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.

Jesus Delivered to Pilate

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

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

The Suicide of Judas

Then Judah, who betrayed him, when he saw that Yeshua was condemned, felt remorse, 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? You see to it.”

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

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.”

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

Therefore that field was called “The Field of Blood” to this day.

Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah 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,

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

Jesus Before Pilate

Now Yeshua stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Yeshua said to him, “So you say.”

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

Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?”

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

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

They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Yeshua, who is called Messiah?”

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

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.”

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Yeshua.

But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!”

Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Yeshua, who is called Messiah?” They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!”

But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!”

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.”

All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!”

The Mocking and Scourging

Then he released to them Barabbas, but Yeshua he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Yeshua into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.

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!”

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

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.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

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.

They came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull.”

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

When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots,

and they sat and watched him there.

They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS YESHUA, THE KING OF THE JEWS.”

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

Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,

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!”

Likewise the chief priests also mocking, with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said,

“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.

He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”

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

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

About the ninth hour Yeshua cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”

Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.”

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.

The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

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

The Death and Immediate Aftermath

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

The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the holy ones who had fallen asleep were raised;

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

Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Yeshua, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Yeshua from Galilee, serving him.

Among them were Miriam Magdalene, Miriam the mother of Jacob and Yosi, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who himself was also Yeshua’s disciple came.

This man went to Pilate, and asked for Yeshua’s body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.

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

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.

Miriam Magdalene was there, and the other Miriam, sitting opposite the tomb.

The Tomb is Secured

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

saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’

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.”

Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can.”

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

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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