Persecution of Jesus

And I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your seed and her seed. He will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.”

Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? …

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “The Doe of the Dawn.” A Psalm of David. My God, my God, why have You forsaken me? Why are You so far from saving me, so far from my words of groaning?

I cry out by day, O my God, but You do not answer, and by night, but I have no rest.

But I am a worm and not a man, scorned by men and despised by the people. …

Be not far from me, for trouble is near and there is no one to help. …

For the choirmaster. To the tune of “Lilies.” Of David. Save me, O God, for the waters are up to my neck. …

I am an object of scorn to my accusers; when they see me, they shake their heads.

Thus says the LORD, the Redeemer and Holy One of Israel, to Him who was despised and abhorred by the nation, to the Servant of rulers: “Kings will see You and rise, and princes will bow down, because of the LORD, who is faithful, the Holy One of Israel, who has chosen You.”

I offered My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who tore out My beard. I did not hide My face from scorn and spittle.

Just as many were appalled at Him—His appearance was disfigured beyond that of any man, and His form was marred beyond human likeness—

He grew up before Him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no stately form or majesty to attract us, no beauty that we should desire Him. …

He was oppressed and afflicted, yet He did not open His mouth. He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is silent, so He did not open His mouth. …

Now, O daughter of troops, mobilize your troops; for a siege is laid against us! With a rod they will strike the cheek of the judge of Israel.

When the Magi had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. “Get up!” he said. “Take the Child and His mother and flee to Egypt. Stay there until I tell you, for Herod is going to search for the Child to kill Him.”

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and they say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’ But wisdom is vindicated by her actions.”

But the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus.

But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “Only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, does this man drive out demons.”

Then the Pharisees and Sadducees came and tested Jesus by asking Him to show them a sign from heaven.

“You do not know what you are asking,” Jesus replied. “Can you drink the cup I am going to drink?” “We can,” the brothers answered.

Then the Pharisees went out and conspired to trap Jesus in His words.

At that time the chief priests and elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, whose name was Caiaphas,

…and they conspired to arrest Jesus covertly and kill Him.

Then one of the Twelve, the one called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests …

Now the chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking false testimony against Jesus in order to put Him to death.

Then they spit in His face and struck Him. Others slapped Him

All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” …

And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads …

At this, the Pharisees went out and began plotting with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

When His family heard about this, they went out to take custody of Him, saying, “He is out of His mind.”

And the scribes who had come down from Jerusalem were saying, “He is possessed by Beelzebul,” and, “By the prince of the demons He drives out demons.”

When the chief priests and scribes heard this, they looked for a way to kill Him. For they were afraid of Him, because the whole crowd was astonished at His teaching.

Later, they sent some of the Pharisees and Herodians to catch Jesus in His words.

Now the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread were two days away, and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a covert way to arrest Jesus and kill Him.

Jesus asked the crowd, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would an outlaw?

Then some of them began to spit on Him. They blindfolded Him, struck Him with their fists, and said to Him, “Prophesy!” And the officers received Him with slaps in His face.

“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”

At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”

And these signs will accompany those who believe: In My name they will drive out demons; they will speak in new tongues;

On hearing this, all the people in the synagogue were enraged.

They got up, drove Him out of the town, and led Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him over the cliff.

But the scribes and Pharisees were filled with rage and began to discuss with one another what they might do to Jesus.

The Son of Man came eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look at this glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners!’

…but some of them said, “It is by Beelzebul, the prince of the demons, that He drives out demons.”

As Jesus went on from there, the scribes and Pharisees began to oppose Him bitterly and to ply Him with questions about many things,

…waiting to catch Him in something He might say.

But I have a baptism to undergo, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished!

At that very hour, some Pharisees came to Jesus and told Him, “Leave this place and get away, because Herod wants to kill You.”

But his subjects hated him and sent a delegation after him to say, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’

Jesus was teaching at the temple every day, but the chief priests, scribes, and leaders of the people were intent on killing Him.

So they watched Him closely and sent spies who pretended to be sincere. They were hoping to catch Him in His words in order to hand Him over to the rule and authority of the governor.

