Please turn in your Bibles to Matthew chapter 27, as we continue our study through the Word of God. Keep in mind that at this point in our study it is the early morning of the crucifixion day and Jesus has just been through two illegal trials, one before Annas, the other before that acting High Priest, Caiaphas. And now before the Sanhedrin, who will formally condemn Him to death!
Before we get to our text this evening, listen to what Peter says in Acts 2:22-23, "Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a Man attested by God to you by miracles, wonders, and signs which God did through Him in your midst, as you yourselves also know– Him, being delivered by the determined purpose and foreknowledge of God, you have taken by lawless hands, have crucified, and put to death."
You see, this was no accident. Things did not get out of control. These things were already determined by God and Matthew is going to drive that point home in chapter 27 of Matthew. You see, the purpose of these things is the revelation of God’s love to man and that is ultimately seen in His redemption of man through the sacrificial death of His Son, Jesus Christ! With that said, let’s dig into our text this evening, beginning in verse 1 of Matthew chapter 27, and see what the Lord has for us this evening.
VERSES 1-2
1. As the religious leaders gathered together their charges against Jesus, they then brought Him before the Sanhedrin, kind of the Jewish religious Supreme Court, and found Him guilty of blasphemy against God, a crime that was punishable by death, just what they wanted.
2. The problem was Rome had taken away the Jews right to execute their criminals. In John 18:31 we are told, "Then Pilate said to them, ‘You take Him and judge Him according to your law.’ Therefore the Jews said to him, ‘It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death.’" Thus, they bring Jesus to Pilate who was the governor over Judea and Samaria from 26 -36 AD. Pilate could put criminals to death, the question is, would he?
VERSES 3-5
1. Judas couldn’t take it anymore. He saw the innocents of Jesus and his guilt. He tried to give back the money and stop this injustice, but the religious leaders refused. Thus, Judas threw the money into the holy place and killed himself. Now some say Judas repented, but that is not what the Scriptures say. He felt remorse, he was sorry, but it was not a sorrow that led to repentance but to suicide!
VERSES 6-10
1. The religious leaders didn’t refuse the money but they couldn’t accept it into the temple treasury for it was blood money. So they bought a potter’s field with it to bury the poor, the strangers in. Interestingly enough, a potter’s field was a piece of land next to the potter’s house where he would toss broken, useless pieces of pottery, making the land good for nothing, only to bury the dead. Think about our broken lives that have been restored by the shedding of the blood of Jesus. Without Jesus, there is only death, broken lives, and with Jesus there is restoration! He has taken us "crackpots" and redeemed us!
2. Now this seems to fit very clearly with the prophecy of Zechariah 11:11-12, and yet Matthew attributes it to Jeremiah, why? Some say it is a copyist error, since we don’t have the original manuscripts. But more likely, according to the Hebrew Scriptures, Jeremiah is at the head of the prophetic role, just pointing to the fact that the prophets spoke of this, and not singling out one in particular, even though Jeremiah does speak of the potter, but Zechariah specifically speaks of this prophecy!
VERSES 11-14
1. Understand that Jesus is taken into the Praetorium which was in the Antonia Fortress located on the northwest corner of the temple mount. The Jewish religious leaders refused to go in because of the feast days, so they stayed outside and Pilate is going back and forth like a yo-yo between Jesus and these religious leaders.
2. Now if this was purely a religious matter, Pilate would have dismissed it, but in Luke 23:1-2 we are told, "Then the whole multitude of them arose and led Him to Pilate. And they began to accuse Him, saying, ‘We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to pay taxes to Caesar, saying that He Himself is Christ, a King.’" And Jesus admits to the accusation of Him being a King. At this time the religious leaders continue to make accusations against Jesus, and He is silent, as Isaiah 53:7 says, "He was oppressed and He was afflicted, yet He opened not His mouth; he was led as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so He opened not His mouth."
3. The problem for Pilate was he knew Jesus was innocent. In John 18:38 we are told, "Pilate said to Him, ‘What is truth?’ And when he had said this, he went out again to the Jews, and said to them, ‘I find no fault in Him at all.’" The problem for Pilate was he let the crowds make him respond contrary to what he knew to be true, why? Because he was on shaky ground with Rome. When he first came into town his men were carrying flag’s with Caesar’s face on it. To the Jews, this was idolatry. So they rioted and revolted, coming to Pilate’s home in Caesarea, and he threatened them, he was going to cut their heads off if they didn’t leave. So the Jews responded by rolling down their shirts and many lost their lives! They also sent a letter to Rome complaining about Pilate. Strike one! Later on he tried to build a better water system, and not having enough funds to do it, he took the money from the Jewish treasury which resulted in riots, more deaths, and another letter to Rome. Strike two! So Pilate is one strike away from being removed from power by Rome, so he is being very careful in his actions, and we are going to see as we continue on, a plan that may get him off the hook!
