Hello, this is Father Paul, and I'm glad we're
taking this journey together to read the Bible
in a year. Today's reading is from the Gospel
of John chapter 19 and the Gospel of Luke chapter
23. John 19 So then Pilate took Jesus and scourged
him, and the soldiers twisted a crown of thorns
and put it on his head, and they put on him a
purple robe. Then they said, Hail, King of the
Jews, and they struck him with their hands. Pilate
then went out again and said to them, Behold,
I am bringing him out to you, that you may know
that I find no fault in him. Then Jesus came
out wearing the crown of thorns and a purple
robe. And Pilate said to them, Behold the man.
Therefore, when the chief priests and officers
saw him, they cried out, saying, Crucify him,
crucify him. Pilate said to them, You take him
and crucify him, for I find no fault in him.
The Jews answered him, We have a law, and according
to our law he ought to die, because he made himself
the son of God. Therefore when Pilate heard that
saying, he was the more afraid, and went again
into the praetorium and said to Jesus, Where
are you from? But Jesus gave him no answer. Then
Pilate said to him, Are you not speaking to me?
Do you not know that I have power to crucify
you and power to release you? Jesus answered,
You could have no power at all against me unless
it had been given you from above. Therefore,
the one who delivered me to you has the greater
sin. From then on, Pilate sought to release him.
But the Jews cried out, saying, If you let this
man go, you are not Caesar's friend. Whoever
makes himself a king speaks against Caesar. When
Pilate therefore heard that saying, he brought
Jesus out and sat down in the judgment seat.
in a place that is called the pavement, but in
Hebrew, Gabbatha. Now it was the preparation
day of the Passover, and about the sixth hour.
And he said to the Jews, Behold your king. But
they cried out, Away with him, away with him,
crucify him. Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify
your king? The chief priests answered, We have
no king but Caesar. Then he delivered him to
them to be crucified. Then they took Jesus and
led him away. And he, bearing his cross, went
out to a place called the place of a skull, which
is called in Hebrew Golgotha, where they crucified
him and two others with him, one on either side
and Jesus in the center. Now Pilate wrote a title
and put it on the cross. And the writing was
Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews. Then
many of the Jews read this title for the place
where Jesus was crucified was near the city.
And it was written in Hebrew. Greek, and Latin.
Therefore the chief priests of the Jews said
to Pilate, Do not write the king of the Jews,
but he said, I am the king of the Jews. Pilate
answered, What I have written, I have written.
Then the soldiers, when they had crucified Jesus,
took his garments and made four parts, to each
soldier a part, and also the tunic. Now the tunic
was without seam, woven from the top in one piece.
they said therefore among themselves let us not
tear it but cast lots for it whose it shall be
that the scripture might be fulfilled which says
they divided my garments among them and for my
clothing they cast lots therefore the soldiers
did these things now there stood by the cross
of jesus his mother and his mother's sister mary
the wife of klopas and mary magdalene when jesus
therefore saw his mother and the disciple whom
he loved, standing by, he said to his mother,
Woman, behold your son. Then he said to the disciple,
Behold your mother. And from that hour that disciple
took her to his own home. After this, Jesus,
knowing that all things were now accomplished,
that the scripture might be fulfilled, said,
I thirst. Now a vessel full of sour wine was
sitting there, and they filled the sponge with
sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to his
mouth. So when Jesus had received the sour wine,
he said, It is finished. And bowing his head,
he gave up his spirit. Therefore, because it
was the preparation day, that the bodies should
not remain on the cross on the Sabbath, for that
Sabbath was a high day, the Jews asked Pilate
that their legs might be broken and that they
might be taken away. Then the soldiers came and
broke the legs of the first and of the other
who was crucified with him. But when they came
to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they
did not break his legs. But one of the soldiers
pierced his side with a spear, and immediately
blood and water came out. And he who has seen
has testified, and his testimony is true. And
he knows that he is telling the truth, so that
you may believe. For these things were done that
the scripture should be fulfilled. Not one of
his bones shall be broken. And again another
scripture says, they shall look on him whom they
pierced. After this, Joseph of Arimathea, being
a disciple of Jesus, but secretly for fear of
the Jews, asked Pilate that he might take away
the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him permission.
So he came and took the body of Jesus, and Nicodemus,
who at first came to Jesus by night, also came,
bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about
a hundred pounds. Then they took the body of
Jesus and bound it in strips of linen with the
spices, as the custom of the Jews is to bury.
