Church For All Nations

Matthew 27:1-66.

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We finished our last study where Jesus was mocked, spit at and slapped, which was a fulfilment of an Old Testament Prophecy.

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They blindfolded our Lord and slapped Him, challenging Him to prophecy who struck Him, (Thou should not put the Lord your God to the test; Deuteronomy 6:16)

 

They made sport of Him as the Philistines did with Samson to their own demise and destruction.

 

Jesus was put through something that no man should ever have to face. To go through a Kangaroo court, knowing that you have been found guilty before being taken before the High Priest.

 

V 1-2. Morning soon came, Jesus, tired, beaten and bruised, another court was held, the chief priests, the elders and the people took council against Jesus to put Him to death, all they could do was to gnash their teeth, tear their robes and throw dust into the air. It was only two years before, that the Romans had taken away from the Jews the power of using capital punishment.  Jesus was bound, and they led Him away, victory in their own eyes but victory that would be short lived as Jesus was led as a lamb to the slaughter.

He was taken from Prison and Judgements through the streets of Jerusalem, He was oppressed and afflicted,

Yet He did not open His mouth; Like a lamb that is led to slaughter, and like a sheep that is silent before its shearers, So He did not open His mouth.
8 By oppression and judgment He was taken away; And as for His generation, who considered that He was cut off from the land of the living
For the wrongdoing of my people, to whom the blow was due? Isaiah 53:7-8

 

It was almost a mile from Caiaphas’s house to Pilate’s. They chose the busiest time of the morning when the streets had started to fill with people which would add to His humiliation and to make Him a spectacle of the world.

 

They delivered Him before Pilate, the governor in the hope that he would carry out the sentence that they had passed on Jesus. This would fulfil what Jesus had said to His disciples that He would be given over to the Gentiles.

 

V3-10. Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You shall see to it yourself!” 5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and left; and he went away and hanged himself. 6 The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them in the temple treasury, since it is money paid for blood.” Matthew 27:3-6

 

When Judas Iscariot had seen that Jesus had been sentenced to death, he felt remorse and threw the thirty pieces of silver into the sanctuary. I must point out that the remorse or repentance that Judas felt, was more self-discrimination than true repentance.

Many Christians and Pastors believe that Judas Iscariot will be in heaven. I cannot stipulate enough that you must trace the scriptures, it is only in the bible that you will find the truth.

 

The dictionary meaning of remorse is: deep regret or guilt for a wrong committed. "They were filled with remorse and shame"

Feeling guilty or remorseful over an action, in Judas’ case “Greed” is entirely different than getting on your knees and crying out to the Lord, repenting and asking for His forgiveness.

Scripture tells us that Judas Iscariot would not repent and be saved.

 

And supper being ended, the devil having now put into the heart of Judas Iscariot, Simon's son, to betray him; John 13:2

 

Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests,

15 And said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver.

Matthew 26:14

 

23 And he answered and said, He that dippeth his hand with me in the dish, the same shall betray me.

24 The Son of man goeth as it is written of him: but woe unto that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! it had been good for that man if he had not been born. Matthew 26:23-24

 

Although Judas Iscariot chose a rope and the tree that would end his life, some would say that he took the easy way out but in reality, he would now have to stand in front of God and would be judged for his treacherous deeds and greed during his life on earth.

 

The thirty pieces of silver that Judas had thrown into the sanctuary could no longer be put back into the treasury because it was now “Blood Money”

After they had counselled together on what shood be done with the blood money, it was decided that they would purchase a piece of land which would be called “The Potters Field” which would be used as a burial place for foreigners, that is why this field is now called the “Field of Blood.”

 

And I said unto them, If ye think good, give me my price; and if not, forbear. So they weighed for my price thirty pieces of silver. Zechariah 11:12

 

V11-26. Jesus was led before the governor for questioning, a prisoner before the judge Pilate said,” are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “It is as you say.”  His accusers were now under the Roman powers who they despised but were afraid that they would lose their positions which brought to them much wealth. They now pretended that they were lovers of Rome and of Ceasar accusing Jesus as an enemy of Ceasar.

 

And they began to accuse him, saying, We found this fellow perverting the nation, and forbidding to give tribute to Caesar, saying that he himself is Christ a King. Luke 23:2

 

Jesus spoke no other words, in fulfilment of the word of God,

 

He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. Isaiah 53:7

 

The governor, Pontius Pilate found Jesus not guilty of any crime that would warrant the death penalty but the crowds, many who had followed Jesus and witnessed His many miracles now were shouting for Him to be crucified.  They had learned, not only calumniari—to calumniate, but fortiter calumniari—to calumniate stoutly. To calumniate means make false and defamatory statements, but fortiter calumniari—to calumniate stoutly.

Have you ever heard the saying that mud sticks, that is what this saying means, if you throw enough mud or in this case enough lies, some are going to stick on the accused. The best men have often been accused of the worst crimes and found guilt using the same techniques.

 

Pilate was getting nowhere as the crowds were shouting louder and louder, away with Him. In the prisons ready for execution was a notorious murderer named Barabas, why Pilate didn’t offer the criminals with lesser charges, only Pilate knows, maybe the crowd would have become more like an uncontrollable mob, it was probable better to offer the crowd, someone who was their hero.

 

The governor, although he knew that Jesus had been brought before him out of envy ask the crowd who they would want to be released, Barabas or Jesus. The crowds persuaded by the chief priests and elders, shouted for the release of Barabas. At that time, it was the feast of the governor and although Pilates wife had warned her husband about Jesus, the crowds shouted even louder, as it looked as though a riot might be starting, Pilate after washing his hands, saying that he was innocent of this man’s blood, he then offered Jesus to be handed over for scourging, Jesus was then delivered up to be crucified.

 

V 27-66 Jesus, after being mocked and a thorn of crowns placed upon His head, with the cross upon His shoulder was led away to be crucified. It is a wonder that Jesus could have walked any steps carrying that heavy wooden cross with the blood loss that He must have endured.

The Roman soldiers pressed into service to carry the cross for Jesus, Simon of Cyrene, Any Roman Soldier could press into service any man to carry anything for them up to two miles and no more.

Jesus was taken to a hill called Golgotha, which means “Place of a skull” there are three interpretations of why Golgotha is so named.

• General Charles Gordon brought to the worlds attention that Golgotha was shaped like a skull.

• The skull of Adam was buried on Golgotha.

• After slaying Goliath, David Carried the head of Goliath to Jerusalem and was buried on Golgotha.

Jesus was nailed to the wooden cross and hung there next to two criminals, He was being mocked right up to his last breath but not before leading one of the criminals into eternity with Him.

At the ninth hour, Jesus cried out for the second time and gave up His Spirit, and behold the veil of the temple was torn in two and the tombs of were opened and many bodies of the saints were raised. The centurion words echo through the ages, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

At evening a rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, a follower of Jesus went and asked Pilate for the body of Jesus, Pilate ordered that the body of Jesus to be handed over to Joseph. Joseph wrapped the body in a clean linen cloth and placed the body of Jesus in his own new cut out tomb. A large rock was then placed in front of the tomb and sealed with guards guarding the tomb day and night until the third day.