Matthew 27
-Judas feels remorse and tries to give back the blood money
given to him for the betrayal of Jesus Christ, but that is rejected by the
chief priests and elders of the Jewish people. Judas dumps the money in the
Temple sanctuary and departed to kill himself by hanging. The priests bought a Potter’s
Field with the blood money as a place to bury strangers. This fulfilled an
obscure prophecy Matthew attributes to Jeremiah even though the clearest
reading of it comes in the prophecy of Zechariah 11:12-13 (It could have been
taken from Jeremiah 17:2-3; 18:1-4; 19:1-11; or 32:6-15, In the OT Jeremiah was
considered the collector of some of the prophets’ writings, so perhaps this is
why his name is cited). *Application* Judas, rather than turning back to the
Savior for forgiveness like Peter eventually did, takes matters into his own
hands and commits suicide. He opted for a permanent solution to a temporary
problem. Don’t let Satan tell you that God can’t forgive. The truth is that He
can and will if we will come back to Him in repentance and for forgiveness
through the price that Christ paid. You’re never too far gone!
-Now the trial before Pilate takes center stage in the
narrative. Christ’s serene calmness and quiet spirit astounds the Roman
governor to the point that he was seemingly convinced of the Lord’s innocence,
because he knew that it was out of envy Jesus had been handed over to him for
punishment. Pilate’s wife warns him not to have anything to do with this
righteous Man for she had been tormented in her sleep (apparently by the Holy
Spirit in a dream). However, the persuasiveness of the religious leaders won
the day as the crowds were stirred up to a riot-like frenzy of evil group-think
and wanted the Christ to be crucified. Pilate tried to release Him, but
Barabbas was chosen over Him, which led to Pilate’s hand washing symbolizing
his desire to be innocent in the condemnation of Christ Jesus (even though he
was simply a people pleaser going along with the mood of the moment). Pilate
did release Barabbas for them as they requested, had Jesus’ scourged (whipped
mercilessly), and handed Him over to be crucified with a death sentence to
avoid a riot in the crowd. The people who were there accepted full
responsibility for their actions with the words, “His (Jesus’) blood shall be
on us and on our children (Matthew 27:25)!” *Application* We know that we are all guilty and responsible for
the Christ having to die for the sins of mankind. Instead of trying to wash our
hands of the guilt, it is better to accept the fact that we are the one’s
responsible for our Savior’s death on the cross. The fact is, Christ laid it
down on His own will by submitting to the Father’s desires. Our sin is the
reason He had to perform this love sacrifice on our behalf. Simply enjoy the
fact that God cares for you this much and receive His forgiveness, which He lavishes
upon us in agape.
-Jesus was flogged in the back, beaten with a reed on His
head, spit upon, crowned with thorns twisted together and crushed down on His
head, and was arrayed in a purple robe to be mocked as a defeated king by the
Roman soldiers. He suffered immense verbal and physical torture as He went to
His sacrificial death for the sins of mankind. Satan filled these mockers and
they acted out in brutality against the King of kings and Lord of lords. *Application* This scene makes most, if
not all, of our persecution that we receive pale in comparison to the torment
that Jesus endured on our behalf. We should notice His response to every insult
and blow. He returned blessing and love for every evil thing done against Him
(Luke 23:34). This is the Law of Christ that we love our enemies and bless
those who persecute us (Matthew 5:44, Luke 6:27, 35, Romans 12:14).
-Jesus is led out to be crucified with a procession of
followers mourning and lamenting His plight. Some were hurling insults and
mockery at Him and were pleased to see the Son of Man dying in front of their
very eyes. Simon of Cyrene is an interesting aside to the crucifixion drama as
he is compelled to carry the cross of the Lord for what was probably a good
distance more than likely because Jesus was too weak to go on with this load.
Mark’s gospel even includes the names of Simon’s sons, Alexander and Rufus
(Mark 15:21). From this we may infer that at some point Simon became a believer
and in some way gave testimony to the crucifixion accounts for its written
account by the gospel writers. *Application*
Simon of Cyrene was an illustration to us as believers of Christ’s command to
pick up our cross daily and follow Him (Luke 9:23). This is a load to bear, but
it is worth it to know that we are in partnership with the Lord in doing His
will His way. Die to yourself and follow the Master wherever He leads.
-Jesus was taken outside the city gates to a place called
Golgotha, which means “Place of the Skull (Matthew 27:33, Mark 15:22, Luke
23:33, John 19:17).” Some time later Jerome, translating the Scriptures into
Latin, used the term which we now translate as Calvary for the Skull (Latin for
skull is calvaria).
-Along this Via Dolorosa (the way of suffering, or grief) He
told the women who followed and were lamenting and mourning not to do that over
Him, but for themselves and their children (Luke 23:27-28). He foresaw terrible
times coming upon His people prophetically, which is taken up in more detail
other passages of Scripture (Zechariah 12:10-14, Matthew 24:15-22, Luke
23:28-31, Revelation 6:16-17). There are two sites held by tradition to be the
place of Jesus’ crucifixion and burial. The traditional site is west of the
Antonia Fortress, built by Herod to oversee the Temple Mount area. It is a
steep journey up a mountain; an arduous task for a man who has been beaten and
abused such as Christ was. This journey ends at what is now known as The Church
of the Holy Sepulchre. The other site is known as the “Garden Tomb” and is
north of the city outside the ancient gates. This place would have been a high
traffic area, was in a garden area near the tomb, had a rock formation cut out
of the side of the mountain that looked like a skull (this is from the building
projects quarried by Herod’s administration). There are convincing proofs that
this could very well be the location of Christ’s death, burial, and
resurrection, but the exact location is unknown and inconclusive.
-Christ’s inscription read that He was the King of the Jews
from Nazareth, written by Pilate (John 19:19). The Jewish leaders were upset
with this, but Pilate would not change his sign. This may have been a form of
mockery, and it was certainly used as a deterrent to further insurrections by
the populace as a sign of Roman domination and authority. The Lord, in His
Providence, allowed this appropriate message to be displayed as He died for the
sins of mankind upon the wooden cross.
-*Application*
Again we are brought to the point of decision when we read accounts of the
Lord’s suffering and pain on our behalf. If you never have, receive the Lord’s
sacrificial death for the atonement of your personal sins and be set free from
the guilt and penalty of separation from God. Trust in Him and His work on the
cross for forgiveness.
- Crucifixion was widely practiced by the Roman Empire
during this era of human history, mostly for the purpose of exposing and
ridiculing those who rebelled against their authority. There were stories of
Roman soldiers’ exploits of cruelty in different postures and tactics for
crucified victims (see Josephus, Jewish
War 5.449-551). The use of nails and a crossbar appear to have been common.
Modern medical explanations for cause of death by the cross conclude that
asphyxiation or shock is the determining factor in killing a hanging victim in
this manner. This was widely believed to be the most painful form of death
execution style due to the excruciating pain and the public shame it caused.
Hanging suspended by one’s arms eventually caused great difficulty in breathing,
which could only be alleviated by pushing up with one’s feet to take the weight
off of the arms. But that motion itself would cause severe pain in the nailed
feet and hands, arms, legs, and back, causing the exhausted victim to slump
down again and again unable to breathe in a slow and agonizing death.
Eventually, the crucified would succumb to suffocation if the physical trauma
hadn’t already killed them. *Application*
Magnify the Name of Christ Jesus who suffered a tremendous amount of pain to
purchase the believers’ salvation! By His wounds we are healed (Isaiah 53:5).
-For what seems to be an unimportant side note to the
biblical writers in the area of the soldiers obtaining Christ’s clothes, we
should notice that every single gospel writer includes this part of the
crucifixion (Matthew 27:35, Mark 15:24, Luke 23:34, John 19:23-24). This
casting of lots for Jesus’ clothes is a fulfillment of the great crucifixion
prophecy of David in Psalms 22 around a thousand years before the time of
Christ Jesus. This dividing up of the garments is prophesied in Psalms 22:18,
and is one of the many exact fulfillments that Christ providentially achieved
under the sovereignty of God’s plan. *Application*
Things like this help our faith when we realize that such coordination is
impossible without the mighty Hand of God in these Divine circumstances. God is
at work to fulfill His overarching will and plan in this world. Praise the LORD
who works all things together for our good (Romans 8:28).
-Jesus is derided and rudely mocked while dying on the
wooden cross by passersby coming in and out of Jerusalem, the religious leaders
led by the chief priests, and by Roman soldiers who participating in the
ridicule of the Lord of lords. Amazingly, Christ took all the bad mouthing and making
fun of without responding or getting angry with revenge. He focused on the
mission to save the world in love and did not stray off His course set by the
Father in Heaven.
-Some of the remarks reveal what these people thought of
Him. They took Him to be a blasphemer who made bold claims about destroying and
rebuilding the Temple physically. They misinterpreted the significance of the
New Covenant and the Spirit-filled age, which was about to be initiated for the
spreading of the gospel unto the whole world for the salvation of many lives
that were separated from the knowledge and love of the Lord. They scoffed at
His claims that He could save, and wanted to see a sign of Him saving Himself
as proof of His Divinity. This was a trap and temptation of Satan to get Christ
off His mission of an atoning sacrifice, but it didn’t work. Jesus endured and
overcame despite every effort to thwart Him. These mockers clearly heard His
message that He claimed to be the Son of God, but they were unwilling to accept
this message because it seemed so absurd to them. In their minds the Messiah
could never humble Himself enough to take this abuse and suffering. They didn’t
see Him as the suffering Servant, but the mighty King who would change their
own nation for selfish motivations and with self-indulging signs and wonders.
They totally missed the point of the Messiah’s first incarnation. The blinders
remained on and the ears were still deaf. For the Roman soldiers, their
arrogance in imperialistic power kept them from realizing that God had visited
them. They thought it to be foolishness that a King would be defeated by a
humiliating death on a cross (1 Corinthians 1:21-25). Even the thieves on the
cross hurled taunts at the Savior, though one would come around and fear the
Lord receiving salvation in the end.
-*Application* Don’t
take lightly the abuse of the Lord’s Name. This is the third commandment given
to Moses on Mt. Sinai, and it is sometimes an easy temptation to fall into.
These people we have studied today had no clue what they were actually doing
and saying about the King of the universe. We also will face temptations to go
along with the crowd and deny the Name of the Lord and His power in our lives.
This is dangerous and will lead us into unbelief if we are not careful. The
world still thinks little of the Lord Jesus Christ and will try to pull you
away from Him and His humble wisdom. Don’t succumb to peer pressure and deceit.
Seek His truth and live.
-This darkness that enveloped the area for three hours from
about 12:00pm to 3:00pm would be presumed to be a solar eclipse, but this is
not possible since the Passover only occurred during a full moon and a solar
eclipse can only occur during a new moon phase. Rather, this was a supernatural
act of the Sovereign LORD having a physical manifestation (the sun’s light
failed) with spiritual implications for us to consider. Darkness in Scripture
represents lament (deep, agonizing sorrow, Amos 8:9-10) and Divine judgment
(Exodus 10:21-23, 2 Peter 2:4, Jude 1:6, 13). It is often the sign of an
eschatological (last things) event taking place (Isaiah 60:2, Joel 2:1-2, 31,
Amos 5:18-20, Zephaniah 1:15). These literal events had spiritual implications
figuratively representing the fact that Jesus was bearing God’s wrath for His
people, and it was also expressive of the LORD’s displeasure for crucifying His
One and Only Begotten Son when we think about it. *Application* While there was darkness in the death of the Christ,
we see the end result as His children who have received His grace. This vibrant
biblical theme comes alive in us as we realize that in Him we step into
marvelous Light (1 Peter 2:9, John 12:46, 1 John 1:5; 2:8). He overcomes the
darkness of wrath and sin to give us victory and eternal life! Jesus has
overcome the grave, which is awesome news for us. He gives us His Spirit to
light and illuminate our way (Daniel 2:22, Matthew 5:16, John 1:9; 14:16-18;
16:13), and His Word as a light unto our path (Psalm 119:105).
-Jesus now cries out to the Father because He has been
forsaken. God could not look upon the sin, which Jesus was taking on in the
spiritual realm, and this separation (which was momentary) frazzled (exhausted
and in a very confused or irritable state) the Lord to the point of
desperation. This was understandable under His mental and physical duress. We
also must consider that this was a new, and undeserved, sensation as He had
always been One with God the Father, and now was experiencing, in some way,
disunion as a sacrifice for all of mankind. He was taking the penalty as the
Just for the unjust (1 Peter 3:18).
-The observers were confused themselves over the words of
Christ Jesus, which were probably moaned in His agony and pain. They thought
that He may have been calling on Elijah and wanted to see if he would come in a
supernatural event. Someone offered Him sour wine as He thirsted (John 19:28),
and Jesus offered up His Spirit proclaiming that “Father, into Your Hands I
commit My Spirit (Luke 23:46),” and “It is finished (John 19:30)!”
-*Application* It
is finished! Christ’s sacrificial death on the cross covers our every sin when
we accept His great salvation through repentance and faith. Jesus, through
taking on the sinfulness of man, has given us all the unique opportunity to
reconnect to the Father and His amazing grace, which gives us all of His
benefits in earth and eternity! He has taken pity on us and considered our
depraved state and actually done something in love to correct it. Praise the
LORD for His compassion and receive His bountiful and abundant gift!
-The Scriptures describe Jesus’ final few moments in great
detail before He gave up His Spirit and returned to the Father victorious
without sin or blemish in His earthly mission to rescue and save mankind. He
received the sour wine (John 19:30), uttered a loud cry, claimed “It is
finished,” said “Father into Your Hands I commit My Spirit (Luke 23:46),” bowed
His head, and gave up His Spirit (Matthew 27:50).
-The centurion who had been taking care of the crucifixion
process, much like the penitent thief, turned in his demeanor and attitude
based on Luke’s testimony (Luke 23:47). He praised God and claimed Jesus’
innocence, which was a drastic turn from the mockery he inflicted, or at least
allowed under his command as a Roman authority. For this to have happened we
must conclude that the supernatural events that were taking place (earthquake,
darkness, Temple veil torn, graves opening, etc.) and Jesus’ calm and steadfast
Spirit as a testimony must have won him over to see what he hadn’t seen before.
He had an up close and personal vantage point of all these incredible events,
and it radically changed him it appears by his confession that this truly was
the Son of God (Matthew 27:54, Mark 15:39)!
-The crowds who had come together for this, as the Bible
describes, spectacle returned home beating their breasts (Luke 23:48, cross
reference Luke 18:13) as a demonstration of possible grief and repentance. As
Jesus had stated, they knew not what they did, and it was now too late at least
in their finite-natural minds (Luke 23:34). Perhaps this was a realization of
the truth and deep Godly sorrow. Christ had come in peace and they violently
put Him to a horrific death on the excruciating cross. He had gone innocently
as the Lamb of God to the slaughter (Isaiah 53:7) and now these people may have
felt deep regret for their actions. His acquaintances and the women who had
followed Him from Galilee stood at a distance watching all these things (Luke
23:49).
-*Application* The
death of our Lord and Savior should have the same impact on us as it did for
those who stood by witnessing the scene in all its terror, sadness, and
ultimate glory unto God. We should reflect deeply on the cost of Christ’s
sacrifice for us and the opportunity it gives us to have new life in Him
abundant and free. By His wounds we are healed (1 Peter 2:24)! Glory unto our
Great and Awesome King forever!
