The account of Jesus' crucifixion is found in Matthew
27:27-61, Mark
15:20-47, Luke
23:26-54, and John
19:16-38. And, although each Gospel gives a full and vivid account of Jesus' crucifixion, when the four Gospel accounts are combined the account is presented in more detail.
Mark 15
21 A
passerby named Simon, who was from Cyrene,was coming in from the
countryside just then, and the soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’
cross. (Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus.)
Luke
23
26
The
soldiers seized him and put the cross on him and made him carry it
behind Jesus. 27 A
large crowd trailed behind, including many grief-stricken
women. 28 But
Jesus turned and said to them, “Daughters
of Jerusalem, don’t weep for me, but weep for yourselves and for
your children. 29 For
the days are coming when they will say, ‘Fortunate indeed are the
women who are childless, the wombs that have not borne a child and
the breasts that have never nursed.’ 30 People
will beg the mountains, ‘Fall on us,’ and plead with the hills,
‘Bury us.’
31 For
if these things are done when the tree is green, what will happen
when it is dry?”
Mark 15
22 And
they [the
soldiers]
brought Jesus to a place called Golgotha (which means “Place of the
Skull”).
Luke
23
32 Two
others, both criminals, were led out to be executed with him. 33 When
they came to a place called The Skull, they
nailed him to the cross. And the criminals were also crucified—one
on his right and one on his left.
Matthew
27
34 The
soldiers gave him wine mixed with bitter gall, but when he had tasted
it, he refused to drink it.
John
19
19 And
Pilate posted a sign on the cross that read, “Jesus of Nazareth,
the
King of the Jews.” 20 The
place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was
written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek, so that many people could read
it. 21 Then
the leading priests objected and said to Pilate, “Change it from
‘The King of the Jews’ to ‘He said, I am King of the Jews.’”
22 Pilate
replied, “No, what I have written, I have written.”
Matthew
27
39 The
people passing by shouted abuse, shaking their heads in
mockery. 40 “Look
at you now!” they yelled at him. “You said you were going to
destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days. Well then, if you
are the Son of God, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41 The
leading priests, the teachers of religious law, and the elders also
mocked Jesus. 42 “He
saved others,” they scoffed, “but he can’t save himself! So he
is the King of Israel, is he? Let him come down from the cross right
now, and we will believe in him! 43 He
trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said,
‘I am the Son of God.’”
Luke
23
34 Jesus
said, “Father,
forgive them, for they don’t know what they are doing.”
And
the soldiers gambled for his clothes by throwing dice.
John
19
23
they divided his clothes among the four of them. They also took his
robe, but it was seamless, woven in one piece from top to
bottom. 24 So
they said, “Rather than tearing it apart, let’s throw dice for
it.” This fulfilled the Scripture that says, “They divided my
garments among themselves and threw dice for my clothing.” So that
is what they did.
Luke
23
39 One
of the criminals hanging beside him scoffed, “So you’re the
Messiah, are you? Prove it by saving yourself—and us, too, while
you’re at it!” 40 But
the other criminal protested, “Don’t you fear God even when you
have been sentenced to die?41 We
deserve to die for our crimes, but this man hasn’t done anything
wrong.” 42 Then
he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your Kingdom.”
43 And
Jesus replied, “I
assure you, today you will be with me in paradise.”
John
19
25 Standing
near the cross were Jesus’ mother, and his mother’s sister, Mary
(the wife of Clopas), and Mary Magdalene. 26 When
Jesus saw his mother standing there beside the disciple he loved, he
said to her, “Dear
woman, here is your son.” 27 And
he said to this disciple, “Here
is your mother.” And
from then on this disciple took her into his home.
Mark 15
33 At
noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three
o’clock. 34 Then
at three o’clock Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eloi,
Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which
means “My
God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
35 Some
of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the
prophet Elijah.
Luke 23
44 It
was now about noon, and darkness came over the whole land until three
in the afternoon, 45 for
the sun stopped shining.
Matthew
27
51 At
that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in
two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart,52 and
tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died
were raised from the dead. 53 They
left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy
city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.
John
19
28 Jesus
knew that his mission was now finished, and to fulfill Scripture he
said, “I
am thirsty.” 29 A
jar of sour wine was sitting there, so they soaked a sponge in it,
put it on a hyssop branch, and held it up to his lips. 30 When
Jesus had tasted it, he said, “It
is finished!” Then
he bowed his head and released his spirit.
Luke
23
46
Jesus
shouted, “Father,
I entrust my spirit into your hands!” And
with those words he breathed his last.
Matthew
27
54 The
Roman officer and
the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the
earthquake and all that had happened.
Mark
15
39 When
the Roman officer
who
stood facing him saw
how he had died, he exclaimed, “This man truly was the Son of God!”
40 Some
women were there, watching from a distance, including Mary Magdalene,
Mary (the mother of James the younger and of Joseph), and
Salome. 41 They
had been followers of Jesus and had cared for him while he was in
Galilee. Many other women who had come with him to Jerusalem were
also there.
John
19
31 It
was the day of preparation, and the Jewish leaders didn’t want the
bodies hanging there the next day, which was the Sabbath (and a very
special Sabbath, because it was the Passover). So they asked Pilate
to hasten their deaths by ordering that their legs be broken. Then
their bodies could be taken down. 32 So
the soldiers came and broke the legs of the two men crucified with
Jesus. 33 But
when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they
didn’t break his legs. 34 One
of the soldiers, however, pierced his side with a spear, and
immediately blood and water flowed out. 35 (This
report is from an eyewitness giving an accurate account. He speaks
the truth so that you also can believe.) 36 These
things happened in fulfillment of the Scriptures that say, “Not one
of his bones will be broken,” 37 and
“They will look on the one they pierced.”
Mark
15
42 This
all happened on Friday, the day of preparation,[i] the
day before the Sabbath. As evening approached, 43 Joseph
of Arimathea [who
had been a secret disciple of Jesus (because he feared the Jewish
leaders)]
took a risk and went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. (Joseph
was an honored member of the high council, and he was waiting for the
Kingdom of God to come.)44 Pilate
couldn’t believe that Jesus was already dead, so he called for the
Roman officer and asked if he had died yet. 45 The
officer confirmed that Jesus was dead, so Pilate told Joseph he could
have the body. 46 Joseph
bought a long sheet of linen cloth. Then he took Jesus’ body down
from the cross, wrapped it in the cloth, and laid it in a tomb [his
own new tomb]
that had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a stone in front
of the entrance. 47 Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joseph saw where Jesus’ body was
laid.
