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Mass Readings
Procession with Palms: Mark 11:1-10 or John 12:12-16
Reading 1: Isaiah 50:4-7
Responsorial: Psalm 22:8-9, 17-20, 23-24
Reading 2: Philippians 2:6-11
Gospel: Mark 14:1-15:57 or Mark 15:1-39
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032821.cfm Link https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/
This weekend we celebrate Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion. Welcome to another episode of deacon rudy’s notes, where every weekend, we break open the Word! I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal, and together, we’re going to explore the readings.
This weekend’s readings being with so much joy! In our first reading from Mark, the people in the Gospel yelled, “Hosanna!” (Mark 11:9), and they spread their cloaks and leafy branches on the road to make way for Jesus! (Mark 11:8). The people were cheering and applauding and celebrating! They treated him like a rock star!
And then our readings shift to a much more somber tone.
Why do we call it the Lord’s “Passion”? The word “Passion” comes from the Latin “patior” which means to suffer, endure, permit, bear. Hence our reading from Isaiah talks about enduring physical abuse because of our beliefs. The psalmist tells us that the dogs have circled and evildoers surround us. Paul reminds us in Philippians that this is why Jesus came. He emptied himself, taking human form and obediently followed God’s will even unto death. And finally, we come to our Gospel reading. The Gospel covers a lot of ground. We hear about the night before the Last Supper. Next, we hear about the Last Supper and the institution of the Eucharist. Then we go to the agony in the garden. Finally, we arrive at Jesus’ trials, brutal torcher, and crucifixion.
Isn’t it interesting that we go from jubilant to the verge of despair all in one mass?
Truly, we covered so much ground in the readings. Today, I want to focus on one aspect of these readings that perhaps goes overlooked. Let’s take a look at what happens the night before Jesus’ arrest. We’re not going to get distracted by Mark’s timeline Mark versus the other Gospel accounts. Let’s look at how Mark presents this information to us and figure out what he is trying to say to us.
First, Jesus is having dinner in Bethany. Bethany is a village located on the easter slopes of the Mount of Olives about 3.5 miles or 5.5 kilometers from Jerusalem. Just a footnote, but Bethany is mentioned frequently in the New Testament. Bethany is where Mary, Martha, and Lazarus lived. This is where Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11). And as we heard in today’s Gospel, this is also the home of Simon the Leper where Jesus and his disciples are dining (Matthew 26, Mark 14). Today, Bethany is part of the PLO, and its Arabic name is al-Azariya which means “place of Lazarus”. Pretty cool!
Two important events take place around this dinner. While they were at the table, a woman comes into the presence of Jesus and the other men carrying an alabaster jar of perfumed oil (Mark 14:3). Who was this woman? We don’t know. Some people think this is Mary Magdalene, but that incorrect. None of the Gospel accounts identify this woman as Mary Magdalene or a former prostitute. <1>
We don’t know who this woman was, but she carried in this jar of expensive oil valued at more than 300 days’ wages (Mark 14:5). She breaks the jar open, which is a clear sign that she intends to use all of it on Jesus.
The disciples complain, and Jesus silences them, saying, “The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you can do good to them” (Mark 14:7). Now, this is such an interesting line! We could probably spend our entire time just discussing this one line! Instead, let’s address briefly and move on.
My brothers and sisters, nowhere in Scripture does it say you are responsible for bringing an end to poverty in the world. But that doesn’t let us off the hook either! Poverty is a sad reality of human life that probably has as much to do with greed and exploitation as with personal responsibility for being poor. But if we live a life transformed by Jesus and love one another as we love ourselves, we will never tire of doing what we can do to ease the burden of the poor.