-At the moment of Christ’s departure, some supernatural
events took place that the gospel writers included in their biographies. The
earth shook violently (earthquakes are common in this region, but the timing of
God was impeccable here as to only be of Him). The veil of Temple tore in two
from top to bottom at this time, which was very thick. In fact it was too thick
to even be separated by an earthquake or the falling of the lintel (for more
precise commentary on the veil a great source is:
http://www.reformedonline.com/view/reformedonline/20%20Split%20Veil,%20etc.htm).
*Application* This event has
incredible theological implications as the legalistic dispensation is concluded
and the age of the indwelling Holy Spirit is in many ways initiated by the
access to the Holy of Holies, which Jesus’ death provided. We cannot minimize
the significance of this moment. Jesus had claimed that He would destroy the
Temple and in three days rebuild it (John 2:19-22). This tearing of the veil
from top to bottom was God’s opening up of Himself to every nation and tribe
for the spreading of His glory. He would be concealed no longer. His death made
a way for the simple plan of salvation to be disseminated across the globe.
This was only the beginning. This visible manifestation to the religious
leaders would have and should have been a real wakeup call that Jesus was who
He claimed to be. The sad thing is even this could not awaken the faith of many
of these hard hearted religious stalwarts of tradition.
-We also see the dead resurrected in part and coming into
the Holy City being seen by many witnesses after the resurrection of Christ on
the third day, Sunday (Matthew 27:53). This is a mystifying and perplexing
event that only one biblical author describes in only two verses of Scripture.
There is no other biblical or historical account of this event, and Matthew
treats it topically out of the order of events here for a theological purpose
of emphasizing the resurrection in the midst of the crucifixion. These
individuals were no doubt Old Testament believers who had looked forward to the
Messiah and His promise and were now resurrected along with the risen Savior
(Matthew 27:52 uses the term “raised” to indicate a difference from
resuscitations like with Lazarus in John 11:44). We may have some other
Scriptural evidence and some shedding of light on this occurrence in Isaiah
26:19, Ezekiel 37, and 1 Peter 3:18-21; 4:6. These resurrected bodies that
appeared to many in Jerusalem from their tombs more than likely ascended to
Heaven near the time of Christ’s ascension if not simultaneously. Of course
this is conjecture because it is not clear in the biblical account.
*Application* This resurrection account
provides the biblical motif for our own resurrection in Christ, which is best
delineated in 1 Corinthians 15. Christ Jesus is the first fruits of the eternal
life we can all have in Him by placing our faith in His gracious work on the
cross (Romans 8:23, 1 Corinthians 15:20, James 1:18). This is what makes the
gospel so impactful for us concerning the hope of glory. This theme is also
foreshadowed in the Old Testament by Moses (Exodus 23:16-19; 34:22-26) and
other prophets (Nehemiah 10:35, Ezekiel 44:30). (For more on this topic see:
http://christianthinktank.com/oddrise.html.)
-The veracity of Jesus’ burial is important for us to
consider, because if there is no physical death the resurrection could be
considered a hoax. The details of the entombment of the Lord are chronicled by
all four gospel writers as witnesses to the fact that Christ was officially
declared dead and a genuine burial was indeed conducted. Here we summarize the
specifics given as to where, when, and how Jesus was laid to rest in His
deceased state.
-First, we see the intriguing figure of Joseph of Arimathea
(a small Jewish village thought to be 20 miles or so northwest from Jerusalem).