Now in the place where he was crucified there
was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb in
which no one had yet been laid. So there they
laid Jesus because of the Jews' preparation day,
for the tomb was nearby. Then the whole multitude
of them arose and led him to Pilate. And they
began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow
perverting the nation and forbidding to pay taxes
to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ,
a king. Then Pilate asked him, saying, Are you
the king of the Jews? He answered him and said,
It is as you say. So Pilate said to the chief
priests and the crowd, I find no fault in this
man. But they were the more fierce, saying, He
stirs up the people. teaching throughout all
Judea, beginning from Galilee to this place.
When Pilate heard of Galilee, he asked if the
man were a Galilean. And as soon as he knew that
he belonged to Herod's jurisdiction, he sent
him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem at that
time. Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly
glad, for he had desired for a long time to see
him, because he had heard many things about him,
and he hoped to see some miracle done by him.
Then he questioned him with many words, but he
answered him nothing. And the chief priests and
scribes stood and vehemently accused him. Then
Herod, with his men of war, treated him with
contempt and mocked him, arrayed him in a gorgeous
robe, and sent him back to Pilate. That very
day Pilate and Herod became friends with each
other, for previously they had been at enmity
with each other. Then Pilate, when he had called
together the chief priests, the rulers, and the
people, said to them, You have brought this man
to me as one who misleads the people. And indeed,
having examined him in your presence, I have
found no fault in this man concerning those things
of which you accuse him. No, neither did Herod,
for I sent you back to him, and indeed nothing
deserving of death has been done by him. I will
therefore chastise him and release him. for it
was necessary for him to release one to them
at the feast. And they all cried out at once,
saying, Away with this man and release to us
Barabbas, who had been thrown into prison for
a certain rebellion made in the city and for
murder. Pilate therefore, wishing to release
Jesus, again called out to them, but they shouted,
saying, Crucify him, crucify him. Then he said
to them the third time, Why, what evil has he
done? I have found no reason for death in him.
I will therefore chastise him and let him go.
But they were insistent, demanding with loud
voices that he be crucified. And the voices of
these men and of the chief priests prevailed.
So Pilate gave sentence that it should be as
they requested. And he released to them the one
they requested, who for rebellion and murder
had been thrown into prison, but he delivered
Jesus to their will. Now as they led him away,
they laid hold of a certain man, Simon, a Cyrenian,
who was coming from the country, and on him they
laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.
And a great multitude of the people followed
him, and women who also mourned and lamented
him. But Jesus turning to them said, Daughters
of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but weep for
yourselves and for your children. For indeed
the days are coming, in which they will say,
Blessed are the barren. Wombs that never bore,
and breasts which never nursed. Then they will
begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us, and
to the hills, cover us. For if they do these
things in the green wood, what will be done in
the dry? There were also two others, criminals,
led with him to be put to death. And when they
had come to the place called Calvary, there they
crucified him. And the criminals, one on the
right hand, another on the left. Then Jesus said,
Father, forgive them. for they do not know what
they do. And they divided his garments and cast
lots, and the people stood looking on. But even
the rulers with them sneered, saying, He saved
others, let him save himself, if he is the Christ,
the chosen of God. The soldiers also mocked him,
coming and offering him sour wine, and saying,
If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.
And an inscription, Also was written over him
in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, This
is the king of the Jews. Then one of the criminals
who were hanged blasphemed him, saying, If you
are the Christ, save yourself and us. But the
other, answering, rebuked him, saying, Do you
not even fear God, seeing you are under the same
condemnation? And we indeed justly, for we receive
the due reward of our deeds. But this man has
done nothing wrong. Then he said to Jesus, Lord,
remember me when you come into your kingdom.
And Jesus said to him, Assuredly I say to you,
today you will be with me in paradise. Now it
was about the sixth hour, and there was darkness
over all the earth until the ninth hour. Then
the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple
was torn in two. And when Jesus had cried out
with a loud voice, he said, Father, into your
hands I commit my spirit. Having said this, he
breathed his last. So when the centurion saw
what had happened, he glorified God, saying,
Certainly this was a righteous man. And the whole
crowd who came together to that sight, seeing
what had been done, beat their breasts and returned.
But all his acquaintances and the women who followed
him from Galilee stood at a distance, watching
these things. Now behold, there was a man named
Joseph, a council member, a good and just man.
He had not consented to their decision and deed.
He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who
himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God.
This man went to Pilate and asked for the body
of Jesus. Then he took it down, wrapped it in
linen, and laid it in a tomb that was hewn out
of the rock, where no one had ever lain before.
That day was the preparation, and the Sabbath
drew near. And the women who had come with him
from Galilee followed after, and they observed
the tomb and how his body was laid. Then they
returned and prepared spices and fragrant oils,
and they rested on the Sabbath according to the
commandments. I hope you enjoyed today's reading
as much as I did, and I look forward to seeing
you again tomorrow to continue on our journey.
God bless you and have a great day.