seekeroftruth
Well-Known Member
Matthew 27:1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4 “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.”
“What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.”
5 So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6 The chief priests picked up the coins and said, “It is against the law to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.” 7 So they decided to use the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners. 8 That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, 10 and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”[a]
11 Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12 When he was accused by the chief priests and the elders, he gave no answer. 13 Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear the testimony they are bringing against you?” 14 But Jesus made no reply, not even to a single charge—to the great amazement of the governor.
15 Now it was the governor’s custom at the festival to release a prisoner chosen by the crowd. 16 At that time they had a well-known prisoner whose name was Jesus[b] Barabbas. 17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him.”
20 But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus executed.
21 “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor.
“Barabbas,” they answered.
22 “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked.
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23 “Why? What crime has he committed?” asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify him!”
24 When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere, but that instead an uproar was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “It is your responsibility!”
25 All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!”
26 Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.
38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[d]
47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”
48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
55 Many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for his needs. 56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph,[f] and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
57 As evening approached, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who had himself become a disciple of Jesus. 58 Going to Pilate, he asked for Jesus’ body, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him. 59 Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut out of the rock. He rolled a big stone in front of the entrance to the tomb and went away. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
62 The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. 63 “Sir,” they said, “we remember that while he was still alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 So give the order for the tomb to be made secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may come and steal the body and tell the people that he has been raised from the dead. This last deception will be worse than the first.”
65 “Take a guard,” Pilate answered. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by putting a seal on the stone and posting the guard.
a. Matthew 27:10 See Zech. 11:12,13; Jer. 19:1-13; 32:6-9.
b. Matthew 27:16 Many manuscripts do not have Jesus; also in verse 17.
c. Matthew 27:46 Some manuscripts Eloi, Eloi
d. Matthew 27:46 Psalm 22:1
e. Matthew 27:53 Or tombs, and after Jesus’ resurrection they
f. Matthew 27:56 Greek Joses, a variant of Joseph
Judas hung from a tree and Jesus hung on the cross. Pilate's wife begged Pilate not to get involved. The people picked the politician rather than the healer. Apparently there was an eclipse [it grew dark for three hours], an earthquake that cracked rocks, and somehow the curtain in the Temple ripped from the top to the bottom. A rich man claimed the body and placed it in a borrowed tomb. The chief priests and the Pharisees were concerned the disciples might steal the body on the third day.... so the got Pilate to put a seal and a guard on the tomb. It was a long long day.
These outtakes are from the easy English site.
The Jewish government (called the Sanhedrin) had the power to decide religious matters. But the Romans did not allow them to kill anyone as punishment. Only the Roman ruler could decide to do that. The name of the Roman ruler was Pontius Pilate. He ruled the Judea region from the year AD 26 to AD 36. He ruled from the town called Caesarea. But he had come to Jerusalem city with his soldiers for the Passover. Crowds of Jews were in Jerusalem city at Passover time. They remembered how Moses had led their people out from Egypt long ago. Moses led them to freedom. These crowds could easily cause trouble for their Roman rulers. They might even attack them to get freedom again. The soldiers were there to prevent such an attack.
Judas saw that the priests had handed over Jesus to Pilate. Then Judas realised how serious his action had been. He tried to return the 30 silver coins to the priests that had paid him. But they did not care that he was sorry now.
The Sanhedrin had to accuse Jesus of a political crime. They had accused Jesus of ‘speaking evil words against God’. But they knew that Pilate did not care about that. So they said that Jesus had caused trouble for the Romans. He said that he was the Jews’ Messiah, a king (Luke 23:1-2). But Roman law did not allow the Jews to have a king. Pilate’s question to Jesus emphasised the word ‘you’. ‘Are you the king of the Jews?’ He could not believe that Jesus was a king. Jesus did not look like someone who was trying to win political power. Pilate realised that the Jewish authorities hated Jesus. They had accused him to a Roman ruler. Jesus replied that he was a king. But ‘what you say’ depended on how Pilate understood the word ‘king’. Jesus was not trying to rule a territory. He was a king. But he wanted to rule the people’s hearts because he loved them.
Most people would protest that they were innocent. Especially if the soldiers might fix them on a cross to die. So it astonished Pilate that Jesus remained silent. Roman law said that a person who refused to answer was guilty. The chief priests wanted Jesus to die. They wanted Pilate to order his soldiers to kill him on a cross. So Jesus knew that a reply to them was no use at all. He was also aware of what God wanted. He knew that he was obeying God, his Father.
Pilate thought that he could escape from his problem. It was the custom to free one prisoner as a sign of Roman kindness. He would offer a choice to the crowd. Barabbas was in prison because he had attacked the Romans. He had murdered people during the attack. But the Jewish people probably thought that he was a hero. He had opposed the Romans. Barabbas means ‘a father’s son’, so he may have come from a good family. Perhaps not to use the father’s name protected the family from their son’s wrong actions. Or his character may have been similar to his father’s character. Jesus was the ‘the Father’s Son’. He was like his Father because he loved other people. Some writers record Barabbas’s first name as ‘Jesus’. Other writers may have left the name out on purpose.
