Jesus Delivered to Pilate (Matthew 27:1–2)
1 UST As soon as it was morning, the entire Jewish council, including the ruling priests, the other Jewish leaders, and the teachers of the Jewish law, planned{ what to do with Jesus}. They had their guards tie Jesus up and take him from there to Pilate{, the Roman local ruler}. They wanted Pilate to condemn him. BSB BSB: Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate. 2 UST Pilate asked Jesus,“Do you claim to be king over the Jewish people?” Jesus replied,“What you are calling me is right.” BSB BSB: So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
3 UST Then the ruling priests claimed that Jesus had done many bad things. BSB BSB: And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things.
4 UST After that, Pilate again spoke to Jesus. He said,“Listen to all the bad things they claim that you have done! Are you going to reply?” BSB BSB: Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!”
5 UST However, Jesus did not respond anymore. How Jesus was acting greatly impressed Pilate. BSB BSB: But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas (Matthew 27:15–23; Luke 23:13–25)
6 UST It is important to know that during the festival period, Pilate usually set free one person who was in jail.{ He set free} whomever the people who were in the city of Jerusalem chose. BSB BSB: Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release to the people a prisoner of their choosing.
7 UST It is also important to know that a man whose name was Barabbas was in jail with some other men who had rebelled against the Roman government. While they were rebelling, they had murdered some people. BSB BSB: And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection.
8 UST The large group of people{ who were there} approached Pilate. They started to ask him{ to set someone free}, as he usually did for them. BSB BSB: So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom.
9 UST Pilate replied,“Would you like for me to set free for you the man who claims to be king over you Jewish people?” BSB BSB: “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked.
10 UST { Pilate asked that question} because he realized that the ruling priests had arrested Jesus and brought him to Pilate because they were jealous{ of Jesus}. BSB BSB: For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over.
11 UST However, the ruling priests convinced the large group of people{ to ask} Pilate to free Barabbas rather than{ Jesus}. BSB BSB: But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead.
Pilate Delivers Up Jesus (Matthew 27:24–26)
12 UST Then Pilate again replied,“So what do you want me to do with the person whom you claim is king over you Jewish people?” BSB BSB: So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?”
13 UST The large group of people shouted,“{ Have your soldiers} kill him by nailing him to a cross!” BSB BSB: And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!”
14 UST Pilate replied,“But he has not done anything wrong!” However, they shouted even louder,“{ Have your soldiers} kill him by nailing him to a cross!” BSB BSB: “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
15 UST Pilate decided to do what the large group of people wanted. So, he set Barabbas free. Then, he had his soldiers whip Jesus and take him away to kill him by nailing him to a cross. BSB BSB: And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus (Isaiah 50:4–11; Matthew 27:27–31; Luke 22:63–65; John 19:1–15)
16 UST After that, Pilate’ s soldiers took Jesus into the area just outside{ Pilate’ s palace}. That place was their headquarters. They summoned the rest of the soldiers who were there. BSB BSB: Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together.
17 UST They clothed Jesus with a purple robe{, the kind that kings wear}. Also, they took some branches with thorns and laced them together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head. BSB BSB: They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head.
18 UST Then the soldiers started{ to mock him by} saying hello to him. They said,“Greetings, you who claim to be king over the Jewish people!” BSB BSB: And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
19 UST They kept hitting Jesus’ head with a staff. They kept spitting on Jesus{ to insult him}. They bowed down in front of him{ to pretend} to honor him. BSB BSB: They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him.
20 UST After the soldiers made fun of Jesus, they pulled the purple robe off of him. They put his own clothes back on him. Then, some of the soldiers took him{ from there to the place where} they were going to kill him by nailing him to a cross. BSB BSB: After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him.
The Crucifixion (Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:32–44; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–27)
21 UST Meanwhile, a man was walking nearby. He had left the farm areas{ and was entering the city of Jerusalem}. He was from the city of Cyrene, and his name was Simon. His sons were Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced this man to carry the cross for Jesus. BSB BSB: Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
22 UST The soldiers took Jesus to a place{ that people called} Golgotha. That name means“Skull Place.” BSB BSB: They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull.
