Tyndale Open Study NotesMatthew 27

The Gospels describe Jesus having five legal hearings:

1. an informal hearing with Annas (John 18:13–24);

2. a night hearing with the Sanhedrin (Matthew 26:59–66);

3. a morning hearing with the Sanhedrin (Matthew 27:1–2);

4. a hearing with Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6–12); and

5. a two-part trial with Pilate (Matthew 27:11–31; see Luke 23:6–12).

These hearings form two main trials, a Jewish trial and a Roman trial.

The Jewish leaders prepared charges against Jesus so that Pilate would order his death. Pilate, a Gentile, fulfills the prediction of Jesus from Matthew 20:19.

The Jewish leaders said Jesus had spoken blasphemy (26:65–66). That charge was enough for the death penalty under Jewish law, but it would not persuade a Roman judge. So the leading priests and elders worked together to create a political charge that would fit Roman law on capital offenses (see 27:11–26; Luke 23:2).

Tiberius Caesar made Pilate the governor (or prefect) of Judea. Pilate mainly governed from Caesarea, not Jerusalem, from AD 26 to AD 36. Although he had full power in Judea, Pilate answered to the governor (or legate) of Syria. This man was the main authority in the eastern Roman Empire. The Jewish historian Josephus records several mentions of Pilate. Pilate's disrespect for the holiness of Jewish customs caused revolts.

There are two stories about Judas's death. This one and the one found in Acts 1:18–19. There are differences between the two stories:

1. Matthew says the priests bought the field (Matthew 27:6–7), but Acts suggests Judas bought it (Acts 1:18).

2. Matthew says Judas hanged himself by hanging (Matthew 27:5). Acts says he fell and his body burst open (Acts 1:18).

3. Matthew says the field of blood was named for its use as a burial place (Matthew 27:7–8). Acts says it was named because of Judas’s violent death (Acts 1:19).

The stories can align if Acts describes the results of Matthew's events.

Judas felt deep remorse (the Greek word metamelomai), but he did not repent (the Greek word metanoeō). Repentance would have changed his heart and led to obedience and a relationship with God through faith.

innocent blood: The innocence of Jesus is a key theme in the story of his suffering (see Matthew 23:35; 26:55–56, 59–60; 27:18–19, 24; see also Luke 23:47).

hanged himself: Judas killed himself because he felt guilty but did not repent. His death also matched the Old Testament law about punishing a false witness (see Deuteronomy 19:16–21).

foreigners: These were non-Jewish people who died in Jerusalem. If they could not find the owner of donated money, they used it for public charity. In this case, they used money considered ceremonially unclean to buy a ceremonially unclean place for people considered ceremonially unclean.

Field of Blood: This is another way of describing a cemetery (compare Acts 1:18–19).

• what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: The quote is from Zechariah 11:12–13. Matthew might have followed the Jewish tradition of naming books by the first book in the scroll. In this case, Jeremiah would be the first book in the scroll containing Zechariah. Or, Matthew might be referencing similar passages in Jeremiah (Jeremiah 19:1–13; 18:2–6; 32:6–15) along with Zechariah 11:12–13.

• Matthew notices a strong similarity between Zechariah's actions and those of the leading priests. Both situations involve rejecting God's messenger, who was meant to be the king of God's people.

The Roman trial included an initial hearing before Pilatee (Matthew 27:11–14), then one before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6–16), and a second hearing with Pilate (Matthew 27:15–26).

King of the Jews: The Sanhedrin's first charge of blasphemy in Matthew 26:65–66; 27:1 did not cause concern for the Romans. The Romabs considered it to be a Jewish religious issue (see Acts 25:18–20). So, the Sanhedrin changed the charge to make Jesus seem like a political rebel to the Romans (see Luke 23:2).

