In this week's edition of "There's More in the Gospel than meets the eye," Jill Bevilacqua
and Seàn-Patrick Lovett bring us readings and reflections for Palm Sunday of the Passion
of Our Lord. Listen: GospelMk
15:1-39
As soon as morning came, the chief priests with the elders and
the scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin held a council. They bound Jesus,
led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate questioned him, “Are you
the king of the Jews?” He said to him in reply, “You say so.” The chief priests
accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him, “Have you no answer? See
how many things they accuse you of.” Jesus gave him no further answer, so that
Pilate was amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast he used to release to them one
prisoner whom they requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along
with the rebels who had committed murder in a rebellion. The crowd came forward
and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed. Pilate answered, “Do
you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?” For he knew that it was out
of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred
up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them instead. Pilate again said
to them in reply, “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the
king of the Jews?” They shouted again, “Crucify him.” Pilate said to them, “Why?
What evil has he done?” They only shouted the louder, “Crucify him.” So Pilate,
wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after he had Jesus
scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
The soldiers led him away inside
the palace, that is, the praetorium, and assembled the whole cohort. They clothed
him in purple and, weaving a crown of thorns, placed it on him. They began to
salute him with, “Hail, King of the Jews!” and kept striking his head with a reed
and spitting upon him. They knelt before him in homage. And when they had mocked
him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and
led him out to crucify him.
They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a
Cyrenian, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to
carry his cross.
They brought him to the place of Golgotha —which is translated
Place of the Skull — They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take
it. Then they crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them
to see what each should take. It was nine o’clock in the morning when they crucified
him. The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” With
him they crucified two revolutionaries, one on his right and one on his left. Those
passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, “Aha! You who would
destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down
from the cross.” Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among
themselves and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ,
the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.” Those
who were crucified with him also kept abusing him.
At noon darkness came over
the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock Jesus cried
out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which is translated, “My
God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “Look,
he is calling Elijah.” One of them ran, soaked a sponge with wine, put it on a
reed and gave it to him to drink saying, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to
take him down.” Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.
The veil of
the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the centurion who stood
facing him saw how he breathed his last he said, “Truly this man was the Son
of God!”