1. The Agony in the Garden

Jesus left to make His way as usual to the Mount of Olives with the disciples following. When they reached the place He said to them, ‘Pray not to be put to the test.’ Then He withdrew from them, about a stone’s throw away, and knelt down and prayed. ’Father,’ He said ‘if You are willing, take this cup away from Me. Nevertheless, let Your will be done, not mine.’ In His anguish He prayed even more earnestly, and His sweat fell to the ground like great drops of blood. When He rose from prayer He went to the disciples and found them sleeping for sheer grief. ‘Why are you asleep?’ He said to them. ‘Get up and pray not to be put to the test.’

2. The Scourging at the Pillar

Pilate said to the chief priests and the elders ‘what am I to do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ They all said, ‘let Him be crucified!’ ‘Why?’ he asked ‘What harm has He done?’ But they shouted all the louder, ‘Let Him be crucified!’ Then Pilate saw that he was making no impression, that in fact a riot was imminent. So he took some water, washed his hands in front of the crowd and said, ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood. It is your concern.’ And the people, to a man, shouted back, ‘His blood be on us and on our children!’ Then he released Barabbas for them. He ordered Jesus to be first scourged and then handed over to be crucified.

3. The Crowning with Thorns

The governor’s soldiers took Jesus with them into the Praetorium and collected the whole cohort round Him. Then they stripped Him and made Him wear a scarlet cloak, and having twisted some thorns into a crown they put this on His head and placed a reed in His right hand. To make fun of Him they knelt to Him saying, ‘Hail, king of the Jews!’ And they spat on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head with it. And when they had finished making fun of Him, they took off the cloak an dressed Him in His own clothes and led Him away to crucify Him.

4. The Carrying of the Cross

As they were leading Him away they seized on a man, Simon from Cyrene, who was coming in from the country, and made him shoulder the cross and carry it behind Jesus. Large numbers of people followed Him, and of women too, who mourned and lamented for Him. But Jesus turned to them and said, ‘Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep rather for yourselves and for your children. For the days will surely come when people will say, “Happy are those who are barren, the wombs that have never borne, the breasts that have never suckled!” Then they will say to the mountains, “Fall on us!”; to the hills, “Cover us!” For if men use the green wood like this, what will happen when it is dry?’

5. The Crucifixion

When they reached the place called The Skull, they crucified Him there and the two criminals also, one on the right, the other on the left. Jesus said, ‘Father, forgive them; they do not know what they are doing.’ Then they cast lots to share out His clothing.

It was now about the sixth hour and, with the sun eclipsed, a darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour. The veil of the temple was torn right down the middle; and when Jesus had cried in a loud voice, He said, ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit.’ With these words He breathed His last.

As the crowds were appalled on seeing Him – so disfigured did He look that He seemed no longer human – so will the crowds be astonished at Him, and kings stand speechless before Him; for they shall see something never told and witness something never heard before: ‘Who could believe what we have heard, and to whom has the power of the Lord been revealed?’ Like a sapling He grew up in front of us, like a root in arid ground. Without beauty, without majesty (we saw Him), no looks to attract our eyes; a thing despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and familiar with suffering, a man to make people screen their faces; He was despised and we took no account of Him.