…and the chief priests and scribes were looking for a way to put Jesus to death, for they feared the people. …

Then Jesus said to the chief priests, temple officers, and elders who had come for Him, “Have you come out with swords and clubs as you would against an outlaw?

Every day I was with you in the temple courts, and you did not lay a hand on Me. But this hour belongs to you and to the power of darkness.”

The men who were holding Jesus began to mock Him and beat Him. …

And even Herod and his soldiers ridiculed and mocked Him. Dressing Him in a fine robe, they sent Him back to Pilate.

But they were insistent, demanding with loud voices for Jesus to be crucified. And their clamor prevailed.

Now because Jesus was doing these things on the Sabbath, the Jews began to persecute Him.

After this, Jesus traveled throughout Galilee. He did not want to travel in Judea, because the Jews there were trying to kill Him.

The world cannot hate you, but it hates Me, because I testify that its works are evil.

Has not Moses given you the law? Yet not one of you keeps it. Why are you trying to kill Me?”

“You have a demon,” the crowd replied. “Who is trying to kill You?”

So they tried to seize Him, but no one laid a hand on Him, because His hour had not yet come.

When the Pharisees heard the crowd whispering these things about Jesus, they and the chief priests sent officers to arrest Him.

I know you are Abraham’s descendants, but you are trying to kill Me because My word has no place within you.

But now you are trying to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth that I heard from God. Abraham never did such a thing.

The Jews answered Him, “Are we not right to say that You are a Samaritan and You have a demon?”

“Now we know that You have a demon!” declared the Jews. “Abraham died, and so did the prophets, yet You say that anyone who keeps Your word will never taste death.

At this, they picked up stones to throw at Him. But Jesus was hidden and went out of the temple area.

Many of them said, “He is demon-possessed and insane. Why would you listen to Him?”

At this, the Jews again picked up stones to stone Him.

At this, they tried again to seize Him, but He escaped their grasp.

But the chief priests and Pharisees had given orders that anyone who knew where He was must report it, so that they could arrest Him.

I will not speak with you much longer, for the prince of this world is coming, and he has no claim on Me.

If the world hates you, understand that it hated Me first.

Remember the word that I spoke to you: ‘No servant is greater than his master.’ If they persecuted Me, they will persecute you as well; if they kept My word, they will keep yours as well.

But they will treat you like this because of My name, since they do not know the One who sent Me.

If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not be guilty of sin; but now they have seen and hated both Me and My Father.

But this is to fulfill what is written in their Law: ‘They hated Me without reason.’

When Jesus had said this, one of the officers standing nearby slapped Him in the face and said, “Is this how You answer the high priest?”

Jesus replied, “If I said something wrong, testify as to what was wrong. But if I spoke correctly, why did you strike Me?”

So Pilate went out to them and asked, “What accusation are you bringing against this man?”

“If He were not a criminal,” they replied, “we would not have handed Him over to you.”

As soon as the chief priests and officers saw Him, they shouted, “Crucify Him! Crucify Him!” “You take Him and crucify Him,” Pilate replied, “for I find no basis for a charge against Him.”

At this, they shouted, “Away with Him! Away with Him! Crucify Him!” “Shall I crucify your King?” Pilate asked. “We have no king but Caesar,” replied the chief priests.

He was delivered up by God’s set plan and foreknowledge, and you, by the hands of the lawless, put Him to death by nailing Him to the cross.

The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, has glorified His servant Jesus. You handed Him over and rejected Him before Pilate, even though he had decided to release Him. …

In fact, this is the very city where Herod and Pontius Pilate conspired with the Gentiles and the people of Israel against Your holy servant Jesus, whom You anointed.

Which of the prophets did your fathers fail to persecute? They even killed those who foretold the coming of the Righteous One. And now you are His betrayers and murderers—

The people of Jerusalem and their rulers did not recognize Jesus, yet in condemning Him they fulfilled the words of the prophets that are read every Sabbath. …

Let us fix our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy set before Him endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Consider Him who endured such hostility from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.

Therefore, since Christ suffered in His body, arm yourselves with the same resolve, because anyone who has suffered in his body is done with sin.