Matthew 27:12 - Printer Friendly

ESV: But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.

NIV: When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer.

NASB: And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He did not offer any answer.

CSB: While he was being accused by the chief priests and elders, he didn’t answer.

NLT: But when the leading priests and the elders made their accusations against him, Jesus remained silent.

KJV: And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

NKJV: And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.

Matthew's book is full of the words of Jesus. In His teaching, Jesus spoke paragraph after paragraph of great and hard truth. His teaching was wise and powerful and weighty. Now, though, Jesus knows that the time for teaching has passed. Since being arrested (Matthew 26:47–56) His most common response to accusations and abuse has been silence. He does not resist. He knows He is bound for the cross to die for the sins of humanity, and He is not trying to escape it. What needs to have been said and done is obvious. His enemies know the truth about His teaching; they lie anyway to have Him killed (Matthew 26:59–65). The Roman governor, who can see clearly that Jesus is innocent (Matthew 27:18) will soon ignore justice for the sake of stability (Matthew 27:24).

This is why Isaiah prophesied the Messiah would be silent: "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth" (Isaiah 53:7).

It bothered Pilate that Jesus would not defend Himself against the repeated accusations of the chief priests and elders. How was He to decide if Jesus was worthy of death or not if Jesus would not respond? Details in other gospels, combined with Matthew, suggest that Pilate might have hoped to catch those religious leaders in their own lies (John 19:10–11).

Matthew 27:11–26 describes Jesus' trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The Jewish religious leaders are asking Pilate to condemn Jesus to death, hurling accusations. Pilate is amazed that Jesus remains silent, barely saying anything in His own defense. Pilate offers the Passover crowds the choice between releasing Jesus or releasing Barabbas. They choose Barabbas and call for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate recognizes the obvious feud driving this persecution; he is more concerned with civil order than with justice. He agrees to execute Jesus while claiming no responsibility for the decision. Further details are found in Mark 15:1–15, Luke 23:1–25, and John 18:28—19:16.

When Judas learns Jesus has been condemned, he regrets betraying the Lord. He throws down his ill-gotten money and hangs himself. Jesus is taken to Pilate, who finds nothing to charge Him with. Given the choice, the people shout for the release of a convicted murderer and insist on Jesus' death. Jesus is mocked by a battalion of soldiers and then taken to be crucified. On the cross, He is mocked for not being able to save Himself. After three hours of darkness, Jesus dies. He is buried by a rich follower in a new tomb. This location is tightly guarded to prevent anyone from stealing the body.

Matthew 27 begins with an official meeting of the Jewish ruling council. They affirm Jesus' condemnation from the previous night, described in chapter 26. Judas confesses his betrayal and hangs himself. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but the mob shouts for Jesus to be crucified. Jesus is humiliated by Roman soldiers and marched to be executed. On the cross, He is mocked by Jewish religious leaders and others. He dies and is buried in a never-used tomb. Extensive efforts to secure His body from being stolen only serve to prove the miraculous nature of His resurrection, which is detailed in chapter 28.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.