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Jesus Is Mocked

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into [a]the Praetorium, and they gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him.(A) 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet [b]robe on Him [as a king’s robe]. 29 And 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!” 30 They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him repeatedly on the head. 31 After 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.

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

The Crucifixion

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

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

38 At the same time two robbers were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left. 39 Those who passed by were hurling abuse at Him and jeering at Him, wagging their heads [in scorn and ridicule],(E) 40 and 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.” 41 In 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. 43 He trusts in God; let God rescue Him now, if He delights in Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”(F) 44 The robbers who had been crucified with Him also began to insult Him in the same way.

45 Now from the sixth hour (noon) there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour (3:00 p.m.).(G) 46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud [agonized] voice, [i]Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”(H) 47 When some of the bystanders there heard it, they began saying, “This man is calling for [j]Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, soaked it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink.(I) 49 But the rest said, “Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him [from death].” 50 And 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].(J) 51 And [at once] the veil [of the Holy of Holies] of the temple was [k]torn in two from top to bottom; the earth shook and the rocks were split apart.(K) 52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints (God’s people) who had fallen asleep [in death] were raised [to life]; 53 and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many people. 54 Now 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!”

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

Jesus Is Buried

57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus.(L) 58 He 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. 59 And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth (burial wrapping), 60 and 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. 61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other [p]Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 27:27 The official residence of a governor of a Roman province.
  2. Matthew 27:28 A ranking Roman officer’s outer cloak.
  3. Matthew 27:32 A port city in north Africa.
  4. Matthew 27:32 The father of Alexander and Rufus, disciples in Rome.
  5. Matthew 27:32 The crossbeam was usually placed on the nape of the neck like a yoke.
  6. Matthew 27:33 Latin: Calvarius; or Calvary; Aram: Golgotha; Greek: Kranion.
  7. Matthew 27:35 This fulfilled the prophecy of Ps 22:18, “They divide My clothes among them.”
  8. Matthew 27:37 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.”
  9. Matthew 27:46 See note John 19:30.
  10. Matthew 27:47 The Jews believed that the prophet Elijah would return before the Messiah appeared.
  11. Matthew 27:51 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.
  12. Matthew 27:56 Jesus delivered this woman from seven demons (Luke 8:2). She was from the town of Magdala in Galilee.
  13. Matthew 27:56 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.
  14. Matthew 27:56 This apostle was known as James the Less or James the Younger (Mark 15:40).
  15. Matthew 27:56 Salome, believed to be a sister of Mary the mother of Jesus (John 19:25).
  16. Matthew 27:61 The mother of the apostle known as James the Less or James the Younger.

The Soldiers Mock Jesus(A)

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium(B) and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,(C) 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.(D) 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.(E) 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.(F)

The Crucifixion of Jesus(G)

32 As they were going out,(H) they met a man from Cyrene,(I) named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.(J) 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).(K) 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall;(L) but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots.(M) 36 And sitting down, they kept watch(N) over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him,(O) one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads(P) 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days,(Q) save yourself!(R) Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!”(S) 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel!(T) Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe(U) in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him(V) now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

The Death of Jesus(W)

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness(X) came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[a] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[b](Y)

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar,(Z) put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.(AA)

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple(AB) was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split(AC) 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[c] went into the holy city(AD) and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding(AE) Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”(AF)

55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs.(AG) 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,[d] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.(AH)

The Burial of Jesus(AI)

57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb(AJ) that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

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Footnotes

  1. Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi
  2. Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1
  3. Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they
  4. Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph