m!" He said to them for the third time, "Why, what crime has
this man committed? I have found no reason to put him to death. I will
therefore have him flogged and then release him." But they shouted and
demanded that he should be crucified. And so Pilate, wishing to please
the people, released Barabbas, but Jesus he turned over to them to be
crucified.

JESUS IS CRUCIFIED BY HIS ENEMIES

The soldiers led Jesus to the courtyard of the governor's palace and
called together the whole company. Then they clothed him in a purple
robe and, making a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and began to
salute him, "Hail, King of the Jews!" They struck him on the head with a
reed and spat on him, and on bended knee paid homage to him. After they
had made sport of him, they stripped off the purple robe and put on his
own clothes, and led him out to be crucified.

They forced a man named Simon, of Cyrene, who was coming in from the
country, to carry his cross. So they brought Jesus to the place called
Golgotha, which means, the place of the skull. And they offered him wine
mixed with myrrh, but he would not take it. Then they crucified him and
divided his clothes among them, drawing lots to decide what each should
take. It was nine in the morning when they crucified him. The
inscription over his head stating the charge against him read:

_THE KING OF THE JEWS_

With him they crucified two robbers, one on his right and one on his
left. And those who passed by scoffed at him, shaking their heads in
derision and saying, "Ha! you who were to destroy the Temple and
rebuild it in three days, save yourself and come down from the cross!"
In the same way the high priests and the scribes mocked him among
themselves and said, "He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Let
the Christ, the 'King of Israel,' now come down from the cross, that we
may see and believe!" But Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they
know not what they do."

One of the criminals who was crucified also scoffed at him, saying, "Are
you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!" But the other said in rebuke,
"Have you no fear of God even though you are being put to death? We are
suffering justly, receiving what we deserve for our crimes, but he has
done no wrong." Then he said, "Jesus, remember me when you enter your
kingdom." Jesus said to him, "This very day you will be with me in
paradise."

Now beside the cross of Jesus stood his mother. Seeing h