Pilate's behavior seems unusual. It was not normal for him to try to please his Jewish subjects. But Pilate's relationship with Caesar might have been unstable at this time (see study note on John 19:12; see Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius 159–161). If so, this gesture might have been to maintain peace and avoid negative attention from Rome.

notorious prisoner named Barabbas: He is also called an "insurrectionist" (Mark 15:7; John 18:40). This word can also mean a robber or someone who led a revolt (see Luke 23:19). To the zealots, Barabbas was considered a hero.

have suffered terribly in a dream (compare Matthew 1:20): It is notable that a pagan woman recognized Jesus innocence and spoke up for him, while the Jewish crowd did not.

You bear the responsibility: The priests told Judas the same thing (Matthew 27:4).

• All the people (see 21:43): This does not mean every living Jewish person. Instead, it refers to those who urged the condemnation of Jesus. They represented all of Israel who disbelieved Jesus. Their actions led to consequences for the entire nation, like the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70.

• His blood be on us and on our children! (see 23:35; 2 Samuel 1:16; 14:9; Jeremiah 51:35; Acts 5:28; 18:6; 20:26): Some Christians have misunderstood and misused this verse as a basis for persecuting Jews. But it is not a general accusation against all Jewish people.

When the Romans flogged a man, they beat him with whips that had leather straps on the end. Some straps had sharp bone, lead, or rock pieces attached (see also Deuteronomy 25:1–3; 1 Kings 12:11, 14; Acts 16:22; 22:25; 2 Corinthians 11:24–25).

During the Jewish trial, people mocked Jesus as a prophet (Matthew 26:67–68). Here, they mocked him as a king.

• the governor's soldiers were extra troops recruited from non-Jewish residents of Palestine.

• The soldiers stayed at the governor's official building in Jerusalem. This building was called the Antonia Fortress. It stood at the northwest corner of the Temple area.

• The scarlet robe was probably a soldier's cloak used to imitate royal clothing in order to mock Jesus.

• Weaving a crown of thorns was meant to mock Jesus as a king.

The crowd mocked Jesus, but their words were still true. He is the Son of God, the King of Israel, and the Messiah.

Usually, the person to be crucified would carry their own cross. They only carried the crossbeam since the vertical pole was already at the crucifixion site. The Romans might have forced Simon to help because Jesus was weak from being whipped. Making Simon help could also have been a way to mock Jesus. They treated him like someone who deserved a servant, even though they led him to his death.

• They probably gave Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall to ridicule him (see Psalm 69:21). It also was a sedative. Jesus probably refused it so he could fully experience suffering for our sins (see Isaiah 53:10).

• Gall is another name sometimes given to wormwood. It is a very bitter substance made from the oil of the Artemisia plant, sometimes used as medicine in the ancient world (compare Mark 15:23).

they had crucified Him: Crucifixion (being nailed to a cross) was not common among Jews. But it was a widespread Roman punishment for military and political offenders. This was especially true for slaves, rebels, and insurrectionists (rioters). The extreme cruelty and public display of crucifixion was a strong warning to society.

The Romans would flog victims (beat them with whips). Then they would crucify the victims naked. This added to their humiliation. Most considered it the most painful death possible. It involved intense suffering, exposure to weather and insects, and suffocation. It often concluded with a final violent spear thrust to end life.

Since the Law said that anyone hung on a tree was under God’s curse (Deuteronomy 21:22–23), crucifixion was especially offensive to the Jewish people. Yet in God’s plan, what humans saw as shameful became the very means of salvation. Earlier, Jesus had told his disciples to take up their cross and follow him (Matthew 16:24).

The Romans would fasten the official crime to the cross above the head of the offender. They accused Jesus of political rebellion.

Jesus was crucified between two convicted revolutionaries. This increased his shame and made him appear guilty by association (linked with rebels).

If You are the Son of God: This taunt reminds us of when the devil tempted Jesus at the start of his public ministry (Matthew 4:1–11). The devil tried to use the special status of Jesus to tempt him to avoid suffering (see also 16:21–23).

darkness: This represents God's judgment. Or, it could more specifically refer to the coming of the day of the Lord (see Amos 5:18, 20; 8:9–10; also Jeremiah 4:27–28; 13:16; 15:9).

