Palm Sunday (Year A)

To see the full text of the long Passion reading, click on ‘Reader’ to read on screen, or click on ‘PDF’ to view or download the six-page PDF

Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went to the chief priests, and said, ‘What will you give me if I betray him to you?’ They paid him thirty pieces of silver. And from that moment, he looked for an opportunity to betray Jesus to them. On the first day of the Passover festival, the disciples asked Jesus where they should make preparations for the Passover meal. Jesus told them to go into the city to a certain man, and say to him, ‘The Teacher says, “My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples.”’ The disciples did as Jesus had directed them, and they prepared the Passover meal. When it was evening, Jesus and the twelve took their places at the table. While they were eating, Jesus said, ‘Truly, I tell you, one of you will betray me.’ The disciples were greatly distressed, and began to say to him, one after another, ‘Surely, not me, Lord?’ Jesus said, ‘One who is sharing this meal with me will betray me. The Son of Man will go, as it is written. As for the one who betrays him, it would have been better not to have been born.’ Judas, the betrayer, said, ‘Teacher, am I the one?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’ While they were eating, Jesus took bread, and after giving thanks, he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, saying, ‘Take, eat; this is my body.’ Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks, he gave it to them, saying, ‘Drink from this cup, all of you; for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. And I will not drink the fruit of the vine again until I drink it with you in my Father’s kingdom.’ When they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. And Jesus said to them, ‘You will all fall away because of me this night. As the scripture says, “I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep will be scattered.” But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee.’ Peter said to Jesus, ‘Others may fall away, but I will not.’ Jesus said to Peter, ‘This very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ Peter replied, ‘Even if I must die with you, I will not deny you!’ And all the disciples said the same. They went to a place called Gethsemane. And Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Stay here, while I go over there to pray.’ Jesus took with him Peter, and the brothers James and John. And he became sorrowful, and distressed, saying to them, ‘My soul is consumed with grief, to the point of death. Stay here, and keep watch.’ And going a little further, he fell to the ground, and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours, be done.’ Returning to the disciples, he found them sleeping. He said to Peter, ‘Could you not watch with me, even one hour? Stay awake, and pray, that you may not have to enter the time of temptation, testing, and trial; for the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.’ Again he went away, and prayed, ‘My Father, if this cup cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.’ And he returned, and again found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. So leaving them again, he went away, and prayed a third time, saying the same words. Then he returned to the disciples, and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping, and taking your rest? The hour has come, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.’ While Jesus was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived, with a crowd, with swords and clubs, from the chief priests, and the elders of the people. Judas, the betrayer, had arranged a signal with them, saying, ‘I will greet him with a kiss; then you can arrest him.’ So Judas now approached Jesus, saying, ‘Greetings, Teacher,’ and kissed him. Jesus said to Judas, ‘My friend, do what you are here to do.’ Then they took hold of Jesus, and arrested him. One of the disciples drew his sword, and struck the servant of the high priest, cutting off his ear. But Jesus said, ‘Put away your sword; for all who live by the sword will die by the sword. I could appeal to my Father, and he would send twelve legions of angels. But what is written must be fulfilled, that it must happen in this way.’ Then Jesus turned to the crowd, and said, ‘Day after day I was teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me. And now you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me like an outlaw. But all this has taken place that the scriptures would be fulfilled.’ Then all the disciples deserted him, and fled. Those who had arrested Jesus took him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders had gathered. Peter followed them at a distance, to the courtyard of the high priest, where he sat with the guards, to see how this would end. The chief priests, and the whole council, were looking for false testimony against Jesus, so that they could have him put to death. But they found none, even though many false witnesses came forward. Finally, two came forward, who claimed that Jesus had said he could destroy the temple of God, and rebuild it, in three days. The high priest stood up, and demanded of Jesus, ‘How do you respond to what they are saying? Have you no answer?’ Jesus remained silent. Then the high priest said, ‘I put you under oath before the living God. Tell us now, whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have said it. But I say to you, that after all this, you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of power, and returning on the clouds of heaven.’ Then the high priest tore at his robes, and said to the scribes and the elders, ‘We need no more witnesses. You have heard his blasphemy. What is your verdict?’ The scribes and the elders answered, ‘He must die.’ And they spat in his face, and struck him. And some mocked him, saying, ‘If you are a prophet, tell us who struck you.’ Now Peter was sitting outside, in the courtyard. One of the women who worked there approached Peter, and said, ‘You were with Jesus, from Galilee.’ But Peter denied it, saying, ‘I do not know what you mean.’ And he moved to the outer courtyard. Another woman saw him there, and said, ‘This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.’ Again Peter denied it, this time with an oath, saying, ‘I do not know the man.’ After a while, those standing there said to Peter, ‘Surely you were with him, for your accent betrays you.’ Peter began to curse, and again swore, with an oath, ‘I do not know the man.’ At that very moment, the cock crowed. And Peter remembered that Jesus had said to him, ‘Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.’ And Peter went out, and wept bitterly. When morning came, the chief priests, and the elders of the people, again conspired together, against Jesus, to bring about his death. Then they bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned, he repented, and brought back the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. Judas said, ‘I have sinned, by betraying innocent blood.’ The chief priests, and the elders, said, ‘What is that to us? See to it yourself.’ Judas threw the coins into the temple. And he went away and hanged himself. Taking the coins, the chief priests said, ‘We cannot put these into the treasury, for they are blood money.’ And after discussing this together, they used them to buy The Potter’s Field, as a place to bury foreigners. For this reason, the place has been called The Field of Blood to this day. And in this way the words of the prophet were fulfilled: ‘They took thirty silver coins, the price that had been set on him, and gave them for The Potter’s Field, as the Lord had directed.’ Now Jesus stood before Pilate, the governor; and Pilate asked Jesus, ‘Are you the King of the Jews?’ Jesus replied, ‘You have said it.’ Then the chief priests and the elders set out their accusations against Jesus. But Jesus gave no reply. Pilate said to Jesus, ‘Do you not hear the accusations they are making against you?’ And still, Jesus gave no reply. And a message was sent to Pilate by his wife: ‘Have nothing to do with this innocent man, for today I have suffered many things in a dream, because of him.’ Now at the festival, it was the custom of the governor to release to the crowd a prisoner, of their choosing. Pilate was holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. Pilate asked the gathered crowd, ‘Who do you want me to release for you? Barabbas? Or Jesus, called the Messiah?’ Pilate recognised that it was out of envy that the chief priests and the elders had arrested Jesus, and had brought Jesus to him. And now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for the release of Barabbas, and to have Jesus put to death. Pilate asked the crowd again, ‘Which of these two shall I release to you?’ And the crowd demanded Barabbas. Pilate asked them, ‘What then shall I do with Jesus, called the Messiah?’ And the crowd cried out, ‘Crucify him!’ Pilate asked, ‘Why? What evil has he done?’ But they shouted all the more, ‘Crucify!’ When Pilate saw that he could do nothing, and that a riot was beginning, he took water, and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood.’ And the people answered, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ Pilate released Barabbas for them, and had Jesus flogged; then handed Jesus over to be crucified. Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus to the barracks, where the whole company of soldiers gathered around him. They put a red robe on him, and twisted some thorns into a crown, and put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand, then knelt before him, and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They spat on him, and hit him, on the head, with the reed. And after they had mocked him, they removed the robe from him, and led him away to crucify him. As they went out, a man from north Africa, called Simon, was there, and they made him carry the cross. When they came to the place called Golgotha, The Place of the Skull, they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with bitter herbs; but after tasting it, he would drink no more. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothing between them, by casting lots. Then they sat and kept watch over him. Above his head, they put the charge against him, which read, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.’ Two thieves were crucified with him, one on his right, and one on his left. Those who passed by mocked him, shaking their heads, and saying, ‘You said you could destroy the temple, and build it in three days - so save yourself. If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.’ The chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law, also mocked him, saying, ‘He saved others, but he cannot save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; he claims to be the Son of God; let us see whether God will deliver him now.’ And those who were crucified with him also taunted him. At midday, darkness came over the whole land for three hours. Then Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Jesus cried out in Aramaic, addressing God as ‘Eli’. Some of the bystanders thought he was calling for Elijah. One of them brought a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and held it up for Jesus to drink. But others said, ‘Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.’ Then Jesus let out a loud cry once again, and yielded up his spirit. And the curtain of the temple sanctuary was torn in two. The earth shook, and rocks split apart. Tombs broke open; and the bodies of many godly people who had died were awakened. After his resurrection, they came out from their tombs, and entered the holy city, and appeared to many. When the centurion, and the other soldiers, guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake, and all that had taken place, they said, ‘Truly this was the Son of God.’ Many women were also there, looking on from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee, and had provided for him. They included Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. When it was evening, Joseph of Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus; and Pilate ordered that it should be given to him. So Joseph of Arimathea took the body of Jesus, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out from the rock. He rolled a great stone across the entrance of the tomb, and went away. And Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, were there, sitting opposite the tomb. The Passion of the Lord.