Introduction
Palm Sunday commemorates Jesus’ triumphal entrance into Jerusalem shortly before the feast of Passover, just days before his death. This is a day of striking contrasts: It begins with joyful shouts of “Hosanna!” that soon give way to sorrow as we journey with Jesus through his Passion. The readings invite us into this tension — between exultation and suffering, between human frailty and divine love. They prepare us to walk with Christ through his suffering, not as distant observers but as those who recognize our own place in the story.
Palm Sunday also marks the beginning of Holy Week, the final week of Lent.
Procession with Palms – Matthew 21:1-11
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem
and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them,
“Go into the village opposite you,
and immediately you will find an ass tethered,
and a colt with her.
Untie them and bring them here to me.
And if anyone should say anything to you, reply,
‘The master has need of them.’
Then he will send them at once.”
This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet
might be fulfilled:
“Say to daughter Zion,
‘Behold, your king comes to you,
meek and riding on an ass,
and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them.
They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them,
and he sat upon them.
The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road,
while others cut branches from the trees
and strewed them on the road.
The crowds preceding him and those following
kept crying out and saying:
“Hosanna to the Son of David;
blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord;
hosanna in the highest.”
And when he entered Jerusalem
the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?”
And the crowds replied,
“This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
Palm Sunday is celebrated by the blessing and distribution of palm branches, recalling the palm branches the crowd scattered in front of Christ during his well-known entry into Jerusalem.
In previous visits to Jerusalem, Jesus did not want to be recognized as the Messiah and so avoided the enthusiasm of the crowd. Now, at the culmination of his public ministry — having preached, performed miracles, and revealed the Father’s will — he embraces recognition as the Messiah, entering Jerusalem in the manner of a humble, peaceable king.
When Jesus and the disciples drew near Jerusalem and came to Bethphage on the Mount of Olives,
Bethphage was a village east of Jerusalem, on the Mount of Olives — a place long associated with the appearance of the Messiah (Zechariah 14:4).
Jesus sent two disciples, saying to them, “Go into the village opposite you, and immediately you will find an ass tethered, and a colt with her. Untie them and bring them here to me. And if anyone should say anything to you, reply, ‘The master has need of them.’ Then he will send them at once.”
Kings had the right to press privately owned animals into their service whenever necessary.
Notice that Jesus is in complete control here. He knows in advance what is available, what can be done, and what should be said. He has foreknowledge and authority.
This happened so that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled: “Say to daughter Zion, ‘Behold, your king comes to you, meek and riding on an ass, and on a colt, the foal of a beast of burden.’”
Jesus is revealing himself as the Messiah, a fact that Matthew calls out explicitly by quoting the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9.
In this prophecy, the future messianic king is described as humble, or meek. The Messiah comes not as a warrior but as the Prince of Peace, riding a “beast of burden” rather than a warhorse.
The disciples went and did as Jesus had ordered them. They brought the ass and the colt and laid their cloaks over them, and he sat upon them.
The mention of both an ass and a colt in Zechariah is simply poetic parallelism, the use of two words to indicate a single animal; but note how Matthew describes Jesus as procuring and riding two animals, both an ass and a colt.
By preserving the full parallelism of Zechariah’s prophecy, he frames Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem as the exact, word‑for‑word fulfillment of Israel’s messianic hope.
The very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and strewed them on the road.
Laying cloaks on the road was a traditional act of royal homage (2 Kings 9:13), and the branches served the same purpose of preparing a dignified path for the king’s arrival.
The synoptic gospels simply note “branches” without specifying the type; palm branches appear only in John’s gospel.
The crowds preceding him and those following kept crying out and saying: “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest.”
“Hosanna” is a Hebrew expression that originally meant “save us,” but over time it became a shout of praise and joy — akin to saying “Long live…!”
“Son of David” is a Messianic title.
Therefore by shouting, “Hosanna to the Son of David!” the crowd acknowledges Jesus as the long‑awaited Messiah, joyfully proclaiming, in effect, “Long live the Son of David!”
Their cry, “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord,” is drawn from Psalm 118:26. It is a festive greeting for one who bears God’s commission. In using it for Jesus, the people acknowledge that he comes with God’s own authority.
And when he entered Jerusalem the whole city was shaken and asked, “Who is this?” And the crowds replied, “This is Jesus the prophet, from Nazareth in Galilee.”
The city reacts with awe and curiosity. The reference to Jesus as a prophet may highlight his ministry, or it could be an allusion to Israel’s messianic expectation of “the Prophet” (John 1:21).
1st Reading – Isaiah 50:4-7
The Lord GOD has given me
a well-trained tongue,
that I might know how to speak to the weary
a word that will rouse them.
Morning after morning
he opens my ear that I may hear;
and I have not rebelled,
have not turned back.
I gave my back to those who beat me,
my cheeks to those who plucked my beard;
my face I did not shield
from buffets and spitting.
The Lord GOD is my help,
therefore I am not disgraced;
I have set my face like flint,
knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
Our first reading comes from the third of Isaiah’s famous “Servant Songs,” poetic portraits of a faithful servant who listens to God, speaks with wisdom, and remains steadfast through suffering. This reading is proclaimed every year on Palm Sunday.
As we begin Palm Sunday, this image prepares us to recognize in Jesus the one who meets rejection with trust in the Father and unwavering commitment to his mission.
The Lord GOD has given me a well-trained tongue, that I might know how to speak to the weary a word that will rouse them.
God has appointed the speaker as a prophet and provided him with the tools required for his task (here, a well-trained tongue and, in the next verse, open ears).
These gifts are given to the speaker, but notice that they are for the benefit of “the weary” (Hebrew: yāʿēf), those who are physically or emotionally depleted, tired from hardship, burden, or struggle.
It’s unclear who these weary might be or what the rousing words are; the passage focuses on the Servant’s mission to offer divine encouragement.
Morning after morning he opens my ear that I may hear;
The servant must first receive God’s word before he can presume to teach others. The word is alive and fresh each day, for God opens the speaker’s ears “morning after morning.”
Note that the servant takes no credit; his readiness to accept God’s will is a gift of grace.
and I have not rebelled, have not turned back.
The servant does not refuse the divine vocation.
I gave my back to those who beat me, my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; my face I did not shield from buffets and spitting.
Like the prophets before him (Amos 7:10-17; Micah 2:6-10; Jeremiah 20:7-18), the servant’s fidelity to his divine mission exposes him to humiliation, violence, and public disgrace. Plucking one’s beard is a particularly grave insult.
Yet the emphasis is not on the suffering itself but on the servant’s willing acceptance of it (he “gave” his back and “did not shield” his face), signaling a deliberate, steadfast commitment to God’s call even when it leads to rejection.
No explanation is given as to why his prophecy should elicit such a violent response, or even who his persecutors might be. All we know is that his ministry elicits this response and that he does not abandon it.
The Lord GOD is my help, therefore I am not disgraced;
Despite this abuse, the servant is confident that God is with him. This is remarkable because at the time, suffering was generally thought to be the result of some kind of sin. Most in his position would have interpreted this abuse as evidence that God is on the side of their persecutors.
The servant’s confidence challenges this notion, opening the door to understanding that the righteous can suffer unjustly and that God’s purposes may be complex and not immediately evident.