He was a rich man, who fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9. He was described
as a good and righteous member of the Sanhedrin council (Mark 15:43, Luke
23:50). He was a secret disciple of Jesus who did not consent with the
religious leaders decision and action with the Lord, and he was looking for the
Kingdom of God (Matthew 27:57, Luke 23:51, John 19:38). He was rightfully
sacred for fear of the Jews, but he took courage by the will of God and asked
Pilate’s permission to bury Jesus in his newly hewn tomb in which no one had
ever been laid (Matthew 27:60, Mark 15:43, Luke 23:53). He and Nicodemus
anointed the Lord for His burial and wrapped Him in a clean linen shroud and
placed Him in the tomb quickly because it was the day of Preparation for the
Sabbath. Nicodemus was also a ruler of the Jews in the Sanhedrin, and he was
the one who came to Jesus seeking how to be saved in John 3 (John 19:39). Here
we see evidence of his trusting in Jesus and the coming Kingdom that was not of
this world.
-In addition, Pilate, we see from the Scriptures, is
surprised that Jesus was already dead in a matter of hours. With all the events
of the day, which he more than likely witnessed, including the time of
darkness, the earthquake, and the torn veil, he was probably wondering how they
could have so quickly carried out an execution. Mark is the gospel writer who
gives us the perplexity of Pilate when asked for permission for the body of Jesus.
This gospel writer states how Pilate even questioned the centurion as to the
genuineness of Christ’s death, which is even more proof of the physical passing
of Christ from this earth.
-Jesus was laid in the garden tomb, which was very close in
proximity to the place where He was crucified again for the reason of
expediency due to the coming Sabbath (John 19:42). The stone was rolled to
cover the grave to complete the process. This whole sequence was orchestrated
and carried out ultimately by the Hand of God in amazing fashion to fulfill the
Old Testament Scriptures prophetically. It is as if God had seen the whole
drama play out beforehand (which He actually did). Here we see the transcendent
nature of the LORD at this pivotal time in human history. God, who is outside
of time, works in our earthly order to bring about His plans and purposes for
salvation. The fulfillment of these prophecies to the exact degree gives us
reliable reason to have faith and trust in His authority over all things. *Application* When we actually sit and
contemplate how amazing all this is, we should be astonished and amazed with a
heart of worship for this incomparable God of glory.
-The women, particularly Mary Magdalene and Mary (the mother
of James and John), were watching to see where they laid the Savior. They along
with other women who had followed Jesus from Galilee had been watching the
whole scene at a distance and returned to prepare spices and ointments for His
deceased body. They rested on the Sabbath and would return on the first day of
the week to find the most incredible event of history! *Application* Consider the facts of Christ’s actual death today and
believe in the supernatural. This was the power of God to save the world and we
must believe in His work.
-The religious leaders, the chief priests and Pharisees,
went on the Sabbath to Pilate with concerns about the disciples stealing the
body of Jesus due to His claims that He would rise in three days. From this
statement we can see that the message Christ gave before His death on
resurrection was clear, even to the pompous and arrogant leaders of the Jewish
manmade traditional system of the time. Jesus had effectively and accurately
perpetuated His true gospel so that there was no doubt as to what He had said and
what He meant. Christ’s ultimate sign was obvious (Matthew 12:38-42, Luke
11:16-32, John 2:18-21) and these doubting men wanted to make every effort to
avoid heresy and fraud by what they thought to be an impostor, which is
understandable.
-Pilate gave them a group of guard soldiers, presumably the
same military guard assigned to oversee the temple area security, to make the
tomb as secure as possible. So they went and sealed the stone over the grave of
the Lord and set guards over it (Matthew 27:66; 28:4). After the resurrection,
these men were paid off to keep the raising of Jesus a secret, which was widely
reported in the region (Matthew 28:11-15).
-*Application* The
incident with the guards is yet another opportunity missed to receive the truth
of the gospel for the religious leadership. It is kicking against the pricks
and foolish to be faced with such an obvious truth, yet reject it. We should
not have stubborn hearts in pride that are hard and inflexible. When God
reveals Himself to you, don’t rationalize and talk yourself out of His
miracles. It is easier to do than we think. Receive all His Spirit has for you
and accept His Word spoken over you for fullness of joy. Don’t be like these
religious leaders who never could understand the ways of the Lord and made
excuses until it was too late.
