1 Very early in the morning, the Chief Priests, the Elders and Scribes, and the whole High Council decided what to do with YAHUSHA. They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to the Roman Governor Pilate. 2 Pilate asked YAHUSHA, “Are You the King of the Jews?” YAHUSHA answered, “Yes, you said it!” 3 The Chief Priests accused YAHUSHA of many things. 4 So Pilate asked YAHUSHA another question, saying, “You can see that these people are accusing You of many things. Why don’t You answer?” 5 But YAHUSHA still did not answer, and this really surprised Pilate.
6 Every year at the Passover time the Governor would free one prisoner, whichever one the people wanted. 7 There was a man in prison at that time named Barabbas. He and the criminals with him had been put in prison for committing murder during a riot.8 The people came to Pilate and asked him to free a prisoner as he always did. 9 Pilate asked them, “Do you want me to free the King of the Jews?” 10 Pilate knew that the Chief Priests had only handed YAHUSHA over to him because they were jealous of Him. 11 But the Chief Priests persuaded the people to ask Pilate to free Barabbas, not YAHUSHA. 12 Pilate asked the people again, “So what should I do with this man you call the King of the Jews?” 13 The people shouted, “IMPALE HIM ON A TORTURE STAKE!” 14 Pilate asked, “But why? What’s He done wrong?” But the people shouted louder and louder, “IMPALE HIM ON A TORTURE STAKE!”
15 Pilate wanted to please the people, so he set Barabbas free for them. And he told the soldiers to beat YAHUSHA with whips. Then he handed Him over to the soldiers to be killed on a Torture Stake. 16 Pilate’s soldiers took YAHUSHA into the Governor’s Palace (called the Praetorium). They called all the other soldiers together. 17 They put a purple robe on YAHUSHA, made a crown from thorny branches, and put it on His head. 18 Then they began shouting, “WELCOME, KING OF THE JEWS!” 19 They kept on beating His head with a stick and spitting on Him. Then they bowed down on their knees and pretended to honour Him as a King.
20 After they finished mocking Him, they took off the purple robe and put His own clothes on Him again. Then they led Him out of the palace to be impaled on a Torture Stake. 21 There was a man from Cyrene named Simon walking into the city from the fields. He was the father of Alexander and Rufus. The soldiers forced him to carry YAHUSHA’ torture stake. 22 They led YAHUSHA to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means “The Place of the Skull.”)
23 There they gave Him some wine mixed with myrrh, but He refused to drink it. 24 The soldiers nailed YAHUSHA to a torture stake. Then they divided his clothes among themselves, throwing dice to see who would get what.
25 It was nine o’clock in the morning when they nailed YAHUSHA to the torture stake. 26 There was a sign nailed above Him with the charge against Him written on it. It said, “THE KING OF THE JEWS” 27 They also nailed two criminals to torture stakes beside YAHUSHA - one on the right and the other on the left. 28 And the Scriptures were fulfilled that said, “He was punished with the lawless criminals”.
29 People walked by and said horrible things to YAHUSHA, mocking Him. They shook their heads and said, “You said You could destroy the Temple and build it again in three days. 30 So save Yourself now! Come on, come down from that stake!”
31 The Chief Priests and the Scribes were also there. They mocked YAHUSHA the same as the other people did, saying to each other, “He delivered others, but He can’t deliver Himself! 32 If He is really the Messiah, the King of Yisharal, He should come down from the torture stake now. If we see Him do that, then we’ll believe in Him.”
The criminals on the torture stakes beside YAHUSHA also said horrible things to Him. 33 At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness continued until three o’clock in the afternoon (HE WAS HANGING THERE FOR 6 HOURS). 34 At three o’clock YAHUSHA cried out loudly, “Ali, Ali, lama sabak tani.” This means “My Alahim, My Alahim, why have you left Me alone?” 35 Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, “Listen! He is calling to Elijah.”
36 One man there ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied it to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to YAHUSHA to get a drink from it. The man said, “We should wait now and see if Elijah will come to take Him down from the torture stake.”
37 Then YAHUSHA cried out loudly, gave up His Spirit and died. 38 And the moment YAHUSHA died, the curtain in the Temple (HIDING THE FACT THAT THERE WAS NO ARK OR PRESENCE IN THIS DEAD INSTITUTION) was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. 39 The Army Officer who was standing there in front of the torture stake saw what happened when YAHUSHA died, and said, “Surely, this man really was the Son of Alahim!”
40 Some women were standing away from the torture stake, watching. Among these women were Mary Magdalene, Shalome, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph. 41 These were the women who had followed YAHUSHA in Galilee and cared for Him. Many other women who had come with YAHUSHA to Jerusalem were also there.
42 It was the preparation day (the day before the first Annual High-Sabbath Day of Passover) and getting dark. (DEATH BODIES WERE NOT ALLOWED TO STAY HANGING ON STAKES DURING THE HIGH SABBATH - UNCLEAN!) 43 So a man named Joseph from Arimathea was brave enough to go to Pilate and ask for YAHUSHA’ body. Joseph was an important member of the High Council. He was one of the people who wanted the Kingdom of Heaven to come. 44 Pilate was surprised to hear that YAHUSHA was already dead. So he called for the Army Officer in charge and asked him if YAHUSHA was already dead. 45 When Pilate heard it from the officer, he told Joseph he could have the body. 46 Joseph bought some linen cloth. He took the body from the torture stake, wrapped it in the linen, and put the body in a tomb that was dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a large stone to cover the entrance. 47 Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James saw the place where YAHUSHA was placed.
Comments