Another way of looking at this passage is that our ministries should be located among the poor because of the transforming love of Jesus Christ. So, we have many opportunities to help the poor. <2>
But here’s the point. Clearly, she is a disciple who understands and profoundly believes in Jesus’ teaching. She recognizes that Jesus will soon die, so, as Jesus tells us (Mark 14:8), she anoints him for burial. The disciples – the men who are supposed to have all the answers – totally miss the point that Jesus is the messiah or the reality of their long-term ministry to the poor. <3>
Now, contrast the woman with Judas. At this same meal, something happens that makes Judas snap. Scripture doesn’t tell us what pushed Judas over the edge. Oh, sure, we can speculate. Scripture tells us that Judas was the treasurer and probably helped himself to some donations (John 12:6). Maybe Judas believed that Jesus would initiate a new earthly kingdom and overthrow the Romans. Maybe he dreamed he would become the Chancellor of the Exchequer and have unfettered access to all the new kingdom’s wealth.
So, perhaps what he perceives as the woman’s wasteful use of wealth and Jesus’ shocking statement about the poor make him realize that his dreams would never come true. We just don’t know. But what we do know is that he leaves the dinner, meets with the chief priests, and agrees to betray Jesus (Mark 14:10-11).
As this scene unfolds, the gravity of what Judas agrees to do sinks in. At some level, we all understand that the worst betrayals come from the people closest to us: our spouses, family members, friends, and even colleagues. <4>
In contrast to the betrayal by one of his closest disciples, the woman who anoints Jesus believes what she does is right even though those around her treat her like some sort of traitor. That’s how Jesus lived. He wasn’t afraid of his critics, but he didn’t hide from the either. I wonder if she had to set her face to flint like our reading from Isaiah described as she endured the attempt to put her to shame. The disciples see what she did, and they were offended because her actions did not conform with their expectations.
Indeed, the microcosm of this dinner in the light of the crucifixion shows us the cost of discipleship. We don’t remember Jesus’ brutal death to glorify torture and murder. We remember Jesus’ sacrifice because that was the cost of his discipleship – his faithfulness to God. Our family, friends, and neighbors might not understand how we choose to spend our time and our resources for Christ. We might hear them say, “you can’t earn money doing that!” or “What a waste!” Exercising our faith might draw ridicule at best. At worse, it might draw persecution. How strong is your discipleship?
That leads us to homework! Nourished by the Word of God and the Eucharist, I invite you to reflect on the following two questions. First, the woman who anoints Jesus knows Him. How have your Lenten practices helped you develop your relationship with Jesus? Second, the woman who anoints Jesus ministers to Him regardless of the cost or what others think about her. How do you live discipleship? In what ways does your discipleship need to improve?
I think doing our homework will solidify our discipleship so that we can spread the Good News to everyone we meet! Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May almighty God bless you, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit! +Amen!
One quick note. Like the woman who anoints Jesus, it’s sobering how often women seem to be able to cut through all the crap and do what needs to be done and yet face persecution for it.
If you have a chance, I encourage you to check out Phil Borges’ seminal work called Women Empowered. I’ll leave a link to a recent interview with him where he highlights the stories of four women who risk their lives to do the right thing in the face of persecution. His work isn’t religious, but it shines a light on the injustice women face around the world.
You’re listening to deacon rudy’s notes. Thank you for joining me today. Silent Partner composed our theme music. You can find all sorts of helpful information on the website at www.deaconrudysnotes.org. I’m Deacon Rudy Villarreal. Join me again next weekend as we break open the Word. Peace!
WOMEN EMPOWERED by Phil Borges – EARTH IS OUR WITNESS Live! March 7, 2021, https://youtu.be/xgWms47pgAE
Image Credit: Lent. Artist Unknown. JPG.
Notes:
<1> Mary Ann Beavis, chap. “Mark 14:1-15:54: Act 5: Passion Narrative” sec. Tracing the Narrative Flow.
<2> Dawn Ottoni-Wilhelm, 319.
<3> Ibid.
<4> Ibid, 320.
