1

      This passion narrative is for use in the Good Friday service.  Alternatively, it may be used on Palm Sunday (Passion Sunday).

2

      The narrative consists of the full gospel reading appointed for Good Friday (John 18,19).  The text is from the Good News Bible: Today’s English Version (Revised Australian Edition copyright © American Bible Society New York 1993),  adapted for different readers to read the parts of the various speakers. It is interspersed with hymn (chorale) verses in modernised wording.  The seven chorale tunes are ones used in JS Bach’s Passions; six of them occur in his St John Passion and one (O sacred head) in his St Matthew Passion.

3

      The chorale verses break up the long reading, and also provide congregational responses to the passion narrative, helping to relate it to the lives of the hearers.

4

      The chorale verses chosen here link thematically with the narrative at the points where they occur.  Most, if not all, should be singable by most congregations.  However, some verses may be sung or led by a choir.  Other suitable hymn verses may be substituted or added.

5

      The hymn references are to Lutheran Hymnal (LH).  For some tunes, the Australian Hymn Book gives alternative settings.  The old Australian Lutheran Hymn Book also gives isometric (rather than rhythmic) versions for Chorale 2, Chorale 3, and Chorale 6.  An alternative harmonisation  for Chorale 7 may be found in the American Lutheran Book of Worship (no.325).  A choir may choose to use Bach harmonisations for the chorales.

6

      Chorale preludes are also available for all of the tunes, eg by J S Bach, Buxtehude, Pachelbel, and J G Walther; these may be found in the Concordia Hymn Prelude Series, particularly volumes 7–9.  The use of preludes would be more appropriate for a Palm Sunday presentation rather than at a good Friday service.

7

      The congregation does not need to have the gospel narrative printed out, but only the chorale verses with the headings and the gospel references in between, eg ‘Jesus is arrested (John 18:1–11)’. Congregations are hereby given permission to reproduce the chorale verses for use in worship.

8

      The minister introduces the reading in the Good Friday order as normal.  The liturgical response at the end of the gospel may be omitted since the final chorale verse follows as a response immediately after the conclusion of the reading.

9

      The number of readers can be adapted.  Some of the minor parts may be read by the same reader; the girl, guard, other person, and slave speak only once, and Peter twice.

10

      Those taking part in the reading should rehearse well beforehand.  The parts must be read clearly and with meaning, but not overdramatically.  Restraint, rather than overstatement, is appropriate, particularly on Good Friday, since this is a public liturgical reading of the gospel, which should be allowed to speak for itself.

11

      A simple reading, rather than an acting, may be preferable, particularly on Good Friday; the readers may be hidden and the voices heard over a PA system.  If the narrative is acted out as a drama on Good Friday, the presentation should be restrained, with few props, in keeping with the austerity of the day.

12

      The number of other hymns in the service may be reduced, and the sermon may be shorter than usual.  Other optional parts of the service may be omitted.

The parts:

Narrator

Jesus

Group

Girl

Peter

Guard

Other person

Slave

Pilate

Narrator:

Jesus left with his disciples and went across the Kidron Valley. There was a garden there, and Jesus and his disciples went in.  Judas, the traitor, knew where it was, because many times Jesus had met there with his disciples. So Judas went to the garden, taking with him a group of Roman soldiers, and some Temple guards sent by the chief priests and the Pharisees; they were armed and carried lanterns and torches.  Jesus knew everything that was going to happen to him, so he stepped forward and asked them,

Narrator:

Judas, the traitor, was standing there with them. When Jesus said to them, ‘I am he’, they moved back and fell to the ground. Again Jesus asked them,

Jesus:

I have already told you that I am he. If, then, you are looking for me, let these others go.

Narrator:

He said this so that what he had said might come true: ‘Father, I have not lost even one of those you gave me’.

Simon Peter, who had a sword, drew it and struck the High Priest’s slave, cutting off his right ear. The name of the slave was Malchus. Jesus said to Peter,

Jesus:

Put your sword back in its place! Do you think that I will not drink the cup of suffering which my Father has given me?

Narrator:

Then the Roman soldiers with their commanding officer and the Jewish guards arrested Jesus, tied him up, and took him first to Annas.  He was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was High Priest that year.  It was Caiaphas who had advised the Jewish authorities that it was better that one man should die for all the people.

Simon Peter and another disciple followed Jesus.  That other disciple was well known to the High Priest, so he went with Jesus into the courtyard of the High Priest’s house, while Peter stayed outside by the gate.  Then the other disciple went back out, spoke to the girl at the gate, and brought Peter inside.  The girl at the gate said to Peter,

Girl:

Aren’t you also one of the disciples of that man?

Peter:

No, I am not.

Narrator:

It was cold, so the servants and guards had built a charcoal fire and were standing around it, warming themselves.  So Peter went over and stood with them, warming himself.

The High Priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. Jesus answered,

Jesus:

I have always spoken publicly to everyone; all my teaching was done in the synagogues and in the Temple, where all the people come together. I have never said anything in secret. Why, then, do you question me? Question the people who heard me. Ask them what I told them — they know what I said.

Narrator:

When Jesus said this, one of the guards there slapped him and said,

Guard:

How dare you talk like that to the High Priest!

Jesus:

If I have said anything wrong, tell everyone here what it was. But if I am right in what I have said, why do you hit me?

Narrator:

Then Annas sent him, still tied up, to Caiaphas the High Priest.

Peter was still standing there keeping himself warm. So the others said to him,

person:

Aren’t you also one of the disciples of that man?

Peter:

No, I am not.

Narrator:

One of the High Priest’s slaves, a relative of the man whose ear Peter had cut off, spoke up.

