The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ

from the Gospel of Mark

NARRATOR The Passion of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark

CROWD “Not during the festival, for fear that there may be a riot among the
people.”

NARRATOR When Jesus was in Bethany reclining at table in the house of Simon the leper,
a woman came with an alabaster jar of perfumed oil, costly genuine
spikenard. She broke the alabaster jar and poured the oil on his head. There
were some who were indignant.

CROWD “Why has there been this waste of perfumed oil? It could have been sold
for more than three hundred days’ wages and the money given to the
poor.”

NARRATOR They were infuriated with her. Jesus said,

JESUS “Let her alone. Why do you make trouble for her? She has done a good thing
for me. The poor you will always have with you, and whenever you wish you
can do good thing to them, but you will not always have me. She has done
what she could. She has anticipated anointing my body for burial. Amen, I say
to you, wherever the gospel is proclaimed to the whole world, what she has
done will be told in memory of her.”

NARRATOR Then Judas Iscariot, one of the Twelve, went off to the chief priests to hand
him over to them. When they heard him they were pleased and promised to
pay him money. Then he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.

On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, when they sacrificed the
Passover lamb, his disciples said to him,

VOICE “Where do you want us to go and prepare for you to eat the Passover?”

NARRATOR He sent two of his disciples and said to them,

JESUS “Go into the city and a man will meet you, carrying a jar of water. Follow him.
Wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, ‘The Teacher says,
“Where is my guest room where I may eat the Passover with my disciples”’
Then he will show you a large upper room furnished and ready. Make the
preparations for us there.”

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NARRATOR The disciples then went off, entered the city, and found it just as he had told
them; and they prepared the Passover.

When it was evening, he came with the Twelve. And as they reclined at table
and were eating, Jesus said,

JESUS “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me, one who is eating with me.”

NARRATOR They began to be distressed and to say to him, one by one,

VOICE “Surely it is not I?”

NARRATOR He said to them,

JESUS “One of the Twelve, the one who dips with me into the dish. For the Son of
Man indeed goes, as it is written of him, but woe to that man by whom the
Son of Man is betrayed. It would be better for that man if he had never been
born.”

NARRATOR While they were eating, he took bread, said the blessing, broke it, and gave it
to them, and said,

JESUS “Take it; this is my body.”

NARRATOR Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, and they all drank from
it. He said to them,

JESUS “This is my blood of the covenant, which will be shed for many. Amen, I say
to you, I shall not drink again the fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it
new in the kingdom of God.”

NARRATOR Then, after singing a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives. Then Jesus
said to them,

JESUS “All of you will have your faith shaken, for it is written: I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep will be dispersed. But after I have been raised up, I shall go
before you to Galilee.”

NARRATOR Peter said to him,

VOICE “Even though all should have their faith shaken, mine will not be.”

NARRATOR Then Jesus said to him,

JESUS “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows twice you will deny
me three times.”

NARRATOR But he vehemently replied,

VOICE “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.”

NARRATOR And they all spoke similarly. Then they came to a place named Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,

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JESUS “Sit here while I pray.”

NARRATOR He took with him Peter, James, and John, and began to be troubled and
distressed. Then he said to them,

JESUS “My soul is sorrowful even to death. Remain here and keep watch.”

NARRATOR He advanced a little and fell to the ground and prayed that if it were possible
the hour might pass by him; he said,

JESUS “Abba, Father, all things are possible to you. Take this cup away from me, but
not what I will but what you will.”

NARRATOR When he returned he found them asleep. He said to Peter,

JESUS “Simon, are you asleep? Could you not keep watch for one hour? Watch and
pray that you may not undergo the test. The spirit is willing but the flesh is
weak.”

NARRATOR Withdrawing again, he prayed, saying the same thing. Then he returned once
more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open and did
not know what to answer him.

He returned a third time and said to them,

JESUS “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough. The hour has come.
Behold, the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go.
See, my betrayer is at hand.”

NARRATOR Then, while he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a crowd with swords and clubs who had come from the chief
priests, the scribes, and the elders. His betrayer had arranged a signal with
them, saying,

VOICE “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him and lead him away securely.”

NARRATOR He came and immediately came over to him and said,

VOICE “Rabbi.”

NARRATOR And he kissed him. At this they laid hands on him and arrested him. One of
the bystanders drew his sword, struck the high priest’s servant, and cut off his
ear. Jesus said to them in reply,

JESUS “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs, to seize me?
Day after day I was with you teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest
me; but that the Scriptures may be fulfilled.”

NARRATOR And they all left him and fled. Now a young man followed him wearing nothing
but a linen cloth about his body. They seized him, but he left the cloth behind

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 and ran off naked.

They led Jesus away to the high priest, and all the chief priests and the elders
and the scribes came together. Peter followed him at a distance into the high
priest’s courtyard and was seated with the guards, warming himself at the fire.

The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain testimony
against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none. Many gave
false witness against him, but their testimony did not agree. Some took the
stand and testified falsely against him, alleging,

CROWD “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple made with hands and
within three days I will build another not made with hands.’”

