Mat 27 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Matt 27:1-2: 27:1-2 The Jewish leaders were ready to level charges against Jesus before Pilate so that he would order Jesus’ execution. Pilate, a Gentile, fulfills Jesus’ prediction (20:19 ). 27:1 The charge of blasphemy (26:65-66 ), though sufficient for the death penalty among Jews, would not convince a Roman judge. Hence, the leading priests and the elders conspired together to prepare a more political charge consistent with capital offenses in Roman law (see 27:11-26 ; Luke 23:2 ).

Summary for Matt 27:1-2: 27:1-2 ^a The Jewish leaders were ready to level charges against Jesus before Pilate so that he would order Jesus’ execution. Pilate, a Gentile, fulfills Jesus’ prediction (20:19 ^b). 27:1 ^c The charge of blasphemy (26:65-66 ^d), though sufficient for the death penalty among Jews, would not convince a Roman judge. Hence, the leading priests and the elders conspired together to prepare a more political charge consistent with capital offenses in Roman law (see 27:11-26 ^e; Luke 23:2 ^f).
27:2 ^g Tiberius Caesar appointed Pilate to be the governor (or prefect) of Judea. Pilate ruled primarily from Caesarea, not Jerusalem, from AD 26 to AD 36. Though he had sovereign power in Judea, Pilate was ultimately responsible to the legate of Syria, the central authority in the eastern portion of the Roman Empire. Josephus records several instances where Pilate’s disregard for the sanctity of Jewish customs led to revolt.
Summary for Matt 27:3-10: 27:3-10 ^h There are two accounts of Judas’s death—this one and Acts 1:18-19 ⁱ. There are differences between the two: (1) Matthew states that the priests bought the field (Matt 27:6-7 ^j), while Acts seems to suggest that Judas bought it (Acts 1:18 ^k); (2) Matthew reports that Judas committed suicide by hanging himself (Matt 27:5 ^l), while Acts enigmatically refers to a fall and an abdominal rupture (Acts 1:18 ^m); (3) Matthew implies that the field of blood was so named because it became a place of burial (Matt 27:7-8 ⁿ), while Acts suggests that it was because of Judas’s violent death there (Acts 1:19 ^o). The two accounts are compatible if one takes the account in Acts as describing the effects of the actions described in Matthew. 27:3 ^p Judas was filled with remorse (Greek metamelomai), but he did not repent (Greek metanoeō), which would have changed his heart and resulted in obedience and a relationship with God based on faith.
27:4 ^q an innocent man: Jesus’ innocence is a dominant theme in the narrative of his suffering (see 23:35 ^r; 26:55-56 ^s, 59-60 ^t; 27:18-19 ^u, 24 ^v; see also Luke 23:47 ^w).
27:5 ^x hanged himself: Judas’s suicide resulted from a guilt-stricken, unrepentant conscience. His death satisfied Old Testament law regarding the punishment of a false witness (see Deut 19:16-21 ^y).
27:7 ^z Foreigners were Gentiles who died in Jerusalem. An asset whose owner could not be traced was used for public charity. In this instance, unclean money was used to buy an unclean place for unclean people.
27:8 ^aa Field of Blood is a way of describing a cemetery (cp. Acts 1:18-19 ^ab).
Summary for Matt 27:9-10: 27:9-10 ^ac the prophecy of Jeremiah: The citation is from Zech 11:12-13 ^ad. Matthew might merely have been conforming to the Jewish custom of citing books by referring to the first book in the particular scroll—the first book in the scroll containing Zechariah would have been Jeremiah. Or, Matthew might have thought of similar passages in Jeremiah (Jer 19:1-13 ^ae; 18:2-6 ^af; 32:6-15 ^ag) along with Zech 11:12-13 ^ah.

