The Passion Gospel According To Mark
Mark 14:32-72
NARRATOR: They went to a place which was called Gethsem’ane; and Jesus said to his disciples,
JESUS: “Sit here, while I pray.”
NARRATOR: And he took with him Peter and James and John, and began to be greatly distressed and troubled. And he said to them,
JESUS: “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here and watch.”
NARRATOR: And going a little farther, he fell on the ground and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him. And he said,
JESUS: “Abba, Father, all things are possible to thee; remove this cup from me; yet not what I will, but what thou wilt.”
NARRATOR: And he came and found them sleeping, and he said to Peter,
JESUS: “Simon, are you asleep?” Could you not watch one hour? Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.
NARRATOR: And again he went away and prayed, saying the same words. And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were very heavy; and they did not know what to answer him. And he came the third time, and said to them,
JESUS: “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? It is enough; the hour has come; the Son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
NARRATOR: And immediately, while he was still speaking, Judas came, one of the twelve, and with him a crowd with swords and clubs, from the chief priests and the scribes and the elders. Now the betrayer had given them a sign saying,
JUDAS: “The one I shall kiss is the man; seize him and lead him away under guard.”
NARRATOR: And when he came, he went up to him at once, and said,
JUDAS: “Hail, Master!”
NARRATOR: And he kissed him. And they laid hands on him and seized him. But one of those who stood by drew his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. And Jesus said to them,
JESUS: “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to capture me? Day after day I was with you in the temple teaching, and you did not seize me. But let the scripture be fulfilled.”
NARRATOR: And they all forsook him, and fled. And a young man followed him, with nothing but a linen cloth about his body; and they seized him, but he left the linen cloth and ran away naked. And they led Jesus to the high priest; and all the chief priests and the elders and the scribes were assembled. And Peter had followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest; and he was sitting with the guards, and warming himself at the fire. Now the chief priests and the whole council sought testimony against Jesus to put him to death; but they found none. For many bore false witness against him, and their witness did not agree. And some stood up and bore false witness against him, saying,
WITNESSES: “We heard him say, ‘I will destroy this temple that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not made with hands.’ ”
NARRATOR: Yet not even so did their testimony agree. And the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Jesus,
HIGH PRIEST: “Have you no answer to make? What is it that these men testify against you?”
NARRATOR: But he was silent and made no answer. Again the high priest asked him,
HIGH PRIEST: “Are you the Christ, the Son of the Blessed?”
NARRATOR: And Jesus said,
JESUS: “I am; and you will see the Son of man seated at the right hand of Power, and coming with the clouds of heaven.”
NARRATOR: And the high priest tore his garments, and said,
HIGH PRIEST: “Why do we still need witnesses? You have heard his blasphemy. What is your decision?”
NARRATOR: And they all condemned him as deserving death. And some began to spit on him, and to cover his face, and to strike him, saying to him,
PRIESTS: “Prophesy!”
NARRATOR: And the guards received him with blows. And as Peter was below in the courtyard, one of the maids of the high priest came; and seeing Peter warming himself, she looked at him, and said,
MAID: “You also were with the Nazarene, Jesus.”
NARRATOR: But he denied it saying,
PETER: “I neither know nor understand what you mean.”
NARRATOR: And he went out into the gateway. And the maid saw him, and began again to say to the bystanders,
MAID: “This man is one of them.”
NARRATOR: But again he denied it. And after a little while again the bystanders said to Peter,
CROWD: “Certainly you are one of them; for you are a Galilean.”
NARRATOR: But he began to invoke a curse on himself and to swear,
PETER: “I do not know this man of whom you speak.”
NARRATOR: And immediately the cock crowed a second time. And Peter remembered how Jesus had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times.” And he broke down and wept.
Mark 15:1-39
NARRATOR: And as soon as it was morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council held a consultation; and they bound Jesus and led him away and delivered him to Pilate. And Pilate asked him,
PILATE: “Are you the King of the Jews?”
NARRATOR: And he answered him,
JESUS: “You have said so.”
NARRATOR: And the chief priests accused him of many things. And Pilate again asked him,
PILATE: “Have you no answer to make? See how many charges they bring against you.”
NARRATOR: But Jesus made no further answer, so that Pilate wondered. Now at the feast he used to release for them one prisoner for whom they asked. And among the rebels in prison, who had committed murder in the insurrection, there was a man called Barab’bas. And the crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do as he was wont to do for them. And he answered them,
PILATE: “Do you want me to release for you the King of the Jews?”
NARRATOR: For he perceived that it was out of envy that the chief priests had delivered him up. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have him release for them Barab’bas instead. And Pilate again said to them,
PILATE: “Then what shall I do with the man whom you call the King of the Jews?”
NARRATOR: And they cried out again,
CROWD: “Crucify him.” “Crucify him.”
NARRATOR: And Pilate said to them,
PILATE: “Why, what evil has he done?’
NARRATOR: But they shouted all the more,
CROWD: “Crucify him.” “Crucify him.”
NARRATOR: So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released for them Barab’bas; and having scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. And the Soldiers led him away inside the palace (that is, the praetorium); and they called together the whole battalion. And they clothed him in a purple cloak, and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on him. And they began to salute him,
SOLDIERS: “Hail, King of the Jews!”
NARRATOR: And they struck his head with a reed, and spat upon him, and they knelt down in homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the purple cloak, and put his own clothes on him. And they led him out to crucify him. And they compelled a passer-by, Simon of Cyre’ne, who was coming in from the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to carry his cross.
Please stand.
NARRATOR: And they brought him to the place called Gol’gotha (which means the place of a skull). And they offered him wine mingled with myrrh; but he did not take it. And they crucified him, and divided his garments among them, casting lots for them, to decide what each should take. And it was the third hour, when they crucified him. And the inscription of the charge against him read, “The King of the Jews.” And with him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his left. And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads, and saying,
CROWD: “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself, and come down from the cross!”
NARRATOR: So also the chief priests mocked him to one another with the scribes, saying,
PRIESTS & SCRIBES: “He saved others; he cannot save himself. Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe.”
NARRATOR: Those who were crucified with him also reviled him. And when the sixth hour had come, there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour. And at the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,
JESUS: “E’lo-i, E’lo-i, la’ma, sabach-tha’ni?”
NARRATOR: Which means,
JESUS: “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
NARRATOR: And some of the bystanders hearing it said,
CROWD: “Behold, he is calling Eli’jah.
NARRATOR: And one ran and, filling a sponge full of vinegar, put it on a reed and gave it to him to drink, saying,
BYSTANDER: “Wait, let us see whether Eli’jah will come to take him down.”
NARRATOR: And Jesus uttered a loud cry, and breathed his last.
Silence is kept
NARRATOR: And the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And when the centurion, who stood facing him, saw that he thus breathed his last, he said,
CENTURION: “Truly this man was the Son of God!”