Matthew 27:1-2
1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and
elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and
delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
When morning came, the chief
priests and the elders held a counsel against Jesus to determine how to put Him
to kill Him. They bound Him, and took Him to the Roman Governor, Pontius
Pilate.
We must remember that the
crucifixion of Jesus Christ was a corporate effort, Jew and Gentile.
Matthew 27:3-6
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that
he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of
silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the
innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple,
and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and
said, It is not lawful for to put them into the
treasury, because it is the price of blood.
When
Judas saw what happened, the KJV says that he “repented himself.” The Greek
text says that Judas had “regret” (Gr. metamelomai-μεταμέλομαι). He did not repent. Instead, he just felt sorrow.
The
one thing Judas did not do is call upon God for forgiveness.
Rom 10:13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved.
Christ does not turn away any
of those who come to Him!
Judas took the pieces of silver
back to the chief priests and elders, and he told them, “I have sinned in that
I have betrayed the innocent blood.”
Their response was, “So
what?” To this day, Jewish leaders deny their Messiah.
Sometimes in our efforts to
look with favor on
Judas threw the silver into
the sanctuary and left. He went and
hanged himself.
The priests took the silver
and used it to buy a burial field for Judas. They reasoned, “It is not lawful for to put
them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.”
The blood of Jesus was on
their heads and they were ignorant of their part in this plot. The Priests were self-deceived.
Matthew 27:7-10
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the
potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood,
unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy
the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of
him that was valued, whom they of the children of
10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord
appointed me.
As I said, they took the
money and bought a field to bury Judas.
The field was “the potter’s field.” And so it is that the potter’s field
is still thought of as to bury the poor and homeless.
The burial of Judas was
prophesied by Jeremiah.
Zech 11:12-13
12 And I said unto them, If
ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my
price thirty pieces of silver.
13 And the LORD said unto me,
Cast it unto the potter: a goodly price that I was prised
at of them. And I took the thirty pieces of silver, and cast them to the potter
in the house of the LORD.
Matthew 27:11-12
11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the
governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto
him, Thou sayest.
12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and
elders, he answered nothing.
As Jesus stood before Pontius
Pilate, the Governor asked, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “You said
that.”
But, while He was being
questioned by Jewish authorities, Jesus gave no response.
We must remember that none of
the four Gospels are totally complete.
Each gives a portion of the story that must be read in light of the rest
of the story.
Within the story, Christ was
taken to Herod (Luke 23). Herod refused
to deal with the situation, and Jesus was sent back to Pilate.
Matthew 27:13-14
13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest
thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that
the governor marveled (Gr. thaumazein-qaumazien) greatly.
Pontius Pilate said to Jesus,
“Don’t You hear all the accusations they are making?”
Jesus did not reply to any
charge. Pilate was amazed to the point
of admiration. The Greek text speaks of
Pilate’s admiration for the way Jesus conducted Himself.
Matthew 27:15-23
15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release
unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called
Barabbas.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate
said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which
is called Christ?
18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife
sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have
suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the
multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether
of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate saith unto them,
What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him,
Let him be crucified.
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done?
But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
It seems that at Passover,
Pilate could release a prisoner as a sign of his goodwill. Isn’t it interesting
how things work out? The matters of man are like a jigsaw puzzle being put
together by God.
Matthew calls Barabbas
“notable.” He was infamous. Barabbas was possibly the most vile,
ruthless, and despicable Jewish criminal on the planet! He had no redeeming values.
The Jewish people could
choose whom they wished to be freed. The Romans were holding that despicable
man, Barabbas.
(As an aside---Pilate’s wife
came to him and told him that she had a dream about Jesus and that he, Pilate,
should not get mixed up in this situation. However, God’s plan called for all
humanity, Jew and Gentile to be responsible for the death of the Messiah.)
Pilate took Jesus and Barabbas
before the crowd and asked, “Which of these two do you want me to release?”
Pilate knew that jealousy was
the reason the Jewish religious leaders accused Jesus, and probably thought
that he was asking a question with an obvious answer. He did not know the plan of God!
At the appeal of the Jewish
leaders, the crowd raised their voices in unison, “Barabbas!”