• Matthew sees a striking resemblance between Zechariah’s actions and those of the leading priests. Both contexts deal with the rejection of God’s messenger who was to be king of God’s people.
Summary for Matt 27:11-26: 27:11-26 ^ai The Roman trial included an initial hearing before Pilate (27:11-14 ^aj), one before Herod Antipas (Luke 23:6-16 ^ak), and a second hearing before Pilate (Matt 27:15-26 ^al). 27:11 ^am king of the Jews: The Sanhedrin’s original charge of blasphemy (26:65-66 ^an; 27:1 ^ao) held no interest to the Romans, who saw it as a Jewish religious question (cp. Acts 25:18-20 ^ap). The charge was therefore changed to incriminate Jesus in Roman eyes as a political rebel (see Luke 23:2 ^aq).
27:15 ^ar Pilate’s custom seems out of character; he was not known for wanting to please his Jewish subjects. However, if Pilate’s position with Caesar was precarious at this point (see study note on John 19:12; see Philo, On the Embassy to Gaius 159–161), then this gesture may have been to keep the peace and thus avoid negative attention from Rome.
27:16 ^as notorious prisoner ... named Barabbas: Elsewhere he is called a “revolutionary” (Mark 15:7 ^at; John 18:40 ^au), a term that also denotes a robber or insurrectionist (see Luke 23:19 ^av). To the zealots, Barabbas was a hero.
27:19 ^aw through a terrible nightmare (cp. 1:20 ^ax): It is ironic that a pagan recognizes and takes a stand for Jesus’ innocence, while the Jewish crowd does not.
27:24 ^ay The responsibility is yours! The priests had said the same thing to Judas (27:4 ^az).
27:25 ^ba all the people (see 21:43 ^bb): This does not mean every living Jew. Instead, those urging Jesus’ condemnation are representative of all of unbelieving Israel, whose actions bring consequences for the nation as a whole (e.g., the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70).

• We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children (see 23:35 ^bc; 2 Sam 1:16 ^bd; 14:9 ^be; Jer 51:35 ^bf; Acts 5:28 ^bg; 18:6 ^bh; 20:26 ^bi): Christians have at times misunderstood and misused this verse in persecution of Jews, but it is not an indictment against Jews in general.
27:26 ^bj When a man was flogged, he was beaten with whips that had leather thongs at the end, some with sharp bone, lead, or rock fragments stuck to the ends of the thongs (see also Deut 25:1-3 ^bk; 1 Kgs 12:11 ^bl, 14 ^bm; Acts 16:22 ^bn; 22:25 ^bo; 2 Cor 11:24-25 ^bp).
Summary for Matt 27:27-31: 27:27-31 ^bq In the Jewish trial Jesus was mocked as a prophet (26:67-68 ^br); here he is mocked as a king. 27:27 ^bs The governor’s soldiers were auxiliary troops recruited from non-Jewish residents of Palestine.

• Their headquarters was located at the official residence of the governor in Jerusalem (the Antonia Fortress on the northwest corner of the Temple compound).
Summary for Matt 27:28-29: 27:28-29 ^bt The scarlet robe was probably the cloak of a soldier meant to emulate royal garb solely for the purpose of ridiculing Jesus.

• Weaving thorn branches into a crown was a mockery of Jesus as king.
Summary for Matt 27:32-44: 27:32-44 ^bu Ironically, the taunts and ridicule of the crowd express the truth about Jesus: He is the Son of God and King of Israel, the Messiah. 27:32 ^bv Normally, the victim carried his own cross. Only the crossbeam was carried; the vertical pole would be waiting at the crucifixion site. Simon might have been forced because Jesus was weak from the effects of scourging. The act of enlisting Simon might also have been a further mockery. Jesus was treated as one who deserved a servant even though he was being marched to his death.
27:34 ^bw Giving Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall was probably intended for ridicule (see Ps 69:21 ^bx). It was also a sedative—Jesus probably rejected it in order to suffer fully for our sins (see Isa 53:10 ^by).

• Gall, otherwise known as wormwood, is a bitter narcotic made from the oil of Artemisia (cp. Mark 15:23 ^bz).
27:35 ^ca they ... nailed him to the cross: Crucifixion, though not generally practiced by Jews, was a widespread Roman punishment for military and political offenders, particularly slaves, rebels, and insurrectionists. The sheer cruelty and the public spectacle of crucifixion worked as a powerful social deterrent. Victims were flogged and then crucified naked, adding to the humiliation. It was seen as the most painful of all possible deaths; it involved intense suffering, exposure to weather and insects, suffocation, and often a final violent thrust of a spear to end life. Further, since crucifixion was a curse from God (Deut 21:22-23 ^cb), the act was particularly heinous to Jewish sensibilities. Paradoxically, what was so despicable among humans has become the instrument of our salvation. Jesus previously had instructed his disciples to take up their crosses and follow him (Matt 16:24 ^cc).
27:37 ^cd The official charge was fastened to the cross above the criminal’s head; Jesus was crucified for political sedition.
27:38 ^ce Crucifying Jesus between two convicted revolutionaries added further humiliation and guilt by association.
27:40 ^cf if you are the Son of God: This taunt recalls Jesus’ temptation at the very beginning of his public ministry (4:1-11 ^cg), in which the devil appealed to Jesus’ privileged status in order to tempt him to avoid suffering (see also 16:21-23 ^ch).
27:45 ^ci Darkness symbolizes the judgment of God or, more specifically, the arrival of the day of the Lord (see Amos 5:18 ^cj, 20 ^ck; 8:9-10 ^cl; also Jer 4:27-28 ^cm; 13:16 ^cn; 15:9 ^co).
27:46 ^cp Eli, Eli: This cry means My God, my God, but the similarity in sound accounts for the people’s confusion (27:47 ^cq).

