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Matthew 26:14-27:66
Judas betrays Jesus
Then one of the Twelve, the man called Judas Iscariot, went to
the chief priests and said, 'What are you prepared to give me if
I hand him over to you?' They paid him thirty silver pieces and
from that moment he looked for an opportunity to betray him.
Preparations for the Passover supper
Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to
Jesus to say, 'Where do you want us to make the preparations
for you to eat the passover?' He replied 'Go to so-and-so in
the city and say to him, "The Master says: my time is near.
It is at your house that I am keeping Passover with my disciples".'
The disciples did what Jesus told them and prepared the Passover.
The treachery of Judas foretold
When evening came he was at table with the twelve disciples. And
while they were eating he said, 'I tell you solemnly, one of you
is about to betray me.' They were greatly distressed and started
asking him in turn, 'Not I, Lord, surely?' He answered, 'Someone
who has dipped his hand into the dish with me, will betray me.
The Son of Man is going to his fate, as the scripture says he will,
but alas for that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! Better
for that man if he had never been born!' Judas, who was to betray
him, asked in his turn, 'Not I, Rabbi, surely?' 'They are your
own words' Jesus answered.
The institution of the Eucharist
Now as they were eating, Jesus took some bread, and when he had said
the blessing he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said,
'Take it and eat it: this is my body.' Then he took the cup, and
when he had returned thanks he gave it to them saying, 'Drink all
of you from this, for this is my blood, the blood of the covenant,
which is to be poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
From now on, I tell you, I shall not drink wine until the day I
drink the new wine with you in the kingdom of my Father.'
Peter's denial foretold
After psalms had been sung they left for the Mount of Olives. Then
Jesus said to them, 'You will all lose faith in me this night,
for the scripture says: I shall strike the shepherd and the sheep
of the flock will be scattered. But after my resurrection I shall
go before you to Galilee.' At this, Peter said, 'Though all lose
faith in you, I will never lose faith.' Jesus answered him, 'I
tell you solemnly, this very night before the cock crows, you will
have disowned me three times.' Peter said to him, 'Even if I have
to die with you, I will never disown you.' And all the disciples
said the same.
Gethsemane
Then Jesus came with them to a small estate called Gethsemane; and
he said to his disciples, 'Stay here while I go over there and
pray'. He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee with him. And
sadness came over him, and great distress. Then he said to them,
'My soul is sorrowful to the point of death. Wait here and keep
awake with me.' And going on a little further he fell on his face
and prayed. 'My Father,' he said, 'if it is possible, let this
cup pass me by. Nevertheless, let it be as you, not I, would have
it.' He came back to the disciples and found them sleeping, and
he said to Peter, 'So you had not the strength to keep awake with
me one hour? You should be awake, and praying not to be put to
the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.' Again,
a second time, he went away and prayed: 'My Father,' he said, 'if
this cup cannot pass by without my drinking it, your will be done!'
And he came again back and found them sleeping, their eyes were
so heavy. Leaving them there, he went away again and prayed for
the third time, repeating the same words. Then he came back to
the disciples and said to them, 'You can sleep on now and take
your rest. Now the hour has come when the Son of Man is to be betrayed
into the hands of sinners. Get up! Let us go! My betrayer is already
close at hand.'
The Arrest
He was still speaking when Judas, one of the Twelve, appeared, and
with him a large number of men armed with swords and clubs, sent
by the chief priests and elders of the people. Now the traitor
had arranged a sign with them. 'The one I kiss,' he said, 'he is
the man. Take him in charge.' So he went straight up to Jesus and
said 'Greetings, Rabbi', and kissed him. Jesus said to him, 'My
friend, do what you are here for'. Then they came forward and seized
Jesus and took him in charge. At that, one of the followers of
Jesus grasped his sword and drew it; he struck out at the high
priest's servant, and cut off his ear. Jesus then said, 'Put your
sword back, for all who draw the sword will die by the sword. Or
do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father who would promptly
send more than twelve legions of angels to my defence? But then,
how would the scripture be fulfilled that say this is the way it
must be?' It was at this time that Jesus said to the crowds, 'Am
I a brigand, that you had set out to capture me with swords and
clubs? I sat teaching in the Temple day after day and you never
laid hands on me.' Now all this happened to fulfil the prophecies
in scripture. Then all the disciples deserted him and ran away.
Jesus before the Sanhedrin
The men who had arrested Jesus led him off to Caiaphas the high priest,
where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter followed
him at a distance, and when he reached the high priest's palace,
he went in and sat down with the attendants to see what the end
would be.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence
against Jesus, however false, on which they might pass the death-sentence.
But they could not find any, though several lying witnesses came
forward. Eventually two stepped forward and made a statement, 'This
man said, "I have power to destroy the Temple of God and in three
days build it up" '. The high priest then stood up and said to
him, 'Have you no answer to that? What is this evidence these men
are bringing against you?' But Jesus was silent. And the high priest
said to him, 'I put you on oath by the living God to tell us if
you are the Christ, the Son of God'. 'The words are your own' answered
Jesus. 'Moreover, I tell you that from this time onward you will
see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power and coming
on the clouds of heaven.' At this, the high priest tore his clothes
and said, 'He has blasphemed. What need of witnesses have we now?
There! You have just heard the blasphemy. What is your opinion?'
They answered, 'He deserves to die.'
Then they spat in his face and hit him with their fists; others
said as they struck him, 'Play the prophet, Christ! Who hit you
then?'