Bibliography/Suggested Readings:
1. Beavis, Mary Ann. Mark. Paideia Commentary Series. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2011. Kindle.
2. Hamm, Dennis SJ. Philippians, Colossians, Philemon. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2013. Kindle.
3. Healy, Mary. Hebrews. The Gospel of Mark. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2008. Kindle.
4. Martin, Francis and William M. Wright IV. The Gospel of John. Catholic Commentary on Sacred Scripture. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2015. Kindle.
5. Ottoni-Wilhelm, Dawn. Preaching the Gospel of Mark: Proclaiming the Power of God. Louisville: Westminster John Knox, 2008.
Catechism References http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm:
1. Perseverance as gift: 162
2. Jesus the Lord: 201, 449
3. Jesus’ divine sonship: 441-45
4. The Word became flesh: 461
5. Docetism: 465
6. Christ is God and man: 472, 602, 705, 713, 1224, 2812
7. Christ’s human will: 475
8. Jesus as our model: 520
9. Jesus’ messianic entrance: 557-60
10. Jesus and the temple: 583-86
11. Divisions among Jewish authorities concerning Jesus: 595-97
12. Jews not collectively responsible for his death: 597
13. All sinners as authors of Christ’s passion: 597-98, 1851
14. Jesus handed over: 599-600
15. Jesus’ atoning sacrifice: 601-11
16. The Passion of Christ: 602-618
17. The Last Supper: 610-11
18. Agony in Gethsemane: 612
19. Jesus’ sacrificial death: 613-23
20. Christ’s burial: 624-30
21. The Paschal Mystery and the liturgy: 654, 1067-68, 1085, 1362
22. Jesus at God’s right hand: 659-64
23. A priestly, prophetic, and royal people: 783-86
24. Christians and Jews both celebrate the Passover: 1096
25. We are buried with him in baptism: 1227
26. Institution of the Eucharist: 1337-44
27. Eucharist as pledge of glory to come: 1402-5
28. Sin and Christ’s passion: 1851
29. Life in Christ: 1694, 2842
30. Serving the poor in Jesus: 2449
31. Prayer: 2641, 2667
32. Christ’s kingship gained through his death and Resurrection: 2816
Palm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/032821.cfm
Lectionary: 37 and 38
At the Procession with Palms – Gospel
Mark 11:1-10
When Jesus and his disciples drew near to Jerusalem,
to Bethphage and Bethany at the Mount of Olives,
he sent two of his disciples and said to them,
“Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately on entering it,
you will find a colt tethered on which no one has ever sat.
Untie it and bring it here.
If anyone should say to you,
‘Why are you doing this?’ reply,
‘The Master has need of it
and will send it back here at once.’”
So they went off
and found a colt tethered at a gate outside on the street,
and they untied it.
Some of the bystanders said to them,
“What are you doing, untying the colt?”
They answered them just as Jesus had told them to,
and they permitted them to do it.
So they brought the colt to Jesus
and put their cloaks over it.
And he sat on it.
Many people spread their cloaks on the road,
and others spread leafy branches
that they had cut from the fields.
Those preceding him as well as those following kept crying out:
“Hosanna!
Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!
Blessed is the kingdom of our father David that is to come!
Hosanna in the highest!”
OR:
John 12:12-16
When the great crowd that had come to the feast heard
that Jesus was coming to Jerusalem,
they took palm branches and went out to meet him, and cried out:
“Hosanna!
“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,
the king of Israel.”
Jesus found an ass and sat upon it, as is written:
Fear no more, O daughter Zion;
see, your king comes, seated upon an ass’s colt.
His disciples did not understand this at first,
but when Jesus had been glorified
they remembered that these things were written about him
and that they had done this for him.
At the Mass – Reading 1
Isaiah 50:4-7
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
Responsorial
Psalm 22:8-9, 17-18, 19-20, 23-24
R. (2a) My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
All who see me scoff at me;
they mock me with parted lips, they wag their heads:
“He relied on the LORD; let him deliver him,
let him rescue him, if he loves him.”
