November 12: Matthew 27, Mark 15

Matthew & Mark continued…

November 12, Matthew 27, Mark 15

Matthew 27 Jesus Delivered to Pilate. We left off 2 days ago with Jesus being betrayed by Judas, arrested by the religious leaders, and abandoned by His friends. The morning after all that occurred, the chief priests and the elders (religious leaders) took advice on how to put Jesus to death. They tied Him up and brought Him to Pilate, who was their governor.

Judas Hangs Himself. We learn here that Judas was filled with remorse and guilt. He went to the chief priests and the elders and told them “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” Basically, I should not have done what I did because Jesus didn't do anything wrong. They didn't care - they had their man now. Judas then went and threw the money into the Temple. Judas then went and hung himself. Then the religious leaders knew they couldn't just put that money in the treasury, as it was ‘blood’ money (which they gave him!), so they went and bought the potters field as a burying place for strangers. It was called field of blood after that, as it was blood money that bought it. 

Jesus Before Pilate. There is so much here, I am trying to keep it more simple! Picture this scene, now Jesus is tied up standing before the governor. Pilate asked Jesus if the accusations, about Jesus being the King of the Jews, were true. Jesus replied, “You have said so.” When the religious leaders accused Him, Jesus said nothing to them and talked no more to them. Pilate was amazed.

The Crowd Chooses Barabbas. This shows you how sinful and misled these people’s hearts were. It was a tradition that every year, the governor would release a prisoner of the peoples choice out of prison. This was a way that he could please the people. I know, seems strange, but it was their tradition. There is a few things going on in the background that shows some motivation here… “And they had then a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”  For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much because of him today in a dream.” God often uses our spouses to help us. Pilate was attempting to persuade the people but the chief priests and the pharisees were much more persuasive to the crowd. Bakers Commentary puts it this way, “Pilate was desperate. He did not want to sentence Jesus to death. Yet, it was becoming more and more clear to him that this by now had become the desire of the fickle multitude. When the prophet of Galilee was still healing the sick, raising the dead, cleansing the lepers, holding the multitudes spellbound by means of his marvelous discourses, he was popular. When he rode into Jerusalem, he was applauded. But now that he is seemingly helpless, and the leaders have used their strongest arguments to persuade the people to demand his crucifixion, they turn their backs on him. As to Pilate, when he asked, “Then what shall I do with Jesus?” his immediate answer should have been, “I shall pronounce him innocent and therefore I shall order his immediate and definite release.” In fact, the judge should not even have asked the question at all. He knew the answer.” But the religious leaders were persuasive and successful in their mission,  “Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.” The crowds shouted that they wanted Jesus to be crucified and Barabbas to be released. Barabbas was a murderer - but they were not seeing that at that point in time. 

Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified. “So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.” Pilate attempted to show the crowd by washing his hands that he had nothing to do with Jesus’ death - but that isn't so. He could have done more, but chose not to. He may wash his hands as a symbol, but the blood that Jesus spilled was also on his hands. They had Jesus scourged. Sorry for the gruesomeness of the detail, but it is best if you understand what Jesus went through for His people. From Bakers Commentary, “The Roman scourge consisted of a short wooden handle to which several thongs were attached, the ends equipped with pieces of lead or brass and with sharply pointed bits of bone. The stripes were laid especially on the victim’s back, bared and bent. Generally two men were employed to administer this punishment, one lashing the victim from one side, one from the other side, with the result that the flesh was at times lacerated to such an extent that deep-seated veins and arteries, sometimes even entrails and inner organs, were exposed. Such flogging, from which Roman citizens were exempt (cf. Acts 16:37), often resulted in death.

One can picture Jesus after the scourging, covered with horrible bruises and lacerations, with wales and welts. It is no surprise that Simon of Cyrene was compelled to bear the cross after Jesus had carried it a short distance (27:32; Luke 23:26; John 19:16, 17). Scourging was hideous torture. It must, however, be borne in mind that the suffering of the Man of Sorrows was not only intense but also vicarious:

“He was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed” (Isa. 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24). Sometime after Jesus had been flogged in the manner described, but not immediately afterward, as the next section will show, Pilate handed him over to be crucified.”

