Jesus Delivered to Pilate (Mark 15:1–5)
1 UST When it was morning, all the ruling priests and the Jewish leaders planned how they could have someone execute Jesus. BSB BSB: When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
Judas Hangs Himself (Zechariah 11:10–17)
4 UST He told them,“I have done what is wrong by helping you arrest someone who is not guilty.” They replied,“We do not care{ what you think}! That is your problem.” BSB BSB: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
6 UST Later, the ruling priests picked up the silver coins{ that Judas had thrown}. They declared,“This is money that we paid so that a man would die. So, our laws prohibit us from adding these coins to the money for the temple.” BSB BSB: The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7 UST After planning what to do, they used the coins to buy some land that people called the Potter’ s Field. That way, they could bury on that land people who came from a different place{ but who died in Jerusalem}. BSB BSB: After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.
8 UST That is why people now call that land Blood’ s Field. BSB BSB: That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9 UST At that time, what God said by speaking through the prophet Jeremiah came true:“They took the 30 silver coins, which was what some of the Israelites had decided that he was worth. BSB BSB: Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel,
10 UST Then, the Israelites did what the Lord{ God} had commanded me{ to do}. They used those coins to buy the Potter’ s Field.” BSB BSB: and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.”
Jesus before Pilate (Luke 23:1–5; John 18:28–40)
11 UST As for Jesus,{ the Jewish council} had him stand in front of{ Pilate,} the{ Roman} local ruler. Pilate asked him,“Do you claim to be king over the Jewish people?” Jesus replied,“What you are calling me is right.” BSB BSB: Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12 UST Then the ruling priests and the{ Jewish} leaders claimed that Jesus had done{ many bad things}. However, Jesus did not respond. BSB BSB: And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.
13 UST After that, Pilate asked him,“Are you going to respond to anything that they have accused you of doing?” BSB BSB: Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”
14 UST However, Jesus did not respond to even one of the things that they accused him of doing. How Jesus was acting greatly impressed{ Pilate,} the{ Roman} local ruler. BSB BSB: But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
The Crowd Chooses Barabbas (Mark 15:6–11; Luke 23:13–25)
15 UST It is important to know that whenever the Passover festival began, the{ Roman} local ruler{, Pilate,} usually set free one person who was in jail. He allowed the group of people{ who were in Jerusalem} to decide who it would be. BSB BSB: Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing.
16 UST It is also important to know that a famous man whose name was Barabbas was in jail. BSB BSB: At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.
17 UST So, when the people{ who were in Jerusalem} assembled, Pilate told them,“I will set free one person who is in jail. Whom do you want it to be?{ Do you want it to be} Barabbas? Or{ do you want it to be} Jesus, whom people call the Messiah?” BSB BSB: So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18 UST { Pilate asked that question} because he realized that the Jewish council 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 they had handed Jesus over to him.
19 UST While Pilate was sitting where he did when he was deciding whether people were guilty or innocent, his wife sent a message to him:“Today I dreamed about that man, and it upset me very much. So, do not do anything with that man. He is a man who does what is right!” BSB BSB: While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
20 UST However, the ruling priests and the{ Jewish} leaders convinced the groups of people{ who were there} to ask Pilate{ to set} Barabbas{ free}. Also,{ they convinced the groups of people} to have Pilate execute Jesus. BSB BSB: But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.
21 UST Then the{ Roman} local ruler{, Pilate,} told the groups of people{ who were there},“Choose one of these two men, and I will set that man free.” They replied,“{ We want you to set} Barabbas{ free}!” BSB BSB: “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they replied.
22 UST Pilate replied,“So what do you want me to do with Jesus, whom people call the Messiah?” All the people{ who were there} replied,“{ Have your soldiers} kill him by nailing him to a cross!” BSB BSB: “What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!”
23 UST Pilate replied,“But he has not done anything wrong!” But 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!”
Pilate Washes His Hands (Mark 15:12–15)
24 UST Then Pilate realized that he was not accomplishing anything{ by asking those questions}. Rather, the group of people{ who were there} were starting to riot. So, while they were watching, he washed his hands in water{ to indicate that he was not guilty}. He declared,“I am not guilty of killing this man! That is your problem.” BSB BSB: When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
26 UST Then Pilate set Barabbas free. He had his soldiers whip Jesus and take him away to kill him by nailing him to a cross. BSB BSB: So 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; Mark 15:16–20; Luke 22:63–65; John 19:1–15)
27 UST After that, the soldiers who served the{ Roman} local ruler{, Pilate,} took Jesus into their headquarters. They assembled all the soldiers who were there. BSB BSB: Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him.
28 UST They pulled off his clothes and put a red robe on him{, the kind that kings wear}. BSB BSB: They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29 UST They took some branches with thorns and laced them together to make a crown. They put it on Jesus’ head and had him hold a staff. Then they bowed down in front of him and made fun of him. They said,“Greetings, you who are king over the Jewish people!” BSB BSB: And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30 UST Then, they spat on Jesus{ to insult him}. Also, they took the staff{ from him} and kept hitting his head{ with it}. BSB BSB: Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.
31 UST After the soldiers made fun of Jesus, they pulled the robe off of him. They put his own clothes back on him. Then, they 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 robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.
