Jesus Crucified

Matthew 27:32-66; Mark 15:21-47; Luke 23:26-56; John 19:17-42

Jesus was crucified on Friday, even though this Pearl is printed on Saturday.

When Pilate heard what they said, he was the more afraid.  He went again to Jesus and said to Him:  “ Where are You from?  To what world do You belong?”  But Jesus did not answer him. So Pilate said to Him:  “Will You not even speak to me.  Do You not know that I have authority to release You and I have power to crucify You?”  Jesus answered Pilate:  “You would not have any power whatsoever against Me if it were not given you from above.  For this reason the sin and guilt of the one who delivered Me over to you is greater.”

And when He was accused of the chief priests and elders of many things, he answered nothing.  Pilate said to Jesus:  “Have You no answer to make?  Do You not hear how many serious charges they are bringing against You?”  Jesus did not answer a word, so that the governor marveled greatly at Him.

Pilate continued seeking to release Jesus but the Jews cried out:  “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar!  Anybody who makes himself out to be a king sets himself up against Caesar, is a rebel against the emperor!”

Hearing this, Pilate brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat.  It was noon on the day of preparation for Passover.  The people shouted:  “Away with Him!  Away with Him!  Crucify Him!”  Pilate said to them:  “Crucify your King?”  The chief priests answered:  “We have no king but Caesar.”

So when Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere with them, but that rather a riot was about to break out, he took water and washed his hands in the presence of the crowd, saying:  “I am not guilty of nor responsible for this righteous man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”  And all the people answered:  “Let His blood be on us and on our children.  Then Pilate set Barabbas free for them; he had Jesus scourged and delivered Him up to be crucified.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace, and they gathered the whole battalion about Him.  They stripped off His clothes and put a scarlet robe upon Him, and weaving a crown of thorns, they put it on His head and put a reed in His right hand.  And kneeling before Him, they made sport of Him, saying:  “Hail, King of the Jews!”  They spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  When they had finished mocking Him, they stripped Him of the robe and put His own garments on Him and led Him away to be crucified.

Jesus bearing His cross went forth into a place called the place of a skull, which is called in Hebrew Golgotha.  They crucified Him with two others.  Pilate wrote a title for Jesus’ cross:  JESUS OF NAZARETH THE KING OF THE JEWS.  The soldiers gambled for his garments.  The chief priests and scribes and elders mocked Him and others reviled Him.  His words concerning them were:  “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.”  Jesus bore our sins and sicknesses and diseases on Himself so that we could go free.  When He had borne the fullness of our punishment, He cried:  “It is finished!  Father, into Thy hands I commend My Spirit.”  Darkness covered the earth for a period of time.  The veil of the temple was rent in twain from top to bottom, the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; graves were opened.  The centurion who witnessed this feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”  When evening was come, Joseph of Arimathaea, a respected member of the Sanhedrin, went boldly to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus.  Joseph took fine linen cloth and taking Jesus down from the cross, he wrapped him in the linen, laid him in a tomb which had been hewn out of rock.  Then he rolled a very large stone against the door of the tomb.

Jesus Before Pilate and Herod

Matthew 27:1-31; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-40, 19:1-16

As Jesus stood before the governor, Pilate asked Him:  “Are you the King of the Jews?”  Jesus answered him:  “Are you saying this on your own initiative or have others told you about Me? It is just as you say.  I AM!”  Pilate’s reply was:  “Am I a Jew?  Your own people and nation and their chief priests have delivered You to me.  What have you done?”

Jesus answered:  “My kingdom is not of this world.  If my kingdom were of this world, then My followers would have been fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Jews.  But as it is, My kingdom is not from this world.”  Pilate said to Him:  “Then are You a King?”  Jesus answered:  “You say that I am a king.  This is why I was born, and for this purpose I have come into the world, to bear witness to the Truth.  Everyone who is of the Truth hears My voice.”  Pilate said to Jesus:  “What is truth?”

When he had said this, Pilate went out again to the Jews and said to them:  “I find in Him no fault at all.”  But they were the more fierce and emphatic, saying:  “He stirs up and excites the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee, where He began, even to this place.”  Upon hearing this, Pilate asked whether the man was a Galilean.  And when he found out certainly that He belonged to Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem in those days.