VERSES 15-18
1. There was a custom that the governor would release a prisoner during the Feast of Passover, kind of a good will gesture. Pilate thought he would be able to set Jesus free because Barabbas, the other prisoner was a murderer, a insurrectionist, he was hated by the people.
VERSE 19
1. Claudia was the daughter of Augustus and married to Pilate. And Claudia has a dream that Jesus is innocent, that He should be let go. And I am sure Pilate is torn between the truth and what the crowds wanted. Be careful not to let the crowds, peer pressure influence the decisions you make. One last thing to note here, Claudia, according to the historical record, converted to Judaism before this and after this event she came to Christ! You see, the issue is not "What is truth?" but "What are you going to do with the truth?"
VERSES 20-21
1. How sad! They wanted Pilate to release Barabbas, the one who took the life from others, robbed people, instead of the giver and the restorer of life, Jesus!
2. Barabbas means "son of the father" and his common name was Jesus. But understand this, his father was the Devil, his actions showed that, and he is a false Jesus. You see, there is another Father who gave His only Son to pay the penalty for our sins. It is as Jesus said in John 8:36, "Therefore if the Son makes you free, you shall be free indeed."
VERSE 22
1. Here is the question all must answer, "What are you going to do with Jesus?" Some, like the religious leaders, put Him to death. Others, like Pilate, avoid the question. And still others receive Him as Lord and Savior. Let me say this, not to confess Him is to deny Him. Not to receive Him is to reject Him. You can’t be neutral in this, you can’t sit on the fence. Your eternal destiny hangs in the balance. Jesus is still God no matter what you believe, no matter your decision, but depending on your decision, you will either spend eternity with Him or apart from Him in the Lake of Fire!
VERSE 23
1. We are told in another Gospel that the religious leaders worked the people up and now it is a mob mentality as they cry for this innocent man, Jesus, to be crucified. And I think the warning to us is to be careful and not let the crowds, the people at work, the people at school, and-so-on, guide us, but let Jesus determine our actions, for one brings death and the other life!
VERSE 24
1. Pilate tried to wash his hands of this whole thing, but no matter how hard he tried, he too was responsible for his actions, he could not place the blame on anyone else. And the same is true of people today. They say things like, "I don’t go to church because the church is full of hypocrites!" But that does not negate your responsibility of who is Jesus and what have you done with Him in your life?
VERSE 25
1. I don’t believe they fully understood the consequences of their statement, for in 70 AD the Roman’s would come in and destroy Jerusalem, killing over one million Jews! Their blood and the blood of their children would fill the streets of Jerusalem because they rejected the Messiah, the giver and sustainer of life!
VERSE 26
1. We don’t hear anything more of Pilate except to place a guard by the tomb of Jesus. He avoided the issue and he was paying the penalty for not doing what was right. He sought after position, after popularity, and in the end, he was nothing. You see, in 36 AD some fanatics were following this so-called prophet to Mount Gerizim, in Shechem, looking for artifacts from Moses. But Pilate wanted this to end so he sent in his troops, and many Jews were killed. Another complaint to Rome and strike three, he’s out! On his way back to Rome Pilate mysteriously died, some say he committed suicide. Don’t follow the crowds. Don’t be pressured by the crowds. Follow Jesus, let Him guide your life and your joy will be full, not empty as Pilate’s was!
2. Pilate releases Barabbas and Jesus is scourged. Not much details of this is given but this was the ultimate third degree for prisoners given by Rome. You see, a prisoner was tied by his wrists to a post with his feet dangling just off the ground. The whip or flagellum was made-up of 12 or 13 leather thongs with a lead ball attached to the end of these things. Also, pieces of glass and metal were embedded between the lead ball and the handle. Thus, as this whip was brought down, it would rip the flesh off the prisoner. At first, the blows would be light, and they would get harder each time until the prisoner confessed his crime against Rome. A great incentive to confess early. Also, 60% of those that were scourged, 39 lashes, would die! It was brutal and yet, Jesus took all 39 for He was innocent. He had nothing to confess. Isaiah 53:5 says, "But He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed." So Jesus had His face beaten so badly that it did not resemble that of a man, and now his back is nothing more than raw flesh and He is led away to be crucified, but one more insult before that takes place.
VERSES 27-31
1. The word "garrison" literally speaks of a cohort or 600 Roman soldiers who gathered around Jesus to mock Him. They first put a scarlet robe on Him, which I believe signifies the sins of the world that would be placed upon Him. Isaiah 1:18 says, "‘Come now, and let us reason together,’ says the LORD, ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool.’" The crown of thorns, a thorn being a symbol of sin, was placed upon His head that we might wear a crown of glory! They placed a reed in His hand and mocked Him some more, then they were spitting on Him, hitting Him, and the creator of heaven and earth took it all for us! They then took off the robe that must have stuck to His bloody back, and led Him away to be crucified! It is as Isaiah 50:6 says several hundred years before these events took place, "I gave My back to those who struck Me, and My cheeks to those who plucked out the beard; I did not hide My face from shame and spitting."
