Staying with God at the Cross
Good Friday
for April 3, 2026
Before Worship Begins
Leadership Notes
- The room is dimly lit
- A simple cross is visible at the front.
- 7 candles are lit.
- Instrumental music when appropriate, or no music–silence.
- No announcements
Orientation for the Night
Tonight’s service is quiet and simple.
We will hear the story of Jesus’ suffering and death.
After each reading, there will be silence.
The light will gradually fade.
You may notice restlessness, or distraction, or even resistance.
That is part of the night.
There is nothing you need to achieve.
Only this:
remain…
and stay with God.
(Silence is kept.)
Opening Invitation
We do not rush tonight.
We do not explain.
We do not resolve what cannot yet be resolved.
We come to stay.
To remain with Christ
in the sorrow,
in the silence,
in the darkness.
Stay with our Lord.
(Silence is kept.)
Opening Prayer
Holy God,
on this night of suffering and love,
draw us near to the cross of Christ.
Quiet what is restless in us.
Still what is anxious in us.
Give us the courage to remain—
to stay with you
when we would rather turn away.
Hold us in your presence
as we remember.
Amen.
(Silence is kept.)
The Garden
Matthew 26:36–46 (TSW)
Stay here and keep watch with me.
Matthew 26:36–46
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and distressed.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.”
39And going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, were you not able to keep watch with me for one hour?
41Keep watch and pray, that you may not enter into testing. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, for a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down.
44So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for a third time, saying the same words again.
45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us be going. See, the one who betrays me has drawn near.”
The Plot to Arrest Jesus
1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,
2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is handed over to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,
4and they conspired together in order to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.
5But they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6Now while Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste?
9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, “Why are you troubling the woman? For she has done a beautiful work to me.
11For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.
12In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
13Truly I tell you: wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” And they weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16And from that moment he was seeking an opportunity to hand him over.
Preparing the Passover
17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with my disciples.’”
19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
Jesus Foretells Betrayal
20When evening came, he was reclining at table with the twelve.
21And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you: one of you will betray me.”
22And being deeply grieved, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23He answered, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me—this one will betray me.
24The Son of Man goes as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
25Judas, who was betraying him, answered, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said so.”
The Lord’s Supper
26Now while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27And he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29But I tell you: I will not drink again from this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.”
30And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial
31Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away because of me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32But after I am raised, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33But Peter answered and said to him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you: this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and distressed.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.”
39And going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, were you not able to keep watch with me for one hour?
41Keep watch and pray, that you may not enter into testing. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, for a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down.
44So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for a third time, saying the same words again.
45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us be going. See, the one who betrays me has drawn near.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, “The one whom I kiss is the man; seize him.”
49And immediately he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50But Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
51And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear.
52Then Jesus said to him, “Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once place at my side more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen in this way?”
55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber to seize me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
56But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Jesus Before the Council
57Then those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.
58But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the attendants to see the outcome.
59Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,
60but they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward
61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”
62And the high priest stood up and said to him, “Do you answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against you?”
63But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God: tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you: from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65Then the high priest tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you have heard the blasphemy.
66What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
67Then they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him,
68saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
71And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him, and she said to those there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”
73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you also are one of them, for your speech makes you clear.”
74Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
75And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Notes
v36–39Gethsemane — Jesus does not move toward death with numb detachment. Obedience includes anguish, honest prayer, and surrender.
v40–41“keep watch… the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” — Vigil is communal and spiritual. Desire alone is insufficient without prayerful endurance.
v45“the hour has drawn near” — The turning point has arrived. Jesus rises from prayer not confused but resolved.
Notes
v02“the Son of Man is handed over” — Matthew places divine foreknowledge and human treachery side by side. Jesus is not overtaken by events; he names them before they unfold.
v04–05“by stealth… not during the festival” — The leaders are not restrained by justice but by optics. Their timing is governed by crowd management, not truth.
v07“poured it on his head” — Matthew presents the act in royal as well as burial-shaped terms. Anointing and death already stand together.
v10“a beautiful work” — Jesus names as beautiful what others dismiss as impractical. Devotion is not measured only by efficiency.
v11“you always have the poor with you” — This is not a dismissal of the poor but a recognition of the moment. Jesus refuses to let true concern become a weapon against love.
v13“in memory of her” — The woman’s act becomes part of the gospel’s telling. Faithful love is remembered alongside the passion itself.
v15“thirty pieces of silver” — The betrayal is given a price. Matthew makes the transaction stark and concrete.
v21–22“one of you… Surely not I?” — The table becomes a place of self-examination. Betrayal is not imagined as only external to the community.
v23–25“The one who dipped… You have said so” — Nearness to Jesus does not guarantee faithfulness. Shared bread and shared presence can coexist with betrayal.
v26–28“this is my body… my blood of the covenant” — Jesus interprets his death before it happens. The meal is not escape from the cross but participation in its meaning.
v28“poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” — Matthew binds covenant, sacrifice, and forgiveness together. Jesus’ death is given not as accident but as redemptive self-offering.
v29“drink it new with you” — The supper is framed by future hope. Even on the edge of death, Jesus speaks of shared joy yet to come.
v31–32“fall away… I will go before you into Galilee” — Jesus names both failure and restoration. Scattering is real, but it is not the final word.
v36–39Gethsemane — Jesus does not move toward death with numb detachment. Obedience includes anguish, honest prayer, and surrender.
v40–41“keep watch… the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” — Vigil is communal and spiritual. Desire alone is insufficient without prayerful endurance.
v45“the hour has drawn near” — The turning point has arrived. Jesus rises from prayer not confused but resolved.
v48–50Judas’ kiss — The sign of greeting becomes the instrument of betrayal. Evil often works through gestures that mimic intimacy.
v52“all who take the sword will perish by the sword” — Jesus refuses violent defense, not because injustice is unreal, but because the kingdom is not secured by coercion.
v53–54“twelve legions of angels… the scriptures be fulfilled” — Restraint is not weakness. Jesus’ surrender is chosen within the larger obedience of God’s purpose.
v56“all the disciples left him and fled” — The failure is collective. Matthew does not preserve the dignity of the disciples at the expense of truth.
v59–60“false testimony” — The trial is shaped by the appearance of legality while lacking justice. Institutions can be orderly and still corrupt.
v63–64“the Christ, the Son of God… seated at the right hand of Power” — Jesus answers with both affirmation and apocalyptic exaltation. The condemned one speaks as the coming judge.
v67–68mockery and violence — The one who is truly king is treated as disposable. Matthew lets humiliation stand in full view.
v69–75Peter’s denial — Bold promises collapse under pressure. Yet Peter’s bitter weeping shows that failure, though grave, has not ended in hardness.
