Matthew 27

¹When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death. ²They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor. ³When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. ⁴“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.” ⁵So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. ⁶The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” ⁷After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. ⁸That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. ⁹Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on Him by the people of Israel, ¹⁰and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord had commanded me.” ¹¹Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied. ¹²And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer. ¹³Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?” ¹⁴But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement. ¹⁵Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing. ¹⁶At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas. ¹⁷So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” ¹⁸For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him. ¹⁹While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.” ²⁰But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death. ²¹“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they replied. ²²“What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!” ²³“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!” ²⁴When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.” ²⁵All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” ²⁶So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified. ²⁷Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him. ²⁸They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. ²⁹And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly. ³¹After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him. ³²Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus. ³³And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull, ³⁴they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it. ³⁵When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots. ³⁶And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. ³⁷Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ³⁸Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left. ³⁹And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” ⁴¹In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying, ⁴²“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him. ⁴³He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” ⁴⁴In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him. ⁴⁵From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land. ⁴⁶About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” ⁴⁷When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink. ⁴⁹But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.” ⁵⁰When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. ⁵¹At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. ⁵²The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. ⁵³After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people. ⁵⁴When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.” ⁵⁵And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him. ⁵⁶Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons. ⁵⁷When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus. ⁵⁸He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. ⁵⁹So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away. ⁶¹Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. ⁶²The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate. ⁶³“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” ⁶⁶So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.

Life is short. Where are you going?

You just read God’s own words, and one day every one of us will stand before Him. “What is your life? You are a mist that appears for a little while and then vanishes” (James 4:14). This life will be over sooner than you think — do you know where you are going when it is?

The Bible says, “Man is appointed to die once, and after that to face judgment” (Hebrews 9:27). If you died today, would you be ready?

Are you a good person?

Most of us think we are. But God doesn’t measure us against other people — He measures us by His Law. Look honestly at the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:3–17):

1. You shall have no other gods before Me.
2. You shall not make for yourself an idol.
3. You shall not take the name of the LORD your God in vain.
4. Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy.
5. Honor your father and mother.
6. You shall not murder.
7. You shall not commit adultery.
8. You shall not steal.
9. You shall not bear false witness.
10. You shall not covet.

Have you ever told a lie — even a small one? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? Have you ever used God’s name as a curse word? Have you ever wanted what belongs to someone else? Jesus said that anyone who looks with lust “has already committed adultery … in his heart” (Matthew 5:28), and the Bible says “everyone who hates his brother is a murderer” (1 John 3:15).

If we’re honest, we have all broken God’s Law — and “whoever keeps the whole law but stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it” (James 2:10). “There is no one righteous, not even one … there is no one who does good, not even one” (Romans 3:10–12).

That leaves every one of us guilty before a holy God. “The wages of sin is death” (Romans 6:23), and “whoever rejects the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of God remains on him” (John 3:36). This is why our world is full of tragedy — and without Christ, every life ends in the greatest tragedy of all.

But God made a way

“God proves His love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8). Jesus lived the perfect life we never could, and on the cross He took the punishment we deserved: “God made Him who knew no sin to be sin on our behalf, so that in Him we might become the righteousness of God” (2 Corinthians 5:21). Three days later He rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3–4).

It’s like standing guilty in court when the judge steps down and pays your fine himself. Forgiveness is a free gift — you can’t earn it: “It is by grace you have been saved through faith … it is the gift of God, not by works” (Ephesians 2:8–9). “The gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord” (Romans 6:23).

“The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and have it in all its fullness.” Jesus — John 10:10

What will you do with Jesus?

“Repent and believe in the gospel!” (Mark 1:15). Turn from your sin, and put your trust in Jesus alone — “if you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved” (Romans 10:9). Don’t put it off — “now is the time of favor; now is the day of salvation!” (2 Corinthians 6:2).

And when you turn to Him, you won’t be met with a frown — you’ll be met with a celebration. Jesus said, “there is joy in the presence of God’s angels over one sinner who repents” (Luke 15:10). God says, “I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that the wicked should turn from their ways and live” (Ezekiel 33:11). He is “mighty to save. He will rejoice over you with gladness … He will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:17). Like the father who ran to embrace his lost son, He is waiting with open arms — and heaven throws a party when you come home (Luke 15:20–24).

If you died today, where would you spend eternity? Today you can be forgiven, made new, and have real, abundant life — now and forever.

Join the Party — give my life to Jesus Find a Party — a church near me

Scripture quotations are from the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), which is in the public domain.