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To mark chapter 15. Mark chapter 15. And this is, well, I can say officially to you all, welcome to Holy Week. Okay, so welcome to Holy Week. And this is, of course, Palm Sunday.
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But it's interesting, this day, this Sunday really holds intention, all right? The celebration, but also the passion. All right? It holds intention, interestingly, this week, because we have the whole week ahead of us, right? Like, in other words, if you don't come to any of the services, which I really hope you do, then you just move from Palm Sunday straight to Easter Sunday, which then you kind of miss the cross, right?
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So on this day, the church has asked us to actually read two different readings, which we've already read. One, which is this triumphal entry, right? And the second one, though, deals with the passion of the Christ. All right, these are the last of the week. It's Friday, all right?
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And so I want you to join with me as we look here, Mark 15. We got something going on there, Bob, was I. Yeah, yeah, I think I'm coming through on the live or something. You hear that? You hear that bit of an echo?
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Yeah. Oh, there you go. It's done. All right, here's what I'm going to do. I'm going to come down and read, in the midst of all of us, this whole chapter of chapter 15.
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We can all pay attention to this very. I mean, this is like the crescendo of the gospel. It is the very center of our faith here, what's happening at the cross. So if you would stand with me and then turn toward where I'm located here, somewhat in the middle, and notice these words reading from the NRSV here. As soon as it was morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council.
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They bound Jesus, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate. Pilate asked him, are you the king of the Jews? He answered him, you say so? Then the chief priest accused him of many things. Pilate asked him again, have you no answer?
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See how many charges they bring against you? But Jesus made no further reply, so that Pilate was amazed. Now, at the festival, he used to release a prisoner for them, anyone for whom they asked. Now, a man called Barabbas was in prison with the rebels who had committed murder during the insurrection. So the crowd came and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to his custom.
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Then he answered them, do you want me to release for you the king of the Jews? For he realized that it was out of jealousy that the chief priests had handed him over but the chief priest stirred up the crowd to have him release Barabbas for them. Instead, Pilate spoke to them again. Then what do you wish me to do with the man you call the king of the Jews? They shouted back, crucify him.
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Pilate asked them, why? What evil has he done? But they shouted, all the more, crucify him. So Pilate, wishing to satisfy the crowd, released Barabbas for them. And after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified.
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Then the soldiers led him into the courtyard of the palace that is the governor's headquarters. And they called together the whole cohort, and they clothed him in a purple cloak. And after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on him, and they began saluting him. Hail, king of the Jews. They struck his head with a reed, spat upon him, and knelt down in homage to him.
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After mocking him, they stripped him of the purple cloak and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him. They compelled a passerby who was coming in from the country to carry his cross. It was Simon of Cyrene, the father of Alexander and Rufus. Then they brought jesus to the place called Golgoth