I have set my face like flint, knowing that I shall not be put to shame.
The servant now speaks of an interior resolve: to “set one’s face like flint” evokes unyielding determination, a steadfastness that cannot be diverted by fear, opposition, or humiliation.
This vivid image takes on a special meaning when you picture a face covered with spittle. The speaker is declaring confidence in God’s sustaining presence.
Jewish interpretation didn’t originally connect these songs with the Messiah, because no one expected the Messiah to suffer. However, in the aftermath of Jesus’ passion, death, and resurrection, the early Christian community saw the Servant’s silent endurance, unjust suffering, and ultimate vindication as a powerful foreshadowing of Christ. These passages became a key to unlocking the mystery of a Messiah who redeems not through conquest, but through the cross.
When we hear these words proclaimed in today’s liturgy, we don’t merely recall ancient poetry — we encounter the voice of Christ himself, steadfastly embracing his path to the cross that will lead to our redemption.
2nd Reading – Philippians 2:6-11
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God,
did not regard equality with God
something to be grasped.
Rather, he emptied himself,
taking the form of a slave,
coming in human likeness;
and found human in appearance,
he humbled himself,
becoming obedient to the point of death,
even death on a cross.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
and bestowed on him the name
which is above every name,
that at the name of Jesus
every knee should bend,
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord,
to the glory of God the Father.
Our second reading is one of the most theologically rich and poetically structured passages in the New Testament. It’s often referred to as the “Christ Hymn” (or Carmen Christi in Latin), and scholars believe it may have been an early Christian hymn that Paul incorporated into his letter to the Philippians.
The passage unfolds in a carefully balanced poetic movement, sometimes described as a staircase: first a dramatic descent, as Christ willingly humbles himself from divine glory to death on a cross, followed by a corresponding ascent, as God exalts him and grants him the name above every name. This elegant structure highlights the central Christian paradox that humility and self-emptying lead ultimately to exaltation and glory.
Christ Jesus, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God something to be grasped.
The opening verse affirms Jesus’ pre-existent divine nature. The Greek word morphē (“form”) refers not merely to outward appearance but to the true and essential nature of something. Christ existed fully in the divine nature.
Yet he did not cling to or exploit his equality with God for personal advantage. Rather than asserting divine privilege, he chose the path of humility and self-giving.
In Jewish thought, likeness to God was associated with freedom from death (cf. Wisdom 2:23). Against this background, Christ’s acceptance of death becomes even more striking.
Many interpreters also see an echo of the creation story here. Though humanity was created in God’s image (Genesis 1:26-27), Adam and Eve reached out to grasp equality with God (Genesis 3:5-6). Christ, by contrast, possessed divine status yet refused to seize or exploit it.
Rather, he emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,
Christ’s “self-emptying” (kenosis in Greek) is a central theological idea. This does not mean that he surrendered or diminished his divinity. Rather, the eternal Son freely chose to assume the fullness of human nature and to live within the limitations of the human condition.
The Incarnation is therefore not a subtraction but an addition: the one who was fully divine took on what he was not before — our humanity.
The parallel use of morphē is striking: the one who existed in the form of God took on the form of a slave (doulos). Without ceasing to be God, he freely embraced the lowliness of servanthood. The hymn thus presents a dramatic reversal of status — from divine glory to the humility of a servant.
coming in human likeness;
Christ truly became human. He assumed our human nature completely, sharing in the realities of human life while remaining free from sin.
and found human in appearance, he humbled himself,
Christ’s humility was not merely outward. Having freely taken on the human condition, he deliberately embraced its vulnerability and weakness, choosing the path of humility and obedience.
becoming obedient to death,
Obedience defines the role of a servant. Yet Christ’s radical obedience is not merely servile; it is the loving obedience of the Son who perfectly fulfills the will of the Father.
even death on a cross.
Crucifixion was the most degrading and shameful form of execution in the Roman world, reserved primarily for slaves and rebels. The condemned were nailed to a cross and exposed publicly as a spectacle.
The horror and humiliation of the cross reveal the depth of Christ’s self-emptying: the Son of God willingly descended to the lowest point of human suffering and disgrace.
Because of this, God greatly exalted him
A clear cause-and-effect relationship follows: because of Christ’s humility and obedience, God exalts him.
The one who freely humbled himself is now raised up by the Father. The Greek verb hyperypsoō emphasizes super-exaltation — God lifts Christ to the highest possible dignity.
This exaltation does not make Christ Lord for the first time, but publicly reveals and manifests the glory that belongs to him as the eternal Son.
and bestowed on him the name that is above every name,
In biblical thought, a name expresses the identity and authority of the one who bears it. God has raised Jesus’ name, his essence, above every other.
The hymn deliberately delays explicit mention of the new name until its climactic conclusion.
that at the name of Jesus every knee should bend,
This imagery echoes Isaiah 45:23, where every knee bows before the Lord.
The homage owed to God alone is now directed toward Christ.
of those in heaven and on earth and under the earth,
Christ’s lordship extends over the entire universe: the heavenly realm, the living on earth, and even the dead. All creation falls under his authority.
and every tongue confess
Again echoing Isaiah 45:23, the hymn envisions a universal acknowledgment of Christ’s sovereignty.
that Jesus Christ is Lord,
The “name above every name” is Kyrios (“Lord”), the title used in the Greek Scriptures to render the divine name YHWH.
For readers familiar with Isaiah’s prophecy, applying this title to Jesus is extraordinary. It identifies him with the Lord whose sovereignty extends over all creation. This confession — “Jesus Christ is Lord” — became one of the earliest and most fundamental declarations of Christian faith (cf. 1 Corinthians 12:3, Romans 10:9).
to the glory of God the Father.
Christ’s exaltation does not rival the Father but reveals the perfect unity of the Son with the Father. The worship given to Christ ultimately glorifies God the Father.
As Jesus himself teaches in John 5:23, honoring the Son is inseparable from honoring the Father.
This early Christian hymn reveals the mystery at the heart of the Christian faith: the Son of God freely descended in humility and obedience, even to death on a cross, and was therefore exalted by the Father so that all creation might recognize that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.
Gospel – Matthew 26:14-27:66
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot,
went to the chief priests and said,
“What are you willing to give me
if I hand him over to you?”
They paid him thirty pieces of silver,
and from that time on he looked for an opportunity
to hand him over.
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread,
the disciples approached Jesus and said,
“Where do you want us to prepare
for you to eat the Passover?”
He said,
“Go into the city to a certain man and tell him,
‘The teacher says, my appointed time draws near;
in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.’”
The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered,
and prepared the Passover.
When it was evening,
he reclined at table with the Twelve.
And while they were eating, he said,
“Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.”
Deeply distressed at this,
they began to say to him one after another,
“Surely it is not I, Lord?”
He said in reply,
“He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me
is the one who will betray me.
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.”
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply,
“Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”
He answered, “You have said so.”
While they were eating,
Jesus took bread, said the blessing,
broke it, and giving it to his disciples said,
“Take and eat; this is my body.”
Then he took a cup, gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying,
“Drink from it, all of you,
for this is my blood of the covenant,
which will be shed on behalf of many
for the forgiveness of sins.
