Matthew 27 - Printer Friendly

What does Matthew 27 mean?

Chapter Commentary:

The events of Matthew 27 all take place in a single, exhausting day, during which the Son of God will die.

The council that condemned Jesus the night before had not followed official procedure. Part of their error was not passing a death sentence during the day. To meet the letter of the law, they meet once more after sunrise to make it official. Jesus is tied up and marched over to the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The Jewish religious leaders need him to sentence Jesus to death, since they do not have the authority to do so on their own (Matthew 27:1–2).

Meanwhile, Judas has changed his mind. When he hears that Jesus has been condemned, he takes the 30 pieces of silver back to the leaders who paid him to betray Jesus. He admits that Jesus is innocent, but they don't care. Jesus' enemies are certainly not going to admit that they've bribed anyone. Judas helplessly throws the money down and leaves to commit suicide. The chief priests and elders use the money to buy a field for burying foreigners in Israel (Matthew 27:3–10).

Pilate asks Jesus directly if He is the King of the Jews. Jesus affirms, "You have said so." Other than this, Jesus has little to say in His own defense. John's account adds details showing how Pilate investigates Jesus' claims to be a "King," and finds them harmless (John 18:33–38). Jewish religious leaders heap accusations on Christ, attempting to secure a death sentence. Pilate is amazed that Jesus won't answer. In part, he might hope Jesus will dispute the charges enough to convict the religious leaders of deceit. Jesus knows this would be pointless and says almost nothing (Matthew 27:11–14).

It was custom for Pilate to release a prisoner to the people at Passover every year. This is likely an attempt to outmaneuver the manipulating religious leaders. Part of Pilate's caution might be superstition, as his wife warns about a dream she has had. Pilate assumes the people would rather see a controversial teacher be set free, rather than a convicted murderer. He has not found anything to charge Jesus with, and he knows that the Jewish religious leaders want Jesus killed out of envy and not because of any legitimate crime against Rome. Offering a confirmed insurrectionist would strain their claims against Jesus. He does not realize the mob is being directed by Jesus' enemies (Matthew 27:15–20).

The Roman governor gives the crowds a choice: Jesus or Barabbas. Spurred on by Jerusalem's religious leaders, they shout for Barabbas to be released and for Jesus to be crucified. Pilate finally gives in to this pressure, though he does not believe Jesus is guilty. In a pointless attempt to avoid responsibility for Jesus' death, he symbolically washes his hands. The frenzied mob, coached by Jerusalem's leaders, carelessly brush off the seriousness of what is happening. Jesus is viciously humiliated by Roman soldiers, beaten again, and taken away to be crucified (Matthew 27:21–31).

Crucifixion victims were often made to carry their own cross, though usually this was just the horizontal beam. That, itself, could be anywhere from 35 pounds—or 16 kilograms—to the size of a railroad tie. Since Jesus was horribly mutilated beforehand, He can't keep pace with the other prisoners (John 19:1–4). Taking advantage of Roman law (Matthew 5:41), the soldiers force an innocent bystander to drag the cross the rest of the way (Matthew 27:32).

On the cross, at a place called Golgotha, Jesus refuses to drink a bitter wine. This was probably a sedative, and Jesus does not want His mind dulled. The soldiers split up His clothes and gamble over the last piece. A sign over Jesus' head carries the crime for which He is "officially" being executed: being "King" of the Jews. People passing by, including several Jewish religious leaders, mock Jesus for not being able to save Himself while claiming to be the Son of God. Even the criminals being crucified alongside Jesus make fun of Him (Matthew 27:33–44).

As this occurs, an unexplained darkness falls over Israel for about three hours. Jesus cries out in Aramaic, quoting the words of Psalm 22:1: "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some misunderstand Jesus and think He is calling for the prophet Elijah to come and save Him. Finally, Jesus voluntarily gives up His spirit and dies. At that moment, the enormous curtain in the temple which symbolically separates men from the presence of God is ripped in two from top to bottom. A potent earthquake breaks open the graves of some of Israel's saints. Roman soldiers, filled with awe, fearfully declare that Jesus must have been divine (Matthew 27:45–54).

Joseph of Arimathea, a rich follower of Jesus, asks Pilate for Jesus' body. Pilate agrees, and Joseph buries the body in his own, never-used tomb. Pilate also agrees to the request of some Jewish religious leaders to post a guard at the tomb. Their intent is to keep the body from being stolen, preventing the disciples of Christ from faking a resurrection (Matthew 27:55–66).

In an ironic twist, the extra measures taken after Jesus' death succeed: they entirely rule out any possibility that someone may have stolen His corpse. When Jesus' tomb is found empty, it will be clear evidence of a miracle (Matthew 28:1–10).

Matthew 27:1–2 briefly describes events taking place on the morning following Jesus' conviction and condemnation during the night. Jewish legal procedure of the time required a death penalty trial to be held during the daytime. For the sake of appearances, the council again condemned Jesus and sentenced Him to death. They did not have the authority to enact such a sentence, however. They needed Roman approval to do that. So, they tie Jesus up and march Him over to Pilate, the Roman governor of the region, in hopes he will agree to have Jesus executed. Mark 15:1, Luke 23:1, and John 18:28 offer the same information.

Matthew 27:3–10 reveals Judas' deep regret for betraying Jesus. He brings the 30 pieces of silver back to the chief priests and elders who paid him for his cooperation. They don't want the money back, and they're not interested in Judas' confession. Judas throws the money down in the temple and hangs himself. The priests use the money to buy a field for burying foreigners. They call it the Field of Blood. Matthew states that this fulfills prophesy and quotes from Zechariah. The book of Acts also recounts Judas' death (Acts 1:16–20).

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.

Matthew 27:27–31 describes Roman soldiers abusing Jesus inside the governor's headquarters. Most of this mistreatment occurred before His final sentencing, but Matthew continues to group events by theme more than by time. The soldiers strip off Jesus' clothes and dress Him as a mock king. They place a robe on Him, along with a crown made of thorns, and a reed for a scepter. Then the soldiers kneel before Jesus and sarcastically praise Him as the "King of Jews!" Finally, they spit on Jesus and hit Him with the reed before putting His own clothes back on His tattered body and leading Him off to be crucified. Further details are found in John 19:1–6.

Matthew 27:32–44 describes Jesus' march to the cross, aided by a man named Simon of Cyrene. Jesus is offered a numbing, bitter wine, but refuses it, and is nailed to the cross. Soldiers gamble for His clothes. A somewhat sarcastic sign above Him reads "the King of the Jews." Observers, including several Jewish religious leaders, mock Jesus for not being able to save Himself. Even the criminals being executed on either side of Jesus insult Him. Mark 15:20–32, Luke 23:36–43, and John 19:16–27 cover this same process.

Matthew 27:45–56 describes the climactic moment when Jesus dies on the cross. Darkness falls over Israel as Jesus hangs near death. Jesus cries out the words of Psalm 22:1, which mean "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" Some nearby think He is calling for Elijah the prophet to come and save Him. Jesus dies. Immediately, the massive temple curtain is torn in two, top to bottom. Earthquakes open the tombs of some of the saints of Israel, who are later resurrected. A Roman centurion is shocked enough to declare that Jesus was the Son of God. Three women, Jesus' friends, watch from a distance.

Matthew 27:57–66 describes Jesus' burial and the watch placed over His tomb. Joseph of Arimathea, a wealthy follower of Jesus, asks for Jesus' body. Pilate agrees. Joseph wraps Jesus' body in a clean linen shroud and places it in his own, never-used tomb, which is cut out of the rock in a garden. Jesus' enemies ask Pilate to place Roman soldiers at the grave site. They seek to prevent anyone from stealing His body and claiming He has been resurrected. Pilate agrees. The tomb is sealed. A guard is posted. These events are also seen in Mark 15:42–47, Luke 23:50–56, and John 19:38–42.

Chapter Summary:

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.

Chapter Context:

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.

Accessed 5/5/2024 11:27:09 PM