And when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad, for he had eagerly desired to see Him for a long time because of what he had heard concerning Him.  He was hoping to witness some miracle done by Jesus.  Then he asked Him many questions, but Jesus answered him nothing.  Meanwhile, the chief priests and scribes stood and vehemently accused Jesus.  Herod with his soldiers, treated Him with contempt and scoffed at and ridiculed Him; then, dressing Him up in bright and gorgeous apparel, he sent Him back to Pilate.

Pilate then called together the chief priests and the rulers and the people.  He said to them:  “You brought this man before me as One Who was perverting and misleading and turning away and corrupting the people; and behold, after examining Him before you, I have not found any guilt in this man in regard to your accusations against Him.  No, nor indeed did Herod, for he sent Him back to us; behold, He has done nothing deserving of death.  I will therefore chastise Him and release Him.”

Pilate said what he said because at the Feast of Passover, the governor was in the habit of setting free one prisoner whom the people chose.  At this time there was a notorious robber and murderer named Barabbas whom they held as prisoner.  So when they had assembled for this purpose, Pilate said to them:  “ Whom do you want me to set free for you, Barabbas, or Jesus Who is called Christ?”  For Pilate knew that it was because of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.  The chief priests and the elders prevailed on the people to ask for Barabbas and put Jesus to death.  “Away with this man!  Release to us Barabbas!”

Again, the governor said to them:  “Which of the two do you wish me to release for you?”  They said:  “Bababbas!”  Pilate said to them:  “Then what shall I do with Jesus Who is called Christ, the King of the Jews?’  They all shouted and kept shouting back at him:  “Let Him be crucified!  Crucify Him!  Crucify Him!”

And Pilate said:  “Why?  What has He done that is evil?  What wrong has He done?  I have found no guilt in Him, nothing deserving of death.  What I will do is chastise Him and release Him.”  But they were insistent and urgent, demanding with loud shouts:  “Let Him be crucified!”  Pilate said unto them:  “Take Him and crucify Him, for I find no fault in Him.  The Jews answered him:  “We have a law, and by our law He ought to die, because He made Himself the Son of God.”

Jesus Before Jewish Authorities

Matthew 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-72

The band and captain and officers of the Jews took Jesus and bound Him.  They brought Him first to Annas, father-in-law of Caiaphas who was the high priest that year.  Caiaphas is the one who said that it was expedient that one man die for the people.  (Little did he know how he was prophesying Jesus’ death for all of our iniquities.).

Then they took Him to the hall of the high priest Caiaphas.  With him were assembled all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes.   Simon Peter and John followed Jesus at a distance to the palace of the high priest.  There Peter denied Jesus three times

The chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put Him to death and found none.  There were many who bare false witness against Him, but their witness did not agree.  There were certain false witnesses who said that they heard Him say that He would destroy the temple that is made with hands and within three days build another made without hands.  But there was still no agreement between their testimonies.

The high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus:  “Do you answer nothing?  What is it which these witness against You?’  Jesus did not answer at all.

Again the high priest asked Him:  “Are You the Christ?”  Jesus answered him:  “If I tell you, you will not believe, and if I also ask you, you will not answer me, nor let me go.  I am He and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power, and coming in the clouds of heaven.”  Then they all said:  “Are you then the Son of God?”   He said to them:  “You say that I am.”

Then the high priest tore his garments and said:  “What need have we for more witnesses?  You have heard His blasphemy.  What need have we of further evidence?  What is your decision?”  And they all condemned Him as being guilty and deserving of death.  They spit on Him, blindfolded Him, and struck Him with their fists and said to Him:  “Prophesy to us, Christ.  Who is he that struck you?”  Again they hit him with blows of their hands.

Early in the morning the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.  Then the whole assembly of them got up and bound Jesus and led Him from Caiaphas to the hall of judgment, Pilate’s house.  They delivered Him to Pontius Pilate, the Governor.  They did not go into the judgment hall so that they might not become ceremonially unclean and might be fit to eat the Passover.  (Once again, how little they knew that they were already unclean with their sins.)

Pilate went out to them and said:  “What accusation do you bring against this Man?”  The chief priests accused Him of many things.  They said:  “If He were not a criminal, we would not have handed Him over to you.  We found this fellow perverting the nation and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.”  Then said Pilate unto them:  “Take Him yourselves and judge and sentence and punish Him according to your own law.  The Jews answered:  “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.”