 |
| "What Our Lord Saw From The Cross" - by James Tissot |
FIRST READING:
Isaiah
52:
13 - 15 -- 53:
12
13
Behold, my servant shall prosper, he shall be exalted and lifted up,
and shall be very high.
14
As many were astonished at him -- his appearance was so marred,
beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the sons of men
--
15
so shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths
because of him; for that which has not been told them they shall see,
and that which they have not heard they shall understand.
1
Who has believed what we have heard? And to whom has the arm of the
LORD been revealed?
2
For he grew up before him like a young plant, and like a root out of
dry ground; he had no form or comeliness that we should look at him,
and no beauty that we should desire him.
3
He was despised and rejected by men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted
with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was
despised, and we esteemed him not.
4
Surely he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we
esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted.
5
But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our
iniquities; upon him was the chastisement that made us whole, and
with his stripes we are healed.
6
All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his
own way; and the LORD has laid on him the iniquity of us all.
7
He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth;
like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that
before its shearers is dumb, so he opened not his mouth.
8
By oppression and judgment he was taken away; and as for his
generation, who considered that he was cut off out of the land of the
living, stricken for the transgression of my people?
9
And they made his grave with the wicked and with a rich man in his
death, although he had done no violence, and there was no deceit in
his mouth.
10
Yet it was the will of the LORD to bruise him; he has put him to
grief; when he makes himself an offering for sin, he shall see his
offspring, he shall prolong his days; the will of the LORD shall
prosper in his hand;
11
he shall see the fruit of the travail of his soul and be satisfied;
by his knowledge shall the righteous one, my servant, make many to be
accounted righteous; and he shall bear their iniquities.
12
Therefore I will divide him a portion with the great, and he shall
divide the spoil with the strong; because he poured out his soul to
death, and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin
of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.
PSALM: Psalms 31: 2, 6, 12 - 13, 15 - 17, 25
2
Incline thy ear to me, rescue me speedily! Be thou a rock of refuge
for me, a strong fortress to save me!
6
Thou hatest those who pay regard to vain idols; but I trust in the
LORD.
12
I have passed out of mind like one who is dead; I have become like a
broken vessel.
13
Yea, I hear the whispering of many -- terror on every side! -- as
they scheme together against me, as they plot to take my life.
15
My times are in thy hand; deliver me from the hand of my enemies and
persecutors!
16
Let thy face shine on thy servant; save me in thy steadfast love!
17
Let me not be put to shame, O LORD, for I call on thee; let the
wicked be put to shame, let them go dumbfounded to Sheol.
25
Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all you who wait for the
LORD!
SECOND READING: Hebrews 4: 14 - 16 -- 5: 7 - 9
14 Since then we have a great high
priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let
us hold fast our confession.
15 For we have not a high priest who is
unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every
respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin.
16 Let us then with confidence draw
near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace
to help in time of need.
7 In the days of his flesh, Jesus
offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to
him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard for his
godly fear.
8 Although he was a Son, he learned
obedience through what he suffered;
9 and being made perfect he became the
source of eternal salvation to all who obey him.
GOSPEL: John 18: 1 - 40 -- 19: 42
1 When Jesus had spoken these words, he
went forth with his disciples across the Kidron valley, where there
was a garden, which he and his disciples entered.
2 Now Judas, who betrayed him, also
knew the place; for Jesus often met there with his disciples.
3 So Judas, procuring a band of
soldiers and some officers from the chief priests and the Pharisees,
went there with lanterns and torches and weapons.
4 Then Jesus, knowing all that was to
befall him, came forward and said to them, "Whom do you seek?"
5 They answered him, "Jesus of
Nazareth." Jesus said to them, "I am he." Judas, who
betrayed him, was standing with them.
6 When he said to them, "I am he,"
they drew back and fell to the ground.
7 Again he asked them, "Whom do
you seek?" And they said, "Jesus of Nazareth."
8 Jesus answered, "I told you that
I am he; so, if you seek me, let these men go."
