Matthew 27
27
Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
(Mark 15.1; Luke 23.1,2; John 18.28-32)
1Early the next morning all the chief priests and the nation's leaders met and decided that Jesus should be put to death. 2They tied him up and led him away to Pilate the governor.
The Death of Judas
(Acts 1.18,19)
3 #
Ac 1.18,19. Judas had betrayed Jesus, but when he learned that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he was sorry for what he had done. He returned the 30 silver coins to the chief priests and leaders 4and said, “I have sinned by betraying a man who has never done anything wrong.”
“So what? That's your problem,” they replied. 5Judas threw the money into the temple and then went out and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the money and said, “This money was paid to have a man killed. We can't put it in the temple treasury.” 7Then they had a meeting and decided to buy a field that belonged to someone who made clay pots. They wanted to use it as a graveyard for foreigners. 8This is why people still call that place “Field of Blood.” 9#Zec 11.12,13. So the words of the prophet Jeremiah came true,
“They took
the thirty silver coins,
the price of a person
among the people of Israel.
10They paid it
for a potter's field,#27.10 a potter's field: Perhaps a field owned by someone who made clay pots. But it may have been a field where potters came to get clay or to make pots or to throw away their broken pieces of pottery.
as the Lord
had commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mark 15.2-5; Luke 23.3-5; John 18.33-38)
11Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor, who asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Those are your words!” Jesus answered. 12And when the chief priests and leaders brought their charges against him, he did not say a thing.
13Pilate asked him, “Don't you hear what crimes they say you have done?” 14But Jesus did not say anything, and the governor was greatly amazed.
The Death Sentence
(Mark 15.6-15; Luke 23.13-26; John 18.39—19.16)
15During Passover the governor always freed a prisoner chosen by the people. 16At that time a well-known terrorist named Jesus Barabbas#27.16 Jesus Barabbas: Here and in verse 17 many manuscripts have “Barabbas.” was in jail. 17So when the crowd came together, Pilate asked them, “Which prisoner do you want me to set free? Do you want Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?” 18Pilate knew the leaders had brought Jesus to him because they were jealous.
19While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Don't have anything to do with that innocent man. I have had nightmares because of him.”
20But the chief priests and the leaders convinced the crowds to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed. 21Pilate asked the crowd again, “Which of these two men do you want me to set free?”
“Barabbas!” they shouted.
22Pilate asked them, “What am I to do with Jesus, who is called the Messiah?”
They all yelled, “Nail him to a cross!”
23Pilate answered, “But what crime has he done?”
“Nail him to a cross!” they yelled even louder.
24 #
Dt 21.6-9. Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do and that the people were starting to riot. So he took some water and washed his hands#27.24 washed his hands: To show that he was innocent. in front of them and said, “I won't have anything to do with killing this man. You are the ones doing it!”
25Everyone answered, “We and our own families will take the blame for his death!”
26Pilate set Barabbas free. Then he ordered his soldiers to beat Jesus with a whip and nail him to a cross.
Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mark 15.16-21; John 19.2,3)
27The governor's soldiers led Jesus into the fortress#27.27 fortress: The place where the Roman governor stayed. It was probably at Herod's palace west of Jerusalem, though it may have been Fortress Antonia north of the temple, where the Roman troops were stationed. and brought together the rest of the troops. 28They stripped off Jesus' clothes and put a scarlet robe#27.28 scarlet robe: This was probably a Roman soldier's robe. on him. 29They made a crown out of thorn branches and placed it on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. The soldiers knelt down and pretended to worship him. They made fun of him and shouted, “Hey, you king of the Jews!” 30Then they spit on him. They took the stick from him and beat him on the head with it.
Jesus Is Nailed to a Cross
(Mark 15.22-32; Luke 23.27-43; John 19.17-27)
31When the soldiers had finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the robe. They put his own clothes back on him and led him off to be nailed to a cross. 32On the way they met a man named Simon who was from Cyrene, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross.
33They came to a place named Golgotha, which means “Place of a Skull.”#27.33 Place of a Skull: The place was probably given this name because it was near a large rock in the shape of a human skull. 34#Ps 69.21. There they gave Jesus some wine mixed with a drug to ease the pain. But when Jesus tasted what it was, he refused to drink it.
35 #
Ps 22.18. The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross and gambled to see who would get his clothes. 36Then they sat down to guard him. 37Above his head they put a sign that told why he was nailed there. It read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38The soldiers also nailed two criminals on crosses, one to the right of Jesus and the other to his left.