It was the religious leaders
who opposed Jesus. The people were
indeed just sheep being led here and there by the Priests. Things are no different in Christianity
today. Many so-called Preachers of
righteousness are instead seeking personal gain at the expense of their
congregations.
Dumbfounded, Pilate asked,
“So, what do you want me to do with the one called Christ, Jesus?
Again, the cry went up in
unison, “Crucify Him!”
Pilate asked, “But why? What
crime has He committed?”
Again, the mob shouted,
“Crucify Him!”
Ungodliness needs no human
reason!
Matthew 27:24-25
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but
that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood
be on us, and on our children.
When Pilate saw that nothing
was being achieved by his questions, and indeed it looked as if a riot was
about to begin, he called for a bowl of water, washed his hands in front of the
mob, and said, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see to
yourself.”
The mob responded in what
seems to be a strange way.
They shouted, “Let His blood
be on us, and our children.”
Think about it. Do you think they knew what they were
saying? They pronounced a curse on them
and their Children.
Forty years later, when their
Children were grown, the Roman Army surrounded
During that siege, the
Christians remembered Jesus words recorded in Matthew 24 and left the
city. The Orthodox Jews ate their
friends’, neighbors’, and children’s dead bodied to stay alive.
That was a direct result of
the curse the mob pronounced on itself!
Matthew 27:26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and
when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
Pilate released Barabbas,
ordered Jesus to be scourged, and taken to be crucified.
That brings up the point of
the scourging.
Many, not having studied the
event, believe the “urban legion” of 39 stripes. It is a wonderful fairy tale!
Jesus’ scourging WAS NOT
limited to 39 stripes!
Most Christian theologians do
not realize that 39 stripes was the penalty of the Jews for fellow Jews, and it
was administered using a single strand whip.
Jesus was brutalized by sadistic Roman soldiers.
Paul suffered a Jewish
lashing of 39 stripes 5 times. It was
cruel, but bearable.
2 Cor 11:24
Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one.
Tradition has it that Jesus
was beaten with a Roman cat-o-nine tails.
Using the 39 lashes theory---39 times 9 equals 531 lashes.
Many of those scheduled to be
crucified by the Romans never made it to the cross. They were beaten to death
by the soldiers.
The 39 stripes theory is
based on historic ignorance!
1 Pet 2:24
Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead
to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.
If you are a King James fan,
I hate to tell you, but that is a false translation! I enjoy the KJV, but it has its problems and
this is one of them.
In 1 Pet 2:24, “Stripes (Gr. mooloopi-mwlwpi),” indicating a wound is singular. The Greek word is not plural. If two wounds or stripes were visible, Peter
would have used the plural, but Christ Jesus was beaten to brutally that the
“wounds” could not be distinguished!
By His Wound We Were Healed!
Isaiah described the
brutality of the scourging.
Isa 52:14b
his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of
men:
Many objected to the scenes
from the movie “The Passion of the Christ” that showed the brutality of the
scourging. The word “passion” as used in
that context has nothing to do with emotion as some ignorant men would have us
believe. In that context, passion speaks
of suffering.
The movie could not show the
extent of the brutality!
Matthew 27:27-31
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into
the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet
robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they
put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee
before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and
smote him on the head.
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the
robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify
him.
Even the Bible uses sanitized
words to describe a despicable act.
I John 2:2
And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for
the sins of the whole world.
The truth is that the
scourging and crucifixion had to be brutal, because in them Christ paid the
full and complete price for the sins of the entire world!
After the Roman soldiers
scourged Christ, without a speck of mercy, they led Him away to be crucified.
He bore the penalty that we
should have received!
Matthew 27:32 And as they came out, they found a man
of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
As they were going to
Golgotha, they forced a man of
It is supposed that the man
was an African.
Matthew 27:33-37
33 And when they were come unto a place called
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall:
and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments,
casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They
parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written,
THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
When they arrived at
Some teach that this was sour
wine. The Greek text indicates that it
was just ordinary wine (Gr. onion-oinon).
