Matthew 26:57–75

Great Friday, 3 Gospel at Matins.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 110a

In the days when morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel concerning Jesus, to put him to death; and having bound him, they led him away and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And they said to him, What have we to do with this? See for yourself. And he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went out, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury of the church, because it is the price of blood. And when they had taken counsel, they bought with them the potter's land for the burial of the strangers; for this reason that land is called "the land of blood" to this day. Then came to pass what was said through the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Priced One, whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord told me." And Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You speak." And when the chief priests and elders accused him, he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many testify against you? And he did not answer him a single word, so that the governor was greatly astonished. On the feast of Easter, the governor had the custom of releasing to the people one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time there was among them a well-known prisoner, called Barabbas; And when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? for he knew that they had betrayed him out of envy. While he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say, "Do nothing to that Righteous One, for I have suffered much this day in a dream for His sake." But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas, and to destroy Jesus. Then the governor asked them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, Barabbas. Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone said to him: let him be crucified. And the governor said, What evil has he done? But they cried out even more loudly: let him be crucified. Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the confusion increased, took water and washed his hands before the people, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; See you. And all the people answered, saying, His blood be on us and on our children. Then he released Barabbas to them, and having beaten Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole army against Him, and having undressed Him, put on Him a scarlet robe; and having wove a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and gave Him a reed in His right hand. and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! and they spat on him, and took a reed, and smote him on the head. And when they mocked him, they took off his scarlet robe, and clothed him in his garments, and led him away to be crucified. As they went out, they met a certain Cyrenean, named Simon; they compelled him to bear his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means, the place of the skull, they gave him vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and when he had tasted it, he would not drink. And those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots; and they sat there to watch over him; And they put an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, King of the Jews. Then two thieves were crucified with Him, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And those who passed by cursed Him, shaking their heads, and saying, "He who destroys the temple, and builds in three days! save thyself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise, the chief priests, with the scribes, and the elders, and the Pharisees, mocking, said, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself; if He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and let us believe in Him; he trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he is pleasing to him. For He said, I am the Son of God. Likewise, the thieves who were crucified with Him reviled Him. And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Eli, Eli! Lama Savakhfani? that is: My God, My God! why hast thou forsaken me? And some of those who stood there, hearing this, said, He is calling Elijah. And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. and others said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones were scattered; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep rose from the dead, and having come out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. And the centurion, and those who were with him, seeing the earthquake and all that had happened, were greatly afraid, and said, Truly he was the Son of God. There were also and looked from afar many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to serve Him; among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Josiah, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

Matthew 27:1–56

Good Friday, at 1 o'clock.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 110b