Vocabulary
v36προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai) — to pray
v37λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to be sorrowful
v37ἀδημονέω (adēmoneō) — to be distressed; to be troubled
v38ψυχή (psychē) — soul; life; self
v38γρηγορέω (grēgoreō) — to keep watch; to stay awake
v39ποτήριον (potērion) — cup
v41πειρασμός (peirasmos) — testing; trial; temptation
v41πρόθυμος (prothymos) — willing; eager; ready
Vocabulary
v02πάσχα (pascha) — Passover
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up; to betray
v02σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v04κρατέω (krateō) — to seize; to take hold of
v04δόλος (dolos) — deceit; cunning; stealth
v07ἀλάβαστρον (alabastron) — alabaster jar
v07μύρον (myron) — ointment; perfumed oil
v10κόπος (kopos) / καλὸν ἔργον (kalon ergon) — labor / beautiful work; good deed
v11πτωχός (ptōchos) — poor
v13μνημόσυνον (mnēmosynon) — memorial; remembrance
v15ἀργύριον (argyrion) — silver; silver coin
v17ἄζυμα (azyma) — unleavened bread; unleavened things
v18καιρός (kairos) — appointed time; fitting time
v21λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to cause sorrow
v24οὐαί (ouai) — woe; alas
v26εὐλογέω (eulogeō) — to bless
v26κλάω (klaō) — to break
v27εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) — to give thanks
v28διαθήκη (diathēkē) — covenant
v28ἄφεσις (aphesis) — forgiveness; release
v29γέννημα τῆς ἀμπέλου (gennēma tēs ampelou) — fruit of the vine
v30ὑμνέω (hymneō) — to sing a hymn
v31σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō) — to cause to stumble; to fall away
v32ἐγείρω (egeirō) — to raise; to awaken
v36προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai) — to pray
v37λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to be sorrowful
v37ἀδημονέω (adēmoneō) — to be distressed; to be troubled
v38ψυχή (psychē) — soul; life; self
v38γρηγορέω (grēgoreō) — to keep watch; to stay awake
v39ποτήριον (potērion) — cup
v41πειρασμός (peirasmos) — testing; trial; temptation
v41πρόθυμος (prothymos) — willing; eager; ready
v47ξίφος (xiphos) — sword
v47ξύλον (xylon) — club; stick
v49χαίρω (chairō) — greetings; rejoice
v50ἑταῖρος (hetairos) — companion; friend
v52μάχαιρα (machaira) — sword; blade
v53λεγιών (legiōn) — legion
v55λῃστής (lēstēs) — robber; bandit; insurgent
v59ψευδομαρτυρία (pseudomartyria) — false testimony
v63ἐξορκίζω (exorkizō) — to put under oath; to adjure
v64δύναμις (dynamis) — power; might; here, Power as divine designation
v65βλασφημέω (blasphēmeō) — to blaspheme; to speak irreverently
v66ἔνοχος θανάτου (enochos thanatou) — liable to death; deserving death
v72ὅρκος (horkos) — oath
v74καταθεματίζω (katathematizō) — to invoke a curse on oneself
v75πικρῶς (pikrōs) — bitterly
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The first candle is extinguished.
Betrayal and Arrest
Matthew 26:47–56 (TSW)
Matthew 26:47–56
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, “The one whom I kiss is the man; seize him.”
49And immediately he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50But Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
51And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear.
52Then Jesus said to him, “Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once place at my side more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen in this way?”
55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber to seize me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
56But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
The Plot to Arrest Jesus
1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,
2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is handed over to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,
4and they conspired together in order to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.
5But they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6Now while Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste?
9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, “Why are you troubling the woman? For she has done a beautiful work to me.
11For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.
12In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
13Truly I tell you: wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” And they weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16And from that moment he was seeking an opportunity to hand him over.
Preparing the Passover
17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with my disciples.’”
19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
Jesus Foretells Betrayal
20When evening came, he was reclining at table with the twelve.
21And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you: one of you will betray me.”
22And being deeply grieved, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23He answered, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me—this one will betray me.
24The Son of Man goes as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
25Judas, who was betraying him, answered, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said so.”
The Lord’s Supper
26Now while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27And he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29But I tell you: I will not drink again from this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.”
30And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial
31Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away because of me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32But after I am raised, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33But Peter answered and said to him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you: this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and distressed.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.”
39And going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, were you not able to keep watch with me for one hour?
41Keep watch and pray, that you may not enter into testing. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, for a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down.
44So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for a third time, saying the same words again.
45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us be going. See, the one who betrays me has drawn near.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, “The one whom I kiss is the man; seize him.”
49And immediately he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50But Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
51And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear.
52Then Jesus said to him, “Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once place at my side more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen in this way?”
55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber to seize me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
56But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Jesus Before the Council
57Then those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.
58But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the attendants to see the outcome.
59Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,
60but they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward
61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”
62And the high priest stood up and said to him, “Do you answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against you?”
63But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God: tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you: from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65Then the high priest tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you have heard the blasphemy.
66What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
67Then they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him,
68saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
71And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him, and she said to those there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”
73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you also are one of them, for your speech makes you clear.”
74Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
75And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Notes
v48–50Judas’ kiss — The sign of greeting becomes the instrument of betrayal. Evil often works through gestures that mimic intimacy.
v52“all who take the sword will perish by the sword” — Jesus refuses violent defense, not because injustice is unreal, but because the kingdom is not secured by coercion.
v53–54“twelve legions of angels… the scriptures be fulfilled” — Restraint is not weakness. Jesus’ surrender is chosen within the larger obedience of God’s purpose.
v56“all the disciples left him and fled” — The failure is collective. Matthew does not preserve the dignity of the disciples at the expense of truth.
Notes
v02“the Son of Man is handed over” — Matthew places divine foreknowledge and human treachery side by side. Jesus is not overtaken by events; he names them before they unfold.
v04–05“by stealth… not during the festival” — The leaders are not restrained by justice but by optics. Their timing is governed by crowd management, not truth.
v07“poured it on his head” — Matthew presents the act in royal as well as burial-shaped terms. Anointing and death already stand together.
v10“a beautiful work” — Jesus names as beautiful what others dismiss as impractical. Devotion is not measured only by efficiency.
v11“you always have the poor with you” — This is not a dismissal of the poor but a recognition of the moment. Jesus refuses to let true concern become a weapon against love.
v13“in memory of her” — The woman’s act becomes part of the gospel’s telling. Faithful love is remembered alongside the passion itself.
v15“thirty pieces of silver” — The betrayal is given a price. Matthew makes the transaction stark and concrete.
v21–22“one of you… Surely not I?” — The table becomes a place of self-examination. Betrayal is not imagined as only external to the community.
v23–25“The one who dipped… You have said so” — Nearness to Jesus does not guarantee faithfulness. Shared bread and shared presence can coexist with betrayal.
v26–28“this is my body… my blood of the covenant” — Jesus interprets his death before it happens. The meal is not escape from the cross but participation in its meaning.
v28“poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” — Matthew binds covenant, sacrifice, and forgiveness together. Jesus’ death is given not as accident but as redemptive self-offering.
v29“drink it new with you” — The supper is framed by future hope. Even on the edge of death, Jesus speaks of shared joy yet to come.
v31–32“fall away… I will go before you into Galilee” — Jesus names both failure and restoration. Scattering is real, but it is not the final word.
v36–39Gethsemane — Jesus does not move toward death with numb detachment. Obedience includes anguish, honest prayer, and surrender.
v40–41“keep watch… the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” — Vigil is communal and spiritual. Desire alone is insufficient without prayerful endurance.
v45“the hour has drawn near” — The turning point has arrived. Jesus rises from prayer not confused but resolved.
v48–50Judas’ kiss — The sign of greeting becomes the instrument of betrayal. Evil often works through gestures that mimic intimacy.
v52“all who take the sword will perish by the sword” — Jesus refuses violent defense, not because injustice is unreal, but because the kingdom is not secured by coercion.
v53–54“twelve legions of angels… the scriptures be fulfilled” — Restraint is not weakness. Jesus’ surrender is chosen within the larger obedience of God’s purpose.
v56“all the disciples left him and fled” — The failure is collective. Matthew does not preserve the dignity of the disciples at the expense of truth.
v59–60“false testimony” — The trial is shaped by the appearance of legality while lacking justice. Institutions can be orderly and still corrupt.
v63–64“the Christ, the Son of God… seated at the right hand of Power” — Jesus answers with both affirmation and apocalyptic exaltation. The condemned one speaks as the coming judge.
v67–68mockery and violence — The one who is truly king is treated as disposable. Matthew lets humiliation stand in full view.
v69–75Peter’s denial — Bold promises collapse under pressure. Yet Peter’s bitter weeping shows that failure, though grave, has not ended in hardness.
Vocabulary
v47ξίφος (xiphos) — sword
v47ξύλον (xylon) — club; stick
v49χαίρω (chairō) — greetings; rejoice
v50ἑταῖρος (hetairos) — companion; friend
v52μάχαιρα (machaira) — sword; blade
v53λεγιών (legiōn) — legion
v55λῃστής (lēstēs) — robber; bandit; insurgent
Vocabulary
v02πάσχα (pascha) — Passover
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up; to betray
v02σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v04κρατέω (krateō) — to seize; to take hold of
v04δόλος (dolos) — deceit; cunning; stealth
v07ἀλάβαστρον (alabastron) — alabaster jar
v07μύρον (myron) — ointment; perfumed oil
v10κόπος (kopos) / καλὸν ἔργον (kalon ergon) — labor / beautiful work; good deed
v11πτωχός (ptōchos) — poor
v13μνημόσυνον (mnēmosynon) — memorial; remembrance
v15ἀργύριον (argyrion) — silver; silver coin
v17ἄζυμα (azyma) — unleavened bread; unleavened things
v18καιρός (kairos) — appointed time; fitting time
v21λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to cause sorrow
v24οὐαί (ouai) — woe; alas
v26εὐλογέω (eulogeō) — to bless
v26κλάω (klaō) — to break
v27εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) — to give thanks
v28διαθήκη (diathēkē) — covenant
v28ἄφεσις (aphesis) — forgiveness; release
v29γέννημα τῆς ἀμπέλου (gennēma tēs ampelou) — fruit of the vine
v30ὑμνέω (hymneō) — to sing a hymn
v31σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō) — to cause to stumble; to fall away
v32ἐγείρω (egeirō) — to raise; to awaken
v36προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai) — to pray
v37λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to be sorrowful
v37ἀδημονέω (adēmoneō) — to be distressed; to be troubled
v38ψυχή (psychē) — soul; life; self
v38γρηγορέω (grēgoreō) — to keep watch; to stay awake
v39ποτήριον (potērion) — cup
v41πειρασμός (peirasmos) — testing; trial; temptation
v41πρόθυμος (prothymos) — willing; eager; ready
v47ξίφος (xiphos) — sword
v47ξύλον (xylon) — club; stick
v49χαίρω (chairō) — greetings; rejoice
v50ἑταῖρος (hetairos) — companion; friend
v52μάχαιρα (machaira) — sword; blade
v53λεγιών (legiōn) — legion
v55λῃστής (lēstēs) — robber; bandit; insurgent
v59ψευδομαρτυρία (pseudomartyria) — false testimony
v63ἐξορκίζω (exorkizō) — to put under oath; to adjure
v64δύναμις (dynamis) — power; might; here, Power as divine designation
v65βλασφημέω (blasphēmeō) — to blaspheme; to speak irreverently
v66ἔνοχος θανάτου (enochos thanatou) — liable to death; deserving death
v72ὅρκος (horkos) — oath
v74καταθεματίζω (katathematizō) — to invoke a curse on oneself
v75πικρῶς (pikrōs) — bitterly
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The second candle is extinguished.
Denial
Matthew 26:69–75 (TSW)
Matthew 26:69–75
The Plot to Arrest Jesus
1When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples,
2“You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man is handed over to be crucified.”
3Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the courtyard of the high priest, who was named Caiaphas,
4and they conspired together in order to seize Jesus by stealth and kill him.
5But they were saying, “Not during the festival, lest there be an uproar among the people.”
Jesus Anointed at Bethany
6Now while Jesus was in Bethany in the house of Simon the leper,
7a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he reclined at table.
8And when the disciples saw it, they were indignant and said, “Why this waste?
9For this could have been sold for a large sum and given to the poor.”
10But Jesus, knowing this, said to them, “Why are you troubling the woman? For she has done a beautiful work to me.
11For you always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.
12In pouring this ointment on my body, she has done it to prepare me for burial.
13Truly I tell you: wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will also be spoken of in memory of her.”
Judas Agrees to Betray Jesus
14Then one of the twelve, whose name was Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests
15and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?” And they weighed out for him thirty pieces of silver.
16And from that moment he was seeking an opportunity to hand him over.
Preparing the Passover
17Now on the first day of Unleavened Bread, the disciples came to Jesus, saying, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
18He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, ‘The Teacher says: My time is near; I am keeping the Passover at your house with my disciples.’”
19And the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover.
Jesus Foretells Betrayal
20When evening came, he was reclining at table with the twelve.
21And while they were eating, he said, “Truly I tell you: one of you will betray me.”
22And being deeply grieved, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely not I, Lord?”
23He answered, “The one who dipped his hand in the bowl with me—this one will betray me.
24The Son of Man goes as it is written concerning him, but woe to that man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed. It would have been better for that man if he had not been born.”
25Judas, who was betraying him, answered, “Surely not I, Rabbi?” Jesus said to him, “You have said so.”
The Lord’s Supper
26Now while they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after blessing it he broke it and gave it to the disciples and said, “Take, eat; this is my body.”
27And he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you,
28for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins.
29But I tell you: I will not drink again from this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in the kingdom of my Father.”
30And after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Jesus Foretells Peter’s Denial
31Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will fall away because of me this night, for it is written:
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.’
32But after I am raised, I will go before you into Galilee.”
33But Peter answered and said to him, “Even if all fall away because of you, I will never fall away.”
34Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you: this very night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.”
35Peter said to him, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you.” And all the disciples said the same.
Jesus Prays in Gethsemane
36Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to the disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
37And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be grieved and distressed.
38Then he said to them, “My soul is deeply sorrowful, even to death. Remain here and keep watch with me.”
39And going on a little farther, he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”
40And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter, “So, were you not able to keep watch with me for one hour?
41Keep watch and pray, that you may not enter into testing. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42Again, for a second time, he went away and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.”
43And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were weighed down.
44So leaving them again, he went away and prayed for a third time, saying the same words again.
45Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour has drawn near, and the Son of Man is handed over into the hands of sinners.
46Rise, let us be going. See, the one who betrays me has drawn near.”
The Betrayal and Arrest of Jesus
47And while he was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came, and with him a great crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and elders of the people.
48Now the one who was betraying him had given them a sign, saying, “The one whom I kiss is the man; seize him.”
49And immediately he came up to Jesus and said, “Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him.
50But Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came up and laid hands on Jesus and seized him.
51And behold, one of those with Jesus stretched out his hand and drew his sword, and striking the servant of the high priest he cut off his ear.
52Then Jesus said to him, “Return your sword to its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
53Or do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once place at my side more than twelve legions of angels?
54But how then should the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must happen in this way?”
55At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as against a robber to seize me? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me.
56But all this has happened so that the writings of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Jesus Before the Council
57Then those who had seized Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered.
58But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and going inside he sat with the attendants to see the outcome.
59Now the chief priests and the whole council were seeking false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death,
60but they did not find any, though many false witnesses came forward. But later two came forward
61and said, “This man said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’”
62And the high priest stood up and said to him, “Do you answer nothing? What is it that these men testify against you?”
63But Jesus was silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God: tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you: from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
65Then the high priest tore his garments and said, “He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? See, now you have heard the blasphemy.
66What is your judgment?” They answered, “He deserves death.”
67Then they spat in his face and struck him, and some slapped him,
68saying, “Prophesy to us, Christ! Who is it that struck you?”
Peter Denies Jesus
69Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant girl came up to him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.”
70But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are saying.”
71And when he had gone out to the gateway, another servant girl saw him, and she said to those there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.”
72And again he denied it with an oath: “I do not know the man.”
73After a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you also are one of them, for your speech makes you clear.”
74Then he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed.
75And Peter remembered the word Jesus had spoken: “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
Notes
v02“the Son of Man is handed over” — Matthew places divine foreknowledge and human treachery side by side. Jesus is not overtaken by events; he names them before they unfold.
v04–05“by stealth… not during the festival” — The leaders are not restrained by justice but by optics. Their timing is governed by crowd management, not truth.
v07“poured it on his head” — Matthew presents the act in royal as well as burial-shaped terms. Anointing and death already stand together.
v10“a beautiful work” — Jesus names as beautiful what others dismiss as impractical. Devotion is not measured only by efficiency.
v11“you always have the poor with you” — This is not a dismissal of the poor but a recognition of the moment. Jesus refuses to let true concern become a weapon against love.
v13“in memory of her” — The woman’s act becomes part of the gospel’s telling. Faithful love is remembered alongside the passion itself.
v15“thirty pieces of silver” — The betrayal is given a price. Matthew makes the transaction stark and concrete.
v21–22“one of you… Surely not I?” — The table becomes a place of self-examination. Betrayal is not imagined as only external to the community.
v23–25“The one who dipped… You have said so” — Nearness to Jesus does not guarantee faithfulness. Shared bread and shared presence can coexist with betrayal.
v26–28“this is my body… my blood of the covenant” — Jesus interprets his death before it happens. The meal is not escape from the cross but participation in its meaning.
v28“poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins” — Matthew binds covenant, sacrifice, and forgiveness together. Jesus’ death is given not as accident but as redemptive self-offering.
v29“drink it new with you” — The supper is framed by future hope. Even on the edge of death, Jesus speaks of shared joy yet to come.
v31–32“fall away… I will go before you into Galilee” — Jesus names both failure and restoration. Scattering is real, but it is not the final word.
v36–39Gethsemane — Jesus does not move toward death with numb detachment. Obedience includes anguish, honest prayer, and surrender.
v40–41“keep watch… the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak” — Vigil is communal and spiritual. Desire alone is insufficient without prayerful endurance.
v45“the hour has drawn near” — The turning point has arrived. Jesus rises from prayer not confused but resolved.
v48–50Judas’ kiss — The sign of greeting becomes the instrument of betrayal. Evil often works through gestures that mimic intimacy.
v52“all who take the sword will perish by the sword” — Jesus refuses violent defense, not because injustice is unreal, but because the kingdom is not secured by coercion.
v53–54“twelve legions of angels… the scriptures be fulfilled” — Restraint is not weakness. Jesus’ surrender is chosen within the larger obedience of God’s purpose.
v56“all the disciples left him and fled” — The failure is collective. Matthew does not preserve the dignity of the disciples at the expense of truth.
v59–60“false testimony” — The trial is shaped by the appearance of legality while lacking justice. Institutions can be orderly and still corrupt.
v63–64“the Christ, the Son of God… seated at the right hand of Power” — Jesus answers with both affirmation and apocalyptic exaltation. The condemned one speaks as the coming judge.
v67–68mockery and violence — The one who is truly king is treated as disposable. Matthew lets humiliation stand in full view.
v69–75Peter’s denial — Bold promises collapse under pressure. Yet Peter’s bitter weeping shows that failure, though grave, has not ended in hardness.
Vocabulary
v02πάσχα (pascha) — Passover
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up; to betray
v02σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v04κρατέω (krateō) — to seize; to take hold of
v04δόλος (dolos) — deceit; cunning; stealth
v07ἀλάβαστρον (alabastron) — alabaster jar
v07μύρον (myron) — ointment; perfumed oil
v10κόπος (kopos) / καλὸν ἔργον (kalon ergon) — labor / beautiful work; good deed
v11πτωχός (ptōchos) — poor
v13μνημόσυνον (mnēmosynon) — memorial; remembrance
v15ἀργύριον (argyrion) — silver; silver coin
v17ἄζυμα (azyma) — unleavened bread; unleavened things
v18καιρός (kairos) — appointed time; fitting time
v21λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to cause sorrow
v24οὐαί (ouai) — woe; alas
v26εὐλογέω (eulogeō) — to bless
v26κλάω (klaō) — to break
v27εὐχαριστέω (eucharisteō) — to give thanks
v28διαθήκη (diathēkē) — covenant
v28ἄφεσις (aphesis) — forgiveness; release
v29γέννημα τῆς ἀμπέλου (gennēma tēs ampelou) — fruit of the vine
v30ὑμνέω (hymneō) — to sing a hymn
v31σκανδαλίζω (skandalizō) — to cause to stumble; to fall away
v32ἐγείρω (egeirō) — to raise; to awaken
v36προσεύχομαι (proseuchomai) — to pray
v37λυπέω (lypeō) — to grieve; to be sorrowful
v37ἀδημονέω (adēmoneō) — to be distressed; to be troubled
v38ψυχή (psychē) — soul; life; self
v38γρηγορέω (grēgoreō) — to keep watch; to stay awake
v39ποτήριον (potērion) — cup
v41πειρασμός (peirasmos) — testing; trial; temptation
v41πρόθυμος (prothymos) — willing; eager; ready
v47ξίφος (xiphos) — sword
v47ξύλον (xylon) — club; stick
v49χαίρω (chairō) — greetings; rejoice
v50ἑταῖρος (hetairos) — companion; friend
v52μάχαιρα (machaira) — sword; blade
v53λεγιών (legiōn) — legion
v55λῃστής (lēstēs) — robber; bandit; insurgent
v59ψευδομαρτυρία (pseudomartyria) — false testimony
v63ἐξορκίζω (exorkizō) — to put under oath; to adjure
v64δύναμις (dynamis) — power; might; here, Power as divine designation
v65βλασφημέω (blasphēmeō) — to blaspheme; to speak irreverently
v66ἔνοχος θανάτου (enochos thanatou) — liable to death; deserving death
v72ὅρκος (horkos) — oath
v74καταθεματίζω (katathematizō) — to invoke a curse on oneself
v75πικρῶς (pikrōs) — bitterly
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The third candle is extinguished.
Before Pilate
Matthew 27:11–26 (TSW)
Matthew 27:11–26
Jesus Before Pilate
11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Judeans?” Jesus said, “You say so.”
12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Barabbas Released; Jesus Condemned
15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.
16At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18For he knew that it was because of envy that they had delivered him up.
19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23And he said, “Why—what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
2They bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor.
Judas’s Death
3Then Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, and he regretted it and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,
4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”
5And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.
8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
9“And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of the one valued,
whom some of the children of Israel valued,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Before Pilate
11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Judeans?” Jesus said, “You say so.”
12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Barabbas Released; Jesus Condemned
15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.
16At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18For he knew that it was because of envy that they had delivered him up.
19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23And he said, “Why—what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Judeans!”
30They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
34they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall, but when he tasted it he would not drink it.
35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Judeans.”
38Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will trust him.
