Matthew 27
JESUS HANDED OVER TO PILATE
When daybreak came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death.
2 After tying him up, they led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
JUDAS HANGS HIMSELF
3 Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, was full of remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. 4 “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said.
“What’s that to us? ” they said. “See to it yourself! ” 5 So he threw the silver into the temple and departed. Then he went and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests took the silver and said, “It’s not permitted to put it into the temple treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 They conferred together and bought the potter’s field with it as a burial place for foreigners. 8 Therefore that field has been called “Field of Blood” to this day. 9 Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled: They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him whose price was set by the Israelites, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.
JESUS FACES THE GOVERNOR
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor. “Are you the king of the Jews? ” the governor asked him.
Jesus answered,“You say so.” 12 While he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn’t answer.
13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how much they are testifying against you? ” 14 But he didn’t answer him on even one charge, so that the governor was quite amazed.
JESUS OR BARABBAS
15 At the festival the governor’s custom was to release to the crowd a prisoner they wanted. 16 At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Who is it you want me to release for you — Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ? ” 18 For he knew it was because of envy that they had handed him over.
19 While he was sitting on the judge’s bench, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for today I’ve suffered terribly in a dream because of him.”
20 The chief priests and the elders, however, persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to execute Jesus. 21 The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you? ”
“Barabbas! ” they answered.
22 Pilate asked them, “What should I do then with Jesus, who is called Christ? ”
They all answered, “Crucify him! ”
23 Then he said, “Why? What has he done wrong? ”
But they kept shouting all the more, “Crucify him! ”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that a riot was starting instead, he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. See to it yourselves! ”
25 All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children! ” 26 Then he released Barabbas to them and, after having Jesus flogged, handed him over to be crucified.
MOCKED BY THE MILITARY
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s residence and gathered the whole company around him. 28 They stripped him and dressed him in a scarlet robe. 29 They twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and placed a staff in his right hand. And they knelt down before him and mocked him: “Hail, king of the Jews! ” 30 Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hitting him on the head. 31 After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
Mark 15
JESUS FACES PILATE
As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
2 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews? ”
He answered him,“You say so.”
3 And the chief priests accused him of many things. 4 Pilate questioned him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? Look how many things they are accusing you of! ” 5 But Jesus still did not answer, and so Pilate was amazed.
JESUS OR BARABBAS
6 At the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. 7 There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. 8 The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. 9 Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you? ” 10 For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. 12 Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews? ”
13 Again they shouted, “Crucify him! ”
14 Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong? ”
But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him! ”
15 Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified.
MOCKED BY THE MILITARY
16 The soldiers led him away into the palace (that is, the governor’s residence ) and called the whole company together. 17 They dressed him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on him. 18 And they began to salute him, “Hail, king of the Jews! ” 19 They were hitting him on the head with a stick and spitting on him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying him homage. 20 After they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple robe and put his clothes on him.
Luke 23
JESUS FACES PILATE
Then their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate.
2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”
3 So Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews? ”
He answered him,“You say so.”
4 Pilate then told the chief priests and the crowds, “I find no grounds for charging this man.”
5 But they kept insisting, “He stirs up the people, teaching throughout all Judea, from Galilee where he started even to here.”
JESUS FACES HEROD ANTIPAS
6 When Pilate heard this, he asked if the man was a Galilean. 7 Finding that he was under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, who was also in Jerusalem during those days. 8 Herod was very glad to see Jesus; for a long time he had wanted to see him because he had heard about him and was hoping to see some miracle performed by him. 9 So he kept asking him questions, but Jesus did not answer him. 10 The chief priests and the scribes stood by, vehemently accusing him. 11 Then Herod, with his soldiers, treated him with contempt, mocked him, dressed him in bright clothing, and sent him back to Pilate. 12 That very day Herod and Pilate became friends. Previously, they had been enemies.