• Eli, Eli: This cry means My God, My God. The sound of these words may have made some people think Jesus was calling for Elijah (Matthew 27:47).

• My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?: Jesus was expressing the weight of judgment he bore for humanity’s sin.

Many Jews believed Elijah would return before the day of the Lord (Matthew 11:14–15; 17:10–13; Malachi 4:5).

The sour wine was vinegar. The drink was probably meant to mock Jesus by pretending to ease his thirst (compare Psalm 69:21 with Matthew 27:34). Although some scholars think they offered it as a genuine act of kindness.

• Each of the four gospels focuses on different parts of the final moments of Jesus.

• He yielded up His spirit: Jesus gave up his life willingly. This shows his authority, since he chose the moment of his own death (see also John 19:30).

• Jesus had cried out again (see Matthew 27:46): This final loud cry was the last prayer of Jesus (see Luke 23:46).

• The tearing of the temple curtain is symbolic. It means that that the wall dividing people from God has been torn down by the death of Jesus (see also Ephesians 2:11–22; Hebrews 6:19; 9:1–10:25).

• The earth quaked and the rocks were split: These are signs that judgment has come (see Exodus 19:18; Judges 5:4; Psalm 18:7; Joel 3:14–17; Amos 8:8–10). The Jewish historian Josephus records that around AD 30, a star resembling a sword appeared and the temple gates opened by themselves (Josephus, War 6.5.3–4).

• The tombs broke open: At the moment of the death of Jesus, God’s kingdom broke into the world in a new way. His death destroyed the power of death and began the promise of final resurrection (see Isaiah 26:19; Daniel 12:2; 1 Corinthians 15:1–58; Colossians 1:18; Hebrews 2:14–15).

• Some holy people were raised to life. But they may not have entered Jerusalem until after Jesus rose from the dead. Another view is that they were not raised until after the resurrection of Jesus, since Jesus is the “firstfruits” (the first to be raised, showing what will come for others; see 1 Corinthians 15:20, 23; Colossians 1:18). If this second view is correct, Matthew included the story to show the great impact of the death of Jesus.

• The Roman officer and the other soldiers were not Jewish.

• the Son of God: This could be a clear statement that Jesus is the unique Son of God (see Matthew 14:33; 16:16) or perhaps a general statement about the innocence of Jesus (see Luke 23:47). They reacted to the earthquake and everything that happened as signs of divine involvement in this event.

• In Roman crucifixion, the bodies of criminals were often left on the cross until they rotted. Jewish law, however, did not allow this. Deuteronomy 21:22–23 forbids leaving a body on a cross or gallows overnight. Joseph of Arimathea acted in line with this law when he asked for the body of Jesus. His request also showed his loyalty to Jesus.

• Pilate ordered: Pilate agreed to Joseph’s request and gave the order. He likely did this because he did not believe Jesus was guilty of rebellion against Rome (see Matthew 27:24–26).

• Burial customs were important in Judaism, unlike the Greeks and Romans who cremated their dead. Jews considered leaving a body unburied to be a severe punishment (Deuteronomy 21:22–23; 2 Kings 9:37; Psalm 79:3; Jeremiah 16:4, 6; Ezekiel 29:5; Revelation 11:9).

  People mourned and lamented death (Mark 5:38–39). They washed the body (Acts 9:37). They anointed the body (Matt 26:6–13; John 12:3, 7; 19:39). And they wrapped the body in burial cloths (Matthew 27:59; see Genesis 50:2–3). Then they placed the body in a tomb (Matthew 23:27). This tomb was either tunneled into rock or carved into a cave wall. A large stone often sealed the tomb to prevent ceremonial uncleanness or stealing.

• clean linen … new tomb: These terms symbolize ceremonial purity. Joseph of Arimathea bought the tomb for his family, but had not used it.

This event supports the truth of Jesus resurrection. It is very unlikely that Matthew invented the story, because many witnesses were alive who could have denied it.