The Gospel According to St. Luke

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- Chapter 23 -

(Matthew 27:11–14; John 18:28–40)

Then the whole group got up and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor.

They accused him in front of Pilate: “We have seen this fellow causing trouble by telling lies to our people. He has been telling them to not pay taxes to Caesar, the Roman emperor. Also, he has been saying that he is the Messiah, a king!”

Pilate then asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus replied, “Yes, it is just as you have asked me.”

Then Pilate said to the chief priests and to the crowd, “This man is not guilty of any crime.”

But they kept on accusing Jesus; they said, “He is trying to get the people to riot! He has been teaching his ideas throughout all of the region of Judea. He started doing this in the region of Galilee and now he is doing it here, also!”

Jesus before Herod

When Pilate heard their words, he asked, “Does this man come from the district of Galilee?”

Because Pilate learned that Jesus was from Galilee, where Herod Antipas ruled, he sent Jesus to him, because Herod was in Jerusalem at that time.

When Herod saw Jesus, he was very glad. He had been wanting for a long time to see Jesus, because he was hearing many things about him and wanted to see him perform a miracle.

So he asked Jesus many questions, but Jesus did not reply to any of them.

And the chief priests and some experts in the Jewish laws stood near him, accusing him very much of all kinds of crimes.

Then Herod and his soldiers made fun of Jesus. They put expensive clothes on him to pretend that he was a king. Then Herod sent him back to Pilate.

Until that time Herod and Pilate had been very hostile to each other, but that very day they became friends.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

(Matthew 27:15–23; Mark 15:6–11)

Pilate then gathered together the chief priests and other Jewish leaders and the crowd that was still there.

He said to them, “You brought this man to me, saying that he has been leading the people to revolt. But I want you to know that after having examined him while you were listening, I do not think that he is guilty of any of the things you have told me about.

Even Herod does not think he is guilty. I know this, because he sent him back to us without punishing him. So it is clear that this man does not deserve to die.

So I will tell my soldiers to whip him and then set him free.”

Pilate said this because he had to set free one prisoner at the Passover Celebration.

But the whole crowd shouted together saying, “Put this man to death! Set Barabbas free for us!”

Now Barabbas was a man who had led some people in the city to rebel against the Roman government. He was also a murderer. He was in prison because of these crimes, and he was waiting for them to put him to death.

But Pilate wanted very much to set Jesus free, so he tried to speak to the crowd again.

But they kept on shouting, saying, “Crucify him! Crucify him!”

Pilate spoke to them a third time and asked them, “Why? What crime has he committed? He has done nothing for which he deserves to die. So I will have my soldiers whip him and then set him free.”

But they kept insisting with loud voices that Jesus should be die on a cross. Finally, because they continued to shout so loudly, they persuaded Pilate

to do what they requested.

So he set free the man who was in prison because he had fought against the government and murdered people! He then commanded the soldiers to take Jesus and do what the crowd wanted.

The Crucifixion

(Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:32–44; Mark 15:21–32; John 19:16–27)

Now there was a man named Simon, who was from the city of Cyrene in Africa. He was coming into Jerusalem from the countryside. As the soldiers were leading Jesus away, they grabbed hold of Simon. They took from Jesus the cross that they had made him carry, and they put it on Simon’s shoulders. They told him to carry it and follow behind Jesus.

Now a large crowd was following Jesus. It had many women who were beating their breasts and wailing for him.

Jesus turned to them and said, “You women of Jerusalem, do not weep for me! Instead, weep because of what is going to happen to yourselves and your children!

For I want you to know that there will soon be a time when people will say, ‘How fortunate are the women who have never given birth to children or nursed babies!’

Then the people in this city will say, ‘We wish that the mountains would fall on top of us and that the hills would cover us up!’

If I have to die, even though I have done nothing wrong, terrible things will certainly happen to people who deserve to die.

Two other men who were criminals were also walking to the place where they would die with Jesus.

When they came to the place named ‘The Skull’, there they crucified Jesus by nailing him to a cross. They did the same thing to the two criminals. They put one at the right side of Jesus and one at his left side.

But Jesus said, “Father, forgive these people who did this, because they do not really know whom they are doing this to.” Then the soldiers divided his clothes by gambling with something like dice, to decide which piece of clothing each one would get.

Many people stood nearby, watching. Even the Jewish leaders were mocking Jesus: “He saved other people! If God has really chosen him to be the Messiah, he should save himself!”

The soldiers also mocked him. They came up to him and offered him some sour wine.

They kept saying to him, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

They also fastened on the cross above his head a sign that stated, ‘This is the King of the Jews.’

One of the criminals who was hanging on a cross also insulted Jesus; he said, “You are the Messiah, are you not? So save yourself, and save us too!”

But the other criminal stopped him from speaking; he said, “You should be afraid of God punishing you! They are punishing him and us in the same way.

We two deserve to die. They are punishing us as we deserve for the evil things that we did. But this man has done nothing wrong!”

Then he said to Jesus, “Jesus, please remember to save me when you begin to rule as king!”

Jesus replied, “I want you to know today that you will be with me in paradise!”

The Death of Jesus

(Psalm 31:1–24; Matthew 27:45–56; Mark 15:33–41; John 19:28–30)

Then it was about noontime. But it became dark over all the land until three o’clock in the afternoon.

There was no light from the sun. And the thick curtain that closed off the most holy place in the temple split into two pieces from top to bottom.

When that happened, Jesus shouted loudly, “Father, I put my spirit into your care!” After he said that, he stopped breathing and died.

When the centurion who was over the soldiers saw what happened, he said, “Indeed, this man has done nothing wrong!” What he said honored God.

