The Crucifixion

Pilate has Jesus flogged; the soldiers press a crown of thorns on his head and dress him in a purple robe. Pilate declares he finds no fault in him, but the chief priests cry out, “Crucify him!” and finally say, “We have no king but Cesar.” Carrying his cross, Jesus goes out to the place of the skull, Golgotha, where he is crucified between two others. Above him is an inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Latin: “Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews.” The soldiers cast lots for his seamless tunic, as Scripture foretold. Jesus entrusts his mother to the disciple he loved: “Behold thy mother!” Then he says, “I thirst,” receives the vinegar, and declares: “It is finished.” Bowing his head, he gives up his spirit. A soldier pierces his side: blood and water come out. Joseph of Arimathea and Nicodemus lay him in a new tomb.