39 #
Ps 22.7; 109.25; Si 12.17,18; 13.7. People who passed by said terrible things about Jesus. They shook their heads and 40#Mt 26.61; Jn 2.19. shouted, “So you're the one who claimed you could tear down the temple and build it again in three days! If you are God's Son, save yourself and come down from the cross!”
41The chief priests, the leaders, and the teachers of the Law of Moses also made fun of Jesus. They said, 42“He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the king of Israel, he should come down from the cross! Then we will believe him. 43#Ps 22.8; Ws 2.18-20. He trusted God, so let God save him, if he wants to. He even said he was God's Son.” 44The two criminals also said cruel things to Jesus.
The Death of Jesus
(Mark 15.33-41; Luke 23.44-49; John 19.28-30)
45At noon the sky turned dark and stayed that way until three o'clock. 46#Ps 22.1. Then about that time Jesus shouted, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?”#27.46 Eli … sabachthani: These words are in Hebrew. which means, “My God, my God, why have you deserted me?”
47Some of the people standing there heard Jesus and said, “He's calling for Elijah.”#27.47 Elijah: In Aramaic the name “Elijah” sounds like “Eli,” which means “my God.” 48#Ps 69.21. One of them at once ran and grabbed a sponge. He soaked it in wine, then put it on a stick and held it up to Jesus.
49Others said, “Wait! Let's see if Elijah will come#27.49 Elijah will come: See the note at 16.14. and save him.” 50Once again Jesus shouted, and then he died.
51 #
Ex 26.31-33. At once the curtain in the temple#27.51 curtain in the temple: There were two curtains in the temple. One was at the entrance, and the other separated the holy place from the most holy place that the Jewish people thought of as God's home on earth. The second curtain is probably the one that is meant. was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and rocks split apart. 52Graves opened, and many of God's people were raised to life. 53They left their graves, and after Jesus had risen to life, they went into the holy city, where they were seen by many people.
54The officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus felt the earthquake and saw everything else that happened. They were frightened and said, “This man really was God's Son!”
55 #
Lk 8.2,3. Many women had come with Jesus from Galilee to be of help to him, and they were there, looking on at a distance. 56Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John#27.56 of James and John: The Greek text has “of Zebedee's sons” (see 26.37). were some of these women.
Jesus Is Buried
(Mark 15.42-47; Luke 23.50-56; John 19.38-42)
57That evening a rich disciple named Joseph from the town of Arimathea 58went and asked for Jesus' body. Pilate gave orders for it to be given to Joseph, 59who took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60Then Joseph put the body in his own tomb that had been cut into solid rock#27.60 tomb … solid rock: Some of the Jewish people buried their dead in rooms carved into solid rock. A heavy stone was rolled against the entrance. and had never been used. He rolled a big stone against the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61All this time Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb.
62On the next day, which was a Sabbath, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to Pilate. 63#Mt 16.21; 17.23; 20.19; Mk 8.31; 9.31; 10.33,34; Lk 9.22; 18.31-33. They said, “Sir, we remember what this liar said while he was still alive. He claimed in three days he would come back from death. 64So please order the tomb to be carefully guarded for three days. If you don't, his disciples may come and steal his body. They will tell the people he has been raised to life, and this last lie will be worse than the first one.”#27.64 the first one: Probably the belief that Jesus is the Messiah.
65Pilate said to them, “All right, take some of your soldiers and guard the tomb as well as you know how.” 66So they sealed it tight and placed soldiers there to guard it.
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Matthew 27: CEV
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Contemporary English Version, Second Edition (CEV®)
© 2006 American Bible Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 27
27
1Early in the morning all the chief priests and elders of the people consulted together and decided to have Jesus put to death. 2They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3When Judas, the one who'd betrayed Jesus, saw that Jesus had been condemned to death, he regretted what he'd done and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. 4“I've sinned! I've betrayed innocent blood!” he told them.
“What's that got to do with us?” they replied. “That's your problem!” 5Judas threw the silver coins into the sanctuary and left. He went away and hanged himself. 6The chief priests took the silver coins and said, “This is blood money, so it's not lawful to put this in the Temple treasury.” 7So they agreed to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. 8That's why the field is still called today the “Field of Blood.” 9This fulfilled the prophecy spoken through the prophet Jeremiah: “They took thirty silver coins—the ‘value’ of the one who was bought at the price set by some of the children of Israel— 10and used them to pay for the potter's field, just as the Lord instructed me to do.”#27:10. See Zechariah 11:12-13, referencing Jeremiah 32:6-15.
11Jesus was brought before Pilate the governor who asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
“You said it,” Jesus replied. 12But when the chief priests and elders brought charges against him, Jesus did not answer.
13“Don't you hear how many charges they're bringing against you?” Pilate asked him. 14But Jesus didn't say anything, not a single word. This greatly surprised the governor.
