Matthew 27
27
Jesus Condemned by the Religious Leaders
1Before dawn that morning, all the chief priests and religious leaders resolved to take action against Jesus and decided that he should be executed. 2So they bound him and led him away to Pilate, the Roman governor.
Judas Commits Suicide
3Now, when Judas, the betrayer, saw that Jesus had been sentenced to death, remorse filled his heart. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and religious leaders, 4saying, “I have sinned by betraying an innocent man.”
They replied, “Why are you bothering us? That’s your problem.”
5Then Judas flung the silver coins inside the temple and went out and hanged himself.
6The chief priests, picking up the pieces of silver, said, “We can’t keep this, for it’s unlawful to put blood money into the temple treasury.” 7So after some deliberation, they decided to purchase the potter’s field of clay, # 27:7 Implied in the historical context. This was the field owned by a potter, used for making clay vessels. to use as a cemetery for burying strangers. 8That’s why that land has been called “The Field of Blood.” 9This fulfilled the prophecy of Zechariah: # 27:9 As translated from the Hebrew Matthew. See Zech. 11:12–13. The Greek manuscripts incorrectly identify the prophecy as from Jeremiah. There is no clear prophecy found in Jeremiah that is quoted here by Matthew. The Aramaic reads simply, “spoken of by the prophet.” The Hebrew Matthew correctly states, “spoken through Zechariah.”
They took the thirty pieces of silver, # 27:9 Thirty pieces of silver is also the price someone owed if their ox killed a slave (Ex. 21:32).
the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
the price of a precious man, # 27:9 As translated from the Aramaic.
10And they bought the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed. # 27:10 Or “as the Lord directed me.”
Jesus Brought before Pilate
11As Jesus stood in front of the Roman governor, Pilate asked him, “So, you are the king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “You have just spoken it.” 12Then he was accused by the chief priests and religious leaders, but he remained silent.
13Pilate said, “Don’t you hear these allegations?” 14But Jesus offered no defense to any of the charges, much to the great astonishment of Pilate.
15Now, every year at Passover it was the custom of the governor to pardon a prisoner and release him to the people—anyone they wanted. 16And at that time, Pilate was holding in custody a notorious criminal named Jesus Barabbas. # 27:16 As translated from the Hebrew Matthew and a few Greek manuscripts. Most Greek texts have only Barabbas. The name Barabbas is Aramaic and means “son of a father” or “son who is like his father.” He becomes a picture of every son of Adam, our father. Some believe this is a figure of speech, a nickname for one who was born an illegitimate son, with no known father. The true Son of the Father was crucified that day. 17So as the crowds of people assembled outside of Pilate’s residence, he went out and offered them a choice. He asked them, “Who would you want me to release to you today, Jesus who is called Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Anointed One?” 18(Now, Pilate was fully aware that the religious leaders had handed Jesus over to him because of their bitter jealousy.)
19Just then, as Pilate was presiding over the tribunal, # 27:19 Or “sat on the judgment seat.” his wife sent him an urgent message: “Don’t harm that holy man, # 27:19 As translated from the Aramaic. for I suffered a horrible nightmare last night about him!”
20Meanwhile, the chief priest and the religious leaders were inciting the crowd to ask for Barabbas to be freed and to have Jesus killed. 21So Pilate asked them again, “Which of the two men would you like me to release for you?”
They shouted, “Barabbas.”
22Pilate asked them, “Then what would you have me to do with Jesus who is called the Anointed One?”
They all shouted back, “Crucify him!”
23“Why?” Pilate asked. “What has he done wrong?”
But they kept shouting out, “Crucify him!”
Jesus Condemned to Death
24When Pilate realized that a riot was about to break out and that it was useless to try to reason with the crowd, he sent for a basin of water. After washing his hands # 27:24 See Deut. 21:6–7. in front of the people, he said, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man. # 27:24 As translated from the Hebrew Matthew and the Aramaic. The responsibility for his death is now yours!” # 27:24 The Aramaic is “You do as you please!”
25And the crowd replied, “Let his blood be on us and on our children!”
26So he released Barabbas to the people. He ordered that Jesus be beaten with a whip of leather straps embedded with metal, and afterward be crucified. 27Then the guards took him into their military compound, where a detachment of nearly six hundred soldiers surrounded him.
