Scripture
Meditations
Evangelist
Recitatives
Chorales
Jesus
Arias
Chorus (groups, crowds)
Choruses
- Daughter of Zion:
- Believers::
30
|
31
32
| The world has judged me deceitfully with lies and with false promises, with many a snare and secret plot. Lord, guard me in this danger, shield me from false deceits.  |
33
But they did not find any, though many false
witnesses came forward. Finally two came forward and declared,
Witnesses
Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus,
| My Jesus holds his peace before false lies, so as to show us that his merciful will is bent on suffering for our sake; and that, in like agony, we should be like him, and hold our peace in time of persecution. |
But Jesus remained silent.
34
35
| Patience, patience, even when false tongues sting me. Contrary to my guilt I suffer abuse and mockery. Ah, then, may dear God avenge my heart's innocence. Patience, patience . . . |
36a
The high priest said to him,
Jesus replied,
Yes, it is as you say. But I say to all of you: In the
future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Mighty One and coming
on the clouds of heaven.
Then the high priest tore his clothes and said,
They answered,
36b
He is worthy of death.
36c
Then they spit in his face and struck him with
their fists. Others slapped him and said,
36d
Prophesy to us, Christ. Who hit you?
37
| Who has buffeted You so, my Salvation, and with torments so harshly used You? You are indeed not a sinner like us and our children; of misdeeds You know nothing. |
Now Peter was sitting out in the courtyard, and a
servant girl came to him and said,
But he denied it before them all, saying,
Then he went out to the gateway, where another girl
saw him and said to the people there,
He denied it again, with an oath, saying,
After a little while, those standing there went up
to Peter and said,
Surely you are one of them, for your accent gives you
away.
| Have mercy, my God, for my tears' sake; Look here, my heart and eyes weep bitterly before you. Have mercy! my God, for my tears' sake. |
Then he began to call down curses on himself and he
swore to them, saying,
Immediately a rooster crowed. Then Peter remembered
the word Jesus had spoken: "Before the rooster crows, you will disown me three
times." And he went outside and wept bitterly.
39
40
| Although I have strayed from You, yet I have returned again; for your Son has reconciled us through his agony and mortal pain. I do not deny my guilt but my grace and favour is far greater than the sin which I ever confess in myself. |
Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the
elders of the people came to the decision to put Jesus to death. They bound him, led him
away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw
that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins
to the chief priests and the elders, saying,
And they said,
What is that to us? That's your responsibility.
So Judas threw the money into the temple and left.
Then he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests picked up the coins and said,
42
| Give me back my Jesus! See, the money, the wages of murder, the lost son throws at you, down at your feet. Give me back my Jesus! |
So they decided to use the money to buy the
potter's field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why it has been called the Field
of Blood to this day. Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
"They took the thirty silver coins, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and
they used them to buy the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me." Meanwhile Jesus
stood before the governor, and the governor asked him,
Jesus replied,
Yes, it is as you say.
When he was accused by the chief priests and the
elders, he gave no answer. Then Pilate asked him,
But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single
charge--to the great amazement of the governor.
44
| Commend your way and whatever troubles your heart to the sure care of him, who controls the heavens; he who gives clouds, air and winds their paths, course and track, he will also find ways where your feet can walk. |
Now it was the governor's custom at the Feast to
release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. At that time they had a notorious prisoner, called
Barabbas. So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them,
For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed
Jesus over to him. While Pilate was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent him this
message,
But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the
crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed. The governor asked them,
They answered,
Barabbas.
Pilate asked,
| How miraculous indeed is this punishment! The good shepherd suffers for the sheep; the Master, righteous as he is, pays the penalty for his vassals! |
They all answered,
Crucify him!
46
47
Evangelist
Pilate asked again,
| He has done good to us all. He gave sight to the blind, the lame he made to walk; he told us his father's word, he drove the devils forth; the wretched he has raised up; he received and sheltered sinners; nothing else has my Jesus done. |
48
49
| Out of love my Saviour is willing to die, though he knows nothing of any sin, so that eternal ruin and the punishment of judgment may not rest upon my soul. Out of love . . . |
But they shouted all the louder,
Crucify him!