I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine
until the day when I drink it with you new
in the kingdom of my Father.”
Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
Then Jesus said to them,
“This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken,
for it is written:
I will strike the shepherd,
and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed;
but after I have been raised up,
I shall go before you to Galilee.”
Peter said to him in reply,
“Though all may have their faith in you shaken,
mine will never be.”
Jesus said to him,
“Amen, I say to you,
this very night before the cock crows,
you will deny me three times.”
Peter said to him,
“Even though I should have to die with you,
I will not deny you.”
And all the disciples spoke likewise.
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane,
and he said to his disciples,
“Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
and began to feel sorrow and distress.
Then he said to them,
“My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Remain here and keep watch with me.”
He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer, saying,
“My Father, if it is possible,
let this cup pass from me;
yet, not as I will, but as you will.”
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep.
He said to Peter,
“So you could not keep watch with me for one hour?
Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again,
“My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass
without my drinking it, your will be done!”
Then he returned once more and found them asleep,
for they could not keep their eyes open.
He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time,
saying the same thing again.
Then he returned to his disciples and said to them,
“Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
Behold, the hour is at hand
when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners.
Get up, let us go.
Look, my betrayer is at hand.”
While he was still speaking,
Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived,
accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs,
who had come from the chief priests and the elders
of the people.
His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying,
“The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him.”
Immediately he went over to Jesus and said,
“Hail, Rabbi!” and he kissed him.
Jesus answered him,
“Friend, do what you have come for.”
Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.
And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus
put his hand to his sword, drew it,
and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear.
Then Jesus said to him,
“Put your sword back into its sheath,
for all who take the sword will perish by the sword.
Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father
and he will not provide me at this moment
with more than twelve legions of angels?
But then how would the Scriptures be fulfilled
which say that it must come to pass in this way?”
At that hour Jesus said to the crowds,
“Have you come out as against a robber,
with swords and clubs to seize me?
Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area,
yet you did not arrest me.
But all this has come to pass
that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled.”
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away
to Caiaphas the high priest,
where the scribes and the elders were assembled.
Peter was following him at a distance
as far as the high priest’s courtyard,
and going inside he sat down with the servants
to see the outcome.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin
kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus
in order to put him to death,
but they found none,
though many false witnesses came forward.
Finally two came forward who stated,
“This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God
and within three days rebuild it.’”
The high priest rose and addressed him,
“Have you no answer?
What are these men testifying against you?”
But Jesus was silent.
Then the high priest said to him,
“I order you to tell us under oath before the living God
whether you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
Jesus said to him in reply,
“You have said so.
But I tell you:
From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man
seated at the right hand of the Power’
and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
Then the high priest tore his robes and said,
“He has blasphemed!
What further need have we of witnesses?
You have now heard the blasphemy;
what is your opinion?”
They said in reply,
“He deserves to die!”
Then they spat in his face and struck him,
while some slapped him, saying,
“Prophesy for us, Christ: who is it that struck you?”
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard.
One of the maids came over to him and said,
“You too were with Jesus the Galilean.”
But he denied it in front of everyone, saying,
“I do not know what you are talking about!”
As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him
and said to those who were there,
“This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.”
Again he denied it with an oath,
“I do not know the man!”
A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter,
“Surely you too are one of them;
even your speech gives you away.”
At that he began to curse and to swear,
“I do not know the man.”
And immediately a cock crowed.
Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken:
“Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.”
He went out and began to weep bitterly.
When it was morning,
all the chief priests and the elders of the people
took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
They bound him, led him away,
and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned,
deeply regretted what he had done.
He returned the thirty pieces of silver
to the chief priests and elders, saying,
“I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.”
They said,
“What is that to us?
Look to it yourself.”
Flinging the money into the temple,
he departed and went off and hanged himself.
The chief priests gathered up the money, but said,
“It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury,
for it is the price of blood.”
After consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field
as a burial place for foreigners.
That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood.
Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah
the prophet,
And they took the thirty pieces of silver,
the value of a man with a price on his head,
a price set by some of the Israelites,
and they paid it out for the potter’s field
just as the Lord had commanded me.
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him,
“Are you the king of the Jews?”
Jesus said, “You say so.”
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders,
he made no answer.
Then Pilate said to him,
“Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?”
But he did not answer him one word,
so that the governor was greatly amazed.
Now on the occasion of the feast
the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd
one prisoner whom they wished.
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.
So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them,
“Which one do you want me to release to you,
Barabbas, or Jesus called Christ?”
For he knew that it was out of envy
that they had handed him over.
While he was still seated on the bench,
his wife sent him a message,
“Have nothing to do with that righteous man.
I suffered much in a dream today because of him.”
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds
to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus.
The governor said to them in reply,
“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They answered, Barabbas!”
Pilate said to them,
“Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?”
They all said,
“Let him be crucified!”
But he said,
“Why? What evil has he done?”
They only shouted the louder,
“Let him be crucified!”
When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all,
but that a riot was breaking out instead,
he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd,
saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood.
Look to it yourselves.”
And the whole people said in reply,
“His blood be upon us and upon our children.”
Then he released Barabbas to them,
but after he had Jesus scourged,
he handed him over to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium
and gathered the whole cohort around him.
They stripped off his clothes
and threw a scarlet military cloak about him.
Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head,
and a reed in his right hand.
And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying,
“Hail, King of the Jews!”
They spat upon him and took the reed
and kept striking him on the head.
And when they had mocked him,
they stripped him of the cloak,
dressed him in his own clothes,
and led him off to crucify him.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon;
this man they pressed into service
to carry his cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha
—which means Place of the Skull —,
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall.
But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
After they had crucified him,
they divided his garments by casting lots;
then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him:
This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him,
one on his right and the other on his left.
Those passing by reviled him, shaking their heads and saying,
“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days,
save yourself, if you are the Son of God,
and come down from the cross!”
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him and said,
“He saved others; he cannot save himself.
So he is the king of Israel!
Let him come down from the cross now,
and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God;
let him deliver him now if he wants him.
For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him
also kept abusing him in the same way.
From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land
until three in the afternoon.
And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice,
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”
which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Some of the bystanders who heard it said,
“This one is calling for Elijah.”
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge;
he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed,
gave it to him to drink.
But the rest said,
“Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.”
But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice,
and gave up his spirit.
Here all kneel and pause for a short time.
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary
was torn in two from top to bottom.
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened,
and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection,
they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus
feared greatly when they saw the earthquake
and all that was happening, and they said,
“Truly, this was the Son of God!”
There were many women there, looking on from a distance,
who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him.
Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph,
and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
When it was evening,
there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph,
who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus;
then Pilate ordered it to be handed over.
Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen
and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock.
Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb
and departed.
But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary
remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
The next day, the one following the day of preparation,
the chief priests and the Pharisees
gathered before Pilate and said,
“Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said,
‘After three days I will be raised up.’
Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day,
lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people,
‘He has been raised from the dead.’
This last imposture would be worse than the first.”
Pilate said to them,
“The guard is yours;
go, secure it as best you can.”
So they went and secured the tomb
by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.
On Palm Sunday, the Church proclaims the entire account of Jesus’ suffering and death, inviting us to accompany him from the Last Supper through his betrayal, trial, crucifixion, and burial.