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Indeed, many dogs surround me,
a pack of evildoers closes in upon me;
They have pierced my hands and my feet;
I can count all my bones.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
They divide my garments among them,
and for my vesture they cast lots.
But you, O LORD, be not far from me;
O my help, hasten to aid me.
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
I will proclaim your name to my brethren;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you:
“You who fear the LORD, praise him;
all you descendants of Jacob, give glory to him;
revere him, all you descendants of Israel!”
R. My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?
Reading 2
Philippians 2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Verse before the Gospel
Philippians 2:8-9
Christ became obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.
Gospel
Mark 14:1—15:47
The Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread
were to take place in two days’ time.
So the chief priests and the scribes were seeking a way
to arrest him by treachery and put him to death.
They said, “Not during the festival,
for fear that there may be a riot among the people.”
When he was in Bethany reclining at table
in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil,
costly genuine spikenard.
She broke the alabaster jar and poured it on his head.
There were some who were indignant.
“Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil?
It could have been sold for more than three hundred days’ wages
and the money given to the poor.”
They were infuriated with her.
Jesus said, “Let her alone.
Why do you make trouble for her?
She has done a good thing for me.
The poor you will always have with you,
and whenever you wish you can do good to them,
but you will not always have me.
She has done what she could.
She has anticipated anointing my body for burial.
Amen, I say to you,
wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world,
what she has done will be told in memory of her.”
Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve,
went off to the chief priests to hand him over to them.
When they heard him they were pleased and promised to pay him money.
Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
when they sacrificed the Passover lamb,
his disciples said to him,
“Where do you want us to go
and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
He sent two of his disciples and said to them,
“Go into the city and a man will meet you,
carrying a jar of water.
Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house,
‘The Teacher says, “Where is my guest room
where I may eat the Passover with my disciples?”’
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready.
Make the preparations for us there.”
The disciples then went off, entered the city,
and found it just as he had told them;
and they prepared the Passover.
When it was evening, he came with the Twelve.
And as they reclined at table and were eating, Jesus said,
“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me,
one who is eating with me.”
They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one,
“Surely it is not I?”
He said to them,
“One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish.
For the Son of Man indeed goes, as it is written of him,
but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed.
It would be better for that man if he had never been born.”
While they were eating,
he took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and gave it to them, and said,
“Take it; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them,
and they all drank from it.
He said to them,
“This is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed for many.
Amen, I say to you,
I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it new in the kingdom of God.”
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
“All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be dispersed.
But after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him,
“Even though all should have their faith shaken,
mine will not be.”
Then Jesus said to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows twice
you will deny me three times.”
But he vehemently replied,
“Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you.”
And they all spoke similarly.
Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
“Sit here while I pray.”
He took with him Peter, James, and John,
and began to be troubled and distressed.
Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch.”
He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed
that if it were possible the hour might pass by him;
he said, “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you.
Take this cup away from me,
but not what I will but what you will.”
When he returned he found them asleep.
He said to Peter, “Simon, are you asleep?
Could you not keep watch for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.”
Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing.
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open
and did not know what to answer him.
He returned a third time and said to them,
“Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
It is enough. The hour has come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
See, my betrayer is at hand.”
Then, while he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs
who had come from the chief priests,
the scribes, and the elders.
His betrayer had arranged a signal with them, saying,
“The man I shall kiss is the one;
arrest him and lead him away securely.”
He came and immediately went over to him and said,
“Rabbi.” And he kissed him.
At this they laid hands on him and arrested him.
One of the bystanders drew his sword,
struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his ear.
Jesus said to them in reply,
“Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs, to seize me?
Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me;
but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.”
And they all left him and fled.
Now a young man followed him
wearing nothing but a linen cloth about his body.
They seized him,
but he left the cloth behind and ran off naked.
They led Jesus away to the high priest,
and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes came together.
