Early in the morning, the high priests, with the elders, the teachers of the Law and the entire Sanhedrin, met together and made a decision.

 

They took Jesus tied up and handed him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied: — “You say so.” 3 And the high priests made many accusations against Jesus. 4 Pilate questioned him again: “Do you have anything to answer? See how much they accuse you of!” 5 But Jesus did not answer any more, so that Pilate was astonished. 6 At the Passover, Pilate released the prisoner they requested. 7 Then there was a prisoner, named Barabbas, among the bandits, who, in a revolt, had committed a murder. 8 The crowd went up to Pilate and began to ask him to do as was customary. 9 Pilate asked, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews?” 10 He knew well that the high priests had betrayed Jesus out of envy. 11 But the high priests stirred up the crowd so that Pilate released Barabbas to them. 12 Pilate asked again, “What then do you want me to do with the king of the Jews?” 13 But they shouted again: “Crucify him!”

14 Pilate asked, “But what harm did he do?” But they shouted louder: — “Crucify him!” 15 Pilate, wanting to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas, had Jesus scourged and handed him over to be crucified. 16 Then the soldiers took him into the palace, that is, the praetorium, and called together the entire troop. 17 They dressed Jesus in a red robe, wove a crown of thorns and placed it on his head. 18 And they began to greet him: — “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They hit him on the head with a stick. They spat at him and, bending their knees, prostrated themselves before him. 20 After mocking Jesus, they took off his red cloak, dressed him again in his own clothes, and took him outside to crucify him. 21 The soldiers forced a certain Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was returning from the field, to carry the cross. 22 They took Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means “Calvary.” 23 They gave him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not drink it. 24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, drawing lots to see which part would go to each. 25 It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 And there was an inscription with the reason for his condemnation: “The King of the Jews.” 27 Two thieves were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left.(28) 29Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying: — “Ah! You who destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself by coming down from the cross!” 31 In the same way, the high priests, with the teachers of the Law, mocked each other, saying: — “He saved others, he cannot save himself! 32 May the Messiah, the king of Israel... come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him. 33 When noon came, there was darkness over all the land until three o'clock in the afternoon. 3 Around three in the afternoon, Jesus shouted in a loud voice: — “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Which means: — “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 Some of those who were nearby, when they heard him, said: — “See, he is calling Elijah!” 36 Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar, placed it on the end of a stick and gave him a drink, saying: — “Leave it! Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him off the cross.” 37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and expired. (Everyone kneels for a moment) 38 At that moment, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn from top to bottom, in two parts. 39 When the army officer, who was right in front of him, saw how Jesus had expired, he said: — “Indeed, this man was the Son of God!” — Word of Salvation. Reflection Who were the representatives of the Sanhedrin? Accusers, envious people, instigators of revolt (they accuse him of what they are and practice), they wanted the crucifixion of the Innocent – they tried to show the world that Jesus was cursed by God. They did not know what evil that Innocent could have done. In fact, he was innocent. What did they have in mind against Jesus? Historically, Jewish leaders did not support him for several reasons: because he was an imminent danger of revolution against Rome (according to them), an enemy of the Temple (as they conceived and lived corruptly), a breaker of the Law and a heretic who claimed to be equal to God. On the other hand, they had no doubts about the miracles Jesus performed, but they treated him as a follower of Satan, a disobedient, a deceiving madman. According to their narratives, they had precise arguments to justify the death of the Son of God, but they were unable to do so. To do this, they turned to Roman power through Pilate, who, under pressure from the Sanhedrin, feared the loss of power and handed over the Innocent to death. He came back to life and is on high with the Father, he wants us to speak of his love to the world, so that by believing he can be saved.