This long narrative reveals both the depth of human weakness and the boundless mercy of God. Friends fail, leaders condemn, and the crowd turns against him — yet through it all, Jesus remains faithful to the Father’s will.
One of the Twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests and said, “What are you willing to give me if I hand him over to you?”
The betrayal begins from within Jesus’ own circle. One of the Twelve, those chosen and entrusted with his mission, freely chooses to hand him over.
They paid him thirty pieces of silver, and from that time on he looked for an opportunity to hand him over.
There is a tragic irony here: thirty silver coins was the price of a slave (Exodus 21:32).
On the first day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, the disciples approached Jesus and said, “Where do you want us to prepare for you to eat the Passover?”
Passover is one of the three annual feasts for which all men were expected to come to the Temple. This meant Jerusalem was jammed with people, with its normal population of 30,000 swelling to 130,000.
Passover commemorated Israel’s liberation from slavery in Egypt, when the blood of the lamb spared the people of God.
This setting is essential because Jesus will transform the Passover meal and reveal himself as the true Passover Lamb.
He said, “Go into the city to a certain man and tell him, ‘The teacher says, “My appointed time draws near; in your house I shall celebrate the Passover with my disciples.”’ The disciples then did as Jesus had ordered, and prepared the Passover.
Since Jesus had no permanent home, he tells the apostles where their celebration will be held so that they could make the appropriate arrangements.
He probably gave the homeowner’s actual name; in any event, based on what the other gospels tell us (Mark 14:13, Luke 22:10), Jesus gave the disciples enough information to enable them to find the house.
When it was evening, he reclined at table with the Twelve. And while they were eating, he said, “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Deeply distressed at this, they began to say to him one after another, “Surely it is not I, Lord?”
Through their contact with Jesus over the course of his public ministry and the divine grace they have been given (Matthew 16:17), the apostles’ faith has been steadily fortified and deepened (cf. John 2:11, 6:68-69).
At this point, they are well aware that Jesus knows their internal attitudes and how they are going to act. Their question “Surely it is not I?” reflects both concern and self-awareness: they know their own weakness.
He said in reply, “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me.
Jesus knows exactly who the traitor is.
This echoes Psalm 41:10: Even my trusted friend, who ate my bread, has raised his heel against me.
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.”
Jesus affirms that his impending suffering and death fulfill the plan of God foretold in Scripture (see Isaiah 53:7).
Although Jesus goes to his death voluntarily, this does not reduce the seriousness of Judas’ treachery. Divine providence never removes human freedom.
It was not inevitable that one of his friends should betray him.
Then Judas, his betrayer, said in reply, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?”
To avoid coming under suspicion of guilt by his silence, Judas poses the same question as the others.
He answered, “You have said so.”
The Greek here is su eipas: “You said it.”
This is a confirming answer, but it places the responsibility for the wording back on the questioner. Matthew uses this phrase when the truth is being spoken, but the speaker does not fully understand it. It affirms the truth without endorsing the speaker’s motives or comprehension.
This revelation that Judas is the traitor goes unnoticed by the other apostles (cf. John 13:26-29).
While they were eating, Jesus took bread,
This bread would have been the unleavened bread of the Passover meal, recalling how the Israelites, in their haste to flee from Egypt, had no time to wait for leavened dough to rise.
said the blessing, broke it,
In the Jewish liturgy of the meal, the head of the household would pronounce a blessing of thanksgiving over the bread. Jesus takes this familiar action and gives it a radically new meaning.
and giving it to his disciples said, “Take and eat; this is my body.”
What until this moment had been ordinary bread now — through the words and will of Jesus Christ, true God and true man — becomes his true Body.
The Church has always understood these words in their full and literal sense: Christ truly gives himself to his disciples in the Eucharist.
One cannot help but recall the time Jesus previously spoke about eating his body, after the feeding of the five thousand:
Jesus said to them, “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you do not have life within you. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise him on the last day. For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. Just as the living Father sent me and I have life because of the Father, so also the one who feeds on me will have life because of me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Unlike your ancestors who ate and still died, whoever eats this bread will live forever” (John 6:53-58).
Then he took a cup,
The Passover meal included multiple cups of wine consumed at set moments in the liturgy. Many scholars associate this cup with the third cup, often called the “cup of blessing” or thanksgiving (cf. 1 Corinthians 10:16).
gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you, for this is my blood
Jesus had also promised to give his blood to be drunk: For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in me and I in him. (John 6:55-56).
Jewish law strictly forbade the consumption of blood because blood represented life itself (Leviticus 17:10–14). Jesus is revealing that his own divine life will be given to his disciples.
of the covenant,
The institution of the Eucharist is the only place in the Gospels where Jesus explicitly speaks of a “covenant.” In the Old Testament, covenants were ratified with sacrificial blood. When Moses sealed the covenant at Sinai, he sprinkled the blood of sacrificed animals upon the people and declared, “This is the blood of the covenant” (Exodus 24:8).
At this Passover meal, however, there is no mention of a lamb being sacrificed. This is remarkable given that the lamb was the central element of the Passover, recalling how the lambs in Egypt were slain so that the firstborn of Israel might be spared in the tenth plague.
Instead, Jesus identifies the sacrificial blood as his own. The true Passover Lamb is present at the table: Christ himself.
Just as the Passover lambs in Egypt were sacrificed to spare the firstborn of Israel, so now Jesus will offer himself on the cross to deliver humanity from sin and death.
The Eucharist thus becomes the sacramental memorial of the new Passover of the New Covenant.
which will be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins.
Matthew is the only gospel that explicitly states the purpose of the Eucharistic blood: the remission of sins.
By freely accepting suffering in loving obedience to the Father, Christ offers the perfect sacrifice that truly takes away the sins of the world.
I tell you, from now on I shall not drink this fruit of the vine until the day when I drink it with you new in the kingdom of my Father.”
Jesus defers drinking the fourth cup of the meal, interrupting the Passover liturgy. This is very unusual for an observant Jew.
By declaring that he will not drink again until the coming of the Kingdom, Jesus points forward to the fulfillment of the Passover in his Passion, Resurrection, and the coming of God’s Kingdom.
Then, after singing a hymn,
This likely refers to the Great Hallel, the series of psalms traditionally sung at Passover (Psalms 113-118), which praise God for delivering Israel from slavery.
they went out to the Mount of Olives.
During his final days in Jerusalem, Jesus spent the day teaching in the city and withdrew at night to the Mount of Olives.
This set pattern enabled Judas to lead the authorities directly to Jesus, away from the crowds.
Then Jesus said to them, “This night all of you will have your faith in me shaken, for it is written: ‘I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed’;
Jesus quotes Zechariah 13:7, applying the prophecy to himself and foretelling that his disciples will scatter when he is arrested.
but after I have been raised up, I shall go before you to Galilee.”
Even while predicting their failure, Jesus promises restoration. After the Resurrection, he will gather his disciples again in Galilee (Matthew 28:16-20).
Peter said to him in reply, “Though all may have their faith in you shaken, mine will never be.”
Peter, usually the spokesman for the group, here speaks for himself with bold confidence. His sincere loyalty is mixed with self-reliance, which will soon be tested.