NARRATOR Even so their testimony did not agree. The high priest rose before the
assembly and questioned Jesus, saying,

VOICE “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?”

NARRATOR But he was silent and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and
said to him,

VOICE “Are you the Christ, the son of the Blessed One?”

NARRATOR Then Jesus answered,

JESUS “I am; and you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power
and coming with the clouds of heaven.”

NARRATOR At that the high priest tore his garments and said,

VOICE “What further need have we of witnesses? You have heard the blasphemy.
What do you think?”

NARRATOR They all condemned him as deserving to die. Some began to spit on him.
They blindfolded him and struck him and said to him,

CROWD “Prophesy!”

NARRATOR And the guards greeted him with blows. While Peter was below in the
courtyard, one of the high priest’s maids came along. Seeing Peter warming
himself, she looked intently at him and said,

CROWD “You too were with Jesus, the man from Nazareth.”

NARRATOR But he denied it saying,

VOICE “I neither know nor understand what you are talking about.”

NARRATOR So he went out into the outer court. Then the cock crowed. The maid saw him
and began again to say to the bystanders,

CROWD “This man is one of them.”

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NARRATOR Once again he denied it. A little later the bystanders said to Peter once more,

CROWD “Surely you are one of them; for you too are a Galilean.”

NARRATOR He began to curse and to swear,

VOICE “I do not know this man about whom you are talking.”

NARRATOR And immediately a cock crowed a second time. Then Peter remembered the
word that Jesus said to him, “Before the cock crows twice you will deny me
three times.” He broke down and wept. As soon as morning came, the chief
priests with the elders and scribes, that is, the whole Sanhedrin, held a
council. They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.
Pilate questioned him,

VOICE “Are you the king of the Jews?”

NARRATOR He said to him in reply,

JESUS “You say so.”

NARRATOR The chief priests accused him of many things. Again Pilate questioned him,

VOICE “Have you no answer? See how many things they accuse you of.”

NARRATOR Jesus gave him no further answer, so that Pilate was amazed. Now on the
occasion of the feast he used to release to them one prisoner whom they
requested. A man called Barabbas was then in prison along with the rebels
who had committed murder in a rebellion.

The crowd came and began to ask him to do for them as he was accustomed.
Pilate answered,

VOICE “Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?”

NARRATOR For he knew that it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus
over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas
for them instead. Pilate again said to them in reply,

VOICE “Then what do you want me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews?”

NARRATOR They shouted again,

CROWD “Crucify him!”

NARRATOR Pilate said to them,

VOICE “Why? What evil has he done?”

NARRATOR They only shouted the louder,

CROWD “Crucify him!”

NARRATOR So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas to them and, after
he had Jesus scourged, handed him over to be crucified.
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 The soldiers led him away inside the palace, that is, the praetorium, and
assembled the whole cohort. They clothed him in purple and, weaving a crown
of thorns, placed it on him. They began to salute him with, “Hail king of the
Jews!” and kept striking his head with a reed and spitting upon him. They knelt
before him in homage.

And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to crucify him.

They pressed into service a passer-by, Simon, a Cyrenian, who was coming
in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross. They
brought him to the place of Golgotha—which is translated Place of the Skull.
They gave him wine drugged with myrrh, but he did not take it. Then they
crucified him and divided his garments by casting lots for them to see what
each should take. It was nine o'clock in the morning when they crucified him.
The inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” With
him they crucified two revolutionaries, one at his right and one at his left.
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,

CROWD “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days!
Save yourself by coming down from the cross.”

NARRATOR Likewise the chief priests, with the scribes, mocked him among themselves
and said,

CROWD “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of
Israel, come down now from that cross that we may see and believe.”

NARRATOR Those who were crucified with him also kept abusing him. At noon, darkness
came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. And at three o’clock
Jesus cried in a loud voice,

JESUS “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?”

NARRATOR Which is translated,

JESUS “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

NARRATOR Some of the bystanders who heard it said,

CROWD “Look, he is calling Elijah.”

NARRATOR One of them ran, soaked a sponge with sour wine, put it on a reed and gave
it to him to drink saying,

VOICE “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to take him down.”

NARRATOR Jesus gave a loud cry and breathed his last.

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NARRATOR The veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. When the
centurion who stood facing him saw how he breathed his last, he said,

VOICE “Truly this man was the Son of God!”

NARRATOR There were also women looking on from a distance. Among them were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of the younger James and of Joses, and
Salome. These women had followed him when he was in Galilee and
ministered to him. There were also many other women who had come up with
him to Jerusalem.

When it was already evening, since it was the day of preparation, the day
before the sabbath, Joseph of Arimathea, a distinguished member of the
council, who was himself awaiting the kingdom of God, came and
courageously went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate was
amazed that he was already dead. He summoned the centurion and asked
him if Jesus had already died. And when he learned of it from the centurion,
he gave the body to Joseph. Having bought a linen cloth, he took him down,
wrapped him in the linen cloth, and laid him in a tomb that had been hewn out
of the rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance to the tomb. Mary
Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses watched where he was laid.

The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.