Matthew27

Matthew 27 details Jesus' condemnation by Pilate, influenced by the chief priests and the multitude who chose Barabbas over him. Judas, repenting, returns the thirty pieces of silver and hangs himself, which money is then used to purchase the potter's field. Jesus is scourged, mocked, and then crucified at Golgotha, where he yields up the ghost amidst supernatural signs. His body is subsequently laid in a new tomb by Joseph of Arimathaea, which is then secured by a Roman guard at the request of the Jewish leaders.

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Jesus Delivered to Pilate

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

and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pilate the governor.

The Suicide of Judas

Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

saying, I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? see thou to it.

And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary, and departed; and he went away and hanged himself.

And the chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.

And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in.

Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.

Then was fulfilled that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was priced, whom certain of the children of Israel did price;

and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.

Jesus Before Pilate

Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.

And when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

Then saith Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?

And he gave him no answer, not even to one word: insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.

Now at the feast the governor was wont to release unto the multitude one prisoner, whom they would.

And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?

For he knew that for envy they had delivered him up.

And while he was sitting on the judgment-seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that righteous man; for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

But the governor answered and said unto them, Which of the two will ye that I release unto you? And they said, Barabbas.

Pilate saith unto them, What then shall I do unto Jesus who is called Christ? They all say, Let him be crucified.

And he said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out exceedingly, saying, Let him be crucified.

So when Pilate saw that he prevailed nothing, but rather that a tumult was arising, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; see ye to it.

And all the people answered and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.

The Mocking and Scourging

Then released he unto them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered to be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Prætorium, and gathered unto him the whole band.

And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

And they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

And they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head.

And when they had mocked him, they took off from him the robe, and put on him his garments, and led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to go with them, that he might bear his cross.

And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, The place of a skull,

they gave him wine to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted it, he would not drink.

And when they had crucified him, they parted his garments among them, casting lots;

and they sat and watched him there.

And they set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then are there crucified with him two robbers, one on the right hand and one on the left.

And they that passed by railed on him, wagging their heads,

and saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself: if thou art the Son of God, come down from the cross.

In like manner also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

He saved others; himself he cannot save. He is the King of Israel; let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe on him.

He trusteth on God; let him deliver him now, if he desireth him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

And the robbers also that were crucified with him cast upon him the same reproach.

Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

And some of them that stood there, when they heard it, said, This man calleth Elijah.

And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

And the rest said, Let be; let us see whether Elijah cometh to save him.

And Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.

The Death and Immediate Aftermath

And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in two from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake; and the rocks were rent;

and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints that had fallen asleep were raised;

and coming forth out of the tombs after his resurrection they entered into the holy city and appeared unto many.

Now the centurion, and they that 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.

And many women were there beholding from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:

among whom was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

And when even was come, there came a rich man from Arimathæa, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus’ disciple:

this man went to Pilate, and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded it to be given up.

And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

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

And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.

The Tomb is Secured

Now on the morrow, which is the day after the Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together unto Pilate,

saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said while he was yet alive, After three days I rise again.

Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest haply his disciples come and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: and the last error will be worse than the first.

Pilate said unto them, Ye have a guard: go, make it as sure as ye can.

So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, the guard being with them.

Study Notes for Matthew 27

Verse 1

The chief priests and elders convened their formal, final decision early Friday morning to condemn Jesus, confirming the illegal night trial (26:57-68). They lacked the authority for capital punishment, requiring Roman intervention.

Verse 2

Pontius Pilate was the Roman prefect (governor) of Judea (c. AD 26–36). The Jewish authorities delivered Jesus to him under the charge of treason against Rome (claiming to be King of the Jews).

Verse 3

Judas’s 'repentance' (Gk. *metamelomai*) signifies remorse or regret over the consequence, not true change of heart (*metanoia*). He recognized Jesus’s innocence, but his guilt led to despair rather than restoration.

Verse 5

Judas’s suicide stands as a stark contrast to Peter’s genuine repentance (26:75). He threw the silver into the temple sanctuary, confirming the priests’ rejection of the money.

Verse 6

The priests’ concern with ritual purity (that the money was 'price of blood' and could not enter the treasury) is deeply ironic, as they were the ones who orchestrated the shedding of innocent blood.

Verse 7

The potter’s field was purchased to bury strangers or foreigners, symbolically emphasizing Judas’s alienation and the rejection of the price of the Messiah.