Peter's denials
Meanwhile Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard and a servant-girl
came up to him and said, 'You too were with Jesus the Galilean.'
But he denied it in front of them all. 'I do not know what you
are talking about,' he said. When he went out to the gateway another
servant-girl saw him and said to the people there, 'This man was
with Jesus the Nazarene.' And again, with an oath, he denied it,
'I do not know the man.' A little later the bystanders came up
and said to Peter, 'You are one of them for sure! Why your accent
gives you away.' Then he started calling down curses on himself
and swearing, 'I do not know the man.' At that moment the cock
crew, and Peter remembered what Jesus had said, 'Before the cock
crows you will have disowned me three times.' And he went outside
and wept bitterly.
Jesus is taken before Pilate
When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the
people met in council to bring about the death of Jesus. They had
him bound and led him away to hand him over to Pilate, the governor.
The death of Judas
When he found that Jesus had been condemned, Judas his betrayer was
filled with remorse and took the thirty pieces of silver back to
the chief priests and elders. 'I have sinned;' he said 'I betrayed
innocent blood.' 'What is that to us?' they replied 'That is your
concern.' And flinging down the silver pieces in the sanctuary
he made off, and went and hanged himself. The chief priests picked
up the silver pieces and said, 'It is against the Law to put this
into the treasury; it is blood-money'. So they discussed the matter
and bought the potter's fields with it as a graveyard for foreigners,
and this is why the field is called the Field of Blood today. The
words of the prophet Jeremiah were then fulfilled: And they took
the thirty silver pieces, the sum at which the precious one was
priced by the children of Israel, and they gave them for the potter's
field, just as the Lord directed me.
Jesus before Pilate
Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor
put to him this question, 'Are you the king of the Jews?' Jesus
replied, 'It is you who say it'. But when he was accused by the
chief priests and elders he refused to answer at all. Pilate
then said to him, 'Do you not hear how many charges they have
brought against you?' But to the governor's complete amazement,
he offered no reply to any of the charges.
At festival time it was the governor's practice to release a prisoner
for the people, anyone they chose. Now there was at that time a
notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas. So when the crowd gathered,
Pilate aid to them, 'Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas,
or Jesus who is called Christ?' For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy
that they had handed him over.
Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent
him a message, 'Have nothing to do with that man; I have been upset
all day by a dream I had about him'.
The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd
to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus. So
when the governor spoke and asked them ,' Which of the two do you
want me to release for you?' they said 'Barabbas'. 'But in that
case,' Pilate said to them 'what am I to do with Jesus who is called
Christ?' They all said, 'Let him be crucified!' 'Why?' he asked
'what harm has he done?' But they shouted all the louder, 'Let
him be crucified!' Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression,
that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed
his hands in front of the crowd and said, 'I am innocent of this
man's blood. It is your concern.' And the people, to a man, shouted
back, 'His blood be on us and on our children!' Then he released
Barabbas for them. He ordered Jesus to be first scourged and then
handed over to be crucified.
Jesus is crowned with thorns
The governor's soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium
and collected the whole cohort round him. They then stripped him
and made him wear a scarlet cloak, and having twisted some thorns
into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his
right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, 'Hail,
king of the Jews!' And they spat on him and took the reed and struck
him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun
of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes
and led him away to crucify him.
The crucifixion
On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, Simon by
name, and enlisted him to carry his cross. When they had reached
a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull, they
gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused
to drink. When they had finished crucifying him they shared out
his clothing by casting lots, and then sat down and stayed there
keeping guard over him.
Above his head was placed the charged against him; it read: 'This
is Jesus, the King of the Jews'. At the same time two robbers were
crucified with him, one o the right and one on the left.
The crucified Jesus is mocked
The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads and said,
'So you would destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days!
Then save yourself! If you are God's son, come down from the
cross!' The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked
him in the same way. 'He saved others;' they said 'he cannot
save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from
the cross now, and we will believe him. He puts his trust in
God; now let God rescue him if he want him. For he did say, "I
am the son of God".' Event the robbers who were crucified with
him taunted him in the same way.
The death of Jesus
From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until
the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in
a loud voice, 'Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?' that is, 'My God,
my God, why have you forsaken me?' When some of those who stood
there heard this, they said, 'The man is calling on Elijah',
and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which e dipped in
vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink. 'Wait!'
said the rest of them 'and see if Elijah will come to save him.'
But Jesus, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.
At that, the veil of the Temple was torn in two from top to bottom;
the earth quaked; the rocks were split; the tombs opened and the
bodies of many holy men rose from the dead, and these, after his
resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the Holy City and
appeared to a number of people. Meanwhile the centurion, together
with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all
that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, 'In truth
this was a son of God.'
And many women were there, watching from a distance, the same
women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him.
Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of Zebedee's sons.
The burial
When it was evening there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called
Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. This man
went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate thereupon
ordered it to be handed over. So Joseph took the body, wrapped
it in a clean shroud and put it in his own new tomb which he
had hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone across
the
entrance of the tomb and went away. Now Mary of Magdala and the
other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre.
The guard at the tomb
Next day, that is, when preparation Day was over, the chief priests
and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate and said to him, 'Your
Excellency, we recall that this imposter said, while he was still
alive, "After three days I shall rise again." Therefore give
the order to have the sepulchre kept secure until the third day,
for fear his disciples come and steal him away and tell the people,
"He has risen from the dead." This last piece of fraud would
be worse than what went before.' Pilate said to them, 'You may
have your guards. Go and make all as secure as you know how.'
So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seals on
the stone and mounting a guard.
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