Some women in Jerusalem provided a drink for the men who were going to die. It was wine that contained a drug. It would make the pain a little less terrible. They offered it to a person before the soldiers fixed him to a cross with nails. But Jesus refused it. He wanted to be aware of what was happening to the very end. He needed to show how much he loved other people.
The darkness may have had a natural cause. It may have been a sudden dust storm. But it could not have been the moon hiding the sun. That could not happen at Passover time because there was a full moon at night. In the Old Testament, darkness was a sign to show God’s judgement. In Egypt, the ruler would not let the Israelites leave his country. There was darkness for three days (Exodus 10:22). Amos also wrote about God’s judgement. ‘At that time I will make the sun go down at noon. The earth will become dark in the middle of the day’, (Amos 8:9).
The curtain in the Temple separated the main room (the Holy Place) from the special room (the Most Holy Place). Only the chief priest could go into the Most Holy Place. He went in once a year to pray. He asked God to forgive him together with all the Jewish people (Leviticus 16:11-19). Jesus died for people’s sin. So there was no more need for people to offer dead animals to God. The curtain tore ‘from the top to the bottom’. God tore it. A person would have torn it from the bottom to the top. That was a sign that, from now, everyone could go directly to God. A priest on earth no longer needed to act between the people and God. Now Jesus himself is the people’s priest (Hebrews 10:11-12).
The earthquake broke open the holy people’s graves. They had died in the past. And this was a sign that Jesus had defeated death. After Jesus became alive again, these holy people appeared in the city. Perhaps this emphasised that people should believe that there is life after death. Jesus was the first person to rise from death for ever. Jesus made some people live again but they died later. Jesus will never die again. Because he lived again, people no longer need to fear death (1 Corinthians 15:20).
Joseph risked danger to himself. People might think that he was Jesus’ friend. Pilate might have refused his request. Pilate allowed him to have Jesus’ body. But Mark tells us more about this (Mark 15:44-45). Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead. He waited until the Roman officer reported to him. It was true, so he agreed to Joseph’s request. Joseph used a ‘clean linen cloth’ to wrap the body. Linen is usually white cloth, and this cloth was probably new. The grave (also called ‘the tomb’) was a large cave. He had dug it out of the rock. This grave belonged to Joseph, and it had never had a body in it before. Matthew describes Joseph as a ‘rich’ man. This reminds us that the Suffering Servant had his grave with rich people (Isaiah 53:9).
The time for Preparation was between three and six o’clock on Friday. The next day was the Jews’ holy day (called the Sabbath). The priests and the Pharisees probably went to Pilate on that day. If they went then, they broke the Law. They had opposed Jesus because he healed people on the Sabbath. They said that he broke the Law. So they had plotted to kill him (Matthew 12:9-14). Now they wanted to be sure that Jesus was out of their way. So they broke the Law themselves. They knew what Jesus had said. He had said that he would become alive again after three days. Jesus had told this to his disciples on several occasions. But his words were more public when he spoke about Jonah. And some Pharisees were present on that day (Matthew 12:40).
I bet when the chief priests went back to their home.... they poured a cool drink.... sunk into a soft sofa.... and said "it's been a very very long day". They had been meeting well into the night, deciding the best way to get rid of that guy Jesus who was drawing such huge crowds. If they let everyone just walk into the marketplace, overturning tables.... destroying inventory... causing mayhem.... they would loose total control. This guy had to be stopped. Healing people.... what a hoax!" They had to meet again early this morning to get everything on the record. Then they had to watch Pilate.... that soldier who was there to keep the peace during Passover..... make his decision. Jesus didn't even bother to defend Himself. He knew there was a plan so there was no need to argue. He had to go to the Cross and He had to go to the Tomb... and He had to get these chores done before the sun went down. Sabbath was approaching. They got Simon [a foreigner from Cyrene] to carry His cross. He was beaten so badly, He was just slowing everything down. That Simon guy had a back he could put to the task.
They offered Jesus drugs. He turned them down. Once again.... He had to keep His wits about Him.... He was part of a plan to heal humanity. Maybe He figured if He dulled His senses with drugs.... He might freak out and call down that legion of angels.... and that would defeat the purpose. He hung in the dark for three hours and then He let His Spirit go.
Apparently the earth quaked at His passing. That curtain split from the top to the bottom.... a mean feat considering the top of the curtain was particularly strong because it was where all the weight hung. It would have had many layers to rip through.... not just one... and the fabric itself.... it was hand woven and hand embroidered.... that adds so many layers to prohibit tearing as well. It too a hefty tug to rip that curtain.
Not all rich guys were doomed. Joseph was a rich disciple. He knew Jesus didn't have a tomb.... so He "loaned" Him a tomb. The chief priests, teachers of the law, Pharisees and Sadducees weren't sure how this all fit together.... but they knew that body had to be sealed in a grave to end all this ridiculous talk of "eternal life". I wonder.... when the earthquake split open the tombs of the dead..... and those dead people walked back into Jerusalem to visit with the living.... did that cause the church leaders to run to Pilate and get the tomb guarded? Did they see dead people?
So.... they sealed the grave.... that would do it... no one was going to get past that Roman guard and the Roman was seal. It was a very very long day.