Verse 9

Matthew cites this fulfillment as spoken by Jeremiah, though the source is primarily Zechariah 11:12-13, with thematic echoes of Jeremiah’s purchase of a field (Jer. 32:6-9). This common rabbinic practice blends related prophetic themes.

Verse 11

Pilate’s question focuses on the political threat. Jesus’s response, 'Thou sayest,' is an affirmation that shifts the meaning of 'King' away from Roman political rebellion.

Verse 14

Jesus’s silence fulfills the prophecy of the Suffering Servant (Isa. 53:7). This dignified refusal to defend himself demonstrated his sovereignty and amazed the Roman governor.

Verse 15

The custom of releasing a prisoner during Passover is attested only in the Gospels, likely a Roman attempt to appease the Jewish crowds during the volatile festival.

Verse 17

Barabbas, whose name means 'son of the father,' was a known rebel or murderer. The choice presented to the crowd was between Jesus, the true Messiah, and a violent political revolutionary.

Verse 19

The warning from Pilate’s wife, coming from a dream, highlights the divine confirmation of Jesus’s innocence and further stresses Pilate’s moral culpability in the judgment.

Verse 24

Pilate washing his hands was a symbolic act, mimicking Jewish tradition (Deut. 21:6), intended to absolve himself publicly. However, since he possessed the authority to stop the execution, the act was meaningless.

Verse 25

This self-curse, 'His blood be on us, and on our children,' represents the crowd’s full rejection of their Messiah. Historically, this verse has been tragically misused to justify persecution against Jews.

Verse 26

Scourging (flogging with whips tipped with bone or metal) was a brutal preliminary punishment, often causing victims to die before reaching the cross.

Verse 28

The soldiers dressed Jesus in a scarlet (or purple) robe, a color associated with royalty, to turn his claim to kingship into a cruel joke.

Verse 29

The crown of thorns and the reed (as a scepter) completed the parody of a Roman emperor’s coronation, intensifying the humiliation.

Verse 32

Simon of Cyrene, a passerby, was forced to carry the cross beam, a common practice when the condemned was too weak. This detail marks the beginning of the physical execution.

Verse 34

The drink of vinegar mixed with gall (a bitter, narcotic substance) was likely offered to dull the pain. Jesus tasted it but refused to drink, choosing to endure the full horror of the cross consciously.

Verse 35

The division of Jesus’s clothes fulfills Psalm 22:18, showing that even the mundane details of the crucifixion were predetermined by divine plan.

Verse 37

The inscription (titulus) stated the official charge: 'THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS,' confirming the treason conviction Pilate reluctantly imposed.

Verse 45

The darkness, lasting from noon until 3 PM (the sixth to ninth hour), was a supernatural event signifying divine judgment and the cosmic seriousness of Christ’s suffering for sin (cf. Amos 8:9).

Verse 46

This cry, quoted from Psalm 22:1, expresses the unique spiritual agony of Jesus as he bore the world's sin and experienced the crushing separation from the Father.

Verse 51

The tearing of the massive temple veil from top to bottom symbolized that Christ’s death had opened a direct, immediate access to God’s presence, ending the necessity of the Old Covenant sacrificial system (Heb. 10:19-20).

Verse 54

The centurion’s confession, 'Truly this was the Son of God,' is the first acknowledgement of Jesus's divinity by a Gentile, contrasting sharply with the rejection by the Jewish authorities.

Verse 57

Joseph of Arimathaea, a wealthy man and secret disciple, risked his standing by claiming Jesus’s body. His action fulfills the prophecy that the Suffering Servant would be 'with the rich in his death' (Isa. 53:9).

Verse 60

Laying Jesus in a new, unused tomb was important evidence for the resurrection, ensuring that no one could claim his body was confused with another’s remains.

Verse 62

The chief priests and Pharisees, observing the Sabbath rest, nevertheless came to Pilate on the next day (Saturday) to ensure the tomb was sealed, revealing their intense fear of the resurrection claim.

Verse 63

Calling Jesus 'that deceiver' demonstrates their deep hostility. They were aware of his resurrection prophecy and feared its fulfillment, even though they actively denied his power.

Verse 66

Sealing the stone with an official Roman seal and setting a military guard ironically establishes the tomb’s security, providing undeniable proof that the resurrection was not a theft.

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Matthew27

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

The Suicide of Judas

Jesus Before Pilate

The Mocking and Scourging

The Crucifixion of Jesus

The Death and Immediate Aftermath

The Burial of Jesus

The Tomb is Secured

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