Thoughts and Reflection

Today we read about the sacrifice of Jesus within his trial before Pilate and the crowd choosing to free Barabbas over him. When we look at the name of Barabbas it translates to the “son of the father” however he is a murderer. Jesus is innocent and is the true Son of the Father.

Jesus quotes Psalm 22 — a prayer of desperation in feeling abandoned — when he is on the Cross. Jesus was never truly abandoned but he was allowed to feel this way, just like we feel at times. We need to remember that God is always by our side during our times of need or sorrow.

Daily Readings

Matthew 27

¹ When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people met in council to bring about the death of Jesus.

² They had him bound and led him away to hand him over to Pilate, the governor.

³ When he found that Jesus had been condemned, then Judas, his betrayer, was filled with remorse and took the thirty silver pieces back to the chief priests and elders

⁴ saying, ‘I have sinned. I have betrayed innocent blood.’ They replied, ‘What is that to us? That is your concern.’

⁵ And flinging down the silver pieces in the sanctuary he made off, and went and hanged himself.

⁶ The chief priests picked up the silver pieces and said, ‘It is against the Law to put this into the treasury; it is blood-money.’

⁷ So they discussed the matter and with it bought the potter’s field as a graveyard for foreigners,

⁸ and this is why the field is still called the Field of Blood.

⁹ The word spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was then fulfilled: And they took the thirty silver pieces, the sum at which the precious One was priced by the children of Israel,

¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.

¹¹ Jesus, then, was brought before the governor, and the governor put to him this question, ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ Jesusreplied, ‘It is you who say it.’

¹² But when he was accused by the chief priests and the elders he refused to answer at all.

¹³ Pilate then said to him, ‘Do you not hear how many charges they have made against you?’

¹⁴ But to the governor’s amazement, he offered not a word in answer to any of the charges.

¹⁵ At festival time it was the governor’s practice to release a prisoner for the people, anyone they chose.

¹⁶ Now there was then a notorious prisoner whose name was Barabbas.

¹⁷ So when the crowd gathered, Pilate said to them, ‘Which do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?’

¹⁸ For Pilate knew it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over.

¹⁹ Now as he was seated in the chair of judgement, his wife sent him a message, ‘Have nothing to do with that upright man; I have been extremely upset today by a dream that I had about him.’

²⁰ The chief priests and the elders, however, had persuaded the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.

²¹ So when the governor spoke and asked them, ‘Which of the two do you want me to release for you?’ they said, ‘Barabbas.’

²² Pilate said to them, ‘But in that case, what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘Let him be crucified!’

²³ He asked, ‘But what harm has he done?’ But they shouted all the louder, ‘Let him be crucified!’

²⁴ Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your concern.’

²⁵ And the people, every one of them, shouted back, ‘Let his blood be on us and on our children!’

²⁶ Then he released Barabbas for them. After having Jesus scourged he handed him over to be crucified.

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort round him.

²⁸ And they stripped him and put a scarlet cloak round him,

²⁹ and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on his head and placed a reed in his right hand. To make fun of him they knelt to him saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’

³⁰ And they spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head with it.

³¹ And when they had finished making fun of him, they took off the cloak and dressed him in his own clothes and led him away to crucifixion.

³² On their way out, they came across a man from Cyrene, called Simon, and enlisted him to carry his cross.

³³ When they had reached a place called Golgotha, that is, the place of the skull,

³⁴ they gave him wine to drink mixed with gall, which he tasted but refused to drink.

³⁵ When they had finished crucifying him they shared out his clothing by casting lots,

³⁶ and then sat down and stayed there keeping guard over him.

³⁷ Above his head was placed the charge against him; it read: ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’

³⁸ Then two bandits were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.

³⁹ The passers-by jeered at him; they shook their heads

⁴⁰ and said, ‘So you would destroy the Temple and in three days rebuild it! Then save yourself if you are God’s son and come down from the cross!’

⁴¹ The chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him in the same way,

⁴² with the words, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the king of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we willbelieve in him.

⁴³ He has put his trust in God; now let God rescue him if he wants him. For he did say, “I am God’s son.” ‘

⁴⁴ Even the bandits who were crucified with him taunted him in the same way.