Jesus said to him, “Amen, I say to you, this very night before the cock crows, you will deny me three times.”
Peter’s failure will be complete and unmistakable. The number three emphasizes the fullness of the denial.
Peter said to him, “Even though I should have to die with you, I will not deny you.” And all the disciples spoke likewise.
The other disciples join Peter in professing loyalty. Yet within hours they will scatter in fear.
Christ allows Peter’s fall not to destroy him but to humble and purify him, preparing him for the leadership he will later exercise in the Church.
“Here we learn a great truth: that a man’s resolution is not sufficient unless he relies on the help of God” (Saint John Chrysostom, Homily on Saint Matthew, 83).
Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.”
Gethsemane was a garden on the slopes of the Mount of Olives. The name likely means “oil press,” reflecting the olive groves in the area.
It was well known to be one of Jesus’ favorite places to pray.
He took along Peter and the two sons of Zebedee,
Peter, James, and John form the inner circle of disciples who were also present at the raising of Jairus’ daughter and at the Transfiguration.
and began to feel sorrow and distress.
In the garden, the Son of God enters into the interior suffering shaped by human sin: the loneliness, fear, and disorientation that alienate the sinner from God.
Saint Paul expresses this mystery by saying that Christ was “made to be sin” for us — not that he became sinful, but that he entered the full consequence of sin so that we might share in God’s righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).
By accepting this anguish even before his arrest, Jesus descends into the very depths where humanity feels most abandoned. This is the heart of his mission: to bring the light and mercy of God into the darkest experience of God-forsakenness, so that no human suffering lies beyond the reach of redemption.
Then he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death.
Matthew and Mark portray Jesus in profound agony, revealing the depth of his true human nature. To be “sorrowful unto death” expresses grief so intense that it presses the limits of endurance.
In the context of Judas’ betrayal, Jesus’ sorrow echoes the lament of Sirach: Is it not a grief to the death when a companion and friend turns to enmity? (Sirach 37:2).
Remain here and keep watch with me.”
Jesus asks his closest friends to keep him company and prepare themselves by prayer for the trial that lies ahead.
He advanced a little and fell prostrate in prayer,
Knowing what awaits him, Jesus falls to the ground in intense prayer. Luke’s gospel notes that he withdrew about a stone’s throw away (Luke 22:41).
By allowing his anguish to be seen, Christ reveals the full reality of his human experience and offers a model for prayer in suffering.
saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me;
In Scripture, the “cup” often symbolizes suffering and divine judgment (Isaiah 51:17; Ezekiel 23:33).
It was natural for Jesus to shrink from the horror of the cross, a horror magnified by his knowledge that he would experience the full weight of the world’s estrangement from God.
After the temptation in the wilderness, the devil had departed “until an opportune time” (Luke 4:13). Now, in the hour of the Passion, the powers of darkness return (Luke 22:53).
yet, not as I will, but as you will.”
Jesus’ human will recoils from suffering, yet he freely submits it to the will of the Father. In this act of obedience, he embraces the mission for which he came: the redemption of the world.
Christ has relived the test of Adam and proven faithful where Adam failed.
- Both were tested in a garden: Adam in Eden, Christ in Gethsemane.
- Adam distrusted God and chose his own will; Christ entrusts himself completely to the Father.
- Adam’s disobedience led to the tree of death; Christ’s obedience leads him to the wood of the cross, which Christians will later call the Tree of Life.
When he returned to his disciples he found them asleep.
The disciples are too weary to stay awake.
In the ancient world, people rose and retired early, living largely by natural light. After the long Passover meal and the late hour, their fatigue overcomes them.
He said to Peter, “So you could not keep watch with me for one hour? Watch and pray that you may not undergo the test.
Jesus addresses Peter personally, the one who had most confidently professed his loyalty.
The Greek word translated “test” is peirasmos, which can also mean “temptation.” The same term is used for the temptations Christ endured in the wilderness at the beginning of his ministry, and it also appears in the Lord’s Prayer: “lead us not into temptation” (Luke 11:4).
Jesus urges Peter to remain vigilant through prayer so that he will not fail in the trial that is about to unfold as he witnesses his Master arrested, condemned, scourged, and crucified.
The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”
Jesus acknowledges the tragic gap between the disciples’ sincere desire to remain faithful and the human frailty that leaves them vulnerable at the very moment vigilance is most needed.
Withdrawing a second time, he prayed again, “My Father, if it is not possible that this cup pass without my drinking it, your will be done!” Then he returned once more and found them asleep, for they could not keep their eyes open.
The Gospels recount this scene with remarkable detail even though the disciples were some distance away and repeatedly fell asleep.
The most plausible explanation is that after the Resurrection, Jesus himself spoke to them about this moment during the time when he appeared to them and instructed them about the Kingdom of God (Acts 1:3), just as he must also have recounted the temptations he endured in the wilderness.
He left them and withdrew again and prayed a third time, saying the same thing again. Then he returned to his disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and taking your rest?
Jesus prays three times, and three times the disciples fail to keep watch. The repetition underscores both Christ’s complete submission to the Father’s will and the disciples’ complete inability to remain faithful in their own strength.
In this moment, Jesus stands utterly alone in his agony, revealing the depth of the suffering he willingly embraces.
Behold, the hour is at hand when the Son of Man is to be handed over to sinners. Get up, let us go. Look, my betrayer is at hand.”
There is a quiet irony here: Jesus asked his friends to keep watch while he prayed, yet it is Jesus himself who sees the approaching party.
While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the Twelve, arrived, accompanied by a large crowd, with swords and clubs,
Jesus is not seized by strangers but betrayed into custody by one of his own apostles. The crowd armed with swords and clubs shows just profoundly the authorities have misread his mission, approaching the gentle teacher as though he were a violent insurgent.
who had come from the chief priests and the elders of the people.
By naming “the chief priests and the elders of the people,” Matthew identifies the corporate leadership of Israel, the Jerusalem establishment with the authority to deploy Temple forces. This makes it clear that this arrest is not a spontaneous act but an official, coordinated decision by those who wield institutional power.
The scribes are absent here because this is an act of force, not a legal judgment; they will appear at the trial. The Pharisees are likewise not mentioned, as they were a lay movement without authority over the Temple or its guards. That authority rested with the chief priests, who directed the arrest.
His betrayer had arranged a sign with them, saying, “The man I shall kiss is the one; arrest him.” Immediately he went over to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and he kissed him.
Judas uses a gesture of friendship and trust to carry out his betrayal, turning a sign of affection into an instrument of treachery.
Jesus answered him, “Friend, do what you have come for.”
Even in this moment, Jesus addresses Judas with restraint and dignity. The term “friend” is not one of intimacy, but neither is it harsh; it leaves open, even now, the possibility of repentance.
Then stepping forward they laid hands on Jesus and arrested him. And behold, one of those who accompanied Jesus put his hand to his sword, drew it, and struck the high priest’s servant, cutting off his ear.
All four gospels report this incident. John’s gospel identifies the one who drew the sword as Simon Peter (John 18:10).
Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its sheath, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Do you think that I cannot call upon my Father and he will not provide me at this moment with more than twelve legions of angels? But then how would the scriptures be fulfilled which say that it must come to pass in this way?”
