Liturgy of the Passion

4Verse 4. The Lord GOD has given Me the tongue of discipleship, to sustain the weary with a word. He awakens Me morning by morning; He awakens My ear to listen as a disciple. 5Verse 5. The Lord GOD has opened My ears, and I have not been rebellious, nor have I turned back. 6Verse 6. I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle. 7Verse 7. Because the Lord GOD helps Me, I have not been disgraced; therefore I have set My face like flint, and I know that I will not be put to shame. 8Verse 8. The One who vindicates Me is near. Who will dare to contend with Me? Let us confront each other! Who has a case against Me? Let him approach Me! 9Verse 9. Surely the Lord GOD helps Me.

5Verse 5. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus: 6Verse 6. Who, existing in the form of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, 7Verse 7. but emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant, being made in human likeness. 8Verse 8. And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to death — even death on a cross. 9Verse 9. Therefore God exalted Him to the highest place and gave Him the name above all names, 10Verse 10. that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11Verse 11. and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

1Verse 1. Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him. 2Verse 2. “But not during the feast,” they said, “or there may be a riot among the people.” 3Verse 3. While Jesus was in Bethany reclining at the table in the home of Simon the Leper, a woman came with an alabaster jar of expensive perfume, made of pure nard. She broke open the jar and poured it on Jesus’ head. 4Verse 4. Some of those present, however, expressed their indignation to one another: “Why this waste of perfume? 5Verse 5. It could have been sold for over three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor.” And they scolded her. 6Verse 6. But Jesus said, “Leave her alone; why are you bothering her? She has done a beautiful deed to Me. 7Verse 7. The poor you will always have with you, and you can help them whenever you want. But you will not always have Me. 8Verse 8. She has done what she could to anoint My body in advance of My burial. 9Verse 9. And truly I tell you, wherever the gospel is preached in all the world, what she has done will also be told in memory of her.” 10Verse 10. Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went to the chief priests to betray Jesus to them. 11Verse 11. They were delighted to hear this, and they promised to give him money. So Judas began to look for an opportunity to betray Jesus. 12Verse 12. On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when the Passover lamb was to be sacrificed, Jesus’ disciples asked Him, “Where do You want us to prepare for You to eat the Passover?” 13Verse 13. So He sent two of His disciples and told them, “Go into the city, and a man carrying a jug of water will meet you. Follow him, 14Verse 14. and whichever house he enters, say to the owner, ‘The Teacher asks: Where is My guest room, where I may eat the Passover with My disciples?’ 15Verse 15. And he will show you a large upper room, furnished and ready. Make preparations for us there.” 16Verse 16. So the disciples left and went into the city, where they found everything as Jesus had described. And they prepared the Passover. 17Verse 17. When evening came, Jesus arrived with the Twelve. 18Verse 18. And while they were reclining and eating, Jesus said, “Truly I tell you, one of you who is eating with Me will betray Me.” 19Verse 19. They began to be grieved and to ask Him one after another, “Surely not I?” 20Verse 20. He answered, “It is one of the Twelve — the one who is dipping his hand into the bowl with Me. 21Verse 21. The Son of Man will go just as it is written about Him, but woe to that man by whom He is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had not been born.” 22Verse 22. While they were eating, Jesus took bread, spoke a blessing and broke it, and gave it to the disciples, saying, “Take it; this is My body.” 23Verse 23. Then He took the cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from it. 24Verse 24. He said to them, “This is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many. 25Verse 25. Truly I tell you, I will no longer drink of the fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it anew in the kingdom of God.” 26Verse 26. And when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. 27Verse 27. Then Jesus said to them, “You will all fall away, for it is written: ‘I will strike the Shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.’ 28Verse 28. But after I have risen, I will go ahead of you into Galilee.” 29Verse 29. Peter declared, “Even if all fall away, I never will.” 30Verse 30. “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “this very night, before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” 31Verse 31. But Peter kept insisting, “Even if I have to die with You, I will never deny You.” And all the others said the same thing. 32Verse 32. Then they came to a place called Gethsemane, and Jesus told His disciples, “Sit here while I pray.” 33Verse 33. He took with Him Peter, James, and John, and began to be deeply troubled and distressed. 34Verse 34. Then He said to them, “My soul is consumed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch.” 35Verse 35. Going a little farther, He fell to the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour would pass from Him. 36Verse 36. “Abba, Father,” He said, “all things are possible for You. Take this cup from Me. Yet not what I will, but what You will.” 37Verse 37. Then Jesus returned and found them sleeping. “Simon, are you asleep?” He asked. “Were you not able to keep watch for one hour? 38Verse 38. Watch and pray so that you will not enter into temptation. For the spirit is willing, but the body is weak.” 39Verse 39. Again He went away and prayed, saying the same thing. 40Verse 40. And again Jesus returned and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And they did not know what to answer Him. 41Verse 41. When Jesus returned the third time, He said, “Are you still sleeping and resting? That is enough! The hour has come. Look, the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 42Verse 42. Rise, let us go. See, My betrayer is approaching!” 43Verse 43. While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a crowd armed with swords and clubs, sent from the chief priests, scribes, and elders. 