In those days, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel about Jesus, to put Him to death; and having bound him, they led him away and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor. Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He was condemned, and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. And they said to him, What have we to do with this? See for yourself. And he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went out, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury of the church, because it is the price of blood. And when they had taken counsel, they bought with them the potter's land for the burial of the strangers; for this reason that land is called "the land of blood" to this day. Then came to pass what was said through the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Priced One, whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord told me." And Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You speak." And when the chief priests and elders accused him, he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many testify against you? And he did not answer him a single word, so that the governor was greatly astonished. On the feast of Easter, the governor had the custom of releasing to the people one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time there was among them a well-known prisoner, called Barabbas; And when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? for he knew that they had betrayed him out of envy. While he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say, "Do nothing to that Righteous One, for I have suffered much this day in a dream for His sake." But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas, and to destroy Jesus. Then the governor asked them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, Barabbas. Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone said to him: let him be crucified. And the governor said, What evil has he done? But they cried out even more loudly: let him be crucified. Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the confusion increased, took water and washed his hands before the people, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; See you. And all the people answered, saying, His blood be on us and on our children. Then he released Barabbas to them, and having beaten Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole army against Him, and having undressed Him, put on Him a scarlet robe; and having wove a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and gave Him a reed in His right hand. and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! and they spat on him, and took a reed, and smote him on the head. And when they mocked him, they took off his scarlet robe, and clothed him in his garments, and led him away to be crucified. As they went out, they met a certain Cyrenean, named Simon; they compelled him to bear his cross. And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means, the place of the skull, they gave him vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and when he had tasted it, he would not drink. And those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots; and they sat there to watch over him; And they put an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, King of the Jews. Then two thieves were crucified with Him, one on the right hand and the other on the left. And those who passed by cursed Him, shaking their heads, and saying, "He who destroys the temple, and builds in three days! save thyself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Likewise, the chief priests, with the scribes, and the elders, and the Pharisees, mocking, said, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself; if He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and let us believe in Him; he trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he is pleasing to him. For He said, I am the Son of God. One of the hanged evildoers cursed Him and said: If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us. The other, on the contrary, rebuked him and said: "Do you not fear God, when you yourself are condemned to the same thing?" and we are justly condemned, because we have received what is worthy according to our works, and He has done nothing evil. And he said unto Jesus, Remember me, O Lord, when thou comest into thy kingdom. And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise. And from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Eli, Eli! Lama Savakhfani? that is: My God, My God! why hast thou forsaken me? And some of those who stood there, hearing this, said, He is calling Elijah. And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. and others said, "Wait, let us see if Elijah comes to save him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and gave up his spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones were scattered; and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep rose from the dead, and having come out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. And the centurion, and those who were with him, seeing the earthquake and all that had happened, were greatly afraid, and said, Truly he was the Son of God. But since it was Friday, the Jews, in order not to leave the bodies on the cross on the Sabbath — for that Sabbath was a great day — asked Pilate to break their legs and take them off. So the soldiers came, and they broke the legs of the first, and the other who was crucified with him. But when they came to Jesus, when they saw Him already dead, they did not break His legs, but one of the soldiers pierced His ribs with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. And he who has seen has testified, and his testimony is true; He knows that he speaks the truth so that you will believe. For these things have come to pass, that the Scripture may be fulfilled: let not his bone be broken. Likewise, in another place the Scripture says: they will look upon Him Whom they have pierced. There were also and looked from afar many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to serve Him; among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Josiah, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. And when evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had also studied with Jesus; he came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate gave orders to give up the body; And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean shroud, and laid it in his new sepulchre, which he had hewn out of the rock. and having rolled a large stone to the door of the tomb, he departed. And there was Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, who were sitting opposite the tomb.

Matthew 27:1–43; Luke 23:39–43; Matthew 27:45–54; John 19:31–37; Matthew 27:55–61

Great Friday, at Vespers.

The Gospel of Matthew, conceived 111

In those days, Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, saw that He was condemned, and repented, and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, "I have sinned in betraying innocent blood." And they said to him, What have we to do with this? See for yourself. And he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple, and went out, and went and hanged himself. And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury of the church, because it is the price of blood. And when they had taken counsel, they bought with them the potter's land for the burial of the strangers; for this reason that land is called "the land of blood" to this day. Then came to pass what was said through the prophet Jeremiah, who said, "And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the Priced One, whom the children of Israel valued, and gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord told me." And Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked him, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "You speak." And when the chief priests and elders accused him, he answered nothing. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many testify against you? And he did not answer him a single word, so that the governor was greatly astonished. On the feast of Easter, the governor had the custom of releasing to the people one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time there was among them a well-known prisoner, called Barabbas; And when they were assembled, Pilate said to them, Whom do you want me to release to you, Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? for he knew that they had betrayed him out of envy. While he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say, "Do nothing to that Righteous One, for I have suffered much this day in a dream for His sake." But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas, and to destroy Jesus. Then the governor asked them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, Barabbas. Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone said to him: let him be crucified. And the governor said, What evil has he done? But they cried out even more loudly: let him be crucified. Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the confusion increased, took water and washed his hands before the people, and said, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous one; See you. And all the people answered, saying, His blood be on us and on our children. Then he released Barabbas to them, and having beaten Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus to the praetorium, gathered the whole army against Him, and having undressed Him, put on Him a scarlet robe; and having wove a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and gave Him a reed in His right hand. and kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! and they spat on him, and took a reed, and smote him on the head. And when they mocked him, they took off his scarlet robe, and clothed him in his garments, and led him away to be crucified. As they went out, they met a certain Cyrenean, named Simon; they compelled him to bear his cross.

Matthew 27:3–32

Great Friday, 5 Gospel at Matins.