The Crucifixion (Psalm 22:1–31; Mark 15:21–32; Luke 23:26–43; John 19:16–27)
32 UST As they were on their way, they passed a man who was from the city of Cyrene. His name was Simon. The soldiers forced this man to carry the cross for Jesus. BSB BSB: Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
33 UST Then, they arrived at a place whose name is Golgotha. That name means“Skull Place.” BSB BSB: And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,
34 UST The soldiers offered Jesus a drink that they had made out of wine and a bitter liquid. After he took a sip of it, Jesus refused to drink it. BSB BSB: they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35 UST After nailing Jesus to the cross, the soldiers split up his clothes among them by gambling for them. BSB BSB: When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.
36 UST Then, the soldiers stayed there to make sure that Jesus died. BSB BSB: And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37 UST They wrote on a sign why{ they were executing Jesus}. On the sign were these words:“This man is Jesus. He was king over the Jewish people.” The soldiers placed the sign above Jesus’ head. BSB BSB: Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 UST After that, the soldiers nailed two bandits to crosses near Jesus. They put one bandit on one side of Jesus. They put the other bandit on the other side of Jesus. BSB BSB: Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left.
39 UST The people who walked past Jesus insulted him by shaking their heads{ at him}. BSB BSB: And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
40 UST They said{ to him},“You said that you could tear down God’ s temple and construct it again within three days. So, rescue yourself! Show us that you really are God’ s Son. Get down from that cross!” BSB BSB: and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41 UST Similarly, the ruling priests, the teachers of the Jewish law, and the{ Jewish} leaders made fun of Jesus. They declared, BSB BSB: In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
42 UST “He has rescued other people. However, he cannot rescue himself! He{ says that he} is king over the people of Israel. So, he should get down now from that cross. Then we will trust him! BSB BSB: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
43 UST He says that he is God’ s Son and that he relies on God. However, if God really wanted to do so, he would protect him right now.” BSB BSB: He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44 UST The two bandits whom the soldiers had nailed to crosses near Jesus also insulted him in similar ways. BSB BSB: In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.
The Death of Jesus (Psalm 22:1–31; Mark 15:33–41; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
45 UST At noon, it became dark in that whole area.{ It stayed dark} until three o’ clock in the afternoon. BSB BSB: From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
46 UST At about three o’ clock in the afternoon, Jesus shouted,“Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” That means,“My God, my God, why did you abandon me?” BSB BSB: About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 47 UST Some people who were there heard{ what Jesus said and misunderstood it}. They said,“He is speaking to the prophet Elijah!” BSB BSB: When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48 UST As soon as they said that, one person quickly went to get a sponge. He soaked it in sour wine and attached it to the top of a staff. Then, he held it up to Jesus so that Jesus could suck{ the sour wine} from it. BSB BSB: One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.
49 UST Then the other people there said,“Do not do anything else for him! We should wait to find out whether Elijah appears to rescue him.” BSB BSB: But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”
52 UST Also, graves opened, and God made many of his people who had died alive again. BSB BSB: The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
53 UST After God made Jesus alive again, those people left their graves. They went into{ Jerusalem,} the sacred city. Many people saw them there. BSB BSB: After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 UST The Roman officer and his soldiers, who were making sure that Jesus died, saw the earth quaking and the other things that happened. They became extremely afraid. They declared,“This man really was God’ s Son.” BSB BSB: When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55 UST { While all that was happening,} many women were there. They had come with Jesus from the region of Galilee. They were the ones who had taken care of him. These women observed{ what was happening} from farther away. BSB BSB: And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him.
56 UST These women included Mary from the town of Magdala, another Mary who was the mother of James and Joseph, and Zebedee’ s wife. BSB BSB: Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
The Burial of Jesus (Isaiah 53:9–12; Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
57 UST When it was evening, a wealthy man arrived. His name was Joseph, and he was from the city of Arimathea. He too was one of Jesus’ apprentices. BSB BSB: When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus.
58 UST Joseph went to Pilate. He asked Pilate to allow him to take the body of Jesus{ to bury it}. So, Pilate told{ his soldiers} to give{ him the body}. BSB BSB: He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59 UST So Joseph received Jesus’ body. He{ prepared to bury it by} winding a fresh sheet of cloth around it. BSB BSB: So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 UST Then, Joseph put Jesus’ body into Joseph’ s own fresh grave. Joseph’ s workers had made it by digging into a rock cliff. After that, Joseph rolled a huge flat stone to block the entrance to the grave. Then he left. BSB BSB: and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61 UST { While Joseph was doing those things}, Mary from the town of Magdala and the other woman whose name was Mary were there in front of the grave. BSB BSB: Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
The Guards at the Tomb 62 UST The next day was{ the Jewish day of rest,} the day after Preparation Day.{ On that day,} the ruling priests and the Pharisees assembled{ to meet} with Pilate. BSB BSB: The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate.
63 UST They said,“Sir, we can recall something that{ Jesus,} that man who deceived{ others,} said while he was still alive. He claimed that during the third day{ after he died}, God would make him alive again. BSB BSB: “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
64 UST So, please tell your soldiers to protect Jesus’ grave for the next three days. That way, his apprentices cannot go there, remove his corpse, and tell people that God had made him alive again. If they succeed in deceiving people{ in this way}, it will be more dangerous than how Jesus himself deceived people.” BSB BSB: So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”
65 UST Pilate told them,“Take with you some soldiers. Walk{ to the grave and} protect it as well as you can.” BSB BSB: “You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66 UST So, they went{ to Jesus’ grave and} protected it. They marked the huge flat stone{ that blocked the entrance. That way, they would know if anyone moved it}. Also, they left some soldiers there to make sure{ that no one opened the grave}. BSB BSB: So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.