JESUS OR BARABBAS
13 Pilate called together the chief priests, the leaders, and the people, 14 and said to them, “You have brought me this man as one who misleads the people. But in fact, after examining him in your presence, I have found no grounds to charge this man with those things you accuse him of. 15 Neither has Herod, because he sent him back to us. Clearly, he has done nothing to deserve death. 16 Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.”
18 Then they all cried out together, “Take this man away! Release Barabbas to us! ” 19 (He had been thrown into prison for a rebellion that had taken place in the city, and for murder.)
20 Wanting to release Jesus, Pilate addressed them again, 21 but they kept shouting, “Crucify! Crucify him! ”
22 A third time he said to them, “Why? What has this man done wrong? I have found in him no grounds for the death penalty. Therefore, I will have him whipped and then release him.”
23 But they kept up the pressure, demanding with loud voices that he be crucified, and their voices won out. 24 So Pilate decided to grant their demand 25 and released the one they were asking for, who had been thrown into prison for rebellion and murder. But he handed Jesus over to their will.
John 18
JESUS BEFORE PILATE
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters. It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.
29 So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man? ”
30 They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”
31 Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.”
“It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. 32 They said this so that Jesus’s words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.
33 Then Pilate went back into the headquarters, summoned Jesus, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Jews? ”
34 Jesus answered, “Are you asking this on your own, or have others told you about me? ”
35 “I’m not a Jew, am I? ” Pilate replied. “Your own nation and the chief priests handed you over to me. What have you done? ”
36 “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus.“If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
37 “You are a king then? ” Pilate asked.
“You say that I’m a king,” Jesus replied.“I was born for this, and I have come into the world for this: to testify to the truth. Everyone who is of the truth listens to my voice.”
38 “What is truth? ” said Pilate.
JESUS OR BARABBAS
After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again and told them, “I find no grounds for charging him. 39 You have a custom that I release one prisoner to you at the Passover. So, do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews? ”
40 They shouted back, “Not this man, but Barabbas! ” Now Barabbas was a revolutionary.
John 19
JESUS FLOGGED AND MOCKED
Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged.
2 The soldiers also twisted together a crown of thorns, put it on his head, and clothed him in a purple robe. 3 And they kept coming up to him and saying, “Hail, king of the Jews! ” and were slapping his face.
4 Pilate went outside again and said to them, “Look, I’m bringing him out to you to let you know I find no grounds for charging him.” 5 Then Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, “Here is the man! ”
PILATE SENTENCES JESUS TO DEATH
6 When the chief priests and the temple servants saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify! ”
Pilate responded, “Take him and crucify him yourselves, since I find no grounds for charging him.”
7 “We have a law,” the Jews replied to him, “and according to that law he ought to die, because he made himself the Son of God.”
8 When Pilate heard this statement, he was more afraid than ever. 9 He went back into the headquarters and asked Jesus, “Where are you from? ” But Jesus did not give him an answer. 10 So Pilate said to him, “Do you refuse to speak to me? Don’t you know that I have the authority to release you and the authority to crucify you? ”
11 “You would have no authority over me at all,” Jesus answered him,“if it hadn’t been given you from above. This is why the one who handed me over to you has the greater sin.”
12 From that moment Pilate kept trying to release him. But the Jews shouted, “If you release this man, you are not Caesar’s friend. Anyone who makes himself a king opposes Caesar! ”
13 When Pilate heard these words, he brought Jesus outside. He sat down on the judge’s seat in a place called the Stone Pavement (but in Aramaic, ‘Gabbatha’). 14 It was the preparation day for the Passover, and it was about noon. Then he told the Jews, “Here is your king! ”
15 They shouted, “Take him away! Take him away! Crucify him! ”
Pilate said to them, “Should I crucify your king? ”
“We have no king but Caesar! ” the chief priests answered.
16 Then he handed him over to be crucified.
— Matthew 27:1-31; Mark 15:1-20; Luke 23:1-25; John 18:28-19:16 (CSB)