Jesus Is Mocked. Every time I read the crucifixion accounts, my blood boils. Yes, I am glad that Jesus became our sacrifice but it literally pains me that He had to go through all of this for us. But, we have sinned and Jesus took on our sins because He loves us that much. The soldiers took Jesus to the governors house and had their battalion with them. They beat Jesus. They got him naked and put a robe on Him to mock Him about His royalty. They took a bunch of big thorns and made a ‘crown’ out of it and shoved it on his head into His skull. They spit on Him. They mockingly bowed down and pretended to worship Him. They hit Jesus on the head. When they were done making fun of Him, they stripped off the robe they put on Him and put His old clothes back on Him. From Bakers, “In summary, the entire picture is as follows. The soldiers, having stripped Jesus of his outer garments, throw a “royal” robe around him. Since a king must wield a scepter, they thrust a stick into his right hand. Then, one by one, they kneel down in front of him in mock adoration, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews.” They spit on him and hit him on the head with his own “scepter.” Then they led him away to be crucified.

The Crucifixion. As they were leading Him out, you could imagine He did not have much strength left. But had to carry His own cross to His own death, so yes, Jesus did carry His own cross - at least for a while. The killers saw this guy named Simon of Cyrene and they made him carry Jesus’ cross to Golgatha, which means place or hill of the skull. The soldiers offered Jesus some wine mixed with gall - meaning something bitter that could actually poison a person. Jesus did not take it. Then they crucified Jesus. Matthew does not go into the nailing of the hands and the feet, but emphasized more the mocking and everything else. “And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.” They were crucifying Him and then gambled over who got what parts of His clothing. “Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left.” Jesus was killed and mocked. We will learn more about this sign above His head later. There was also 2 others killed with Jesus, which we will learn about later as well. Then Jesus endured much mocking as He hung there from those walking by and staring at Him naked on a cross. “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, ‘He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.”  The religious leaders and the people were quite satisfied with themselves. Disgusting. But true. 

The Death of Jesus. ”Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.” Bakers Commentary, “rom nine o’clock until noon Calvary had been a very busy place. The soldiers had performed their various tasks, as was shown in verses 33–38. Bypassers had blasphemed. Chief priests, scribes, and elders had scoffed. Robbers had reviled, though one of them had repented. Jesus had uttered his first three words. Then, at twelve o’clock, something of a very dramatic character takes place. Suddenly the land becomes dark. Cf. Amos 8:9. The very fact that this darkness is mentioned shows that it must have been intense and unforgettable. Moreover, it occurred when least expected, at high noon, and lasted three hours.” What a scene this is to recall. During the day it is pitch black - can you only imagine what must have been going through the people’s minds at this point? It gets crazier… At around noon Jesus cries out, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”Jesus was fulfilling all of the prophecies about Him. I am going to lean on Bakers writings to explain this with simplicity - please read it. “The link between the darkness and the cry is very close: the first is a symbol of the agonizing content of the second. This, then, is the fourth word from the cross, the very first one reported by Matthew and Mark. It issued from the mouth of the Savior shortly before he breathed his last.

In the Gospels what happened between twelve o’clock and three o’clock is a blank. All we know is that during these three hours of intense darkness Jesus suffered indescribable agonies. He was being “made sin” for us (2 Cor. 5:21), “a curse” (Gal. 3:13). He was being “wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities.” Jehovah was laying on him “the iniquity of us all,” etc. (Isa. 53).

To be sure, this happened throughout the period of his humiliation, from conception to death and burial, but especially in Gethsemane, Gabbatha, and Golgotha.

The question has been asked, “But how could God forsake God?” The answer must be that God the Father deserted his Son’s human nature, and even this in a limited, though very real and agonizing, sense. The meaning cannot be that there was ever a time when God the Father stopped loving his Son. Nor can it mean that the Son ever rejected his Father. Far from it. He kept on calling him “My God, my God.” And for that very reason we may be sure that the Father loved him as much as ever.

How, then, can we ascribe any sensible meaning to this utterance of deep distress? Perhaps an illustration may be of some help, though it should be added immediately that no analogy taken from things that happen to humans on earth can ever begin to do justice to the Son of God’s unique experience. Nevertheless, the illustration may be helpful in some slight degree. Here, let us say, is a child that is very sick. He is still too young to understand why he has to be taken to the hospital, and especially why, while there, he may have to be in the Intensive Care Unit, where his parents cannot always be with him. His parents love him as much as ever. But there may be moments when the child misses the presence of his father or mother so much that he experiences profound anguish. So also the Mediator. His soul reaches out for the One whom he calls “my God,” but his God does not answer him. Is not that exactly the manner in which the cry of agony is interpreted in the context of Ps. 22? Note:

“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?

Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?