Matthew 9:17 tells us not to
put new wine, new oinon into old wine skins. At the wedding in Cana, Jesus turned water
into the best wine, the best ionon (John 2:10)
Gall (Gr. cholees-colhs) speaks of an opiate
derivative pain killer. Christ went to
the cross and suffered all the pain of crucifixion without any of the brain
numbing pain killers normally used during a crucifixion.
When He was on the cross, the
soldiers gambled for His garments, and they watched Him die. The soldiers were ordered to place a sign on
the cross listing the charge against Him, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.”
Christ Jesus was charged for
being Who He was!
When the Jewish leaders
objected to the sign, Pilate told them, “What I have written I have written.”
(John 19:22)
This is the place that we
will take up the subject of “Aelia Capitolina.”
You may have first heard of
it in the commentary on Chapter 24. The
Temple and some surrounding buildings were torn down in 70 AD! And, the rest of
the city was completely and utterly demolished in 135-36 AD following the
Shimon bar Kochba revolt.
Following that revolt, each
and every building in Jerusalem was torn down, the city was redesigned, rebuilt
and renamed “Aelia Capitolina.” The only part of the ancient city that
remains is a retaining wall at the Temple Mount, the Wailing Wall.
For 200 years after the bar Kochba revolt no Orthodox Jew was allowed to live in
Jerusalem. For most of that time, Jews were allowed to go to the Mount of
Olives once a year on the anniversary of the temple destruction to look at the
site where the temple had been.
Each year, many Christians
walk down what is now known as the “Via Delarosa,” thanks to Israeli tourism,
but nobody knows the actual path Jesus walked because the city was demolished,
and redesigned. Modern Jerusalem is a
tourist trap.
When I went to Israel, the
guide pointed to a building that was the home of the High Priest Caiaphas. Either he had no knowledge concerning the
history of the city, or he lied.
Why don’t they tell the
complete history of the city?
Tourist dollars!
Matthew 27:38-40
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one
on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their
heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest
the temple, and buildest it in three days, save
thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
Two thieves were crucified with
Christ. Their story is told in Luke 23.
Crucifixions were public
affairs. They were meant to instill fear
in the conquered people. Those who passed by and seeing the crucifixion spoke
abusive language to Christ.
They shouted, “You said you
could destroy the Temple and rebuild it in just three days, now If you are the
Son of God, the Messiah, come down from the cross and save yourself.
Instead, Christ stayed on the
cross absorbing all the punishment Mankind should have received.
Matthew 27:41-43
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with
the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be
the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe
him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he
will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
Even the chief priests,
scribes and elders (the Jewish religious leadership) mocked Him, and accused,
“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. If He is the true King of Israel,
let Him now come down from the cross, then and only then will we believe Him.”
Lack of faith is lack of
faith and no demonstration of man’s power can give faith. That requires and
act of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:3)
They continued to shout, “He
trusted in God; let God deliver Him now, if He (God) will. Didn’t He said, ‘I
am the Son of God.’”
The trust of the Jewish
leaders was not in God. They were
religious hypocrites who trusted in Rome, and Roman political persuasion.
In whom do you trust?
Matthew 27:44-46
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him,
cast the same in his teeth.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all
the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud
voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to
say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
According to Matthew, the two
thieves also insulted Jesus. But, according to Luke, one asked for mercy.
Luke 23:42
And he said unto Jesus, Lord, remember me when thou comest
into thy kingdom.
From about noon until 3 PM,
the skies became dark. Then, about 6 PM,
Jesus shouted, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” That is Aramaic and means, “My God, My God,
why have You forsaken Me?”
Let me make this perfectly
clear! Regardless of what many word of faith false teachers proclaim God the
Father did NOT abandon God the Son! And, God the Son did not go into hell as a
victim of sin! He spiritually went and preached the pure gospel to the being
held captive!
1 Peter 3:18-20
18 For
Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit:
19 By
which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison;
20 Which
sometime were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the
days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls
were saved by water.
By that means, Christ led captivity captive!
Eph 4:8 Wherefore he saith,
When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and
gave gifts unto men
Here, in Matthew 27:46 is the
only time Jesus addressed God as “God.”
All other times, Jesus spoke to
Him as “Father.”
It is at this point that
Jesus’ last words were spoken.
