Some wicked men came into the garden. The Pharisees had sent them. The men had swords and sticks.

Matthew 26:47

Judas, the Apostle, was with them. The men had paid Judas to find Jesus. They did not know which man Jesus was.

Matthew 26:14–16, 47

Judas told the men he would kiss Jesus. Then they would know who Jesus was. Judas came and kissed Jesus.

Matthew 26:48–49

The men took Jesus to the Pharisees. The Pharisees could not kill Jesus themselves. Only the Romans could kill Jesus.

Matthew 26:57, 59; 27:1

The Pharisees took Jesus to Pilate. Pilate was the Roman leader in Jerusalem. The Pharisees told Pilate that Jesus should die. Pilate asked Jesus many questions. He did not think Jesus had done anything wrong.

Matthew 27:2, 11–13; Luke 23:14

Pilate told the Pharisees Jesus had done nothing wrong. Pilate wanted to let Jesus go. But the Pharisees hated Jesus. They said to Pilate, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate did not want trouble with the Pharisees. So he told his soldiers to crucify Jesus.

Luke 23:13–24; John 19:6

Pilate’s soldiers took Jesus and beat him with whips. They made fun of Jesus. They made a crown of thorns. They put it on his head. The thorns hurt his head and made it bleed. The soldiers put a purple robe on Jesus. They laughed at him and spit on him. They called him the king of the Jews.

Mark 15:15–19

The soldiers took Jesus to a hill near Jerusalem. Many Jews followed. The soldiers crucified Jesus. They laid him on the wooden cross. They nailed his hands and his feet to the cross. Then they lifted up the cross. They also crucified two other men. The two other men were thieves.

Luke 23:26–27, 33

Jesus prayed. He asked his Heavenly Father to forgive the soldiers who crucified him. They did not know he was the Savior.

Luke 23:34

Jesus’ mother, Mary, was standing by the cross. The Apostle John was standing there too. Jesus told John to take care of his mother. He told his mother to go with John.

John 19:25–27

Jesus’ disciples were very sad. They loved Jesus very much. Jesus suffered on the cross many hours. Then Jesus died. His spirit left his body.

Matthew 27:46, 50; Luke 23:27–28

The sky was dark. There was a big earthquake. Rocks broke in pieces. The curtain in the temple was torn in half. The Roman soldiers were afraid.

Matthew 27:45, 51, 54

One of Jesus’ disciples took Jesus’ body off the cross. He wrapped Jesus’ body in a cloth and put it in a tomb. A tomb is a place where people are buried. He put a big rock in front of the tomb.

Matthew 27:57–60