43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if God desires him; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”
44And the rebels who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Signs and Confession
51And look—the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54Now when the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what had happened, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”
55There were also many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also had become a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63and said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”
66So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Notes
v11–14Jesus’ silence — Not weakness but refusal to play a rigged courtroom game; his restraint exposes the trial’s injustice and Pilate’s impotence.
v15–18“custom… envy” — The crowd-choice scene reveals scapegoating dynamics: public pressure and elite envy converge to eliminate the righteous.
v19Pilate’s wife’s dream — A Gentile warning heightens the moral clarity: even outsiders perceive Jesus as “righteous.”
v20–23“persuaded the crowds… crucified!” — Manipulated consensus is still culpable; mob certainty is not moral truth.
v24“washed his hands” — A performance of innocence that cannot cleanse complicity; bureaucracy’s favorite lie is “I had no choice.”
v25“His blood be on us…” — This line has been weaponized for anti-Jewish hatred. Read it as Matthew’s in-house conflict language, not a warrant to blame Jews across history (or today). The crucifixion is a convergence of many actors and powers, and the gospel’s aim is repentance and reconciliation, not ethnic condemnation.
v26scourging and delivery — The state’s violence is normalized procedure; Matthew makes us see how routine brutality becomes “legal.”
Notes
v01–02“took counsel… delivered… to Pilate” — Religious leadership and imperial power collaborate; “handing over” is how unjust systems launder responsibility.
v03–05Judas “regretted… hanged himself” — Regret (metamelomai) is not the same as repentance; the text portrays despair and moral collapse without romanticizing it.
v06–10“blood money… potter’s field… fulfilled” — Leaders keep ritual scruples while funding death; Matthew frames this as scripture-patterned irony and judgment on hypocrisy.
v11–14Jesus’ silence — Not weakness but refusal to play a rigged courtroom game; his restraint exposes the trial’s injustice and Pilate’s impotence.
v15–18“custom… envy” — The crowd-choice scene reveals scapegoating dynamics: public pressure and elite envy converge to eliminate the righteous.
v19Pilate’s wife’s dream — A Gentile warning heightens the moral clarity: even outsiders perceive Jesus as “righteous.”
v20–23“persuaded the crowds… crucified!” — Manipulated consensus is still culpable; mob certainty is not moral truth.
v24“washed his hands” — A performance of innocence that cannot cleanse complicity; bureaucracy’s favorite lie is “I had no choice.”
v25“His blood be on us…” — This line has been weaponized for anti-Jewish hatred. Read it as Matthew’s in-house conflict language, not a warrant to blame Jews across history (or today). The crucifixion is a convergence of many actors and powers, and the gospel’s aim is repentance and reconciliation, not ethnic condemnation.
v26scourging and delivery — The state’s violence is normalized procedure; Matthew makes us see how routine brutality becomes “legal.”
v27–31mock kingship — The crown, robe, reed, spitting: imperial satire. They “crown” him to deny him, yet their parody unintentionally speaks truth.
v32Simon of Cyrene — Discipleship is foreshadowed as forced cross-bearing; the crucifixion draws others into Jesus’ burden.
v33–35Golgotha / gall / lots — Pain is intensified, dignity stripped, and the righteous is treated as property; Psalm echoes (garments/lot) deepen the theological frame.
v37“King of the Judeans” — The charge is political: Rome executes a perceived rival king; the sign becomes proclamation in spite of itself.
v39–44“save yourself… come down” — The taunts misunderstand salvation: the Messiah saves not by self-rescue but by self-giving. “Trust” is demanded on the world’s terms.
v45darkness — Creation imagery marks cosmic grief and judgment; the cross is not private tragedy but world-shaking event.
v46“My God… why have you forsaken me?” — Jesus prays Psalm 22 from the depths; lament remains faithful speech even when God feels absent.
v50“yielded up his spirit” — Not accidental death but deliberate surrender; Matthew emphasizes agency within suffering.
v51temple curtain torn — A sign of access and upheaval: the old barrier is ripped from top to bottom, as if God acts from above.
v52–53tombs opened / saints raised — Matthew’s apocalyptic sign-language: the cross begins new-creation realities that overflow even death’s boundaries.
v54centurion’s confession — Irony sharpened: a Gentile soldier speaks the truth many insiders resist—“Truly this was God’s Son.”
v55–56women watching — Faithful presence in the dark; they become crucial witnesses when many disciples have fled.
v57–61Joseph’s tomb — Honor is given at burial, preserving the reality of death while preparing for the reality of resurrection (a known tomb, a sealed stone).
v62–66guard and seal — Attempts to secure death become evidence of resurrection; the powers treat Jesus’ promise as threat and try to control the narrative in advance.
Vocabulary
v11βασιλεύς (basileus) — king
v11Χριστός (christos) — Christ; anointed one; Messiah
v12κατηγορέω (katēgoreō) — to accuse
v14θαυμάζω (thaumazō) — to marvel; to be amazed
v16δέσμιος (desmios) — prisoner
v18φθόνος (phthonos) — envy; jealousy
v19ὄναρ (onar) — dream
v22σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v24νίπτω (niptō) — to wash
v26φραγελλόω (phragelloō) — to scourge; to whip
Vocabulary
v01συμβούλιον (symboulion) — counsel; plotted decision
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up
v03μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai) — to regret; to feel remorse (not the usual “repent” verb)
v04αἷμα ἀθῷον (haima athōon) — innocent blood
v06κορβανᾶς (korbanas) — temple treasury (corban)
v06τιμὴ αἵματος (timē haimatos) — blood money; price of blood
v11βασιλεύς (basileus) — king
v11Χριστός (christos) — Christ; anointed one; Messiah
v12κατηγορέω (katēgoreō) — to accuse
v14θαυμάζω (thaumazō) — to marvel; to be amazed
v16δέσμιος (desmios) — prisoner
v18φθόνος (phthonos) — envy; jealousy
v19ὄναρ (onar) — dream
v22σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v24νίπτω (niptō) — to wash
v26φραγελλόω (phragelloō) — to scourge; to whip
v28χλαμύς (chlamys) — cloak; robe
v29στέφανος ἐξ ἀκανθῶν (stephanos ex akanthōn) — crown of thorns
v31σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v32ἀγγαρεύω (angareuō) — to compel (to carry/serve)
v33Γολγοθᾶ (Golgotha) — Golgotha (Place of a Skull)
v34χολή (cholē) — gall; bitter substance
v35κλῆρος (klēros) — lot; casting lots
v37αἰτία (aitia) — charge; accusation
v38λῃστής (lēstēs) — bandit; insurgent; rebel
v40υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (huios tou theou) — Son of God
v45σκότος (skotos) — darkness
v46ἐγκαταλείπω (egkataleipō) — to forsake; to abandon
v50ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) — to let go; to release (as in yielding up)
v51καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) — curtain; veil (temple)
v54ἑκατόνταρχος (hekatontarchos) — centurion
v57μαθητεύω (mathēteuō) — to become a disciple
v59σινδών (sindōn) — linen cloth
v60μνημεῖον (mnēmeion) — tomb; burial place
v62παρασκευή (paraskeuē) — Preparation (day of Preparation)
v64ἀσφαλίζω (asphalizō) — to secure; to make safe
v66σφραγίζω (sphragizō) — to seal
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The fourth candle is extinguished.
The Crucifixion
Matthew 27:32-44 (TSW)
Matthew 27:32–44
The Crucifixion
32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
34they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall, but when he tasted it he would not drink it.
35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Judeans.”
38Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will trust him.
43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if God desires him; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”
44And the rebels who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
2They bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor.
Judas’s Death
3Then Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, and he regretted it and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,
4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”
5And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.