28They stripped off his clothing # 27:28 The Greek word ekduo means “to fully undress.” This was an act meant to shame and humiliate. and placed a scarlet robe on him to make fun of him. 29Then they braided a crown of thorns and forcefully shoved it onto his head. After placing a reed staff in his right hand, they knelt down before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” 30Then they spat in his face and took the reed staff from his hand and hit him repeatedly on his head, driving the crown of thorns deeper. 31When they finished ridiculing him, they took off the scarlet robe and put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be crucified. 32And as they came out of the city, they stopped an African man named Simon, from Libya, # 27:32 Or “from Cyrene,” which is present-day Tripoli, Libya. and compelled him to carry the cross for Jesus.
The Crucifixion
33They brought Jesus to Golgotha, which means “Skull Hill.” # 27:33 The Aramaic word Golgotha is, in Latin, calvaria, or Calvary. Origen, an early church father (185–253 AD), recorded that Jesus was crucified at the place where Adam was buried and where his skull was found. David brought Goliath’s head (Goliath and Golgotha are taken from the same root word) and buried it outside of Jerusalem. Some believe this is where it got its name, Golgotha (the place of the skull). The cross has to pierce the place of the skull for our minds to submit to the revelation of the cross. 34And there the soldiers offered him a mild painkiller, a drink of wine mixed with gall, # 27:34 See Ps. 69:21. Jesus was twice offered a painkiller on the cross and did not drink it. He knew he was to drink the cup of suffering the Father had given him. He did that for you. but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.
35Then they crucified Jesus, nailing his hands and feet to the cross. The soldiers divided his clothing among themselves by rolling dice to see who would win them. 36And the soldiers stood there to watch what would happen and to keep guard over him. 37Above his head they placed a sign that read, “This is Jesus of Nazareth, # 27:37 As translated from the Hebrew Matthew. See John 19:20. The sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. Aramaic was the language of the common people in Israel. Hebrew ceased to be their spoken language after 450 BC, when the Jews returned from Babylon. Aramaic remained the language of Israel for nearly one thousand years. Latin was the official language of the Roman Empire. The inscription was also in Greek, for the Alexandrian Jews who had come to observe the Passover in Jerusalem would be unable to read Aramaic. The words were “Jesus, the Nazarene, King of the Jews.” The first letters of each of the four words written on the sign in Aramaic (Hebrew) were Y-H-W-H (Y’shua Hanozri Wumelech a Yehudim). To write these letters, YHWH (also known as the Tetragrammaton), was the Hebrew form of writing the sacred name “Yahweh.” No wonder the chief priests were so offended by this sign and insisted that Pilate change it. This was a sign given to Israel, for over Jesus’ head on the cross was written “Y-H-W-H! God, the Savior, bled to death for you.” King of Israel.”
38Two criminals were also crucified with Jesus, one on each side of him. # 27:38 See Isa. 53:12. 39And those who passed by shook their heads and ridiculed him, 40saying, “We heard you boast that you could destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days! Why don’t you save yourself now? If you’re really God’s Son, come down from the cross!”
41Even the ruling priests, with the Jewish scholars and religious leaders, joined in the mockery # 27:41 See Pss. 22:17; 109:25; Lam. 2:15. 42and kept on saying, “He saved others, but he can’t even save himself! Israel’s king, is he? He should pull out the nails and come down from the cross right now; then we’ll believe in him! 43He puts his trust in God, so let’s see if it’s true, and see if God really wants to rescue him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”
44Even the two criminals who were crucified with Jesus began to taunt him, hurling their insults on him.
The Death of the Savior
45For three hours, beginning at noon, a sudden and unexpected darkness came over the earth. # 27:45 Or “the land.” 46And at three o’clock Jesus shouted with a mighty voice in Aramaic, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” # 27:46 The last words of Jesus were spoken in Aramaic. Every Greek text gives a transliteration of the Aramaic words and then translates them back into Greek. —that is, “My God, My God, why have you deserted me?” # 27:46 See Pss. 22:1; 42:9. The Aramaic can be translated “for this purpose you have spared me.” 47Some who were standing near the cross misunderstood and said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” 48One bystander ran and got a sponge, soaked it with sour wine, then put it on a stick and held it up for Jesus to drink. 49But the rest said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to rescue him.” # 27:49 A few Greek manuscripts have an additional sentence: “A soldier took a lance and pierced him in the side and blood and water poured out.” It is not found in the Aramaic and many Greek texts of Matthew. If included, it would mean the soldier took Jesus’ life with his lance. However, Jesus said that no man could take his life from him. The evidence is compelling that it was not part of the original text, but was taken from John 19:34 and added here.