9 This was to fulfil the word which he
had spoken, "Of those whom thou gavest me I lost not one."
10 Then Simon Peter, having a sword,
drew it and struck the high priest's slave and cut off his right ear.
The slave's name was Malchus.
11 Jesus said to Peter, "Put your
sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which the Father has
given me?"
12 So the band of soldiers and their
captain and the officers of the Jews seized Jesus and bound him.
13 First they led him to Annas; for he
was the father-in-law of Ca'iaphas, who was high priest that year.
14 It was Ca'iaphas who had given
counsel to the Jews that it was expedient that one man should die for
the people.
15 Simon Peter followed Jesus, and so
did another disciple. As this disciple was known to the high priest,
he entered the court of the high priest along with Jesus,
16 while Peter stood outside at the
door. So the other disciple, who was known to the high priest, went
out and spoke to the maid who kept the door, and brought Peter in.
17 The maid who kept the door said to
Peter, "Are not you also one of this man's disciples?" He
said, "I am not."
18 Now the servants and officers had
made a charcoal fire, because it was cold, and they were standing and
warming themselves; Peter also was with them, standing and warming
himself.
19 The high priest then questioned
Jesus about his disciples and his teaching.
20 Jesus answered him, "I have
spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in
the temple, where all Jews come together; I have said nothing
secretly.
21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who
have heard me, what I said to them; they know what I said."
22 When he had said this, one of the
officers standing by struck Jesus with his hand, saying, "Is
that how you answer the high priest?"
23 Jesus answered him, "If I have
spoken wrongly, bear witness to the wrong; but if I have spoken
rightly, why do you strike me?"
24 Annas then sent him bound to
Ca'iaphas the high priest.
25 Now Simon Peter was standing and
warming himself. They said to him, "Are not you also one of his
disciples?" He denied it and said, "I am not."
26 One of the servants of the high
priest, a kinsman of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, asked, "Did
I not see you in the garden with him?"
27 Peter again denied it; and at once
the cock crowed.
28 Then they led Jesus from the house
of Ca'iaphas to the praetorium. It was early. They themselves did not
enter the praetorium, so that they might not be defiled, but might
eat the passover.
29 So Pilate went out to them and said,
"What accusation do you bring against this man?"
30 They answered him, "If this man
were not an evildoer, we would not have handed him over."
31 Pilate said to them, "Take him
yourselves and judge him by your own law." The Jews said to him,
"It is not lawful for us to put any man to death."
32 This was to fulfil the word which
Jesus had spoken to show by what death he was to die.
33 Pilate entered the praetorium again
and called Jesus, and said to him, "Are you the King of the
Jews?"
34 Jesus answered, "Do you say
this of your own accord, or did others say it to you about me?"
35 Pilate answered, "Am I a Jew?
Your own nation and the chief priests have handed you over to me;
what have you done?"
36 Jesus answered, "My kingship is
not of this world; if my kingship were of this world, my servants
would fight, that I might not be handed over to the Jews; but my
kingship is not from the world."
37 Pilate said to him, "So you are
a king?" Jesus answered, "You say that I am a king. For
this I was born, and for this I have come into the world, to bear
witness to the truth. Every one who is of the truth hears my voice."
38 Pilate said to him, "What is
truth?" After he had said this, he went out to the Jews again,
and told them, "I find no crime in him.
39 But you have a custom that I should
release one man for you at the Passover; will you have me release for
you the King of the Jews?"
40 They cried out again, "Not this
man, but Barab'bas!" Now Barab'bas was a robber.
1 Then Pilate took Jesus and scourged
him.
2 And the soldiers plaited a crown of
thorns, and put it on his head, and arrayed him in a purple robe;
3 they came up to him, saying, "Hail,
King of the Jews!" and struck him with their hands.
4 Pilate went out again, and said to
them, "See, I am bringing him out to you, that you may know that
I find no crime in him."
5 So Jesus came out, wearing the crown
of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them, "Behold the
man!"
6 When the chief priests and the
officers saw him, they cried out, "Crucify him, crucify him!"