8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
9“And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of the one valued,
whom some of the children of Israel valued,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Before Pilate
11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Judeans?” Jesus said, “You say so.”
12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Barabbas Released; Jesus Condemned
15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.
16At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18For he knew that it was because of envy that they had delivered him up.
19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23And he said, “Why—what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Judeans!”
30They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
34they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall, but when he tasted it he would not drink it.
35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Judeans.”
38Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will trust him.
43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if God desires him; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”
44And the rebels who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Signs and Confession
51And look—the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54Now when the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what had happened, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”
55There were also many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also had become a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63and said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”
66So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Notes
v32Simon of Cyrene — Discipleship is foreshadowed as forced cross-bearing; the crucifixion draws others into Jesus’ burden.
v33–35Golgotha / gall / lots — Pain is intensified, dignity stripped, and the righteous is treated as property; Psalm echoes (garments/lot) deepen the theological frame.
v37“King of the Judeans” — The charge is political: Rome executes a perceived rival king; the sign becomes proclamation in spite of itself.
v39–44“save yourself… come down” — The taunts misunderstand salvation: the Messiah saves not by self-rescue but by self-giving. “Trust” is demanded on the world’s terms.
Notes
v01–02“took counsel… delivered… to Pilate” — Religious leadership and imperial power collaborate; “handing over” is how unjust systems launder responsibility.
v03–05Judas “regretted… hanged himself” — Regret (metamelomai) is not the same as repentance; the text portrays despair and moral collapse without romanticizing it.
v06–10“blood money… potter’s field… fulfilled” — Leaders keep ritual scruples while funding death; Matthew frames this as scripture-patterned irony and judgment on hypocrisy.
v11–14Jesus’ silence — Not weakness but refusal to play a rigged courtroom game; his restraint exposes the trial’s injustice and Pilate’s impotence.
v15–18“custom… envy” — The crowd-choice scene reveals scapegoating dynamics: public pressure and elite envy converge to eliminate the righteous.
v19Pilate’s wife’s dream — A Gentile warning heightens the moral clarity: even outsiders perceive Jesus as “righteous.”
v20–23“persuaded the crowds… crucified!” — Manipulated consensus is still culpable; mob certainty is not moral truth.
v24“washed his hands” — A performance of innocence that cannot cleanse complicity; bureaucracy’s favorite lie is “I had no choice.”
v25“His blood be on us…” — This line has been weaponized for anti-Jewish hatred. Read it as Matthew’s in-house conflict language, not a warrant to blame Jews across history (or today). The crucifixion is a convergence of many actors and powers, and the gospel’s aim is repentance and reconciliation, not ethnic condemnation.
v26scourging and delivery — The state’s violence is normalized procedure; Matthew makes us see how routine brutality becomes “legal.”
v27–31mock kingship — The crown, robe, reed, spitting: imperial satire. They “crown” him to deny him, yet their parody unintentionally speaks truth.
v32Simon of Cyrene — Discipleship is foreshadowed as forced cross-bearing; the crucifixion draws others into Jesus’ burden.
v33–35Golgotha / gall / lots — Pain is intensified, dignity stripped, and the righteous is treated as property; Psalm echoes (garments/lot) deepen the theological frame.
v37“King of the Judeans” — The charge is political: Rome executes a perceived rival king; the sign becomes proclamation in spite of itself.
v39–44“save yourself… come down” — The taunts misunderstand salvation: the Messiah saves not by self-rescue but by self-giving. “Trust” is demanded on the world’s terms.
v45darkness — Creation imagery marks cosmic grief and judgment; the cross is not private tragedy but world-shaking event.
v46“My God… why have you forsaken me?” — Jesus prays Psalm 22 from the depths; lament remains faithful speech even when God feels absent.
v50“yielded up his spirit” — Not accidental death but deliberate surrender; Matthew emphasizes agency within suffering.
v51temple curtain torn — A sign of access and upheaval: the old barrier is ripped from top to bottom, as if God acts from above.
v52–53tombs opened / saints raised — Matthew’s apocalyptic sign-language: the cross begins new-creation realities that overflow even death’s boundaries.
v54centurion’s confession — Irony sharpened: a Gentile soldier speaks the truth many insiders resist—“Truly this was God’s Son.”
v55–56women watching — Faithful presence in the dark; they become crucial witnesses when many disciples have fled.
v57–61Joseph’s tomb — Honor is given at burial, preserving the reality of death while preparing for the reality of resurrection (a known tomb, a sealed stone).
v62–66guard and seal — Attempts to secure death become evidence of resurrection; the powers treat Jesus’ promise as threat and try to control the narrative in advance.
Vocabulary
v32ἀγγαρεύω (angareuō) — to compel (to carry/serve)
v33Γολγοθᾶ (Golgotha) — Golgotha (Place of a Skull)
v34χολή (cholē) — gall; bitter substance
v35κλῆρος (klēros) — lot; casting lots
v37αἰτία (aitia) — charge; accusation
v38λῃστής (lēstēs) — bandit; insurgent; rebel
v40υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (huios tou theou) — Son of God
Vocabulary
v01συμβούλιον (symboulion) — counsel; plotted decision
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up
v03μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai) — to regret; to feel remorse (not the usual “repent” verb)
v04αἷμα ἀθῷον (haima athōon) — innocent blood
v06κορβανᾶς (korbanas) — temple treasury (corban)
v06τιμὴ αἵματος (timē haimatos) — blood money; price of blood
v11βασιλεύς (basileus) — king
v11Χριστός (christos) — Christ; anointed one; Messiah
v12κατηγορέω (katēgoreō) — to accuse
v14θαυμάζω (thaumazō) — to marvel; to be amazed
v16δέσμιος (desmios) — prisoner
v18φθόνος (phthonos) — envy; jealousy
v19ὄναρ (onar) — dream
v22σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v24νίπτω (niptō) — to wash
v26φραγελλόω (phragelloō) — to scourge; to whip
v28χλαμύς (chlamys) — cloak; robe
v29στέφανος ἐξ ἀκανθῶν (stephanos ex akanthōn) — crown of thorns
v31σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v32ἀγγαρεύω (angareuō) — to compel (to carry/serve)
v33Γολγοθᾶ (Golgotha) — Golgotha (Place of a Skull)
v34χολή (cholē) — gall; bitter substance
v35κλῆρος (klēros) — lot; casting lots
v37αἰτία (aitia) — charge; accusation
v38λῃστής (lēstēs) — bandit; insurgent; rebel
v40υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (huios tou theou) — Son of God
v45σκότος (skotos) — darkness
v46ἐγκαταλείπω (egkataleipō) — to forsake; to abandon
v50ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) — to let go; to release (as in yielding up)
v51καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) — curtain; veil (temple)
v54ἑκατόνταρχος (hekatontarchos) — centurion
v57μαθητεύω (mathēteuō) — to become a disciple
v59σινδών (sindōn) — linen cloth
v60μνημεῖον (mnēmeion) — tomb; burial place
v62παρασκευή (paraskeuē) — Preparation (day of Preparation)
v64ἀσφαλίζω (asphalizō) — to secure; to make safe
v66σφραγίζω (sphragizō) — to seal
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The fifth candle is extinguished.
The Death of Jesus
Matthew 27:45-50 (TSW)
Matthew 27:45–50
The Death of Jesus
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
2They bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor.
Judas’s Death
3Then Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, and he regretted it and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,
4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”
5And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.
8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
9“And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of the one valued,
whom some of the children of Israel valued,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Before Pilate
11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Judeans?” Jesus said, “You say so.”
12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Barabbas Released; Jesus Condemned
15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.