⁴⁵ From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

⁴⁶ And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, ‘Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?’ that is, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’

⁴⁷ When some of those who stood there heard this, they said, ‘The man is calling on Elijah,’

⁴⁸ and one of them quickly ran to get a sponge which he filled with vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave it him to drink.

⁴⁹ But the rest of them said, ‘Wait! And see if Elijah will come to save him.’

⁵⁰ But Jesus, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.

⁵¹ And suddenly, the veil of the Sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, the rocks were split,

⁵² the tombs opened and the bodies of many holy people rose from the dead,

⁵³ and these, after his resurrection, came out of the tombs, entered the holy city and appeared to a number of people.

⁵⁴ The centurion, together with the others guarding Jesus, had seen the earthquake and all that was taking place, and they were terrified and said, ‘In truth this man was son of God.’

⁵⁵ And many women were there, watching from a distance, the same women who had followed Jesus from Galilee and looked after him.

⁵⁶ Among them were Mary of Magdala, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

⁵⁷ When it was evening, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, called Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.

⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.

⁵⁹ So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean shroud

⁶⁰ and put it in his own new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock. He then rolled a large stone across the entrance of the tomb and went away.

⁶¹ Now Mary of Magdala and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the sepulchre.

⁶² Next day, that is, when Preparation Day was over, the chief priests and the Pharisees went in a body to Pilate

⁶³ and said to him, ‘Your Excellency, we recall that this impostor said, while he was still alive, “After three days I shall rise again.”

⁶⁴ Therefore give the order to have the sepulchre kept secure until the third day, for fear his disciples come and steal him away and tell the people, “He has risen from the dead.” This last piece of fraud would be worse than what went before.’

⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, ‘You may have your guard; go and make all as secure as you know how.’

⁶⁶ So they went and made the sepulchre secure, putting seals on the stone and mounting a guard.

Matthew 28

¹ After the Sabbath, and towards dawn on the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala and the other Mary went to visit the sepulchre.

² And suddenly there was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord, descending from heaven, came and rolled away the stone and sat on it.

³ His face was like lightning, his robe white as snow.

⁴ The guards were so shaken by fear of him that they were like dead men.

⁵ But the angel spoke; and he said to the women, ‘There is no need for you to be afraid. I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified.

⁶ He is not here, for he has risen, as he said he would. Come and see the place where he lay,

⁷ then go quickly and tell his disciples, “He has risen from the dead and now he is going ahead of you to Galilee; that is where you willsee him.” Look! I have told you.’

⁸ Filled with awe and great joy the women came quickly away from the tomb and ran to tell his disciples.

⁹ And suddenly, coming to meet them, was Jesus. ‘Greetings,’ he said. And the women came up to him and, clasping his feet, they did him homage.

¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, ‘Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers that they must leave for Galilee; there they will see me.’

¹¹ Now while they were on their way, some of the guards went off into the city to tell the chief priests all that had happened.

¹² These held a meeting with the elders and, after some discussion, handed a considerable sum of money to the soldiers

¹³ with these instructions, ‘This is what you must say, “His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.”

¹⁴ And should the governor come to hear of this, we undertake to put things right with him ourselves and to see that you do not get into trouble.’

¹⁵ So they took the money and carried out their instructions, and to this day that is the story among the Jews.

¹⁶ Meanwhile the eleven disciples set out for Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had arranged to meet them.

¹⁷ When they saw him they fell down before him, though some hesitated.

¹⁸ Jesus came up and spoke to them. He said, ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.

¹⁹ Go, therefore, make disciples of all nations; baptise them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

²⁰ and teach them to observe all the commands I gave you. And look, I am with you always; yes, to the end of time.’

Proverbs 19:25-29

²⁵ Strike a cynic, and simpletons will be more wary; reprove the intelligent and he will understand your meaning.

²⁶ He who ill-treats his father and drives out his mother is a child both worthless and depraved.

²⁷ Give up listening to instruction, my child, if you mean to stray from words of knowledge.

²⁸ A perjured witness holds the law in scorn; the mouth of the wicked feasts on evil-doing.

²⁹ Punishments were made for mockers, and beating for the backs of fools.