12	
Parish Neighbors of Franklin
GOSPEL READINGS
THE LORD’S PASSION
Matthew 27:11-54
Jesus stood before the governor, Pontius Pilate, who questioned 
him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You say so.” 
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he 
made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear 
how many things they are testifying against you?” But he did 
not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly 
amazed. Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was 
accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they 
wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called 
Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, 
“Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or 
Jesus called Christ?” For he knew that it was out of envy that 
they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a 
message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I 
suffered much in a dream today because of him.” The chief 
priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas 
but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, “Which 
of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, 
“Barabbas!” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with 
Jesus called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But 
he said, “Why? What evil has he done?” They only shouted 
the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he 
was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out 
instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the 
crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it 
yourselves.” And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be 
upon us and upon our children.” Then he released Barabbas to 
them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to 
be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the 
praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him. They 
stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about 
him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, 
and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they 
mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat upon 
him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head. And 
when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, 
dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him. 
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; 
this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha — which 
means Place of the Skull —, they gave Jesus wine to drink 
mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink. 
After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by 
casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 
And they placed over his head the written charge against him: 
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. Two revolutionaries were 
crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left. 
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying, 
“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three 
days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down 
from the cross!” Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and 
elders mocked him and said, “He saved others; he cannot save 
himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from 
the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; 
let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the 
Son of God.’” The revolutionaries who were crucified with him 
also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until 
three in the afternoon. And about three o’clock Jesus cried out 
in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, 
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Some of the 
bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.” 
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in 
wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the 
rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus 
cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from 
top to bottom. The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were 
opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep 
were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his 
resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. 
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch 
over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and 
all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son 
of God!”
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS
John 20:1-9
On the first day of the week, Mary of Magdala came to the tomb 
early in the morning, while it was still dark, and saw the stone 
removed from the tomb. So she ran and went to Simon Peter 
and to the other disciple whom Jesus loved, and told them, 
“They have taken the Lord from the tomb, and we don’t know 
where they put him.” So Peter and the other disciple went out 
and came to the tomb. They both ran, but the other disciple ran 
faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first; he bent down 
and saw the burial cloths there, but did not go in. When Simon 

View this content as a flipbook by clicking here.