23 UST The soldiers offered Jesus wine into which they had mixed a resin that people called“myrrh.” However, Jesus refused to drink it. BSB BSB: There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it.
25 UST It was nine o’ clock in the morning when they nailed Jesus to the cross. BSB BSB: It was the third hour when they crucified Him.
26 UST The soldiers wrote on a sign why{ they were executing Jesus}. Here is what they wrote:“The king over the Jewish people.” BSB BSB: And the charge inscribed against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.
27 UST The soldiers also nailed two bandits to crosses near Jesus. They put one bandit on one side of Jesus and the other bandit on the other side of Jesus. BSB BSB: Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left.
28 UST { When those things happened}, what someone wrote in the Scriptures came true:“People considered him to be one of the people who do what is wrong.” BSB BSB: Not in the BSB
29 UST The people who walked past Jesus insulted him by shaking their heads{ at him}. They said{ to him},“Ha! You said that you could tear down God’ s temple and construct it again within three days. BSB BSB: And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
30 UST So, rescue yourself by getting down from that cross!” BSB BSB: come down from the cross and save Yourself!”
31 UST Similarly, the ruling priests and the teachers of the Jewish law made fun of Jesus among themselves. They declared,“He has rescued other people. However, he cannot rescue himself! BSB BSB: In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!
32 UST { He claims to be} the Messiah and the king over the people of Israel. So, he should get down now from that cross! That way, when we watch{ him do that}, we will accept what he says.” The two men whom the soldiers had nailed to crosses near Jesus also insulted him. BSB BSB: Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him.
The Death of Jesus (Psalm 22:1–31; Matthew 27:45–56; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
34 UST At three o’ clock in the afternoon, Jesus shouted,“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” That means,“My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” BSB BSB: At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35 UST Some people who were there heard{ what Jesus said and misunderstood it}. They declared,“Listen! He is speaking to the prophet Elijah!” BSB BSB: When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.”
36 UST Then one man quickly went to soak a sponge in sour wine. He attached the sponge to the top of a staff. Then, he held it up to Jesus so that Jesus could suck{ the sour wine} from it. Then the man said,“Do not do anything else for him! We should wait to find out whether Elijah appears to help him get down.” BSB BSB: And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.”
38 UST And then the drape hanging{ in front of the Most Holy Place} in the temple ripped in half; it tore from the top to the bottom. BSB BSB: And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.
39 UST There was a Roman officer standing there in front of Jesus. He observed how Jesus stopped breathing and died. He exclaimed,“This man really was God’ s Son!” BSB BSB: When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!”
40 UST { While all that was happening,} some women were there. They observed{ what was happening} from farther away. These women included Salome, Mary from the town of Magdala, and Mary who was the mother of young James and Joses. BSB BSB: And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome.
41 UST When Jesus was in the region of Galilee, these women had gone with him as his apprentices and had taken care of him. Additionally, many other women were there{ observing what was happening}. They had walked to the city of Jerusalem with Jesus. BSB BSB: These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him.
The Burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:9–12; Matthew 27:57–61; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
42 UST Now there was a man from the city of Arimathea whose name was Joseph. He was a member of the Jewish council, and people respected him. He too was eagerly expecting God’ s kingdom. When he arrived{ in the city of Jerusalem}, it was Preparation Day, the day before the Jewish day of rest, and the evening had already begun. Because{ it was Preparation Day}, this man went boldly to Pilate. He asked Pilate to allow him to take Jesus’ body{ to bury it}. BSB BSB: Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath),
45 UST When the officer told Pilate{ that Jesus was certainly dead}, Pilate{ had his soldiers} give Jesus’ body to Joseph. BSB BSB: When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph.
47 UST { While that was happening,} Mary from the town of Magdala and Mary who was the mother of Joses observed where Joseph had placed Jesus’ body. BSB BSB: Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.