• My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Jesus was experiencing God’s wrath for the sins of humanity.
27:47 ^cr It was widely believed that Elijah would return before the day of the Lord (11:14-15 ^cs; 17:10-13 ^ct; Mal 4:5 ^cu).
27:48 ^cv The sour wine was vinegar. The drink was probably designed to mock Jesus (cp. Ps 69:21 ^cw with Matt 27:34 ^cx) by pretending to help assuage his thirst. Others have suggested that it was given as an act of genuine kindness.
27:50 ^cy Each of the four Gospels highlights different aspects of Jesus’ last moments.

• released his spirit: This emphasizes the sovereignty of Jesus in that he released himself to death (see also John 19:30 ^cz).

• shouted out again (see Matt 27:46 ^da): This cry was Jesus’ final prayer (see Luke 23:46 ^db).
27:51 ^dc The significance of the splitting of the curtain in the Temple is that the wall dividing people from God has been torn down by the death of Jesus Christ (see also Eph 2:11-22 ^dd; Heb 6:19 ^de; 9:1–10:25 ^df).

• The earth shook, rocks split apart: These are portents of the arrival of judgment (see Exod 19:18 ^dg; Judg 5:4 ^dh; Ps 18:7 ^di; Joel 3:14-17 ^dj; Amos 8:8-10 ^dk). Josephus records the appearance about AD 30 of a star resembling a sword and a spontaneous opening of the gates of the Temple (Josephus, War 6.5.3-4).
Summary for Matt 27:52-53: 27:52-53 ^dl tombs opened: Jesus’ climactic death inaugurated the Kingdom of God by breaking the powers of death and establishing the final resurrection (see Isa 26:19 ^dm; Dan 12:2 ^dn; 1 Cor 15:1-58 ^do; Col 1:18 ^dp; Heb 2:14-15 ^dq).

• These godly ones either did not enter the city until after Jesus’ resurrection or they were not raised until then, with Jesus as the firstfruits (see 1 Cor 15:20 ^dr, 23 ^ds; Col 1:18 ^dt). If that is the case, Matthew has included this episode to form a more powerful commentary on the impact of Jesus’ death.
27:54 ^du The Roman officer and the other soldiers were Gentiles.

• the Son of God: This may be an unqualified affirmation that Jesus is the unique Son of God (see 14:33 ^dv; 16:16 ^dw) or possibly a more general affirmation of Jesus’ innocence (see Luke 23:47 ^dx). They are responding to the earthquake and all that had happened as evidence of divine interest in this occasion.
27:58 ^dy In Roman crucifixion, the bodies of criminals were often left to rot. Deut 21:22-23 ^dz prohibits a body from remaining on a cross or a gallows overnight. Joseph’s action was in accordance with Jewish law, while his motivation was probably his loyalty to Jesus.

• Pilate issued an order: Pilate was accommodating, probably because he did not believe Jesus was guilty of insurrection (see Matt 27:24-26 ^ea).
Summary for Matt 27:59-60: 27:59-60 ^eb Burial customs were important in Judaism, especially in contrast to the Greeks and Romans, who cremated their dead. Leaving a corpse unburied was the severest form of judgment (Deut 21:22-23 ^ec; 2 Kgs 9:37 ^ed; Ps 79:3 ^ee; Jer 16:4 ^ef, 6 ^eg; Ezek 29:5 ^eh; Rev 11:9 ^ei). Death was lamented and mourned (Mark 5:38-39 ^ej); the body was washed (Acts 9:37 ^ek), anointed (Matt 26:6-13 ^el; John 12:3 ^em, 7 ^en; 19:39 ^eo), and wrapped in burial cloths (Matt 27:59 ^ep; see Gen 50:2-3 ^eq). The body was placed in a tomb (see Matt 23:27 ^er) that had been tunneled into a rock or carved into the side of a cave wall. The entrance to a tomb was often closed with a huge stone and sealed to prevent ceremonial uncleanness or robbery.

• clean linen ... new tomb: Both reflect ceremonial purity. Joseph had purchased the tomb for his own family, but it had not yet been used.
Summary for Matt 27:62-66: 27:62-66 ^es This incident bolsters the truth of Jesus’ resurrection—it is inconceivable that Matthew would fabricate such a story since witnesses abounded who could have countered the claims.