O my God, I cry in the daytime, but thou answerest not;

And by night, but I find no rest.”

For the Sufferer with a superbly sensitive soul this terrible isolation must have been agonizing indeed. This all the more in view of the fact that only several hours earlier he had said to his disciples, “Note well, there comes an hour—yes, it has arrived—when you will be scattered, each to his own home, and you will leave me alone. Yet I am not alone, for the Father is with me (John 16:32).” And a little later he had added, in his touchingly beautiful Highpriestly Prayer, “And now Father, glorify thou me in thine own presence with the glory which I had with thee before the world existed” (John 17:5). And now the Father does not answer, but leaves him in the hands of his adversaries. Reflect again on all the abuse and the suffering Jesus had already endured this very night. Is it any wonder that he now cries out, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” His God and Father would not have abandoned him to his tormentors if it had not been necessary. But it was necessary, in order that he might fully undergo the punishment due to his people’s sins.” I hope that helps - God did not abandon Jesus like we would think of abandonment. Jesus took on the sins of the world and looked away as God will have nothing to do with sin. People couldn't figure out what He was doing and they thought He was calling for Elijah to come down. He was not. “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.” Jesus is the one who laid His life down and He gave up His spirit. Don't think for an instant that Jesus could not have prevented this - He could have. But Scripture had to be fulfilled and we needed to have a way to God. Jesus finished what He started. The account gets crazy at this point, “And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. And the earth shook, and the rocks were split. The tombs also were opened. And many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised,  and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection they went into the holy city and appeared to many.” Curtain rips. Dead Saints rise and walk around. Tombs opened up. Earthquake. 

What is with the curtain splitting? Bakers, “At the moment of Christ’s death this curtain was suddenly sliced in two from top to bottom. This happened at three o’clock, when priests must have been busy in the temple. How did it come about? Not through natural wear, for in that case there would probably have been rents all over, and the tearing would more likely have been from the bottom up. Nor is it at all probable that Matthew is trying to convey the idea that this splitting in two of the curtain was caused by the earthquake. Had that been his intention, would he not have mentioned the earthquake before the tearing of the curtain? What happened must be regarded as a miracle. Any secondary means that may have been used to effect it are not mentioned, and it would be futile to speculate. As to the symbolic significance, this is made clear by two considerations: first, it occurred exactly at the moment when Jesus died; secondly, it is explained in Heb. 10:19, 20: through the death of Christ, symbolized by the tearing of the curtain, the way into “the holy of holies,” that is, heaven, is opened to all those who take refuge in him. For the practical lesson see Heb. 4:16. More may be implied, but by limiting the interpretation to this we are on safe ground.” The earthquake and the saints resurrecting, Bakers, “Summarizing the significance of these signs, it can be said that they indicate the meaning of Christ’s death for God’s children of every clime and nation: ready access to God’s throne and to his heavenly sanctuary through the death of Jesus; the inheritance of a marvelously rejuvenated universe; and a glorious resurrection, to a life never to be followed by death. Then, too, all of these signs emphasize the majesty of the Person who gave his life as a ransom for many. Particularly, they stress the rich significance of his death.”
We also note that the women who minister to Christ were there with Jesus sitting at His feet.

Jesus Is Buried. “When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus…” God has a plan for everything worked out for His people. Joseph had a tomb. He went and got permission to bury Jesus. He bought the materials. He buried Jesus and wrapped Him up. He rolled a stone in front of the grave and went away. Mary & Mary were with Jesus, watching Him be buried. 

The Guard at the Tomb. Don’t miss this. Before Sabbath, “the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise.” They wanted to insure that what Jesus said wouldn't happen. Pilate told them to take care of it themselves. They remembered that Jesus said after 3 days He would rise and “Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” They were making sure that this ‘Jesus’ would not be made a martyr. “So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.” 

Mark 15 is very similar to that of Matthew’s account. See above. 

To sum it all up: 

• How does reading all of this sit with you? My prayer is that it will lead you to repentance with gratitude for what Christ has done for you. 
• The Death of Jesus is known as Substitutionary Atonement. Jesus substituted Himself for us, he literally took our place and took our sins onto Himself. Thank you Jesus Christ!
• The Crucifixion of Jesus Christ was the fulfillment of many prophesies. It really happened. The Romans used it as torture to their victims. Jesus really did all this for us. He endured. We must also endure whatever we are going through. If Jesus can go through this without as much as a word, we too can continue on and fight the fight that is before us.