Pilate said to them, "Take him yourselves and crucify him, for I
find no crime in him."
7 The Jews answered him, "We have
a law, and by that law he ought to die, because he has made himself
the Son of God."
8 When Pilate heard these words, he was
the more afraid;
9 he entered the praetorium again and
said to Jesus, "Where are you from?" But Jesus gave no
answer.
10 Pilate therefore said to him, "You
will not speak to me? Do you not know that I have power to release
you, and power to crucify you?"
11 Jesus answered him, "You would
have no power over me unless it had been given you from above;
therefore he who delivered me to you has the greater sin."
12 Upon this Pilate sought to release
him, but the Jews cried out, "If you release this man, you are
not Caesar's friend; every one who makes himself a king sets himself
against Caesar."
13 When Pilate heard these words, he
brought Jesus out and sat down on the judgment seat at a place called
The Pavement, and in Hebrew, Gab'batha.
14 Now it was the day of Preparation of
the Passover; it was about the sixth hour. He said to the Jews,
"Behold your King!"
15 They cried out, "Away with him,
away with him, crucify him!" Pilate said to them, "Shall I
crucify your King?" The chief priests answered, "We have no
king but Caesar."
16 Then he handed him over to them to
be crucified.
17 So they took Jesus, and he went out,
bearing his own cross, to the place called the place of a skull,
which is called in Hebrew Gol'gotha.
18 There they crucified him, and with
him two others, one on either side, and Jesus between them.
19 Pilate also wrote a title and put it
on the cross; it read, "Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the
Jews."
20 Many of the Jews read this title,
for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city; and it was
written in Hebrew, in Latin, and in Greek.
21 The chief priests of the Jews then
said to Pilate, "Do not write, `The King of the Jews,' but,
`This man said, I am King of the Jews.'"
22 Pilate answered, "What I have
written I have written."
23 When the soldiers had crucified
Jesus they took his garments and made four parts, one for each
soldier; also his tunic. But the tunic was without seam, woven from
top to bottom;
24 so they said to one another, "Let
us not tear it, but cast lots for it to see whose it shall be."
This was to fulfil the scripture, "They parted my garments among
them, and for my clothing they cast lots."
25 So the soldiers did this. But
standing by the cross of Jesus were his mother, and his mother's
sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Mag'dalene.
26 When Jesus saw his mother, and the
disciple whom he loved standing near, he said to his mother, "Woman,
behold, your son!"
27 Then he said to the disciple,
"Behold, your mother!" And from that hour the disciple took
her to his own home.
28 After this Jesus, knowing that all
was now finished, said (to fulfil the scripture), "I thirst."
29 A bowl full of vinegar stood there;
so they put a sponge full of the vinegar on hyssop and held it to his
mouth.
30 When Jesus had received the vinegar,
he said, "It is finished"; and he bowed his head and gave
up his spirit.
31 Since it was the day of Preparation,
in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the
sabbath (for that sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that
their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
32 So the soldiers came and broke the
legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with him;
33 but when they came to Jesus and saw
that he was already dead, they did not break his legs.
34 But one of the soldiers pierced his
side with a spear, and at once there came out blood and water.
35 He who saw it has borne witness --
his testimony is true, and he knows that he tells the truth -- that
you also may believe.
36 For these things took place that the
scripture might be fulfilled, "Not a bone of him shall be
broken."
37 And again another scripture says,
"They shall look on him whom they have pierced."
38 After this Joseph of Arimathe'a, who
was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly, for fear of the Jews, asked
Pilate that he might take away the body of Jesus, and Pilate gave him
leave. So he came and took away his body.
39 Nicode'mus also, who had at first
come to him by night, came bringing a mixture of myrrh and aloes,
about a hundred pounds' weight.
40 They took the body of Jesus, and
bound it in linen cloths with the spices, as is the burial custom of
the Jews.
41 Now in the place where he was
crucified there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb where no
one had ever been laid.
42 So because of the Jewish day of
Preparation, as the tomb was close at hand, they laid Jesus there.
