Matthew 27

Jesus Is Taken to Pilate

1 “Early in the morning, all the chief priests and elders came together to figure out how to get Jesus killed.”

2 “They tied Him up, took Him to Pilate, the governor, and handed Him over.”

Judas Hangs Himself

3 “When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he regretted what he did. He went back to the chief priests and elders with the thirty silver coins.”

4 “He said, ‘I messed up. I betrayed an innocent man.’ But they said, ‘That is your problem.’”

5 “Judas threw the coins in the temple and left. Then he went and hanged himself.”

6 “The priests picked up the silver and said, ‘We cannot put this in the treasury. It is blood money.’”

7 “So they used the money to buy a field for burying foreigners. That place is still called the Field of Blood.”

8 “This fulfilled what the prophet Jeremiah said: ‘They took the thirty silver coins, the price of the one they valued, and used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord directed.’”

9 Then what the prophet Jeremiah spoke was fulfilled: “They took the thirty silver coins - the price Israel’s people had placed on Him -”

10 “and they used the money to buy the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”

Jesus Stands Before Pilate

11 “Jesus stood before Pilate, who asked Him, ‘Are You the King of the Jews?’ Jesus said, ‘You said it.’”

12 “When the chief priests and elders accused Him, He did not say a word.”

13 “Pilate asked, ‘Do You not hear all these charges against You?’”

14 “But Jesus stayed silent, and Pilate was amazed.”

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

15 “Every Passover, the governor would let one prisoner go free, whoever the crowd picked.”

16 “At that time, they had a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.”

17 “Pilate asked the crowd, ‘Who do you all want me to release, Barabbas or Jesus, the so-called Messiah?’”

18 “Pilate knew they handed Jesus over out of jealousy.”

19 “While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him a message: ‘Do not mess with that innocent man. I had a bad dream about Him.’”

20 “But the chief priests and elders hyped up the crowd to ask for Barabbas and have Jesus killed.”

21 “Pilate asked, ‘Who do you want me to release?’ The crowd shouted, ‘Barabbas!’”

22 “Pilate said, ‘What should I do with Jesus, the so-called Messiah?’ They yelled, ‘Crucify Him!’”

23 “Pilate asked, ‘Why, What crime did He commit?’ But they kept shouting, ‘Crucify Him!’”

24 “When Pilate saw he could not change their minds and a riot was about to pop off, he washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. This is on you all.’”

25 “The people said, ‘Let His blood be on us and our kids!’”

26 “So Pilate let Barabbas go, had Jesus whipped, and handed Him over to be crucified.”

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27 “The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace and gathered the whole squad around Him.”

28 “They stripped Him and put a red robe on Him.”

29 “They twisted thorns into a crown, put it on His head, and gave Him a stick as a scepter. Then they kneeled, mocking Him: ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’”

30 “They spit on Him, took the stick, and hit Him in the head with it.”

31 “After they finished clowning Him, they took off the robe, put His clothes back on, and led Him away to be crucified.”

The Crucifixion

32 “As they were leading Him out, they grabbed a dude named Simon from Cyrene and made him carry Jesus’ cross.”

33 “They came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of the Skull.”

34 “They tried to give Him wine mixed with gall, but He would not drink it.”

35 “After they nailed Him to the cross, they gambled for His clothes by throwing dice.”

36 “Then they sat down and kept watch over Him.”

37 “They put a sign above His head that said: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

38 “Two criminals were crucified with Him, one on His right and one on His left.”

39 People passing by insulted Jesus, shaking their heads at Him.

40 They said, “You claimed You could tear down the temple and rebuild it in three days. Save Yourself! If You are God’s Son, come down from that cross.”

41 The chief priests, Scripture experts, and elders mocked Him too.

42 They said, “He saved other people, but He cannot save Himself! If He is Israel’s King, let Him come down from the cross right now, and then we will believe Him.”

43 “He trusted God, so let God rescue Him now if He really wants Him. After all, He said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”

44 Even the criminals crucified beside Him were throwing the same insults at Him.

The Death of Jesus

45 “At noon, darkness covered the whole land until three in the afternoon.”

46 “At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani,’ (which means, ‘My God, My God, why have You abandoned Me,’)”

47 When some people standing there heard Him, they said, “He is calling for Elijah.”

48 Right away, one of them ran and grabbed a sponge, soaked it in sour wine, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

49 But the others said, “Wait. Let us see whether Elijah comes to save Him.”

50 “Then Jesus shouted again and gave up His spirit.”

51 “At that moment, the temple curtain ripped from top to bottom, the earth shook, rocks split, and tombs opened.”

52 The tombs opened, and the bodies of many of God’s holy people who had died were raised.

53 After Jesus was raised, they came out of the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and the soldiers guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw everything happening, they were terrified and said, “This man really was God’s Son.”

55 A group of women were watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and supported His ministry.

56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

57 “As evening approached, a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was a follower of Jesus, went to Pilate to ask for Jesus’ body.”

58 Joseph went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that the body be released to him.

59 “Joseph took the body, wrapped it in clean linen, and placed it in his own new tomb that had been cut out of rock.”

60 “He rolled a big stone in front of the tomb and left.”

61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting across from the tomb.

62 The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees went together to Pilate.

63 They said, “Sir, we remember that while that deceiver was alive, He said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’”

64 “So order the tomb to be secured through the third day. Otherwise, His disciples might steal the body and tell everybody He rose from the dead. That last deception would be worse than the first.”

65 Pilate told them, “Take a guard. Go make the tomb as secure as you know how.”

66 So they went, sealed the stone, and stationed the guards there to secure the tomb.