15Now it was the custom of the governor to release to the crowd during the festival whichever prisoner they wanted. 16At that time a notorious prisoner was being held, a man named Barabbas. 17So Pilate asked the crowds that had gathered, “Who do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, called the Messiah?” 18(He had realized it was because of jealousy that they had handed Jesus over to him to be tried.) 19While he was sitting on the judge's seat, his wife sent a message to him that said, “Don't do anything to this innocent man, for I've suffered terribly today as a result of a dream about him.”
20But the chief priests and the elders convinced the crowds to ask for Barabbas, and to have Jesus put to death. 21When the governor asked them, “So which of the two do you want me to release to you?” they answered, “Barabbas.”
22“Then what shall I do with Jesus, called the Messiah?” he asked them.
They all shouted out, “Have him crucified!”
23“Why? What crime has he committed?” Pilate asked. But they shouted even louder, “Crucify him!”
24When Pilate saw it was a lost cause, and that a riot was developing, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. “I'm innocent of this man's blood. It's on your heads!”#27:24. Literally, “see to it yourselves.” he told them. 25All the people answered, “His blood is on us, and on our children!” 26Then he released Barabbas to them, but he had Jesus flogged and sent to be crucified.
27The governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium#27:27. The military headquarters. and the whole battalion surrounded him. 28They stripped him and put a scarlet cloak on him. 29They made a crown of thorns and placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. They kneeled down in front of him and mocked him, saying, “We salute you, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on him, and took the stick and beat him over the head with it. 31When they'd finished mocking him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him. 32On the way they found a man called Simon, from Cyrene, and they forced him to carry Jesus' cross.
33When they arrived at Golgotha, meaning “Place of the Skull,” 34they gave him wine mixed with gall. But having tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35After they had crucified him, they rolled dice to divide his clothes between them.#27:35. See Psalms 22:18. 36Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37They placed a sign over his head with the charge against him. It read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38They crucified two rebels with him, one on the right, and one on the left. 39Those who passed by shouted insults at him, shaking their heads, 40saying, “You who promised to destroy the Temple and rebuild it in three days, why don't you save yourself! If you really are the Son of God, then come down from the cross.” 41The chief priests mocked him in the same way, along with the religious teachers and elders. 42“He saved other people, but he can't save himself!” they said. “If he really is the king of Israel, let him come down from the cross, and then we'll believe him! 43He trusts God so confidently—well let God rescue him now if he wants him,#27:43. What makes this even worse is that they were quoting Scripture back at him: Psalms 22:8. because he claimed ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44The rebels who were crucified with him also insulted him in the same way.
45From noon until three o'clock darkness covered the whole country. 46At about three o'clock Jesus shouted out loud, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”#27:46. Quoting Psalms 22:1. 47When some of those standing there heard it, they said, “He's calling for Elijah!” 48Immediately one of them ran and grabbed a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, put it on a stick, and gave it to Jesus to drink.#27:48. See Psalms 69:21. 49But the others said, “Leave him alone. Let's see if Elijah will come and save him.”
50Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and breathed his last.#27:50. The expression is a Hebrew one meaning that he died. 51Right then the veil of the Temple was torn apart from top to bottom. The ground shook, the rocks split apart, 52and the graves were opened. Many of those who had lived good lives and had fallen asleep in death were raised to life. 53After the resurrection of Jesus they went out from the graveyards into the holy city#27:53. Referring to Jerusalem. where many people saw them.
54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and what happened, they were terrified, and said, “This really was the Son of God!” 55Many women were also watching from a distance, those who had followed Jesus from Galilee and had supported him. 56These included Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
57When evening came, a rich man named Joseph, from Arimathea (who was also a disciple of Jesus), 58went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered it to be handed over to him. 59Joseph took the body and wrapped it up in a fresh linen cloth, 60and placed it in his own new tomb, cut out of solid rock. He rolled a large stone across the entrance to the tomb, and left. 61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
62The next day,#27:62. Referring to the Sabbath. after the Preparation day, the chief priests and the Pharisees went together to see Pilate. 63They said to him, “Sir, we recall that the imposter said while he was still alive, ‘After three days, I'll rise again.’ 64Give orders to secure the tomb until the third day. That way his disciples can't come and steal his body and tell people that he was raised from the dead, and the deception in the end will become worse than it was at first.”
65“I'll give you a guard of soldiers,” Pilate told them. “Now go, and make it as secure as you possibly can.” 66So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the entrance stone and posting soldiers as guards.
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Dr. Jonathan Gallagher. Released under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Unported License. Version 4.3. For corrections send email to jonathangallagherfbv@gmail.com