50Jesus passionately cried out, # 27:50 See Luke 23:46 and John 19:30 to read the words he shouted out at death. took his last breath, and gave up his spirit.
51At that moment the veil in the Holy of Holies was torn in two from the top to the bottom. # 27:51 It was obviously the hand of God that tore the veil from top to bottom. In Matthew 26:56 it was the High Priest who tore his clothes in the presence of Jesus. Now God tears his veil in the presence of the High Priest offering the Passover blood in the Holy of Holies. The earth shook violently, rocks were violently split apart, 52and graves were opened. Then many of the holy ones who had died were brought back to life and came out of their graves. 53And after Jesus’ resurrection, # 27:53 The Aramaic reads “after their rising.” they were seen by many people walking in Jerusalem. # 27:53 Perhaps one was Joseph, for he had asked that his bones be buried in the promised land. He saw a resurrection coming and didn’t want to be left out. See Heb. 11:22. Jesus’ resurrection was so powerful that many were instantly raised back to life again along with him.
54Now, when the Roman military officer and his soldiers witnessed what was happening and felt the powerful earthquake, they were extremely terrified. They said, “There is no doubt, this man was the Son of God!”
55Watching from a distance were many of the women who had followed him from Galilee and given him support. 56Among them were Mary Magdalene; Mary, the mother of Jacob and Joseph; and the mother of Jacob and John.
The Burial of Jesus
57At the end of the day, a wealthy man named Joseph, a follower of Jesus from the village of Ramah, # 27:57 As translated from the Aramaic. Ramah (formerly Ramathaim Zophim) was the village of Samuel, situated on a hill overlooking Jerusalem. The Greek is “Joseph of Arimathea.” Luke tells us that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. See Luke 23:50–51. It is possible that Joseph may have lost a son the age of Jesus when Herod killed the infants. 58approached Pilate and asked if he could take custody of the body of Jesus. So Pilate consented and ordered that the body be given to him. 59Then Joseph wrapped the body in a shroud of fine linen and placed it in his own unused tomb, which had only recently been cut into the rock. 60They rolled a large stone to seal the entrance of the tomb and left.
61Sitting across from the tomb were Mary Magdalene and the other Marys, # 27:61 As translated from the Hebrew Matthew. See v. 56 and 28:1. watching all that took place.
62The next day, the day after Preparation Day for Passover, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. 63They said to him, “Our master, we remember that this imposter claimed that he would rise from the dead after three days. 64So please, order the tomb to be sealed until after the third day. Seal it so that his disciples can’t come and steal the corpse and tell people he rose from the dead. Then the last deception would be worse than the first!”
65“I will send soldiers to guard the tomb,” Pilate replied. “Go with them and make the tomb as secure as possible.” 66So they left and sealed the stone, # 27:66 This official seal, if broken, would bring the death penalty to the offender. and Pilate’s soldiers secured the tomb.
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Matthew 27: TPT
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Learn More About The Passion TranslationMattityahu (Mat) 27
27
1Early in the morning, all the head cohanim and elders met to plan how to bring about Yeshua’s death. 2Then they put him in chains, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.
3When Y’hudah, who had betrayed him, saw that Yeshua had been condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the head cohanim and elders, 4saying, “I sinned in betraying an innocent man to death.” “What is that to us?” they answered. “That’s your problem.” 5Hurling the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, he left; then he went off and hanged himself.
6The head cohanim took the silver coins and said, “It is prohibited to put this into the Temple treasury, because it is blood money.” 7So they decided to use it to buy the potter’s field as a cemetery for foreigners. 8This is how it came to be called the Field of Blood, a name it still bears. 9Then what Yirmeyahu the prophet spoke was fulfilled, “And they took the thirty silver coins, which was the price the people of Isra’el had agreed to pay for him, 10and used them to buy the potter’s field, just as the Lord directed me.”
11Meanwhile, Yeshua was brought before the governor, and the governor put this question to him: “Are you the King of the Jews?” Yeshua answered, “The words are yours.” 12But when he was accused by the head cohanim and elders, he gave no answer. 13Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear all these charges they are making against you?” 14But to the governor’s great amazement, he did not say a single word in reply to the accusations.