VERSES 32-34
1. As Jesus tried to carry this 100 pound cross beam through the streets of the city and out the gate, He could carry it no further. So on the scene comes Simon, a Cyrenian, from the area of North Africa, who came for the Passover Feast, and he now is compelled to carry the cross for Jesus by the Roman soldiers. It is as Harry Truman once said, "I came to the White House to see the President and discovered that I was the President." Simon had come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover and ended up meeting the Passover Lamb!
2. Paul, in Romans 16:13 said, "Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine." According to Mark 15:21, Rufus is the father of Simon, so I believe he got saved and went home and told his family, and they got saved! Simon went to bless God and he was mightily blessed by God in return!
3. Golgotha is the Aramaic word which we call Calvary, and it speaks of a skull, and that is exactly what this area looks like, a skull carved into the rocks! The Catholic Church claims this place is located within the walls of the city, and they have a church of the Holy Sepulcher there. But Hebrews 13:12 says, "Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate." Thus, that is not the place, but there is a place by the Garden Tomb in Gordon’s Valley that is outside the city and you can see this skull cut into the rock, and I believe it is the place Jesus was crucified!
4. Prior to the soldiers driving those 9 inch nails or spikes into the wrist and feet of Jesus, He is offered gall to drink, which was a narcotic to help deaden the pain. But Jesus refused it, he was in complete control. It is as Psalm 69:21 says, "They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink."
VERSES 35-36
1. Over 1,000 years before this took place, David said in Psalm 22:18, "They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots." And here is the fulfillment of that prophecy!
VERSE 37
1. In John 19:19-22 we are told that Pilate put these words on the cross, written in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, and it was correct, Jesus was and is not only the King of the Jews, but of all! This was not a false statement, He truly is the King of kings and Lord of lords! And like the testimony back then, there is a testimony of God’s existence today, it is called creation. It is as David said in Psalm 19:1, "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows His handiwork." And Paul continues that thought in Romans 1:18-23, "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse, because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like corruptible man-- and birds and four-footed animals and creeping things." You see, people today have to suppress the truth of God, of His existence, because nature itself cries out "There is a God!" And in the suppressing of that truth comes the judgment of God upon them.
VERSE 38
1. These two robbers who were crucified, one on either side of Jesus, must have been pretty wicked to be put to death for their crimes. Also, this is a fulfillment of what Isaiah 53:12 says,
"Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, because He poured out His soul unto death, and He was numbered with the transgressors, and He bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors." Again, all according to the plan of God. At first both these men mocked Jesus, but then one of them came to the saving knowledge of Jesus, and he is saved! Please understand this, Jesus did not condemn this man who was crying out to Him, but He responds with words of comfort and hope. Never forget that!
VERSES 39-44
1. Now we see various groups of people coming by and mocking Jesus, as Psalm 22:7 says "All those who see Me ridicule Me; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head..." and they are calling out for this powerful man of God who could help others but not Himself, to come down from the cross! I hate to say this, but I would have come down and leveled these guys- but that is not what the Lord does. You see, it was not the nails or the Roman soldiers that held Jesus to the cross, it was His love for you and me, paying the penalty for our sins. Without the cross we would still be dead in our trespasses and sins. Without the cross we would still be in trouble, separated from God, but His love has set us free! I like the way that William Booth put it. He said, "They claimed they would have believed if He had come down; we believe because He stayed up."
VERSE 45
1. Jesus was placed on the cross at 9 AM and now from 12 noon until He gave up His spirit at 3 PM, darkness covered the land. Now some say this was just a local darkness, but the word for "land" is GE in the Greek from which we get our word "geography" from. So it seems to imply that darkness covered the whole earth and every major culture does speak of this 3 hours of darkness! Also, Amos speaks of this day when he says, "‘And it shall come to pass in that day,’ says the Lord GOD, ‘That I will make the sun go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in broad daylight; I will turn your feasts into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation; I will bring sackcloth on every waist, and baldness on every head; I will make it like mourning for an only son, and its end like a bitter day.’"