Early in the morning, the high priests, with the elders, the teachers of the Law and the entire Sanhedrin, met together and made a decision. They took Jesus tied up and handed him over to Pilate. 2 And Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus replied: — “You say so.” 3 And the high priests made many accusations against Jesus. 4 Pilate questioned him again: “Do you have anything to answer? See how much they accuse you of!” 5 But Jesus did not answer any more, so that Pilate was astonished. 6 At the Passover, Pilate released the prisoner they requested. 7 Then there was a prisoner, named Barabbas, among the bandits, who, in a revolt, had committed a murder. 8 The crowd went up to Pilate and began to ask him to do as was customary. 9 Pilate asked, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews?” 10 He knew well that the high priests had betrayed Jesus out of envy. 11 But the high priests stirred up the crowd so that Pilate released Barabbas to them. 12 Pilate asked again, “What then do you want me to do with the king of the Jews?” 13 But they shouted again: “Crucify him!” 14 Pilate asked, “But what harm did he do?” But they shouted louder: — “Crucify him!” 15 Pilate, wanting to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas, had Jesus scourged and handed him over to be crucified. 16 Then the soldiers took him into the palace, that is, the praetorium, and called together the entire troop. 17 They dressed Jesus in a red robe, wove a crown of thorns and placed it on his head. 18 And they began to greet him: — “Hail, King of the Jews!” 19 They hit him on the head with a stick. They spat at him and, bending their knees, prostrated themselves before him. 20 After mocking Jesus, they took off his red cloak, dressed him again in his own clothes, and took him outside to crucify him. 21 The soldiers forced a certain Simon of Cyrene, father of Alexander and Rufus, who was returning from the field, to carry the cross. 22 They took Jesus to the place called Golgotha, which means “Calvary.” 23 They gave him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not drink it. 24 Then they crucified him and divided his clothes, drawing lots to see which part would go to each. 25 It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him. 26 And there was an inscription with the reason for his condemnation: “The King of the Jews.” 27 Two thieves were crucified with Jesus, one on the right and one on the left.(28) 29Those who passed by insulted him, shaking their heads and saying: — “Ah! You who destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, 30 save yourself by coming down from the cross!” 31 In the same way, the high priests, with the teachers of the Law, mocked each other, saying: — “He saved others, he cannot save himself! 32 May the Messiah, the king of Israel... come down now from the cross, so that we may see and believe!” Those who were crucified with him also insulted him. 33 When noon came, there was darkness over all the land until three o'clock in the afternoon. 3 Around three in the afternoon, Jesus shouted in a loud voice: — “Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?” Which means: — “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 35 Some of those who were nearby, when they heard him, said: — “See, he is calling Elijah!” 36 Someone ran and soaked a sponge in vinegar, placed it on the end of a stick and gave him a drink, saying: — “Leave it! Let’s see if Elijah comes to take him off the cross.” 37 Then Jesus gave a loud cry and expired. (Everyone kneels for a moment) 38 At that moment, the curtain of the sanctuary was torn from top to bottom, in two parts. 39 When the army officer, who was right in front of him, saw how Jesus had expired, he said: — “Indeed, this man was the Son of God!” — Word of Salvation. Reflection Who were the representatives of the Sanhedrin? Accusers, envious people, instigators of revolt (they accuse him of what they are and practice), they wanted the crucifixion of the Innocent – they tried to show the world that Jesus was cursed by God. They did not know what evil that Innocent could have done. In fact, he was innocent. What did they have in mind against Jesus? Historically, Jewish leaders did not support him for several reasons: because he was an imminent danger of revolution against Rome (according to them), an enemy of the Temple (as they conceived and lived corruptly), a breaker of the Law and a heretic who claimed to be equal to God. On the other hand, they had no doubts about the miracles Jesus performed, but they treated him as a follower of Satan, a disobedient, a deceiving madman. According to their narratives, they had precise arguments to justify the death of the Son of God, but they were unable to do so. To do this, they turned to Roman power through Pilate, who, under pressure from the Sanhedrin, feared the loss of power and handed over the Innocent to death. He came back to life and is on high with the Father, he wants us to speak of his love to the world, so that by believing he can be saved.