44Verse 44. Now the betrayer had arranged a signal with them: “The One I kiss is the man; arrest Him and lead Him away securely.” 45Verse 45. Going directly to Jesus, he said, “Rabbi!” and kissed Him. 46Verse 46. Then the men seized Jesus and arrested Him. 47Verse 47. And one of the bystanders drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 48Verse 48. Jesus asked the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw? 49Verse 49. Every day I was with you, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not arrest Me. But this has happened that the Scriptures would be fulfilled.” 50Verse 50. Then everyone deserted Him and fled. 51Verse 51. One young man who had been following Jesus was wearing a linen cloth around his body. They caught hold of him, 52Verse 52. but he pulled free of the linen cloth and ran away naked. 53Verse 53. They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests, elders, and scribes assembled. 54Verse 54. Peter followed Him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. And he sat with the officers and warmed himself by the fire. 55Verse 55. Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking testimony against Jesus to put Him to death, but they did not find any. 56Verse 56. For many bore false witness against Jesus, but their testimony was inconsistent. 57Verse 57. Then some men stood up and testified falsely against Him: 58Verse 58. “We heard Him say, ‘I will destroy this man-made temple, and in three days I will build another that is made without hands.’” 59Verse 59. But even their testimony was inconsistent. 60Verse 60. So the high priest stood up before them and questioned Jesus, “Have You no answer? What are these men testifying against You?” 61Verse 61. But Jesus remained silent and made no reply. Again the high priest questioned Him, “Are You the Christ, the Son of the Blessed One?” 62Verse 62. “I am,” said Jesus, “and you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming with the clouds of heaven.” 63Verse 63. At this, the high priest tore his clothes and declared, “Why do we need any more witnesses? 64Verse 64. You have heard the blasphemy. What is your verdict?” And they all condemned Him as deserving of death. 65Verse 65. Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face. 66Verse 66. While Peter was in the courtyard below, one of the servant girls of the high priest came down 67Verse 67. and saw him warming himself there. She looked at Peter and said, “You also were with Jesus the Nazarene.” 68Verse 68. But he denied it. “I do not know or even understand what you are talking about,” he said. Then he went out to the gateway, and the rooster crowed. 69Verse 69. There the servant girl saw him and again said to those standing nearby, “This man is one of them.” 70Verse 70. But he denied it again. After a little while, those standing nearby said once more to Peter, “Surely you are one of them, for you too are a Galilean.” 71Verse 71. But he began to curse and swear, “I do not know this man of whom you speak!” 72Verse 72. And immediately the rooster crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken to him: “Before the rooster crows twice, you will deny Me three times.” And he broke down and wept. 1Verse 1. Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate. 2Verse 2. So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3Verse 3. And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things. 4Verse 4. Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5Verse 5. But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply. 6Verse 6. Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release to the people a prisoner of their choosing. 7Verse 7. And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8Verse 8. So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom. 9Verse 9. “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. 10Verse 10. For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. 11Verse 11. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead. 12Verse 12. So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?” 13Verse 13. And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14Verse 14. “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!” 15Verse 15. And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. 16Verse 16. Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together. 17Verse 17. They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head. 18Verse 18. And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19Verse 19. They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him. 20Verse 20. After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. 21Verse 21. Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. 22Verse 22. They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull. 23Verse 23. There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. 24Verse 24. And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take. 25Verse 25. It was the third hour when they crucified Him. 26Verse 26. And the charge inscribed against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27Verse 27. Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left. 29Verse 29. And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30Verse 30. come down from the cross and save Yourself!” 31Verse 31. In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! 32Verse 32. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him. 33Verse 33. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 34Verse 34. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35Verse 35. When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” 36Verse 36. And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” 37Verse 37. But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. 38Verse 38. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39Verse 39. When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40Verse 40. And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41Verse 41. These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him. 42Verse 42. Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath ), 43Verse 43. Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. 44Verse 44. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so. 45Verse 45. When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46Verse 46. So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47Verse 47. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.