Peter followed him at a distance into the high priest’s courtyard
and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death, but they found none.
Many gave false witness against him,
but their testimony did not agree.
Some took the stand and testified falsely against him,
alleging, “We heard him say,
‘I will destroy this temple made with hands
and within three days I will build another
not made with hands.’”
Even so their testimony did not agree.
The high priest rose before the assembly and questioned Jesus,
saying, “Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?”
But he was silent and answered nothing.
Again the high priest asked him and said to him,
“Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?”
Then Jesus answered, “I am;
and ‘you will see the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power
and coming with the clouds of heaven.’”
At that the high priest tore his garments and said,
“What further need have we of witnesses?
You have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?”
They all condemned him as deserving to die.
Some began to spit on him.
They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him, “Prophesy!”
And the guards greeted him with blows.
While Peter was below in the courtyard,
one of the high priest’s maids came along.
Seeing Peter warming himself,
she looked intently at him and said,
“You too were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
But he denied it saying,
“I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.”
So he went out into the outer court.
Then the cock crowed.
The maid saw him and began again to say to the bystanders,
“This man is one of them.”
Once again he denied it.
A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more,
“Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean.”
He began to curse and to swear,
“I do not know this man about whom you are talking.”
And immediately a cock crowed a second time.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had said to him,
“Before the cock crows twice you will deny me three times.”
He broke down and wept.
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
“Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
“Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha
— which is translated Place of the Skull —,
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
“The King of the Jews.”
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
“Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
“He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe.”
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
which is translated,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
“Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”
There were also women looking on from a distance.
Among them were Mary Magdalene,
Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and Salome.
These women had followed him when he was in Galilee
and ministered to him.
There were also many other women
who had come up with him to Jerusalem.
When it was already evening,
since it was the day of preparation,
the day before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea,
a distinguished member of the council,
who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God,
came and courageously went to Pilate
and asked for the body of Jesus.
Pilate was amazed that he was already dead.
He summoned the centurion
and asked him if Jesus had already died.
And when he learned of it from the centurion,
he gave the body to Joseph.
Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,
wrapped him in the linen cloth,
and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out of the rock.
Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb.
Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses
watched where he was laid.
OR:
Mark 15:1-39
As soon as morning came,
the chief priests with the elders and the scribes,
that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council.
They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
He said to him in reply, “You say so.”
The chief priests accused him of many things.
Again Pilate questioned him,
“Have you no answer?
See how many things they accuse you of.”
Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them
one prisoner whom they requested.
A man called Barabbas was then in prison
along with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion.
The crowd came forward and began to ask him
to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,
“Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
that the chief priests had handed him over.
But the chief priests stirred up the crowd
to have him release Barabbas for them instead.
Pilate again said to them in reply,
“Then what do you want me to do
with the man you call the king of the Jews?”
They shouted again, “Crucify him.”
Pilate said to them, “Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.”
So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd,
released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus scourged,
handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside the palace,
that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort.
They clothed him in purple and,
weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him.
They began to salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him.
They knelt before him in homage.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon,
a Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country,
the father of Alexander and Rufus,
to carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha
—which is translated Place of the Skull —
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh,
but he did not take it.
Then they crucified him and divided his garments
by casting lots for them to see what each should take.
It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read,
“The King of the Jews.”
With him they crucified two revolutionaries,
one on his right and one on his left.
Those passing by reviled him,
shaking their heads and saying,
“Aha! You who would destroy the temple
and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself by coming down from the cross.”
Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes,
mocked him among themselves and said,
“He saved others; he cannot save himself.
Let the Christ, the King of Israel,
come down now from the cross
that we may see and believe.”
Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And at three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”
which is translated,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
“Look, he is calling Elijah.”
One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a reed
and gave it to him to drink saying,
“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”
Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
When the centurion who stood facing him
saw how he breathed his last he said,
“Truly this man was the Son of God!”