Jesus makes clear that he is not overpowered but freely gives himself up. He could call upon divine aid, yet he refuses, choosing instead to fulfill the Father’s will and the Scriptures.
Christ’s Passion is not the triumph of violence over weakness, but the triumph of obedient love.
At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me? Day after day I sat teaching in the temple area, yet you did not arrest me. But all this has come to pass that the writings of the prophets may be fulfilled.”
Their approach reveals a failure to understand him. Though he taught openly, they act under cover of darkness. Yet even this unfolds according to the plan revealed in Scripture.
Then all the disciples left him and fled.
The disciples, who had been ready to defend him by force, are unprepared for a Messiah who refuses violence.
Their flight fulfills the prophecy: I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be dispersed (Zechariah 13:7).
Those who had arrested Jesus led him away to Caiaphas the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were assembled. Peter was following him at a distance as far as the high priest’s courtyard, and going inside he sat down with the servants to see the outcome.
The decision to bring Jesus to Caiaphas’s residence in the middle of the night signals a departure from normal judicial practices. Formal proceedings — especially those involving capital charges — were ordinarily conducted in daylight and within the Temple precincts rather than in a private home.
The nocturnal setting, the unusual venue, and the rapid convening of authorities reflect not legal propriety but political urgency: the leaders want Jesus condemned before Passover crowds awaken and before his popularity can complicate matters, underscoring that the process is driven by expedience rather than a genuine search for justice.
Peter’s decision to follow “at a distance” introduces a note of both loyalty and fear, placing him on the threshold between discipleship and denial.
The chief priests and the entire Sanhedrin kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus in order to put him to death, but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward.
The Sanhedrin — the ruling council of Israel — consisted of seventy members plus the high priest, who presided over its proceedings. Its membership drew from the leading priestly families and clans, former high priests, and the scribes who served as legal experts.
In capital cases, the council required consistent testimony to establish a capital charge. The witnesses fail to agree, exposing both the weakness of the case and the irregularity of the proceedings.
Finally two came forward who stated, “This man said, ‘I can destroy the temple of God and within three days rebuild it.’”
The Law required the testimony of two witnesses (Deuteronomy 17:6), but even here the charge distorts Jesus’ words. He had spoken of the temple of his body (John 2:19-21), not the destruction of the sanctuary.
The high priest rose and addressed him, “Have you no answer? What are these men testifying against you?” But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, “I order you to tell us under oath before the living God whether you are the Messiah, the Son of God.”
Placed under oath, Jesus is solemnly commanded to speak.
The title “Messiah” would have been understood in its royal, Davidic sense, though Jesus will reveal a far deeper meaning.
Jesus said to him in reply, “You have said so.
Another half-affirmative answer, as Jesus gave earlier to Judas (Matthew 26:25). In Mark’s gospel, Jesus’ reply is simply “I am” (Mark 14:62).
But I tell you: From now on you will see ‘the Son of Man seated at the right hand of the Power’ and ‘coming on the clouds of heaven.’”
Jesus reveals his true identity by uniting the imagery of Psalm 110:1 and Daniel 7:13: he is the exalted Son of Man who shares in divine authority.
Then the high priest tore his robes
A traditional sign of outrage. In first-century Judea, garments were very valuable, especially the robes of the high priest.
and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need have we of witnesses? You have now heard the blasphemy; what is your opinion?” They said in reply, “He deserves to die!”
Blasphemy was punishable by death under the Law (Leviticus 24:16). In their judgment, Jesus’ claim to divine authority constitutes an offense against God.
Then they spat in his face and struck him, while some slapped him, saying, “Prophesy for us, Messiah: who is it that struck you?”
By omitting the blindfold and the servants of Mark 14:67, Matthew creates an ambiguity that places the mockery and violence much closer to the council itself. The Sanhedrin members themselves appear to strike Jesus.
Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. One of the maids came over to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it in front of everyone, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about!”
Only hours earlier, Peter had professed his willingness to follow Jesus even to prison and death (Luke 22:33).
Now, under pressure, he denies even knowing him.
As he went out to the gate, another girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus the Nazorean.” Again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man!”
Notice the progression: Peter’s second denial is strengthened with an oath.
A little later the bystanders came over and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; even your speech gives you away.” At that he began to curse and to swear, “I do not know the man.”
A third and climactic denial, intensified by cursing and swearing.
And immediately a cock crowed. Then Peter remembered the word that Jesus had spoken: “Before the cock crows you will deny me three times.” He went out and began to weep bitterly.
When Peter remembers Jesus’ words, the full weight of his denial comes upon him.
Both Matthew and Luke note that Peter wept “bitterly,” marking this moment of recognition and sorrow.
When it was morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death.
Matthew presents this as a formal decision by the leadership of Israel. Whether this morning session confirms a prior verdict or determines how to carry it out, the outcome is clear: Jesus is to be handed over for execution.
They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
As Roman prefect, Pontius Pilate alone had the authority to impose capital punishment.
This transfer marks the shift from a Jewish proceeding to a Roman trial.
Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, deeply regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.” Flinging the money into the temple, he departed and went off and hanged himself.
Judas acknowledges his guilt (“I have sinned in betraying innocent blood”), yet his remorse does not lead him back to God. Instead, he turns inward, and his life ends in despair.
The chief priests gathered up the money, but said, “It is not lawful to deposit this in the temple treasury, for it is the price of blood.”
This scruple about placing “blood money” in the temple treasury exposes a deep irony: the chief priests had just carried out an unjust trial to secure a pre-determined verdict, but they pause to preserve ritual purity.
Matthew lets the contrast stand as an indictment—an outward concern for legal propriety masking a profound failure of justice.
After consultation, they used it to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. That is why that field even today is called the Field of Blood. Then was fulfilled what had been said through Jeremiah the prophet, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of a man with a price on his head, a price set by some of the Israelites, and they paid it out for the potter’s field just as the Lord had commanded me.”
Matthew sees in these events the fulfillment of prophetic Scripture, drawing on Zechariah 11:12-13 and themes from Jeremiah 19.
The betrayal of innocent blood and the purchase of the field together signal divine judgment and fulfillment.
Now Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
The legal charge is now political. The chief priest had questioned Jesus about his messianic identity, but Pilate wants to know if he considers himself a king — a claim that would signal a challenge to Roman authority.
Jesus said, “You say so.”
Once again, Jesus replies with a half-affirmative (cf. Matthew 26:25, 26:64) where the emphasis is on the pronoun; once again, the implication is that the statement would not have been made if the question had not been asked.
Jesus avoids a simple affirmative because his kingship does not fit the political framework Pilate assumes.
And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they are testifying against you?” But he did not answer him one word, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
The Jewish leaders present their formal accusations before Pilate, which are likely reframed as political issues to garner Pilate’s attention.
Matthew’s emphasis, however, is not on the content of the accusations but on Jesus’ silence, which can be seen as a fulfillment of Isaiah 53:7.
Pilate’s “amazement” at his silence may be an allusion to Isaiah 52:14-15.
Now on the occasion of the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wished.
