They
stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 And after twisting together a crown
of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they
knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed
and began to beat Him on the head. 31 After they had mocked Him, they took
the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments
back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.
32 As
they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene named Simon, whom they
pressed into service to bear His cross.
33 And when they came to a place
called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, 34 they gave Him wine to drink
mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He was unwilling to drink.
35 And
when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves
by casting lots. 36 And sitting
down, they began to keep watch over Him there. 37 And
above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, “THIS IS
JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
38 At
that time two robbers *were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the
left. 39 And those passing by were hurling abuse at
Him, wagging their heads 40 and saying,
“You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in
three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the
cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also, along with
the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, 42 “He
saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let
Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. 43 HE
TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM;
for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 The
robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same
words.
45 Now
from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until
the ninth hour. 46 About the ninth
hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “ELI, ELI, LAMA
SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN
ME?” 47 And some of those who were standing there, when they
heard it, began saying, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 Immediately
one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on
a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49 But the
rest of them said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to
save Him.” 50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and
yielded up His spirit. 51 And
behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom;
and the earth shook and the rocks were split. 52 The
tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen
asleep were raised; 53 and coming out
of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and
appeared to many. 54 Now the centurion, and those who were with
him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things
that were happening, became very frightened and said, “Truly this was the
Son of God!”
55 Many
women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from
Galilee while ministering to Him. 56Among
them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57 When it was evening, there came a
rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple
of Jesus. 58 This
man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to
be given to him. 59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth,60 and laid it in his own new tomb,
which he had hewn out in the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the
entrance of the tomb and went away. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary,
sitting opposite the grave.
62 Now
on the next day, the day after the preparation, the chief priests and
the Pharisees gathered together with Pilate,63 and said, “Sir, we remember that when He was still alive
that deceiver said, ‘After three days I am to rise
again.’ 64Therefore, give
orders for the grave to be made secure until the third day, otherwise His
disciples may come and steal Him away and say to the people, ‘He has risen from
the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make
it as secure as you know how.” 66 And they went and made the grave secure, and along
with the guard they set a seal on the stone.
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