The
Palm Gospel: Matthew 21:1-11
21:1 When they had come near Jerusalem and had reached Bethphage, at the
Mount of Olives, Jesus sent two disciples, 2 saying
to them, “Go into the village ahead of you, and immediately you will find a
donkey tied, and a colt with her; untie them and bring them to me. 3 If anyone says anything to you, just say
this, ‘The Lord needs them.’ And he will send them immediately.” 4 This took place to fulfill what had been
spoken through the prophet, saying, 5 “Tell
the daughter of Zion, Look, your king is coming to you, humble, and mounted on
a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey.” 6
The disciples went and did as Jesus had directed them; 7 they brought the donkey and the colt, and
put their cloaks on them, and he sat on them. 8 A
very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, and others cut branches from
the trees and spread them on the road. 9 The
crowds that went ahead of him and that followed were shouting, “Hosanna to the
Son of David! Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in
the highest heaven!” 10 When he
entered Jerusalem, the whole city was in turmoil, asking, “Who is this?” 11 The crowds were saying, “This is the
prophet Jesus from Nazareth in Galilee.”
1st
Reading: Isaiah 50:4-9a
50:4 The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher, that I may know how to sustain the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—wakens my ear to listen as those who are taught. 5 The Lord God
has opened my ear, and I was not rebellious, I did not turn backward. 6 I gave my back to those who struck me, and
my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard; I did not hide my face from insult
and spitting. 7 The Lord God helps me; therefore I have not been
disgraced; therefore I have set my face like flint, and I know that I shall not
be put to shame; 8 he who
vindicates me is near. Who will contend with me? Let us stand up together. Who
are my adversaries? Let them confront me. 9a It
is the Lord God who helps me; who
will declare me guilty?
Psalm 31:9-16
9 Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; *
my eye is consumed with sorrow
and also my throat and my belly.
10 For my life is wasted with grief,
and my years with sighing; *
my strength fails me because of
affliction,
and my bones are consumed.
11 I have become a reproach to all my enemies
and
even to
my neighbors,
a dismay to those of my acquaintance; *
when they see me in the street
they avoid me.
12 I am forgotten like a dead man, out of mind;
*
I am as useless as a broken pot.
13 For I have heard the whispering of the crowd;
fear is all around; *
they put their heads together
against me;
they plot to take my life.
14 But as for me, I have trusted in you, O Lord. *
I have said, “You are my God.”
15 My times are in your hand; *
rescue me from the hand of my enemies,
and from those who persecute me.
16 Make your face to shine upon your servant, *
and in your loving-kindness save
me.
2nd
Reading: Philippians 2:5-11
2:5 Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6 who, though he was in the form of God, did
not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7 but emptied himself, taking the form of a
slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8 he humbled himself and became obedient to
the point of death—even death on a cross. 9 Therefore
God also highly exalted him and gave him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bend, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11 and every tongue should confess that Jesus
Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
The
Passion Gospel: Matthew 26:14—27:66
26:14 Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the
chief priests 15 and said, “What
will you give me if I betray him to you?” They paid him thirty pieces of
silver. 16 And from that moment he
began to look for an opportunity to betray him.
17 On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying,
“Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?” 18 He said, “Go into the city to a certain
man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the
Passover at your house with my disciples.’” 19 So
the disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover
meal.
20 When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21 and while they were eating, he said, “Truly
I tell you, one of you will betray me.” 22 And
they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another,
“Surely not I, Lord?” 23 He
answered, “The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray
me. 24 The Son of Man goes as it is
written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It
would have been better for that one not to have been born.” 25 Judas, who betrayed him, said, “Surely not
I, Rabbi?” He replied, “You have said so.”
26 While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing
it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, “Take, eat; this is my
body.” 27 Then he took a cup, and
after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; 28 for this is my blood of the covenant, which
is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29 I tell you, I will never again drink of
this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my
Father’s kingdom.”
30 When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.
31 Then Jesus said to them, “You will all become deserters because of me
this night; for it is written,
‘I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be
scattered.’
32 But after I am raised up, I will
go ahead of you to Galilee.” 33 Peter
said to him, “Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert
you.” 34 Jesus said to him, “Truly
I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three
times.” 35 Peter said to him, “Even
though I must die with you, I will not deny you.” And so said all the
disciples.
