Simple Harmony of the Crucifixion Accounts (NIV)

Matthew 27

Mark 15

Luke 23

John 19

³² As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross.

²¹ A certain man from Cyrene, Simon, the father of Alexander and Rufus, was passing by on his way in from the country, and they forced him to carry the cross.

³² Two other men, both criminals, were also led out with him to be executed.

^17a Carrying his own cross...

³³ They came to a place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

²² They brought Jesus to the place called Golgotha (which means The Place of the Skull).

^33a When they came to the place called the Skull,

^17b he went out to the place of the Skull (which in Aramaic is called Golgotha).

³⁴ There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

²³ Then they offered him wine mixed with myrrh, but he did not take it.

^35a When they had crucified him,

^24a And they crucified him.

^33b there they crucified him,

^18a Here they crucified him,

³⁸ Two robbers were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left.

²⁷ They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left.

^33c along with the criminals--one on his right, the other on his left.

^18b and with him two others--one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

³⁶ And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. ³⁷ Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

²⁵ It was the third hour when they crucified him. ²⁶ The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS.

³⁸ There was a written notice above him, which read: THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, "Do not write 'The King of the Jews,' but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews." ²² Pilate answered, "What I have written, I have written."

^34a Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing."

^35b they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

^24b Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get.

^34b And they divided up his clothes by casting lots.

²³ When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom. ²⁴ "Let's not tear it," they said to one another. "Let's decide by lot who will get it." This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled which said, "They divided my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing." So this is what the soldiers did.

³⁹ Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads ⁴⁰ and saying, "You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!" ⁴¹ In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. ⁴² "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! He's the King of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

^{28 29} Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, ³⁰ come down from the cross and save yourself!" ³¹ In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! ³² Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe."

³⁵ The people stood watching, and the rulers even sneered at him. They said, "He saved others; let him save himself if he is the Christ of God, the Chosen One." ³⁶ The soldiers also came up and mocked him. They offered him wine vinegar ³⁷ and said, "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself."

⁴⁴ In the same way the robbers who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

³⁹ One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: "Aren't you the Christ? Save yourself and us!"

⁴⁰ But the other criminal rebuked him. "Don't you fear God," he said, "since you are under the same sentence? ⁴¹ We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong." ⁴² Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom." ⁴³ Jesus answered him, "I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise."

⁴⁵ From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.

³³ At the sixth hour darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour.

⁴⁴ It was now about the sixth hour, and darkness came over the whole land until the ninth hour, ^45a for the sun stopped shining....

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother's sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to his mother, "Dear woman, here is your son," ²⁷ and to the disciple, "Here is your mother." From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ⁴⁷ When some of those standing there heard this, they said, "He's calling Elijah."

³⁴ And at the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, "Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?"--which means, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" ³⁵ When some of those standing near heard this, they said, "Listen, he's calling Elijah."

²⁸ Later, knowing that all was now completed, and so that the Scripture would be fulfilled, Jesus said, "I am thirsty."

⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

^36a One man ran, filled a sponge with wine vinegar, put it on a stick, and offered it to Jesus to drink.

²⁹ A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus' lips. ^30a When he had received the drink,

⁴⁹ The rest said, "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to save him."

^36b "Now leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah comes to take him down," he said.

^30b Jesus said, "It is finished."

⁵⁰ And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

³⁷ With a loud cry, Jesus breathed his last.

⁴⁶ Jesus called out with a loud voice, "Father, into your hands I commit my spirit." ⁴⁶ When he had said this, he breathed his last.

^30c With that, he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

^51a At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

³⁸ The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

^45b And the curtain of the temple was torn in two.

^51b The earth shook and the rocks split. ⁵² The tombs broke open and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs, and after Jesus' resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, "Surely he was the Son of God!"

³⁹ And when the centurion, who stood there in front of Jesus, heard his cry and saw how he died, he said, "Surely this man was the Son of God!"

⁴⁷ The centurion, seeing what had happened, praised God and said, "Surely this was a righteous man."

⁵⁵ Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's sons.

⁴⁰ Some women were watching from a distance. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and of Joses, and Salome. ⁴¹ In Galilee these women had followed him and cared for his needs. Many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem were also there.

⁴⁸ When all the people who had gathered to witness this sight saw what took place, they beat their breasts and went away. ⁴⁹ But all those who knew him, including the women who had followed him from Galilee, stood at a distance, watching these things.

^42a It was Preparation Day (that is, the day before the Sabbath).

⁵⁴ It was Preparation Day, and the Sabbath was about to begin.

^31a Now it was the day of Preparation, and the next day was to be a special Sabbath.

^31b Because the Jews did not want the bodies left on the crosses during the Sabbath, they asked Pilate to have the legs broken and the bodies taken down. ³² The soldiers therefore came and broke the legs of the first man who had been crucified with Jesus, and then those of the other. ³³ But when they came to Jesus and found that he was already dead, they did not break his legs. ³⁴ Instead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus' side with a spear, bringing a sudden flow of blood and water. ³⁵ The man who saw it has given testimony, and his testimony is true. He knows that he tells the truth, and he testifies so that you also may believe. ³⁶ These things happened so that the scripture would be fulfilled: "Not one of his bones will be broken," ³⁷ and, as another scripture says, "They will look on the one they have pierced."

⁵⁷ As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus.

^42b So as evening approached, ^43a Joseph of Arimathea, a prominent member of the Council, who was himself waiting for the kingdom of God,

⁵⁰ Now there was a man named Joseph, a member of the Council, a good and upright man, ⁵¹ who had not consented to their decision and action. He came from the Judean town of Arimathea and he was waiting for the kingdom of God.

^38a Later, Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Now Joseph was a disciple of Jesus, but secretly because he feared the Jews.

⁵⁸ Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

^43b went boldly to Pilate and asked for Jesus' body. ⁴⁴ Pilate was surprised to hear that he was already dead. Summoning the centurion, he asked him if Jesus had already died. ⁴⁵ When he learned from the centurion that it was so, he gave the body to Joseph.

⁵² Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus' body.

^38b With Pilate's permission, he came and took the body away.

^39a He was accompanied by Nicodemus, the man who earlier had visited Jesus at night.

^39b Nicodemus brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about seventy-five pounds.

⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away.

⁴⁶ So Joseph bought some linen cloth, took down the body, wrapped it in the linen, and placed it in a tomb cut out of rock. Then he rolled a stone against the entrance of the tomb.

⁵³ Then he took it down, wrapped it in linen cloth and placed it in a tomb cut in the rock, one in which no one had yet been laid.

^40a Taking Jesus' body, the two of them wrapped it, with the spices, in strips of linen. This was in accordance with Jewish burial customs. ⁴¹ At the place where Jesus was crucified, there was a garden, and in the garden a new tomb, in which no one had ever been laid. ⁴² Because it was the Jewish day of Preparation and since the tomb was nearby, they laid Jesus there.

⁶¹ Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.

⁴⁷ Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of Joses saw where he was laid.

⁵⁵ The women who had come with Jesus from Galilee followed Joseph and saw the tomb and how his body was laid in it.

⁵⁶ Then they went home and prepared spices and perfumes. But they rested on the Sabbath in obedience to the commandment.