Mark 15:1-15, NIrV

1 It was very early in the morning. The chief priests, with the elders, the teachers of the law, and the whole Sanhedrin, made their plans. So they tied Jesus up and led him away. Then they handed him over to Pilate.

2 “Are you the king of the Jews?” asked Pilate.

“You have said so,” Jesus replied.

3 The chief priests brought many charges against him. 4 So Pilate asked him again, “Aren’t you going to answer? See how many things they charge you with.”

5 But Jesus still did not reply. Pilate was amazed.

6 It was the usual practice at the Passover Feast to let one prisoner go free. The people could choose the one they wanted. 7 A man named Barabbas was in prison. He was there with some other people who had fought against the country’s rulers. They had committed murder while they were fighting against the rulers. 8 The crowd came up and asked Pilate to do for them what he usually did.

9 “Do you want me to let the king of the Jews go free?” asked Pilate. 10 He knew that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him because they wanted to get their own way. 11 But the chief priests stirred up the crowd. So the crowd asked Pilate to let Barabbas go free instead.

12 “Then what should I do with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Pilate asked them.

13 “Crucify him!” the crowd shouted.

14 “Why? What wrong has he done?” asked Pilate.

But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”

15 Pilate wanted to satisfy the crowd. So he let Barabbas go free. He ordered that Jesus be whipped. Then he handed him over to be nailed to a cross.

Matthew 27:26-31, NIrV

26 Pilate let Barabbas go free. But he had Jesus whipped. Then he handed him over to be nailed to a cross.

27 The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace, which was called the Praetorium. All the rest of the soldiers gathered around him. 28 They took off his clothes and put a purple robe on him. 29 Then they twisted thorns together to make a crown. They placed it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand. Then they fell on their knees in front of him and made fun of him. “We honor you, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him. They hit him on the head with the stick again and again. 31 After they had made fun of him, they took off the robe. They put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to nail him to a cross.

Luke 23:32-43, NIrV

32 Two other men were also led out with Jesus to be killed. Both of them had broken the law. 33 The soldiers brought them to the place called the Skull. There they nailed Jesus to the cross. He hung between the two criminals. One was on his right and one was on his left. 34 Jesus said, “Father, forgive them. They don’t know what they are doing.” The soldiers divided up his clothes by casting lots.

35 The people stood there watching. The rulers even made fun of Jesus. They said, “He saved others. Let him save himself if he is God’s Messiah, the Chosen One.”

36 The soldiers also came up and poked fun at him. They offered him wine vinegar. 37 They said, “If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself.”

38 A written sign had been placed above him. It read,

This is the King of the Jews.

39 One of the criminals hanging there made fun of Jesus. He said, “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself! Save us!”

40 But the other criminal scolded him. “Don’t you have any respect for God?” he said. “Remember, you are under the same sentence of death. 41 We are being punished fairly. We are getting just what our actions call for. But this man hasn’t done anything wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

43 Jesus answered him, “What I’m about to tell you is true. Today you will be with me in paradise.”

Matthew 27:45-46 and John 19:28-30, NIRV

45 From noon until three o’clock, the whole land was covered with darkness. 46 About three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. He said, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”

...

28 Later, Jesus knew that everything had now been finished. He also knew that what Scripture said must come true. So he said, “I am thirsty.” 29 A jar of wine vinegar was there. So they soaked a sponge in it. They put the sponge on the stem of a hyssop plant. Then they lifted it up to Jesus’ lips. 30 After Jesus drank he said, “It is finished.” Then he bowed his head and died.

Psalm 22:1-8 and 15-18, NIRV

1 My God, my God, why have you deserted me?

    Why do you seem so far away when I need you to save me?

    Why do you seem so far away that you can’t hear my groans?

2 My God, I cry out in the daytime. But you don’t answer.

    I cry out at night. But you don’t let me sleep.

3 But you rule from your throne as the Holy One.

    You are the God Israel praises.

4 Our people of long ago put their trust in you.

    They trusted in you, and you saved them.

5 They cried out to you and were saved.

    They trusted in you, and you didn’t let them down.

6 Everyone treats me like a worm and not a man.

    They hate me and look down on me.

7 All those who see me laugh at me.

    They shout at me and make fun of me.

    They shake their heads at me.

8 They say, “He trusts in the Lord.

    Let the Lord help him.

If the Lord is pleased with him,

    let him save him.”

...

15 My mouth is dried up like a piece of broken pottery.

    My tongue sticks to the roof of my mouth.

    You bring me down to the edge of the grave.

16 A group of sinful people has closed in on me.

    They are all around me like a pack of dogs.

    They have pierced my hands and my feet.

17 Everyone can see all my bones right through my skin.

    People stare at me. They laugh when I suffer.

18 They divide up my clothes among them.

    They cast lots for what I am wearing.

Matthew 27:45-51 and 54, NIRV

45 From noon until three o’clock, the whole land was covered with darkness. 46 About three o’clock, Jesus cried out in a loud voice. He said, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” This means “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?” (Psalm 22:1)

47 Some of those standing there heard Jesus cry out. They said, “He’s calling for Elijah.”

48 Right away one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar and put it on a stick. He offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 After Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, he died.

51 At that moment the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook. The rocks split.

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54 The Roman commander and those guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened. They were terrified. They exclaimed, “He was surely the Son of God!”