Slave:

Didn’t I see you with him in the garden?

Narrator:

Again Peter said ‘No’ — and at once a cock crowed.

Narrator:

Early in the morning Jesus was taken from Caiaphas’ house to the governor’s palace.  The Jewish authorities did not go inside the palace, for they wanted to keep themselves ritually clean, in order to be able to eat the Passover meal.  So Pilate went outside to them and asked,

Pilate:

What do you accuse this man of?

Group:

We would not have brought him to you if he had not committed a crime.

Pilate:

Then you yourselves take him and try him according to your own law.

Group:

We are not allowed to put anyone to death.

Narrator:

This happened in order to make the words of Jesus come true, the words he used to indicate the kind of death he would die.

Pilate went back into the palace and called Jesus.

Pilate:

Are you the king of the Jews?

Jesus:

Does this question come from you or have others told you about me?

Pilate:

Do you think I am a Jew?  It was your own people and the chief priests who handed you over to me.  What have you done?

Jesus:

My kingdom does not belong to this world; if my kingdom belonged to this world, my followers would fight to keep me from being handed over to the Jewish authorities. No, my kingdom does not belong here!

Pilate:

Are you a king, then?

Jesus:

You say that I am a king. I was born and came into the world for this one purpose, to speak about the truth. Whoever belongs to the truth listens to me.

Pilate:

And what is truth?

Narrator:

Then Pilate went back outside to the people and said to them,

Pilate:

I cannot find any reason to condemn him. But according to the custom you have, I always set free a prisoner for you during the Passover.  Do you want me to set free for you the king of the Jews?

Narrator:

They answered him with a shout,

Group:

No, not him! We want Barabbas!

Narrator:

Barabbas was a bandit.

Then Pilate took Jesus and had him whipped. The soldiers made a crown out of thorny branches and put it on his head; then they put a purple robe on him and came to him and said,

Group:

Long live the King of the Jews!

Narrator:

And they went up and slapped him.

Pilate went back out once more and said to the crowd,

Pilate:

Look, I will bring him out here to you to let you see that I cannot find any reason to condemn him.

Narrator:

So Jesus came out, wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe. Pilate said to them,

Pilate:

Look! Here is the man!

Narrator:

When the chief priests and the Temple guards saw him, they shouted,

Group:

Crucify him! Crucify him!

Pilate:

You take him, then, and crucify him. I find no reason to condemn him.

Group:

We have a law that says he ought to die, because he claimed to be the Son of God.

Narrator:

When Pilate heard this, he was even more afraid. He went back into the palace and asked Jesus,

Pilate:

Where do you come from?

Narrator:

But Jesus did not answer. Pilate said to him,

Pilate:

You will not speak to me? Remember, I have the authority to set you free and also to have you crucified.

Jesus:

You have authority over me only because it was given to you by God. So the man who handed me over to you is guilty of a worse sin.

Narrator:

When Pilate heard this, he tried to find a way to set Jesus free. But the crowd shouted back,

Group:

If you set him free, that means that you are not the Emperor’s friend! Anyone who claims to be a king is a rebel against the Emperor!

Narrator:

When Pilate heard these words, he took Jesus outside and sat down on the judge’s seat in the place called ‘The Stone Pavement’. (In Hebrew the name is ‘Gabbatha’.) It was then almost midday on the day before the Passover. Pilate said to the people,

Pilate:

Here is your king!

Group:

Kill him! Kill him! Crucify him!

Pilate:

Do you want me to crucify your king?

Group:

The only king we have is the Emperor!

Narrator:

Then Pilate handed Jesus over to them to be crucified. So they took charge of Jesus. He went out, carrying his cross, and came to ‘The Place of the Skull’, as it is called. (In Hebrew it is called ‘Golgotha’). There they crucified him; and they also crucified two other men, one on each side, with Jesus between them. Pilate wrote a notice and had it put on the cross. ‘Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews’, is what he wrote. Many of the people read it, because the place where Jesus was crucified was not far from the city. The notice was written in Hebrew, Latin, and Greek. The chief priests said to Pilate,

Group:

Do not write ‘The King of the Jews’, but rather, ‘This man said, I am the King of the Jews’.

Pilate:

What I have written stays written.

Narrator:

After the soldiers had crucified Jesus, they took his clothes and divided them into four parts, one part for each soldier.  They also took the robe, which was made of one piece of woven cloth without any seams in it. The soldiers said to one another,

Group:

Let’s not tear it; let’s throw dice to see who will get it.

Narrator:

This happened in order to make the scripture come true:

Jesus:

He is your son.

Narrator:

Then he said to the disciple,

Jesus:

She is your mother.

Narrator:

From that time the disciple took her to live in his home. Jesus knew that by now everything had been completed; and in order to make the scripture come true, he said,

Jesus:

I am thirsty.

Narrator:

A bowl was there, full of cheap wine; so a sponge was soaked in the wine, put on a stalk of hyssop, and lifted up to his lips. Jesus drank the wine and said,

Jesus:

It is finished.

Narrator:

Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

Narrator:

Then the Jewish authorities asked Pilate to allow them to break the legs of the men who had been crucified, and to take the bodies down from the crosses. They requested this because it was Friday, and they did not want the bodies to stay on the crosses on the Sabbath, since the coming Sabbath was especially holy. So the soldiers went and broke the legs of the first man and then of the other man who had been crucified with Jesus. But when they came to Jesus, they saw that he was already dead, so they did not break his legs. One of the soldiers, however, plunged his spear into Jesus’ side, and at once blood and water poured out. (The one who saw this happen has spoken of it, so that you also may believe. What he said is true, and he knows that he speaks the truth.)  This was done to make the scripture come true: