Matthew 27:1

In Matthew 27:1-5 the Bible says, “When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death: And when they had bound Him, they led Him away, and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate the governor. Then Judas which had betrayed Him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.”

In the case of Judas and his suicide there is a lesson to be learned about sin. Sin does not pay, and it does not bring happiness. “The wages of sin is death.” “Whatsoever a man sows that shall he also reap.” “There is a way that seems right to a man, but the end thereof is the way of death.” One of the reasons to do what is right is because ultimately doing what is right will result in happiness, but doing what is wrong will result in failure and loss and unhappiness.

Judas became a depressed person. He suffered the agony of hopelessness and depression because of his failures of treachery and betrayal. There may be different causes of depression, and some of them may not be spiritual in nature, but we see from what happened to Judas that one of the reasons for depression is simply the consequence of sinful actions. Therefore, the solution to this kind of depression would be to go the Lord in prayer and ask for forgiveness. Some people may be depressed because they have not forgiven themselves. Once Jesus has forgiven you, then surely you should find a way to forgive yourself.

Matthew 27:6-10 says, “And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because 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 by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; And gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.”

How cold and calculating were the chief priests! They were running their religion as though it were just another business, and as though their responsibilities centered around controlling and manipulating that business. The victims who suffered at their hands gave them no reflection. They seemed to have no conscience. Sin will do that. Repent when you have the chance, because the day may come when your heart will be so accustomed to your sins and so accustomed to sinning without repenting, that you will no longer even consider repenting. And then how dark your future will be.

When Judas was filled with depression and remorse after his betrayal, he returned to the chief priests, threw down the thirty pieces of silver, and said to the priests, “I have sinned in that I have betrayed innocent blood.” Without a doubt the deceitful priests had welcomed Judas as a comrade when he initially plotted with them against Jesus, but once the priests got what they wanted, they could care less when Judas came to the end of the line and was a ruined man. Beware. The world is just like that. Those who are the enemies of God will gladly entrap you in their sins, but in your time of need they will turn their backs on you. Those who turn from God and join hands with the world’s system will also become victims of the cruelty of the world.

Matthew 27:11-25 says, “And Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, saying, Are you the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, You say so. And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. Then said Pilate unto him, Don’t you hear how many things they are witnessing against you? But He answered him not even a word; so much so that the governor marveled greatly. Now at that feast the governor released unto the people whatever prisoner that they chose. And they had then a notable prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Who do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ? For Pilate knew that because of envy, they had delivered Jesus. When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him saying, Have nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him. But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said unto them, Which of the two do you want me to release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate said unto them, What shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified. And the governor said, Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified. When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see you to it. Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.”

Pilate seems to have been an honest man to a point, but only to a certain point. Above all else he was a politician, and very similar to many of the politicians in our day. The problem with many politicians is that they put their career above principle. They have principles all right, but they carefully weigh their decisions, and they often do what is expedient instead of what is right, especially if their reputation or their political goals are threatened. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent, and that there was absolutely no evidence against Jesus. Pilate correctly analyzed the situation, and he knew the real reason that the Jewish priests wanted Jesus condemned to death. Verse 18 says that “he knew that because of envy they had delivered him.”

Pilate was worldly wise and was as careful as he could be to make the politically correct decision. He did not want to go down in Roman history as the man who could not govern the Jews of Palestine, who could not keep them from riot and rebellion. Instead he went down in human history as the compromising politician who condemned Jesus to death even though he knew that Jesus was innocent, rather than risk his own career. If a statesman wants to go down in history in God’s account of things, and avoid being just another politician like Pilate, he will have to possess several qualities such as strength and conviction and compassion and wisdom, but he must also be willing to make the unpopular decision and even to put his own career at stake for the sake of doing the right thing. He must be willing to say what Queen Esther said when she exposed herself to peril by doing the right thing, “If I perish, I perish.”

Pilate thought that he could get out of the situation by tricking the people into calling for the release of Jesus. You and I will be eternally thankful that his plan did not work, because if Jesus had not died for us, we would have had to pay for our own sins. The contrast must have been striking when Jesus and Barabbas were presented to the crowd. A known criminal, deserving to be punished standing next to Jesus, who was not only innocent, but even though He was not known as the Son of God by many of them, He was known as a prophet of God and a worker of miracles and a doer of kind deeds. Pilate must have been absolutely floored when the crowd picked Barabbas instead of Jesus.

Pilate was a representative of the powerful Caesar. He could have done whatever he wanted, and he would have had the Roman legions to back him up. Eventually, history recorded that the Romans did grow tired of the Jewish nationalism and did crush them mercilessly as Jesus prophesied in Matthew chapter 24. In the year 70 A.D. Jerusalem was leveled by the Romans. But this time Pilate tried democracy. He let the people vote. Surely the people would make the right decision when presented with the choices. But the people cried out, “Crucify him, crucify him.” Democracy will only work to the degree to which the people are good. If the people turn to sinfulness and selfishness, and if the people are spiritually blind, they will make the wrong decisions. They will not need to fear enemies from the outside because they will have in themselves the seeds of their own destruction.

Matthew 27:26-34 says, “Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, king of the Jews! And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. And after they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his own clothing on him, and led him away to crucify him. And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.”

Today the cross reminds us of redemption and salvation because Jesus died on the cross. But under the Roman Empire, the cross was a very common sight. The cross was a means of tortuous death used by the Roman authorities. Crucifixion alone did not normally kill people. Instead, they would usually die a slow and agonizing death of thirst and hunger and exposure.

The Romans would sometimes line the roads with crosses with people hanging on them, dying their slow and agonizing deaths, probably to be an example to the populace. The first time that Jesus mentioned the cross to his disciples, they may very well have been walking down one such road. But at that time Jesus did not use the cross as a symbol of redemption or salvation. The first two times that a cross is mentioned in the Bible, Jesus used it as a symbol of discipleship. He said in Matthew 10:38, “And he that takes not his cross and follows after me, is not worthy of me.” The Bible also says in Matthew 16:24, “Then said Jesus unto his disciples, If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.”

What is the cross of discipleship? When Jesus saw people hanging on a Roman cross, why did He use that as an example of Christian discipleship? The most obvious reason is because the people who were on a cross were dying; and in order to follow God we must die to ourselves, to our own ambitions, to our own desires, and to our own will. Another reason that the cross was symbolic of Christian discipleship was because of the negative and suffering circumstance that a cross represents.

If you follow God, there will be certain negative things that will happen to you that would not have happened otherwise. Of course, if you die to yourself, you will be able to accept them as the will of God and you will be able to do more than accept them. You will be able to triumph over them because God will make the final outcome to be good and positive from that which appeared to be negative, just like His cross. From a human standpoint the crucifixion of Jesus was a terrible tragedy and a miscarriage of justice, but from a spiritual standpoint it resulted in the potential salvation of the whole world and their eternal joy. Your cross will be somewhat similar if you have the grace to bear it. It will appear to be negative when it happens to you and will cause some suffering, but when all is said and done, good will result from it. Romans 8:28 says, “All things work together for good to those that love God, and to those that are called according to His purpose.”

The cross that Jesus bore was both a cross of discipleship and a cross of salvation. It was similar to our cross of discipleship because He also had to pray, “Not my will but thine be done.” Of course, there was one major and very important way in which His cross was different from ours: His was the cross of salvation. No one else could have paid the price for sin. No one else was worthy. You and I are sinners, and our relationship with God is based upon His grace and mercy. We don’t deserve it, and we could never earn it. Jesus earned it for us. In contrast to us He was always one with the Father. He was tempted like we are, but in contrast to us He never sinned.

The reason that Jesus came into the world was to die for our sins. And now His time had come for the final agony. He was able to do it, because He was prepared for it. He was prepared by prayer, by surrender to the will of the Father, and by faithfulness in previous situations. Matthew 27:33-38 says, “And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of the scull, They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. And they crucified Him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and for my clothing did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched him there; And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.”

The Gospel of Luke gives us a little more information about the two thieves who were crucified with Christ. Of course, the three of them were hanging on their crosses for many hours, and evidently both of the thieves initially mocked Jesus just like most of the onlookers were doing. But after some time, one of the thieves had a change of mind. He said in Luke 23:42, “Lord, remember me, when you come to your kingdom.” Jesus answered and said to him, “Today, you shall be with me in paradise.”

The two thieves are in a way representative of the entire human race. We have all sinned and deserve condemnation, just like them. Some people continue in their sins and remain alienated from God, just like one of the thieves. It doesn’t make sense, but it happens. On the other hand, some people consider who Jesus is and what He can do for them in the area of the forgiveness of sins, and they do the same thing that the second thief did. They admit their own sinfulness, and they ask Jesus to forgive them and allow them to be a part of His kingdom. No one is ever turned down. Everyone who asks, receives. Romans 10:13, “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.”

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