Judas’ Remorse

1When it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people (Sanhedrin, Jewish High Court) conferred together against Jesus, [plotting how] to put Him to death [since under Roman rule they had no power to execute anyone]; 2so they bound Him, and led Him away and handed Him over to Pilate the governor [of Judea, who had the authority to condemn prisoners to death].

3When Judas, His betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was gripped with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They replied, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” 5And throwing the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary, he left; and went away and [a]hanged himself. 6The chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put these in the treasury [of the temple], because it is the price of blood.” 7So after consultation they used the money to buy the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. 8Therefore that piece of ground has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9Then the words spoken by Jeremiah the prophet were fulfilled: “AND THEY TOOK THE THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER, THE PRICE OF HIM ON WHOM A PRICE HAD BEEN SET by the sons of Israel; 10AND THEY GAVE THEM FOR THE POTTER’S FIELD, AS THE LORD DIRECTED ME.”

Jesus before Pilate

11Now Jesus stood before [Pilate] the governor, and the governor asked Him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” [In affirmation] Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” 12But when the charges were brought against Him by the chief priests and elders, He did not answer. 13Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they are testifying against You?” 14But Jesus did not reply to him, not even to a single accusation, so that the governor was greatly astonished.

15Now at the feast [of the Passover] the governor was in the habit of setting free any one prisoner whom the people chose. 16And at that time they were holding a notorious prisoner [guilty of insurrection and murder], called Barabbas. 17So when they had assembled [for this purpose], Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18For Pilate knew that it was because of jealousy that the chief priests and elders had handed Jesus over to him.

19While he was seated on the judgment seat, his wife sent him a message, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous and innocent Man; for last night I suffered greatly in a dream because of Him.” 20But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death. 21The governor said to them, “Which of the two do you wish me to set free for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all replied, “Let Him be crucified!” 23And he said, “Why, what has He done that is evil?” But they continued shouting all the louder, “Let Him be crucified!”

24So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but rather that a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands [to ceremonially cleanse himself of guilt] in the presence of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this [righteous] Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” 25And all the people answered, “Let [the responsibility for] His blood be on us and on our children!” 26So he set Barabbas free for them; but after having Jesus severely whipped (scourged), he handed Him over to be crucified.

Jesus Is Mocked

27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into [b]the Praetorium, and they gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet [c]robe on Him [as a king’s robe]. 29And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and put a reed in His right hand [as a scepter]. Kneeling before Him, they ridiculed Him, saying, “Hail (rejoice), King of the Jews!” 30They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him repeatedly on the head. 31After they finished ridiculing Him, they stripped Him of the scarlet robe and put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

32Now as they were coming out, they found a man of [d]Cyrene named [e]Simon, whom they forced into service [f]to carry the cross of Jesus.

The Crucifixion

33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means [g]Place of a Skull, 34they offered Him wine mixed with gall (myrrh, a bitter-tasting narcotic) to drink; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.

35And when they had crucified Him, they divided His clothes among them by casting [h]lots. 36Then sitting down there, they began to keep watch over Him [to guard against any rescue attempt]. 37And above His head they put the accusation against Him which read, “[i]THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. 39Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule], 40and they said [tauntingly], “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself [from death]! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, mocked Him, saying, 42“He saved others [from death]; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him and acknowledge Him. 43HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44The robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way.

45Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.). 46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, [j]“ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?” that is, “MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?” 47When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, “This man is calling for [k]Elijah.” 48Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. 49But the rest said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him [from death].” 50And Jesus cried out again with a loud [agonized] voice, and gave up His spirit [voluntarily, sovereignly dismissing and releasing His spirit from His body in submission to His Father’s plan]. 51And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was [l]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 saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life]; 53and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people. 54Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, they were terribly frightened and filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”

55There were also many women there looking on from a distance, who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him. 56Among them was [m]Mary Magdalene, and [n]Mary the mother of [o]James and Joseph, and [Salome] the [p]mother of Zebedee’s sons [James and John].

Jesus Is Buried

57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus [so that he might bury Him], and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth (burial wrapping), 60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock; and he rolled a large stone over the entrance of the tomb and went away. 61And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other [q]Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

62The next day, that is, the day after the [day of] preparation [for the Sabbath], the chief priests and the Pharisees assembled before Pilate, 63and said, “Sir, we have remembered that when He was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise [from the dead].’ 64Therefore, give orders to have the tomb made secure and safeguarded until the third day, otherwise His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last deception [the reporting of His resurrection] will be worse than the first [the reporting that He is the Messiah].” 65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard [of soldiers]; go [with them], make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and [r]made the tomb secure, and along with [stationing] a guard of soldiers [to be on watch] they set a seal on the stone.

[a] 5 Possibly people later threw Judas’ body over the cliff into the Valley of Hinnom where his body was mangled on the rocks below (Acts 1:18). Suicides were not given a proper burial.
[b] 27 The official residence of a governor of a Roman province.
[c] 28 A ranking Roman officer’s outer cloak.
[d] 32 A port city in north Africa.
[e] 32 The father of Alexander and Rufus, disciples in Rome.
[f] 32 The crossbeam was usually placed on the nape of the neck like a yoke.
[g] 33 Latin: Calvarius; or Calvary; Aram: Golgotha; Greek: Kranion.
[h] 35 This fulfilled the prophecy of Ps 22:18, “They divide My clothes among them.”
[i] 37 The wording of the inscription, which was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, varies slightly in each Gospel account and was probably a combination of them all, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.”
[j] 46 See note John 19:30.
[k] 47 The Jews believed that the prophet Elijah would return before the Messiah appeared.
[l] 51 God tearing the veil of the Holy of Holies is significant in that it symbolizes that God’s presence was now open to all people and not just the High Priest.
[m] 56 Jesus delivered this woman from seven demons (Luke 8:2). She was from the town of Magdala in Galilee.
[n] 56 Perhaps the same Mary identified as the wife of Clopas (Gr Alphaeus). See John 19:25. Believed to be a sister or sister-in-law of Mary the mother of Jesus.
[o] 56 This apostle was known as James the Less or James the Younger (Mark 15:40).
[p] 56 Salome, believed to be a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus (John 19:25).
[q] 61 The mother of the apostle known as James the Less or James the Younger.
[r] 66 In ancient times a tomb was secured by stretching a cord across the stone, then sealing each end of the cord to the rock wall with wax. The wax was marked with the official Roman seal.