The Father made him to be
sin for us (2 Cor 5:21) indicates that
Christ took responsibility for our sins without partaking of our sins! Those
who attempt to make Christ Jesus a sinner are pure unadulterated liars!
John 19:30 When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It
is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
“It is finished” are the
words spoken by the High Priest at the temple as the blood of the last Passover
lamb is poured out.
That was spoken the day
before the actual Passover. Some say it
was at the time the High Priest was to end the slaughter of the Passover lambs
with a shout, “it is finished!”
At that Christ died of His
own free will!
John 10:18
No man taketh it [His life] from me, but I lay it
down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.
This commandment have I received of my Father.
Luke 23:46
And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.
This last statement shows
Jesus’ faith that the Father would take Him back into heaven after he had
assumed responsibility for the sins of mankind!
It was at this time that the servant
lamp of the menorah in the Temple went out and would not light.
Matthew 27:47-49
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard
that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed,
and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias
will come to save him.
Some who were there thought
that Christ was calling for Elijah.
Actually, Jesus was quoting the 22 Psalm.
One of the Roman soldiers got
the sponge fill “vinegar,” put it on a stick, and offered Jesus a drink for the
second time.
At least the Roman soldier
showed some mercy.
Others in their,
doubt, ignorance, and hypocrisy said, “Let’s see if Elijah will come to save
Him.”
Matthew 27:50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a
loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
Finally, Jesus cried out, and
yielded up the spirit. He died!
Matthew 27:51-53
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in
twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the
saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection,
and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
At the moment of His death,
the veil over the door of the Holy of Holies in the temple was ripped from top
to bottom, the earth shook; and the rocks were split in two.
The veil that prevented all
but the High Priest from entering the Holy of Holies was rendered
ineffective. Now all the chosen of God,
Jew and Gentile, could come into the presence of God in Christ Jesus!
Verses tell us that the
graves were opened and those in them went into the holy city AFTER Jesus’ resurrection. What is not explained is why these verses are
placed here. We are not told of His
resurrection until the next chapter.
Some say that they represent
the harvest of the homer of barley harvested as part of the firstfruits
ceremony at Passover time (Lev. 27:16) being harvested. While I do not disagree with that teaching,
it is not evident in the Greek text.
The timeline here may be in
question. The event is not!
Matthew 27:54 Now when the centurion, and they that
were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were
done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
The Centurion in charge of
the crucifixion saw all the things that happened, and said, earthquake and the
wonders that happened, he said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
Matthew 27:55-56
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which
followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother
of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's
children.
Many of Jesus’ female
disciples were there to see it all. Among them were Mary Magdalene, and Mary
the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
John was the only male
disciple there. The others ran away in
fear!
Matthew 27:57-61
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of
Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus.
Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it
in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn
out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary,
sitting over against the sepulchre.
Later that day, before sunset,
Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy man, went to Pilate
and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate
granted his request.
Joseph took Jesus’ body,
wrapped it in the appropriate burial cloth, and put it in his personal burial tomb.
As was the custom, Joseph, perhaps aided by Nicodemus (John 19:39) rolled a
large stone over the doorway to the tomb, and they left.
Mary Magdalene and the other
Mary watched all that. Again, the male
disciples, the strong pillars of the Church, being gripped with fear, were not
present.
Matthew 27:62-66
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the
preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said,
while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre
be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal
him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error
shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch (Gr. koustoodian-koustwdian): go your
way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre
sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
The next day, after the day
of preparation, the Jewish religious leaders went to see Pilate.
They told Pilate, “We
remember that that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ So, command that the tomb be secured for
three days. Otherwise, His disciples attempt to steal His body, and tell the
people that He has risen from the dead.
If they do that the final deception shall be worse than the first.”
Three days was considered
sufficient to prove death.
Pilate responded by reminding
them that they had the Temple Guard and could do it themselves. According to Matthew, the Temple Guard (not
Roman soldiers) secured and sealed the tomb, and set a watch over the tomb.
That point is very
important. When the soldiers ran away,
Roman soldiers would have been executed for cowardice. The Jewish Temple Guard could have run away
and lived.
We will discuss that further
in the next chapter.