When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but
that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the
crowd, and said,
All the people answered,
| Have mercy, God! Here stands the Saviour bound. 0 scourging, o blows, o wounds! You tormentors, cease! Are you not softened by the pain of your souls, nor by the sight of such grief? Ah yes, you have a heart, that must be like the whipping post or even harder still. Have mercy, cease! |
Let his blood be on us and on our children!
50e
Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus
flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
51
52
| If the tears on my cheeks can achieve nothing, O, then take my heart!, But let it, for the streams, when the wounds bleed gently, also be the sacrificial cup. |
Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the
Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and
put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his
head. They put a staff in his right hand and knelt in front of him and mocked him, saying,
Hail, king of the Jews!
| 0 head, full of blood and wounds, full of sorrow and full of scoffing! 0 head, wreathed for mockery with a crown of thorns! 0 head, once beautifully adorned with highest honour and renown, but now highly abused: Let me hail You! Your noble countenance, |
They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him
on the head again and again.
54
55
After they had mocked him, they took off the robe
and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. As they were going
out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.
| Yes! gladly is the flesh and blood in us compelled to the Cross; the more it benefits our souls, the more painfully it weighs. |
56
57
| Come, sweet cross, I will say then: My Jesus, give it always to me. Should my pain become too heavy, then help me to carry it myself. |
They came to a place called Golgotha (which means
The Place of the Skull). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but
after tasting it, he refused to drink it. When they had crucified him, they divided up his
clothes by casting lots. And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. Above his head
they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS. Two
robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by
hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying,
You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in
three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God
In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of
the law and the elders mocked him, saying,
He saved others," they said, "but he can't
save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will
believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said,
"I am the Son of God."
| Alas, Golgotha, hapless Golgotha! The Lord of Glory must wretchedly perish here; the blessing and salvation of the world is placed on the cross like a curse. From the Creator of heaven and earth, earth and air shall be taken away. The guiltless must die here guilty. That strikes deeply into my soul; Alas, Golgotha, hapless Golgotha! |
In the same way the robbers who were crucified with
him also heaped insults on him.
59
Daughter of Zion:- Believers::
60
|
From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness
came over all the land. About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice
Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?
--which means, "My God, my God, why have you
forsaken me?" When some of those standing there heard this, they said,
He's calling Elijah.
Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He
filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink. The rest
said,
Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save
him.
And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice,
he gave up his spirit.
62
When once I must depart, |
63a
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn
in two from top to bottom. The earth shook and the rocks split. The tombs broke open and
the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the
tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many
people. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake
and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed,
Surely he was the Son of God!
Many women were there, watching from a distance.
They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. Among them were Mary
Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons. As
evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself
become a disciple of Jesus. Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered
that it be given to him.
| In the evening, when it was cool, Adam's fall was manifest. In the evening the Redeemer casts him down; In the evening the dove returned and carried an olive leaf in its mouth. 0 beautiful time! 0 evening hour! Peace is now made with God, for Jesus has endured his cross. His body comes to rest. Ah, dear soul, I pray you go, bid them give you the dead Jesus. 0 wholesome, 0 precious keepsake! |
65
| Make yourself clean, my heart, I will myself entomb Jesus, for He shall henceforth in me, for ever and ever, take his sweet rest. World, begone, let Jesus in! Make yourself . . . |
Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen
cloth, and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big
stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb. The next day, the one after Preparation Day,
the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate, and said,
Sir, we remember that while he was still alive that
deceiver said, "After three days I will rise again." So give the order for the
tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal
the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception
will be worse than the first.
- Daughter of Zion:
- Believers::
|
Pilate answered,
So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a
seal on the stone and posting the guard.
67
68
| We sit down in tears and call to You in the tomb: Rest softly, softly rest! Rest, exhausted limbs, Rest softly, rest well. Your grave and tombstone shall for the unquiet conscience be a comfortable pillow and the soul's resting place. In utmost bliss the eyes slumber there. We sit down . . . |