1Verse 1. Early in the morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin devised a plan. They bound Jesus, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate. 2Verse 2. So Pilate questioned Him, “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. 3Verse 3. And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things. 4Verse 4. Then Pilate questioned Him again, “Have You no answer? Look how many charges they are bringing against You!” 5Verse 5. But to Pilate’s amazement, Jesus made no further reply. 6Verse 6. Now it was Pilate’s custom at the feast to release to the people a prisoner of their choosing. 7Verse 7. And a man named Barabbas was imprisoned with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. 8Verse 8. So the crowd went up and began asking Pilate to keep his custom. 9Verse 9. “Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?” Pilate asked. 10Verse 10. For he knew it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over. 11Verse 11. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas to them instead. 12Verse 12. So Pilate asked them again, “What then do you want me to do with the One you call the King of the Jews?” 13Verse 13. And they shouted back, “Crucify Him!” 14Verse 14. “Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!” 15Verse 15. And wishing to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. 16Verse 16. Then the soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called the whole company together. 17Verse 17. They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and set it on His head. 18Verse 18. And they began to salute Him: “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19Verse 19. They kept striking His head with a staff and spitting on Him. And they knelt down and bowed before Him. 20Verse 20. After they had mocked Him, they removed the purple robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him out to crucify Him. 21Verse 21. Now Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and the soldiers forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. 22Verse 22. They brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull. 23Verse 23. There they offered Him wine mixed with myrrh, but He did not take it. 24Verse 24. And they crucified Him. They also divided His garments by casting lots to decide what each of them would take. 25Verse 25. It was the third hour when they crucified Him. 26Verse 26. And the charge inscribed against Him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. 27Verse 27. Along with Jesus, they crucified two robbers, one on His right and one on His left. 29Verse 29. And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, 30Verse 30. come down from the cross and save Yourself!” 31Verse 31. In the same way, the chief priests and scribes mocked Him among themselves, saying, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself! 32Verse 32. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” And even those who were crucified with Him berated Him. 33Verse 33. From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. 34Verse 34. At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” 35Verse 35. When some of those standing nearby heard this, they said, “Behold, He is calling Elijah.” 36Verse 36. And someone ran and filled a sponge with sour wine. He put it on a reed and held it up for Jesus to drink, saying, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to take Him down.” 37Verse 37. But Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. 38Verse 38. And the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. 39Verse 39. When the centurion standing there in front of Jesus saw how He had breathed His last, he said, “Truly this man was the Son of God!” 40Verse 40. And there were also women watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. 41Verse 41. These women had followed Jesus and ministered to Him while He was in Galilee, and there were many other women who had come up to Jerusalem with Him. 42Verse 42. Now it was already evening. Since it was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath ), 43Verse 43. Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent Council member who himself was waiting for the kingdom of God, boldly went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus. 44Verse 44. Pilate was surprised to hear that Jesus was already dead, so he summoned the centurion to ask if this was so. 45Verse 45. When Pilate had confirmed it with the centurion, he granted the body to Joseph. 46Verse 46. So Joseph bought a linen cloth, took down the body of Jesus, wrapped it in the cloth, and placed it in a tomb that had been cut out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. 47Verse 47. Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where His body was placed.