16At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18For he knew that it was because of envy that they had delivered him up.
19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23And he said, “Why—what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Judeans!”
30They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
34they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall, but when he tasted it he would not drink it.
35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Judeans.”
38Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will trust him.
43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if God desires him; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”
44And the rebels who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Signs and Confession
51And look—the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54Now when the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what had happened, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”
55There were also many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also had become a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63and said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”
66So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Notes
v45darkness — Creation imagery marks cosmic grief and judgment; the cross is not private tragedy but world-shaking event.
v46“My God… why have you forsaken me?” — Jesus prays Psalm 22 from the depths; lament remains faithful speech even when God feels absent.
v50“yielded up his spirit” — Not accidental death but deliberate surrender; Matthew emphasizes agency within suffering.
Notes
v01–02“took counsel… delivered… to Pilate” — Religious leadership and imperial power collaborate; “handing over” is how unjust systems launder responsibility.
v03–05Judas “regretted… hanged himself” — Regret (metamelomai) is not the same as repentance; the text portrays despair and moral collapse without romanticizing it.
v06–10“blood money… potter’s field… fulfilled” — Leaders keep ritual scruples while funding death; Matthew frames this as scripture-patterned irony and judgment on hypocrisy.
v11–14Jesus’ silence — Not weakness but refusal to play a rigged courtroom game; his restraint exposes the trial’s injustice and Pilate’s impotence.
v15–18“custom… envy” — The crowd-choice scene reveals scapegoating dynamics: public pressure and elite envy converge to eliminate the righteous.
v19Pilate’s wife’s dream — A Gentile warning heightens the moral clarity: even outsiders perceive Jesus as “righteous.”
v20–23“persuaded the crowds… crucified!” — Manipulated consensus is still culpable; mob certainty is not moral truth.
v24“washed his hands” — A performance of innocence that cannot cleanse complicity; bureaucracy’s favorite lie is “I had no choice.”
v25“His blood be on us…” — This line has been weaponized for anti-Jewish hatred. Read it as Matthew’s in-house conflict language, not a warrant to blame Jews across history (or today). The crucifixion is a convergence of many actors and powers, and the gospel’s aim is repentance and reconciliation, not ethnic condemnation.
v26scourging and delivery — The state’s violence is normalized procedure; Matthew makes us see how routine brutality becomes “legal.”
v27–31mock kingship — The crown, robe, reed, spitting: imperial satire. They “crown” him to deny him, yet their parody unintentionally speaks truth.
v32Simon of Cyrene — Discipleship is foreshadowed as forced cross-bearing; the crucifixion draws others into Jesus’ burden.
v33–35Golgotha / gall / lots — Pain is intensified, dignity stripped, and the righteous is treated as property; Psalm echoes (garments/lot) deepen the theological frame.
v37“King of the Judeans” — The charge is political: Rome executes a perceived rival king; the sign becomes proclamation in spite of itself.
v39–44“save yourself… come down” — The taunts misunderstand salvation: the Messiah saves not by self-rescue but by self-giving. “Trust” is demanded on the world’s terms.
v45darkness — Creation imagery marks cosmic grief and judgment; the cross is not private tragedy but world-shaking event.
v46“My God… why have you forsaken me?” — Jesus prays Psalm 22 from the depths; lament remains faithful speech even when God feels absent.
v50“yielded up his spirit” — Not accidental death but deliberate surrender; Matthew emphasizes agency within suffering.
v51temple curtain torn — A sign of access and upheaval: the old barrier is ripped from top to bottom, as if God acts from above.
v52–53tombs opened / saints raised — Matthew’s apocalyptic sign-language: the cross begins new-creation realities that overflow even death’s boundaries.
v54centurion’s confession — Irony sharpened: a Gentile soldier speaks the truth many insiders resist—“Truly this was God’s Son.”
v55–56women watching — Faithful presence in the dark; they become crucial witnesses when many disciples have fled.
v57–61Joseph’s tomb — Honor is given at burial, preserving the reality of death while preparing for the reality of resurrection (a known tomb, a sealed stone).
v62–66guard and seal — Attempts to secure death become evidence of resurrection; the powers treat Jesus’ promise as threat and try to control the narrative in advance.
Vocabulary
v45σκότος (skotos) — darkness
v46ἐγκαταλείπω (egkataleipō) — to forsake; to abandon
v50ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) — to let go; to release (as in yielding up)
Vocabulary
v01συμβούλιον (symboulion) — counsel; plotted decision
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up
v03μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai) — to regret; to feel remorse (not the usual “repent” verb)
v04αἷμα ἀθῷον (haima athōon) — innocent blood
v06κορβανᾶς (korbanas) — temple treasury (corban)
v06τιμὴ αἵματος (timē haimatos) — blood money; price of blood
v11βασιλεύς (basileus) — king
v11Χριστός (christos) — Christ; anointed one; Messiah
v12κατηγορέω (katēgoreō) — to accuse
v14θαυμάζω (thaumazō) — to marvel; to be amazed
v16δέσμιος (desmios) — prisoner
v18φθόνος (phthonos) — envy; jealousy
v19ὄναρ (onar) — dream
v22σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v24νίπτω (niptō) — to wash
v26φραγελλόω (phragelloō) — to scourge; to whip
v28χλαμύς (chlamys) — cloak; robe
v29στέφανος ἐξ ἀκανθῶν (stephanos ex akanthōn) — crown of thorns
v31σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v32ἀγγαρεύω (angareuō) — to compel (to carry/serve)
v33Γολγοθᾶ (Golgotha) — Golgotha (Place of a Skull)
v34χολή (cholē) — gall; bitter substance
v35κλῆρος (klēros) — lot; casting lots
v37αἰτία (aitia) — charge; accusation
v38λῃστής (lēstēs) — bandit; insurgent; rebel
v40υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (huios tou theou) — Son of God
v45σκότος (skotos) — darkness
v46ἐγκαταλείπω (egkataleipō) — to forsake; to abandon
v50ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) — to let go; to release (as in yielding up)
v51καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) — curtain; veil (temple)
v54ἑκατόνταρχος (hekatontarchos) — centurion
v57μαθητεύω (mathēteuō) — to become a disciple
v59σινδών (sindōn) — linen cloth
v60μνημεῖον (mnēmeion) — tomb; burial place
v62παρασκευή (paraskeuē) — Preparation (day of Preparation)
v64ἀσφαλίζω (asphalizō) — to secure; to make safe
v66σφραγίζω (sphragizō) — to seal
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The sixth candle is extinguished.
The Burial
Matthew 27:57-61 (TSW)
Matthew 27:57–61
The Burial of Jesus
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also had become a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
Jesus Delivered to Pilate
1When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
2They bound him and led him away and delivered him to Pilate the governor.
Judas’s Death
3Then Judas, who betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, and he regretted it and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders,
4saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.”
5And throwing down the pieces of silver into the temple, he departed; and he went away and hanged himself.
6But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7So they took counsel and bought with them the potter’s field as a burial place for strangers.
8Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, saying,
9“And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of the one valued,
whom some of the children of Israel valued,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Before Pilate
11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Judeans?” Jesus said, “You say so.”
12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?”
14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Barabbas Released; Jesus Condemned
15Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted.
16At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
17So when they were gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you—Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18For he knew that it was because of envy that they had delivered him up.
19While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him.”
20Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to destroy Jesus.
21The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas!”
22Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!”
23And he said, “Why—what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!”
24So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”
25And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him.
28They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him,
29and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Judeans!”
30They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.
31And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion
32As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull),
34they offered him wine to drink mixed with gall, but when he tasted it he would not drink it.