This custom is not attested to outside the gospels; scholars remain divided on the historical reliability of this claim. Some argue that it’s plausible because Roman prefects sometimes granted ad hoc favors to maintain order; others argue that it’s historically doubtful because it contradicts what we know of Pilate’s harshness and Roman penal practice.
And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Which one do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus called Messiah?”
The Aramaic name Barabbas means “son of the father.” Mark and Luke tell us he was in prison for insurrection and murder (Mark 15:7; Luke 23:19).
The contrast between Barabbas and Jesus sharpens the moral and political tension of the scene. The crowd is being asked to choose between Barabbas, “son of the father,” who represents violence and vengence, or Jesus, The Son of The Father, who represents peace and forgiveness.
For he knew that it was out of envy that they had handed him over.
Matthew attributes the accusations against Jesus to envy, pointing to the tension between Jesus’ growing influence and the authority of the leaders (John 11:47).
While he was still seated on the bench, his wife sent him a message, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man. I suffered much in a dream today because of him.”
Unique to Matthew, this detail further underscores Jesus’ innocence, acknowledged even outside Israel.
The chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus. The governor said to them in reply, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They answered, “Barabbas!”
The same group that had sent the arresting party now incites the crowd, shaping the outcome of the choice.
Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” But he said, “Why? What evil has he done?”
Pilate clearly recognizes the injustice of the charges.
In Luke’s gospel, Pilate declares Jesus innocent three times (Luke 23:4, 14-15, 22). In John’s gospel, Pilate repeatedly insist he finds “no case” against Jesus (John 18:38; 19:4, 6).
They only shouted the louder, “Let him be crucified!” When Pilate saw that he was not succeeding at all, but that a riot was breaking out instead, he took water and washed his hands in the sight of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. Look to it yourselves.”
Pilate chooses political convenience over justice.
Despite having ample grounds to release Jesus, whom he knows to be innocent, Pilate chooses instead to allow him to be scourged and crucified.
The symbolic gesture of washing his hands does not remove responsibility; it instead highlights the failure of justice under pressure. (Our modern idiom “to wash one’s hands of something” is derived from this scene.)
And the whole people said in reply, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.”
The crowd assumes responsibility for the decision. Matthew’s phrase “all the people” (pas ho laos) is deliberately sweeping; it includes the priests, the elders, and the crowd.
It’s important to note that the Church rejects any interpretation that assigns collective or enduring guilt to the Jewish people as a whole.
Then he released Barabbas to them, but after he had Jesus scourged, he handed him over to be crucified.
Jesus is immediately sent for torture, then death.
Roman scourging was a brutal punishment that weakened the victim prior to crucifixion, allowing the executioners some control over how long the prisoner would survive.
Scourging normally involved the prisoner being stripped and tied to a pillar or low post. The whip had multi-stranded leather thongs ending with sharp pieces of bone or metal spikes, which would rip a person’s flesh in a single stroke.
Ancient sources indicate that scourging could be so severe that death sometimes occurred before crucifixion; however, the severity varied widely, and Roman officials had discretion in how harshly it was administered.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus inside the praetorium and gathered the whole cohort around him.
The praetorium was the governor’s residence and military headquarters.
“The whole cohort” likely refers to the entire group of soldiers on duty at the governor’s residence at the time, rather than the entire unit, which would typically have been about 480 soldiers (6 centuries × ~80 men each).
They stripped off his clothes and threw a scarlet military cloak about him. Weaving a crown out of thorns, they placed it on his head, and a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
The soldiers mock Jesus, adding psychological torture to his physical torment. They parody him as a king: a royal cloak, a crown, and a reed meant to simulate a scepter. They even mimic the royal address one would give to the emperor (“Hail, Caesar!”).
Their contempt extends not only toward Jesus but toward the people whose king he is said to be. Yet in their derision, their words ironically proclaim the truth.
They spat upon him and took the reed and kept striking him on the head.
Jesus offers no resistance.
The scene recalls the suffering servant describes in Isaiah 50:6: I gave my back to those who struck me, and my cheeks to those who plucked my beard; I hid not my face from shame and spitting.
And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him off to crucify him.
Crucifixion was a Roman method of public execution reserved primarily for slaves, rebels, and non-citizens. It inflicted a prolonged and agonizing death, as the victim struggled to breathe under the weight of his own body. It was so horrible that it was prohibited by Roman law to crucify Roman citizens.
As they were going out, they met a Cyrenian named Simon; this man they pressed into service to carry his cross.
Crucifixions were carried out outside the city walls, often along well‑traveled roads, to serve as a public deterrent. The upright beam was typically fixed at the execution site, while the condemned carried the crossbeam through the streets, maximizing visibility and humiliation.
That Simon is compelled to carry the cross underscores the severity of Jesus’ scourging. He is physically unable to continue, revealing the true extent of his suffering.
Cyrene, in North Africa, had a substantial Jewish population, and Simon was likely in Jerusalem for Passover. Luke 23:26 tells us that he was “coming in from the country,” suggesting he had no involvement in the earlier events surrounding Jesus’ condemnation.
The need for assistance from a stranger is striking. Those closest to Jesus have fled. Yet in God’s providence, Simon becomes an image of discipleship —one who shares in the Cross.
And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull),
Golgotha was an established execution site outside Jerusalem. The name derives from the Aramaic gulgultā, meaning “skull,” which is echoed in the Latin calvaria, from which we get “Calvary.”
they gave Jesus wine to drink mixed with gall. But when he had tasted it, he refused to drink.
The drink, described in Mark 15:23 as mixed with myrrh, was likely meant to dull pain. Jesus refuses it.
This refusal reflects his willingness to embrace the fullness of his suffering in obedience to the Father. It also resonates with his earlier words at the Last Supper (Matthew 26:29): he will not drink again until the Kingdom is fulfilled.
The Passion is thus not only suffering but a deliberate, priestly offering.
After they had crucified him, they divided his garments by casting lots; then they sat down and kept watch over him there.
The division of the victim’s garments was a privilege given to the soldiers who handled the execution; the crucified were stripped entirely naked as a final humiliation.
This action fulfills Psalm 22:18 — “They divide my garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots” — one of the many ways that psalm comes to life in the Passion.
And they placed over his head the written charge against him: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.
The titulus named the victim’s crime. John 19:19-20 notes that it was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek.
Intended as a political statement, it becomes, in God’s providence, a proclamation of truth: Jesus reigns precisely through the Cross.
The familiar abbreviation INRI comes from the Latin Iesus Nazarenus Rex Iudaeorum (“Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews”), the wording John records on the inscription.
Two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left.
All four Gospels state that Jesus was crucified between two criminals; in his death, he “was numbered with the transgressors” (Isaiah 53:12).
Even in death, he stands in solidarity with those he came to save.
The goal of crucifixion was not simply to end the person’s life but to maximize the corresponding pain and public humiliation. Stripped of clothing and nailed or bound to a cross with their arms extended and raised, their exposed bodies had no means of coping with heat, cold, insects, or pain.
Those passing by reviled him,
The mockery fulfills the pattern of the righteous sufferer (cf. Psalms 22, 109).
shaking their heads and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the cross!”
These taunts are reminiscent of the devil’s temptations of Jesus in the desert: “If you are the Son of God…” (Matthew 4:3,6).
