Matthew Chapter 27

From The Open Bible Project

27:1 Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

27:2 and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

27:3 Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

• (1) An example of the horrible judgment of God upon those who sell Christ as opposed to those who buy Christ.

27:4 saying, "I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? You see to it."

27:5 He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He went away and hanged himself.

• (a) Out of the sight of men.

27:6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, "It's not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood."

• (b) The treasury of the temple.
• (c) Of life and death.

27:7 They took counsel, and bought the potter's field with them, to bury strangers in.

• (d) Strangers and guests, whom the Jews could not endure to be joined with even after they were dead.

27:8 Therefore that field was called "The Field of Blood" to this day.

27:9 Then that which was spoken through [124>]Jeremiah[<124] the prophet was fulfilled, saying, "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him upon whom a price had been set, whom some of the children of Israel priced,

• (e) As this prophecy is found in (Zechariah 11:12) it cannot be denied that Jeremy’s name slipped into the text either through the fault of the Scribe, or by someone else’s ignorance: it may also be that it came out of the margin by means of the abbreviation on one of the letters, the one being "yod" and the other being "zayin", which are very similar: But in the Syrian text the Prophet’s name is not written down at all.
• (f) The evangelist does not follow the prophet’s words, but instead he follows the prophet’s meaning, which he shows to have been fulfilled.

27:10 and they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord commanded me."[125]

27:11 Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?" Jesus said to him, "So you say."

• (2) Christ holds his peace when he is accused in order that we may not be accused: acknowledging our guiltiness, and at the same time his own innocence.

27:12 When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

27:13 Then Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear how many things they testify against you?"

27:14 He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

27:15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.

• (3) Christ is first acquitted by the same judge who condemns him, that we might see how the just dies for the unjust.

27:16 They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

27:17 When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?"

27:18 For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.

27:19 While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him."

27:20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

27:21 But the governor answered them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?" They said, "Barabbas!"

27:22 Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?" They all said to him, "Let him be crucified!"

27:23 But the governor said, "Why? What evil has he done?" But they cried out exceedingly, saying, "Let him be crucified!"

27:24 So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it."

• (4) Christ being acquitted by the testimony of the judge himself is nonetheless condemned by him, in order to acquit us before God.
• (g) It was a custom in ancient times that when any man was murdered, or there were other slaughters, to wash their hands in water to declare themselves guiltless.
• (h) Of the murder; a Hebrew idiom.

27:25 All the people answered, "May his blood be on us, and on our children!"

• (i) If there is any offence committed in slaying him, let us and our posterity suffer for it.

27:26 Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

27:27 Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

27:28 They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.

• (5) Christ endures that reproach which was due to our sins; meanwhile, in spite of this, by the secret providence of God he is entitled king by those who did him that reproach.
• (k) They threw a cloak about him and wrapped it around him, for it did not have any sleeves.
• (l) John and Mark also mention a purple robe, which is also a very pleasant red. But these profane and impudently disrespectful soldiers clad Jesus in this array to make an additional mockery of him, this one who was indeed a true King.

27:29 They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

27:30 They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.

27:31 When they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

27:32 As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.

• (m) They compelled Simon to bear his burdensome cross, by which it appears that Jesus was so poorly handled before that he fainted along the way, and was not able to bear his cross the whole distance: for John writes that he did bear the cross, that is, at the beginning.

27:33 They came to a place called "Golgotha," that is to say, "The place of a skull."

• (6) He is led out of the city so that we might be brought into the heavenly kingdom.

27:34 They gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.

• (7) Christ found no comfort anywhere, that in him we might be filled with comfort.

27:35 When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots,[126]

• (8) He is made a curse, so that in him we may be blessed: his garments are taken from him so that we might be enriched by his nakedness.

27:36 and they sat and watched him there.

27:37 They set up over his head the accusation against him written, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

• (9) He is pronounced the true Messiah, even by those who reject him.

27:38 Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left.

• (10) Christ then began to judge the world, when after his judgment he hung between two thieves.

27:39 Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,

• (11) To make full satisfaction for us, Christ suffered and overcame not only the torments of the body, but also the most horrible torments of the mind.

27:40 and saying, "You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!"

27:41 Likewise the chief priests also mocking, with the scribes, [127>]the Pharisees,[<127] and the elders, said,

27:42 "He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

27:43 He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

27:44 The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.

• (n) This is spoken using the figure of speech called synecdoche, for only one of the thieves reviled him.

27:45 Now from the [128>]sixth hour[<128] there was darkness over all the land until the [129>]ninth hour.[<129]

• (12) Heaven itself is darkened for very horror, and Jesus cries out from the depth of hell, and all during this time he is being mocked.

27:46 About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "Eli, Eli, [130>]lima[<130] sabachthani?" That is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"[131]

• (o) That is, in this misery: And this crying out is a natural part of his humanity, which, even though it was void of sin, still felt the wrath of God, the wrath which is due to our sins.

27:47 Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, "This man is calling Elijah."

• (p) They allude to Elias’ name, not because they did not understand what he said, but because of a profane impudence and disrespect, and he repeated those words so that this repetition of the name might be understood.

27:48 Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.

27:49 The rest said, "Let him be. Let's see whether Elijah comes to save him."

27:50 Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.

• (13) Christ, after he had overcome other enemies, at length provokes and attacks death itself.

27:51 Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.

• (14) Christ, when he is dead, shows himself to be God Almighty, and even his enemies confess the same.
• (q) Which separated the holiest of all.

27:52 The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

• (r) That is to say, the stones broke apart, and the graves opened themselves to show by this act that death was overcome: and the resurrection of the dead followed the resurrection of Christ, as the next verse indicates (Matthew 27:53).

27:53 and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

27:54 Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God."

27:55 Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him.

27:56 Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

27:57 When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus' disciple came.

• (15) Christ is buried, not privately or by stealth, but with the governor’s consent, by a famous man, in a place not far distant, in a new tomb, so that his death cannot be doubted.

27:58 This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.

27:59 Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

27:60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock, and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.

27:61 Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

27:62 Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,

• (16) The keeping of the tomb is committed to Christ’s own murderers, so that there might be no doubt of his resurrection.

27:63 saying, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise again.'

27:64 Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead;' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

27:65 Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can."

• (f) The soldiers of the garrison who were appointed to guard the temple.

27:66 So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.