When the crowd of people who had gathered to see these men die saw what actually happened, they returned to their homes, hitting their own chests to show that they were sorrowful.

All of Jesus’ acquaintances, including the women who had come with him from the region of Galilee, stood at a little distance away and watched everything happen.

The Burial of Jesus

(Isaiah 53:9–12; Matthew 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; John 19:38–42)

Now there was a man named Joseph from Arimathea, a Jewish town. He was a good and a righteous man,

and he was a member of the Jewish council. He saw everything happen, but he had not agreed with the other Council members when they decided to kill Jesus and when they did it it. He was waiting eagerly for the time when God would send his king to begin to rule.

Joseph went to Pilate and asked Pilate to permit him to take Jesus’ body to bury it. Pilate gave him permission,

so he took Jesus’ body down from the cross. He wrapped it in a linen cloth. Then he put his body in a burial chamber that someone had cut in a rock cliff. No one had ever put a body in it before.

It was the day when people got ready for the Jewish day of rest called the Sabbath. It was soon going to be sunset, the start of the Sabbath.

The women who had come with Jesus from the district of Galilee followed Joseph and the men who were with him. They saw the burial chamber, and they saw how the men laid Jesus’ body inside it.

Then the women went back to where they were staying in order to get spices and ointments to put on Jesus’ body. However, they did no work on the Sabbath, just as the Jewish law required.

(Matthew 27:11–14; John 18:28–40)

The whole company of them rose up and brought him before Pilate.

They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king.”

Pilate asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” He answered him, “So you say.”

Pilate said to the chief priests and the multitudes, “I find no basis for a charge against this man.”

But they insisted, saying, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, beginning from Galilee even to this place.”

Jesus before Herod

But when Pilate heard Galilee mentioned, he asked if the man was a Galilean.

When he found out that he was in Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days.

Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things about him. He hoped to see some miracle done by him.

He questioned him with many words, but he gave no answers.

The chief priests and the scribes stood, vehemently accusing him.

Herod with his soldiers humiliated him and mocked him. Dressing him in luxurious clothing, they sent him back to Pilate.

Herod and Pilate became friends with each other that very day, for before that they were enemies with each other.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

(Matthew 27:15–23; Mark 15:6–11)

Pilate called together the chief priests, the rulers, and the people,

and said to them, “You brought this man to me as one that perverts the people, and behold, having examined him before you, I found no basis for a charge against this man concerning those things of which you accuse him.

Neither has Herod, for I sent you to him, and see, nothing worthy of death has been done by him.

I will therefore chastise him and release him.”

Now he had to release one prisoner to them at the feast.(a)

But they all cried out together, saying, “Away with this man! Release to us Barabbas!”—

one who was thrown into prison for a certain revolt in the city, and for murder.

Then Pilate spoke to them again, wanting to release Jesus,

but they shouted, saying, “Crucify! Crucify him!”

He said to them the third time, “Why? What evil has this man done? I have found no capital crime in him. I will therefore chastise him and release him.”

But they were urgent with loud voices, asking that he might be crucified. Their voices and the voices of the chief priests prevailed.

Pilate decreed that what they asked for should be done.

He released him who had been thrown into prison for insurrection and murder, for whom they asked, but he delivered Jesus up to their will.

The Crucifixion

(Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:32–44; Mark 15:21–32; John 19:16–27)

When they led him away, they grabbed one Simon of Cyrene, coming from the country, and laid the cross on him to carry it after Jesus.

A great multitude of the people followed him, including women who also mourned and lamented him.

But Jesus, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.

For behold, the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, the wombs that never bore, and the breasts that never nursed.’

Then they will begin to tell the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and tell the hills, ‘Cover us.’ (b)

For if they do these things in the green tree, what will be done in the dry?”

There were also others, two criminals, led with him to be put to death.

When they came to the place that is called “The Skull”, they crucified him there with the criminals, one on the right and the other on the left.

Jesus said, “Father, forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.” Dividing his garments among them, they cast lots.

The people stood watching. The rulers with them also scoffed at him, saying, “He saved others. Let him save himself, if this is the Christ of God, his chosen one!”

The soldiers also mocked him, coming to him and offering him vinegar,

and saying, “If you are the King of the Jews, save yourself!”

An inscription was also written over him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew: “THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

One of the criminals who was hanged insulted him, saying, “If you are the Christ, save yourself and us!”

But the other answered, and rebuking him said, “Don’t you even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?

And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.”

He said to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”

Jesus said to him, “Assuredly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”

The Death of Jesus

(Psalm 31:1–24; Matthew 27:45–56; Mark 15:33–41; John 19:28–30)

It was now about the sixth hour,(c) and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.(d)

The sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was torn in two.

Jesus, crying with a loud voice, said, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit!” Having said this, he breathed his last.

When the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying, “Certainly this was a righteous man.”

All the multitudes that came together to see this, when they saw the things that were done, returned home beating their breasts.

All his acquaintances and the women who followed with him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching these things.

The Burial of Jesus

(Isaiah 53:9–12; Matthew 27:57–61; Mark 15:42–47; John 19:38–42)

Behold, there was a man named Joseph, who was a member of the council, a good and righteous man

(he had not consented to their counsel and deed), from Arimathaea, a city of the Jews, who was also waiting for God’s Kingdom.

This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body.

He took it down and wrapped it in a linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that was cut in stone, where no one had ever been laid.

It was the day of the Preparation, and the Sabbath was drawing near.

The women who had come with him out of Galilee followed after, and saw the tomb and how his body was laid.

They returned and prepared spices and ointments. On the Sabbath they rested according to the commandment.

Footnotes

(a)23:17 NU omits verse 17.

(b)23:30 ℘ Hosea 10:8

(d)23:44 p.m.