35And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.
36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
37And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Judeans.”
38Then two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.
39And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads
40and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
41So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying,
42“He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will trust him.
43He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if God desires him; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’”
44And the rebels who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.
46And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
47And some of the bystanders, hearing it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”
48And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine, and put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink.
49But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
50And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
Signs and Confession
51And look—the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split.
52The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,
53and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.
54Now when the centurion and those with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what had happened, they were filled with awe and said, “Truly this was God’s Son!”
55There were also many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
56Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also had become a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.
59And Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut in the rock. And he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate
63and said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.’
64Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead,’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how.”
66So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting the guard.
Notes
v57–61Joseph’s tomb — Honor is given at burial, preserving the reality of death while preparing for the reality of resurrection (a known tomb, a sealed stone).
Notes
v01–02“took counsel… delivered… to Pilate” — Religious leadership and imperial power collaborate; “handing over” is how unjust systems launder responsibility.
v03–05Judas “regretted… hanged himself” — Regret (metamelomai) is not the same as repentance; the text portrays despair and moral collapse without romanticizing it.
v06–10“blood money… potter’s field… fulfilled” — Leaders keep ritual scruples while funding death; Matthew frames this as scripture-patterned irony and judgment on hypocrisy.
v11–14Jesus’ silence — Not weakness but refusal to play a rigged courtroom game; his restraint exposes the trial’s injustice and Pilate’s impotence.
v15–18“custom… envy” — The crowd-choice scene reveals scapegoating dynamics: public pressure and elite envy converge to eliminate the righteous.
v19Pilate’s wife’s dream — A Gentile warning heightens the moral clarity: even outsiders perceive Jesus as “righteous.”
v20–23“persuaded the crowds… crucified!” — Manipulated consensus is still culpable; mob certainty is not moral truth.
v24“washed his hands” — A performance of innocence that cannot cleanse complicity; bureaucracy’s favorite lie is “I had no choice.”
v25“His blood be on us…” — This line has been weaponized for anti-Jewish hatred. Read it as Matthew’s in-house conflict language, not a warrant to blame Jews across history (or today). The crucifixion is a convergence of many actors and powers, and the gospel’s aim is repentance and reconciliation, not ethnic condemnation.
v26scourging and delivery — The state’s violence is normalized procedure; Matthew makes us see how routine brutality becomes “legal.”
v27–31mock kingship — The crown, robe, reed, spitting: imperial satire. They “crown” him to deny him, yet their parody unintentionally speaks truth.
v32Simon of Cyrene — Discipleship is foreshadowed as forced cross-bearing; the crucifixion draws others into Jesus’ burden.
v33–35Golgotha / gall / lots — Pain is intensified, dignity stripped, and the righteous is treated as property; Psalm echoes (garments/lot) deepen the theological frame.
v37“King of the Judeans” — The charge is political: Rome executes a perceived rival king; the sign becomes proclamation in spite of itself.
v39–44“save yourself… come down” — The taunts misunderstand salvation: the Messiah saves not by self-rescue but by self-giving. “Trust” is demanded on the world’s terms.
v45darkness — Creation imagery marks cosmic grief and judgment; the cross is not private tragedy but world-shaking event.
v46“My God… why have you forsaken me?” — Jesus prays Psalm 22 from the depths; lament remains faithful speech even when God feels absent.
v50“yielded up his spirit” — Not accidental death but deliberate surrender; Matthew emphasizes agency within suffering.
v51temple curtain torn — A sign of access and upheaval: the old barrier is ripped from top to bottom, as if God acts from above.
v52–53tombs opened / saints raised — Matthew’s apocalyptic sign-language: the cross begins new-creation realities that overflow even death’s boundaries.
v54centurion’s confession — Irony sharpened: a Gentile soldier speaks the truth many insiders resist—“Truly this was God’s Son.”
v55–56women watching — Faithful presence in the dark; they become crucial witnesses when many disciples have fled.
v57–61Joseph’s tomb — Honor is given at burial, preserving the reality of death while preparing for the reality of resurrection (a known tomb, a sealed stone).
v62–66guard and seal — Attempts to secure death become evidence of resurrection; the powers treat Jesus’ promise as threat and try to control the narrative in advance.
Vocabulary
v57μαθητεύω (mathēteuō) — to become a disciple
v59σινδών (sindōn) — linen cloth
v60μνημεῖον (mnēmeion) — tomb; burial place
Vocabulary
v01συμβούλιον (symboulion) — counsel; plotted decision
v02παραδίδωμι (paradidōmi) — to hand over; to deliver up
v03μεταμέλομαι (metamelomai) — to regret; to feel remorse (not the usual “repent” verb)
v04αἷμα ἀθῷον (haima athōon) — innocent blood
v06κορβανᾶς (korbanas) — temple treasury (corban)
v06τιμὴ αἵματος (timē haimatos) — blood money; price of blood
v11βασιλεύς (basileus) — king
v11Χριστός (christos) — Christ; anointed one; Messiah
v12κατηγορέω (katēgoreō) — to accuse
v14θαυμάζω (thaumazō) — to marvel; to be amazed
v16δέσμιος (desmios) — prisoner
v18φθόνος (phthonos) — envy; jealousy
v19ὄναρ (onar) — dream
v22σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v24νίπτω (niptō) — to wash
v26φραγελλόω (phragelloō) — to scourge; to whip
v28χλαμύς (chlamys) — cloak; robe
v29στέφανος ἐξ ἀκανθῶν (stephanos ex akanthōn) — crown of thorns
v31σταυρόω (stauroō) — to crucify
v32ἀγγαρεύω (angareuō) — to compel (to carry/serve)
v33Γολγοθᾶ (Golgotha) — Golgotha (Place of a Skull)
v34χολή (cholē) — gall; bitter substance
v35κλῆρος (klēros) — lot; casting lots
v37αἰτία (aitia) — charge; accusation
v38λῃστής (lēstēs) — bandit; insurgent; rebel
v40υἱὸς τοῦ θεοῦ (huios tou theou) — Son of God
v45σκότος (skotos) — darkness
v46ἐγκαταλείπω (egkataleipō) — to forsake; to abandon
v50ἀφίημι (aphiēmi) — to let go; to release (as in yielding up)
v51καταπέτασμα (katapetasma) — curtain; veil (temple)
v54ἑκατόνταρχος (hekatontarchos) — centurion
v57μαθητεύω (mathēteuō) — to become a disciple
v59σινδών (sindōn) — linen cloth
v60μνημεῖον (mnēmeion) — tomb; burial place
v62παρασκευή (paraskeuē) — Preparation (day of Preparation)
v64ἀσφαλίζω (asphalizō) — to secure; to make safe
v66σφραγίζω (sphragizō) — to seal
Followed by two minutes of silence.
Leader: Stay.
The seventh candle is extinguished.
Closing and Departure
(Silence is kept.)
Leader: Stay with God, as Christ stayed with us.
People: We stay with Christ today and always.
(The congregation may depart quietly as they stay with God upon going.)
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Rights and Use
© Church Commons. 2026
Written by Rev. Matthew J. Skolnik unless otherwise noted. All rights reserved.
These materials may be used and adapted for worship and educational purposes within Christian communities. They may not be sold or redistributed for commercial purposes without permission.
Resource Details
Date: April 2, 2026 ; Maundy Thursday
Scripture: John 13
Theme: Love That Stays
Lectionary: RCL Year A
Scripture on this page is from The Shared Word Translation (SWT), an ongoing translation project within ChurchCommons.org.