The irony is profound: Jesus will indeed “rebuild” the temple of his body, but precisely by remaining on the Cross.
Likewise the chief priests with the scribes and elders mocked him
The rejection is total: the passersby, priests, scribes, and elders.
Israel, in its representatives, rejects its Messiah.
and said, “He saved others; he cannot save himself. So he is the king of Israel! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
God does not answer the demand for a sign. The Son’s identity is revealed not by avoiding suffering, but by obediently embracing it.
The revolutionaries who were crucified with him also kept abusing him in the same way. From noon onward, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon.
Just as heavenly light had shone at the time of Christ’s birth (Luke 2:8-14), so darkness marks his death (Luke 22:53, cf. Amos 8:9).
This is not defeat, but the hour in which the power of darkness is overcome.
And about three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
Jesus cries out with the opening words of Psalm 22.
In the Jewish tradition of the time, invoking the first line was a way of calling to mind the entire psalm. Jesus is therefore not expressing despair but praying from within the depths of human abandonment, drawing the whole psalm into this moment.
Psalm 22 moves from anguish to vindication; by invoking it, Jesus reveals both the real desolation he endures and his trust in the Father whose saving purpose he is fulfilling
Some of the bystanders who heard it said, “This one is calling for Elijah.”
A misunderstanding of his words (“Eli” sounds like “Elijah”) becomes another moment of mockery. The expectation of Elijah’s return is twisted into the spectacle.
Immediately one of them ran to get a sponge; he soaked it in wine, and putting it on a reed, gave it to him to drink. But the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him.” But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice, and gave up his spirit.
John 19:30 notes that Jesus drank the wine and cried out, “It is finished,” the declaration made after the fourth cup of the Passover meal. His Passover sacrifice is now complete.
Jesus’ death is both real and sovereign. He truly dies — his soul separated from his body — yet he does so freely. Matthew’s phrasing (aphēken to pneuma, literally “he released his spirit”) emphasizes intentionality: Jesus does not merely expire but willingly surrenders his life. Matthew avoids the usual Greek terms for dying and instead chooses a verb that highlights Jesus’ agency and the sacrificial character of his death.
This genuine death, acknowledged even by Jesus’ enemies, prepares the way for the unmistakable reality of the Resurrection. This moment is the climax of his obedience to the Father’s will, the act by which he accomplishes the salvation of humanity (Matthew 26:27-28; Mark 10:45; Hebrews 9:14) and reveals the depth of God’s love (John 3:16).
“[Jesus] was, then, himself the sacrificer who offered himself to the Father and immolated himself, dying in love, to love, by love, for love, and of love” (Saint Francis de Sales, Treatise on the Love of God, Book 10, Chapter 17).
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two
Exodus 26:31-33 describes the inner veil (parokhet) that divided the Holy Place from the Holy of Holies in both the Tabernacle and, later, the Temple. The Holy of Holies was accessible only by the high priest and then only once a year, on the Day of Atonement.
The rending of the temple veil by God himself indicates that the way to God the Father has been opened to all men (see Hebrews 9:15). The New Covenant is established.
from top to bottom.
No man could tear the curtain in this direction; a way of indicating that this was God’s doing.
The earth quaked, rocks were split,
These signs point to the cosmic significance of Christ’s death. Creation itself responds.
tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. And coming forth from their tombs after his resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many.
Only Matthew’s gospel records that tombs were opened and many saints were raised. The Church interprets this as a mysterious but real sign that Christ’s death has broken the power of death itself, anticipating the resurrection that will follow.
The most common view among the Church Fathers is that these saints were raised in a manner similar to Lazarus — restored to earthly life, not yet glorified — and therefore died again. This preserves the truth that Christ alone is the first to rise in a definitive, glorified resurrection.
The centurion and the men with him who were keeping watch over Jesus feared greatly when they saw the earthquake and all that was happening, and they said, “Truly, this was the Son of God!”
It’s ironic that the first public confession at the crucifixion site comes not from Israel’s leaders or the watching crowds, but from pagan soldiers — the very men who carried out the execution.
Confronted by the divine signs that accompany Jesus’ death, they acknowledge his true identity.
There were many women there, looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him. Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
These are the women who had accompanied Jesus from Galilee. John’s gospel has them much closer to the action and accompanied by John himself and the Blessed Virgin (John 19:25).
Their presence serves as an example of stoutheartedness to all Christians.
When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
Mark and Luke identify Joseph as a member of the Sanhedrin, though it’s unclear whether he was present at the council’s proceedings that led to Jesus’ condemnation.
Arimathea was about twenty miles northeast of Jerusalem.
He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be handed over. Taking the body, Joseph wrapped it in clean linen and laid it in his new tomb that he had hewn in the rock. Then he rolled a huge stone across the entrance to the tomb and departed.
Joseph courageously approaches Pilate, taking action that openly opposes the Sanhedrin and aligns him with the condemned Jesus.
His burial of Jesus fulfills Isaiah 53:9 and safeguards the dignity of Jesus’ body.
But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary remained sitting there, facing the tomb.
That the tomb was the new tomb of a rich man and that the two Marys noted its location are important details; there could be no question about the identity of Jesus’ burial place.
“The other Mary” is the mother of James and Joseph, as noted previously (Matthew 27:56).
The next day, the one following the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember that this impostor while still alive said, ‘After three days I will be raised up.’
The Day of Preparation (from the Greek paraskeuē) was the day before the sabbath; i.e., Friday (see Luke 23:54). Everything needed for the sabbath was prepared on Friday, since the sabbath was a day of rest, consecrated to God, on which no work was permitted.
Matthew’s phrase “the next day, the one after the day of preparation” clearly points to the Sabbath. This circumlocution quietly exposes the impropriety of the leaders’ actions, who gather, deliberate, and visit Pilate on a day when such activity was forbidden.
Remarkably, Jesus’ enemies seem to remember his prophecy of resurrection more clearly than his disciples.
Give orders, then, that the grave be secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been raised from the dead.’ This last imposture would be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “The guard is yours; go secure it as best you can.” So they went and secured the tomb by fixing a seal to the stone and setting the guard.
With these actions, both Roman authority and the religious leadership believe the matter settled: Pilate has neutralized any threat to public order, and the chief priests have silenced Jesus, sealing in the tomb any possibility of further disturbance.
Yet the very precautions they take — sealing the stone and posting a guard — will become evidence that supports the truth of the Resurrection.
What appears sealed in death is, in truth, poised for divine vindication.
Themes and Connections
On this final Lenten Sunday, as we prepare to enter the sacred time of Holy Week, we look again at the significance of Christ in our lives. We recognize him as our Savior, but we look more closely in order to discover just what kind of Savior he is.
The King who comes in humility. In the processional reading, Jesus enters Jerusalem not in power but in meekness, welcomed as a king the crowd does not yet understand.
The Servant who does not turn back. In the first reading, the servant, who foreshadows Christ, endures suffering and shame with steadfast trust, refusing to retreat from God’s call.
The Lord who empties himself. In the second reading, we learn how Christ freely descended into human weakness and death, and through that obedience is exalted above all.
The King enthroned on the cross. Betrayed, abandoned, and condemned, Jesus reveals his true kingship by giving his life in faithful love.
Sunday Readings 