2. Why was there darkness for only those 3 hours? I think the next verse gives us some insight.
VERSE 46
1. In Habakkuk 1:13a we are told, "You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness..." And in Psalm 22:13 we are told, "My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me? Why are You so far from helping Me, and from the words of My groaning? O My God, I cry in the daytime, but You do not hear; and in the night season, and am not silent. But You are holy, enthroned in the praises of Israel." In other words, the reason the Father turned from the Son is because the Son bore the sins of the world and the Father, who is holy, could not look down upon Him or accept Him in that condition, just as He can’t do with us in our sinful condition apart from Christ. Thus, the darkness is a reflection of that separation and the judgment of God upon sin. And the solution, as I have said, is Jesus, as Paul tells us "For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him." II Corinthians 5:21.
VERSES 47-49
1. They truly did not believe that Jesus was God or that Elijah would come to save Jesus, for they believed that Elijah would come to save a righteous man and they did not believe that Jesus was righteous. Thus, they mocked Him, refusing to let Jesus even have His lips moistened. They should have known that darkness was symbolic of God’s divine judgment upon them, but they refused to see the truth that was before them!
VERSE 50
1. Physical death is the separation of the body from the spirit for this body is only a tent or a dwelling place for our spirit to reside in. And please understand that no one took His life, Jesus freely gave it, He was in control, and at the right time, He gave up His Spirit. It is as Jesus said in John chapter 10, "I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep...As the Father knows Me, even so I know the Father; and I lay down My life for the sheep...Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it 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 command I have received from My Father." John 10:11, 15, 17-18.
VERSE 51
1. This veil that separated the holy place from the holy of holies or where God resided in the temple, was 60 feet tall, 30 feet wide, and some 18 inches thick, and it would take some 300 priests to lift it and move it. Also, only the High Priest could enter the holy of holies and only once a year, on the Day of Atonement, after ceremonial cleansing. And, just in case he was not clean, they placed bells on his robe and a rope around his ankle to pull him out if God struck him dead!
2. But, now the veil is torn in two, not from the bottom up, but from the top down, telling us that God has opened the way to His presence. In Hebrews 10:19-20 we are told, "Therefore, brethren, having boldness to enter the Holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which He consecrated for us, through the veil, that is, His flesh." You see, through Christ we can boldly come before the Father, the way to God has been opened up to us through Jesus, and thus, as Hebrews 4:16 says, "Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need."
VERSES 52-53
1. At His death the earth shook, the rocks split, graves were opened, and after His resurrection, some of the dead were raised to life again. You see, Christ rose first as I Corinthians 15:20-23 says, "But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ's at His coming." You see, it was just a token of what is to come, the great harvest of souls!
VERSE 54
1. The religious leaders rejected what they saw, they refused to believe. On the other hand the gentiles, the Roman Centurion and his men recognized who Jesus was, that there was something special about Him. In Luke 23:48 we are told, "And the whole crowd who came together to that sight, seeing what had been done, beat their breasts and returned." The Jews left fearful, they left Him confused, they were disturbed by what they saw, and yet they were unchanged! And many do the same today because they refuse to believe!
VERSES 55-56
1. The women were there but the men, except for John, were all scattered, afraid. Mary Magdalene was from the area of Magdala, a village on the western side of the Sea of Galilee, and she was freed from demon possession. The second Mary was the mother of James the Less. Salome was the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee. Plus other women who ministered to Jesus and His men during His earthly ministry.
VERSES 57-61
1. Joseph was from Arimathea, about 20 miles northwest of Jerusalem and the place where the prophet Samuel lived, and was called Ramah. (I Samuel 7:17). He was a wealthy man, a member of the Sanhedrin and a follower of Jesus. Luke 23:51 tells us "He had not consented to their decision and deed. He was from Arimathea, a city of the Jews, who himself was also waiting for the kingdom of God."
2. Joseph is now stepping out in faith, realizing he is cutting all ties with his religious faith to serve Jesus. Also, we are told that Nicodemus was with Joseph, another member of the council and a follower of Jesus who now has to step out in faith. It took Joseph and Nicodemus the death of Jesus, the death of their Savior to risk it all and take those steps of faith. What will it take in your life to get you serious about your relationship with Jesus?
3. Jesus was placed in the grave of a rich man, in fulfillment of what Isaiah 53:9 says, "And they made His grave with the wicked-- but with the rich at His death, because He had done no violence, nor was any deceit in His mouth."
VERSES 62-64
1. I find it interesting that the religious leaders were listening to what Jesus said while His own men missed that He would rise on the third day. And the concern of these religious leaders was that someone would steal the body of Jesus and claim that He rose from the dead. So they come to Pilate for a solution to this problem.
VERSES 65-66
1. So Pilate gives them the guards they need, the tomb is sealed with the Roman Seal, string and wax so if the tomb was opened, the seal would be broken. And, if you were caught, you would be put to death. Now we will finish our study next time with the resurrection of Jesus, for it really doesn’t matter how many guards they had on the tomb, they couldn’t keep Jesus in! And all these things happened as God said they would, prophesy was fulfilled!