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to
his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” 37 He took with him Peter and the two sons of
Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38
Then he said to them, “I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain
here, and stay awake with me.” 39 And
going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, “My Father,
if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you
want.” 40 Then he came to the
disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, “So, could you not
stay awake with me one hour? 41 Stay
awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed
is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
42 Again he went away for the second time and prayed, “My Father, if this
cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes
were heavy. 44 So leaving them
again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to
them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand,
and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer
is at hand.” 47 While he was still
speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with
swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people. 48 Now the betrayer had given them a sign,
saying, “The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him.” 49 At once he came up to Jesus and said,
“Greetings, Rabbi!” and kissed him. 50 Jesus
said to him, “Friend, do what you are here to do.” Then they came and laid
hands on Jesus and arrested him. 51 Suddenly,
one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the
slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for
all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53
Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at
once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54
But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must
happen in this way?” 55 At that
hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to
arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple
teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56 But
all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be
fulfilled.” Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.
57 Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in
whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered. 58 But Peter was following him at a distance,
as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the
guards in order to see how this would end. 59 Now
the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony
against Jesus so that they might put him to death, 60 but they found none, though many false witnesses came
forward. At last two came forward 61 and
said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build
it in three days.’” 62 The high
priest stood up and said, “Have you no answer? What is it that they testify
against you?” 63 But Jesus was
silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I put you under oath before the
living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God.” 64 Jesus 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.”
65 Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, “He has blasphemed!
Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66 What is your verdict?” They answered, “He
deserves death.” 67 Then they spat
in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, 68
saying, “Prophesy to us, you Messiah! Who is it that struck you?”
69 Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to
him and said, “You also were with Jesus the Galilean.” 70 But he denied it before all of them,
saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” 71 When he went out to the porch, another
servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, “This man was with Jesus
of Nazareth.” 72 Again he denied it
with an oath, “I do not know the man.” 73 After
a little while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Certainly you are
also one of them, for your accent betrays you.” 74
Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, “I do not know the
man!” At that moment the cock crowed. 75 Then
Peter remembered what Jesus had said: “Before the cock crows, you will deny me
three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly.
27:1 When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people
conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2 They bound him, led him away, and handed him
over to Pilate the governor. 3 When
Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented and brought back
the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 He said, “I have sinned by betraying
innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 Throwing down the pieces of silver in the
temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of
silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are
blood money.” 7 After conferring
together, they used them to buy the potter’s field as a place to bury
foreigners. 8 For this reason that
field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through
the prophet Jeremiah, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of
the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had
set a price, 10 and they gave them
for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are
you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief
priests and elders, he did not answer. 13 Then
Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many accusations they make against
you?” 14 But he gave him no answer,
not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
15 Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner
for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16 At
that time they had a notorious prisoner, called Jesus Barabbas. 17 So after they had gathered, Pilate said to
them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is
called the Messiah?” 18 For he
realized that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat,
his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for
today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream about him.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded
the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of
the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do
with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” All of them said, “Let him be
crucified!” 23 Then he asked, “Why,
what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” 24 So when Pilate saw that he could do
nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed
his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to
it yourselves.” 25 Then the people
as a whole answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 So he released Barabbas for them; and after
flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters,
and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28
They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and after twisting some thorns into a
crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt
before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 They spat on him, and took the reed and
struck him on the head. 31 After
mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then
they led him away to crucify him.
32 As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they
compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called
Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they
offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not
drink it. 35 And when they had
crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36 then they sat down there and kept watch
over him. 37 Over his head they put
the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
38 Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on his right and one on
his left. 39 Those who passed by
derided him, shaking their heads 40 and
saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save
yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 In the same way the chief priests also,
along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself.
He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will
believe in him. 43 He trusts in
God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, ‘I am God’s Son.’” 44 The bandits who were crucified with him
also taunted him in the same way.
45 From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the
afternoon. 46 And about three
o’clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is,
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 When
some of the bystanders heard it, they said, “This man is calling for Elijah.” 48 At once one of them ran and got a sponge,
filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see
whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 Then
Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51 At that moment the
curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and
the rocks were split. 52 The tombs
also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were
raised. 53 After his resurrection
they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many. 54 Now when the centurion and those with him,
who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they
were terrified and said, “Truly this man was God’s Son!”
55 Many women were also there,
looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had
provided for him. 56 Among them were
Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the
sons of Zebedee.
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named
Joseph, who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58 He
went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be
given to him. 59 So Joseph took the
body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60 and
laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a
great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting
opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests
and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and
said, “Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, ‘After
three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore
command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples
may go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has been raised from the
dead,’ and the last deception would be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of
soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So
they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.
The
Scripture quotations (except for the psalm) are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 by the
Division of Christian Education of the National Council of Churches of Christ
in the U.S.A. All rights reserved. The Psalm translation ais from The Book of Common Prayer. Commentaries
are © 2020, Epiphany ESources, 67 E.
Main St., Hornell, NY 14843, www.epiphanyesources.com. All
rights reserved.