15It was the governor’s custom during a festival to set free one prisoner, whomever the crowd asked for. 16There was at that time a notorious prisoner being held, named Yeshua Bar-Abba. 17So when a crowd had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to set free for you? Bar-Abba? or Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” 18For he understood that it was out of jealousy that they had handed him over. 19While he was sitting in court, his wife sent him a message, “Leave that innocent man alone. Today in a dream I suffered terribly because of him.” 20But the head cohanim persuaded the crowd to ask for Bar-Abba’s release and to have Yeshua executed on the stake. 21“Which of the two do you want me to set free for you?” asked the governor. “Bar-Abba!” they answered. 22Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Yeshua, called ‘the Messiah’?” They all said, “Put him to death on the stake! Put him to death on the stake!” 23When he asked, “Why? What crime has he committed?” they shouted all the louder, “Put him to death on the stake!” 24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water, washed his hands in front of the crowd, and said, “My hands are clean of this man’s blood; it’s your responsibility.” 25All the people answered, “His blood is on us and on our children!” 26Then he released to them Bar-Abba; but Yeshua, after having him whipped, he handed over to be executed on a stake.
27The governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the headquarters building, and the whole battalion gathered around him. 28They stripped off his clothes and put on him a scarlet robe, 29wove thorn-branches into a crown and put it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. Then they kneeled down in front of him and made fun of him: “Hail to the King of the Jews!” 30They spit on him and used the stick to beat him about the head. 31When they had finished ridiculing him, they took off the robe, put his own clothes back on him and led him away to be nailed to the execution-stake.
32As they were leaving, they met a man from Cyrene named Shim‘on; and they forced him to carry Yeshua’s execution-stake. 33When they arrived at a place called Gulgolta (which means “place of a skull”), 34they gave him wine mixed with bitter gall to drink; but after tasting it, he would not drink it. 35After they had nailed him to the stake, they divided his clothes among them by throwing dice. 36Then they sat down to keep watch over him there. 37Above his head they placed the written notice stating the charge against him,
THIS IS YESHUA
THE KING OF THE JEWS
38Then two robbers were placed on execution-stakes with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39People passing by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40and saying, “So you can destroy the Temple, can you, and rebuild it in three days? Save yourself, if you are the Son of God, and come down from the stake!” 41Likewise, the head cohanim jeered at him, along with the Torah-teachers and elders, 42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself!” “So he’s King of Isra’el, is he? Let him come down now from the stake! Then we’ll believe him!” 43“He trusted God? So, let him rescue him if he wants him! After all, he did say, ‘I’m the Son of God’!” 44Even the robbers nailed up with him insulted him in the same way.
45From noon until three o’clock in the afternoon, all the Land was covered with darkness. 46At about three, Yeshua uttered a loud cry, “Eli! Eli! L’mah sh’vaktani? (My God! My God! Why have you deserted me?)” 47On hearing this, some of the bystanders said, “He’s calling for Eliyahu.” 48Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it on a stick and gave it to him to drink. 49The rest said, “Wait! Let’s see if Eliyahu comes and rescues him.” 50But Yeshua, again crying out in a loud voice, yielded up his spirit.
51At that moment the parokhet in the Temple was ripped in two from top to bottom; and there was an earthquake, with rocks splitting apart. 52Also the graves were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life; 53and after Yeshua rose, they came out of the graves and went into the holy city, where many people saw them. 54When the Roman officer and those with him who were keeping watch over Yeshua saw the earthquake and what was happening, they were awestruck and said, “He really was a son of God.”
55There were many women there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Yeshua from the Galil, helping him. 56Among them were Miryam from Magdala, Miryam the mother of Ya‘akov and Yosef, and the mother of Zavdai’s sons.
57Towards evening, there came a wealthy man from Ramatayim named Yosef, who was himself a talmid of Yeshua. 58He approached Pilate and asked for Yeshua’s body, and Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59Yosef took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen sheet, 60and laid it in his own tomb, which he had recently had cut out of the rock. After rolling a large stone in front of the entrance to the tomb, he went away. 61Miryam of Magdala and the other Miryam stayed there, sitting opposite the grave.
62Next day, after the preparation, the head cohanim and the P’rushim went together to Pilate 63and said, “Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ 64Therefore, order that the grave be made secure till the third day; otherwise the talmidim may come, steal him away and say to the people, ‘He was raised from the dead’; and the last deception will be worse than the first.” 65Pilate said to them, “You may have your guard. Go and make the grave as secure as you know how.” 66So they went and made the grave secure by sealing the stone and putting the guard on watch.
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