Matthew
Chapter 27
Brought Before Pilate
Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered to find ways to put Jesus to death.
They had him bound and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
Death of Judas
When Judas, the traitor, realized that Jesus had been condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders:
saying:
“I have sinned by betraying an innocent man to death.”
They replied:
“What does it matter to us? That is your concern.”
So, after throwing down the money in the temple, he went away and hanged himself.
The chief priests gathered the money and said:
“This money cannot go into the temple treasury, for it is the price of blood.”
So they conferred together and decided to buy the potter’s field with the money to turn it into a cemetery for foreigners.
That is why, to this day, that place is called the Field of Blood.
What the prophet Jeremiah said was fulfilled:
They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price the Sons of Israel valued as his worth,
and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.
Jesus Before Pilate
Jesus stood before the governor. Pilate asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered, “You say so.”
The chief priests and the elders of the people accused him, but he made no answer.
Pilate said to him, “Do you hear all the charges they bring against you?”
But he did not answer even one question, so that the governor wondered greatly.
Jesus’ Condemnation
During Passover, it was customary for the governor to release any prisoner the people requested.
Now, there was a famous prisoner named Barabbas.
When the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them:
“Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus called the Messiah?”
for he knew that Jesus had been handed over to him because of envy.
While Pilate was sitting in court, his wife sent him this message:
“Have nothing to do with that holy man. Because of him, I had a dream last night that disturbed me greatly.”
But the chief priests and the elders stirred up the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas and the death of Jesus.
When the governor asked them again:
“Which of the two do you want me to set free?”
They replied:
“Barabbas!”
Pilate asked them:
“And what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?”
All responded:
“Crucify him!”
Pilate asked:
“Why? What evil has he done?”
But they shouted even louder:
“Crucify him!”
Pilate saw he was getting nowhere and that a riot might occur. He asked for water, washed his hands in front of the people, and said:
“I am innocent of this man’s blood. Do what you want!”
And all the people answered:
“His blood be on our children and on us!”
Then Pilate set Barabbas free but had Jesus scourged and handed over to be crucified.
Mockery by the Soldiers
The Roman soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace, and the entire troop gathered around him.
They stripped him and put a purple cloak on him.
Then, weaving a crown of thorns, they forced it onto his head and placed a reed in his right hand. They knelt before Jesus and mocked him, saying:
“Hail, king of the Jews!”
They spat on him, took the reed from his hand, and hit him on the head with it.
After they finished mocking him, they removed the purple cloak, dressed him in his own clothes, and led him out to be crucified.
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus
On their journey, they met a man from Cyrene named Simon and forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
When they arrived at the place called Golgotha, meaning the Skull,
they offered him wine mixed with gall. He tasted it but refused to drink.
They crucified him there and divided his clothes among themselves, casting lots to decide what each should get.
Then they sat down to watch over him.
The statement of his offense was displayed above his head, and it read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
They also crucified two thieves with him, one on his right and one on his left.
The people passing by shook their heads and insulted him,
saying:
“Aha! You, who destroy the temple and in three days rebuild it, save yourself—if you are God’s Son—and come down from the cross!”
Similarly, the chief priests, the elders, and the teachers of the law mocked him.
They said:
“The man who saved others cannot save himself. Let the king of Israel come down from his cross and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God; let God rescue him if he wants to, for he himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
Even the thieves crucified with him insulted him.
Darkness covered the entire land from midday until mid-afternoon.
At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out loudly:
“Eloi, Eloi, lamma sabbacthani?” which means: My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
As soon as they heard this, some of the bystanders said:
“He is calling for Elijah.”
One of them ran, took a sponge, soaked it in vinegar, and, placing it on a reed, gave it to him to drink.
Others said:
“Leave him alone; let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.”
Then Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit.
At that very moment, the curtain of the temple sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth shook, rocks were split,
tombs were opened, and many holy people who had died were raised.
After his resurrection they came out of the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.
The captain and the soldiers guarding Jesus, upon seeing the earthquake and everything else that had happened, were greatly afraid and said:
“Truly, this was God’s Son.”
There were also many women there, watching from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and cared for his needs.
Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Burial of Jesus
When it was evening, there came a wealthy man from Arimathea named Joseph, who was himself a disciple of Jesus.
He approached Pilate and requested Jesus’ body, and the governor instructed that it be given to him.
So Joseph took Jesus’ body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
and laid it in his own new tomb that he had cut in the rock. Then he rolled a large stone across the tomb’s entrance and left.
Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed there, sitting in front of the tomb.
Guarding the Tomb
The next day, which is after the day of preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate
and said to him:
“Sir, we remember that when that impostor was still alive, he said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
Therefore, have his tomb secured until the third day, lest his disciples come and steal the body and say to the people: He is risen from the dead. That would be a deception worse than the first.”
Pilate responded to them:
“You have soldiers, go and take all the necessary precautions.”
They went to the tomb, secured it by sealing the stone, and placed it under guard.
Commentaries
Brought Before Pilate.
It was within Roman jurisdiction to decide on an execution, which is why the Jewish authorities brought Jesus to Pilate. Pilate represents Rome’s military authority in the region.
Death of Judas.
Before recounting Jesus’ trial before Pilate, Matthew shifts to describe Judas’s tragic end. The phrase “seeing that they had condemned him” (3) shows that Judas had anxiously followed the proceedings. He possibly did not expect Jesus to be sentenced to death, and the gravity of his betrayal became clear when he learned of the Sanhedrin’s verdict. Before dying, Judas states his testimony to Jesus’ innocence. He admits his sin but despairs of forgiveness.
Jesus Before Pilate – Jesus’ Condemnation.
After the interruption of the previous episode, the trial before Pilate continues until its tragic end. Matthew continues to add testimonies about Jesus’ innocence: Pilate’s resistance and maneuvering, his ostentatious statement, and his wife’s dream. Similarly, he shifts some blame onto the Jewish authorities and “the crowd” gathered there (20). In the final plea, he calls them “the people” (25); this broadening of responsibility seems to reflect the complete break between Judaism and Christianity and the official exclusion of Christians by the Jewish authorities. What this shows is that, in Jesus—the righteous one, the Messiah—God’s will is fulfilled. The rejection of his people is part of God’s mysterious plan.
Mockery by the Soldiers.
The reason for their mockery is the accusation that the chief priests made against Jesus. It is a false charge, but it will lead to his condemnation. The episode is told with a certain irony (see 26:67f). Such is the unsettling nature of Jesus’ life, the kingdom, and the God he preached and trusted. The readers of the Gospel see Jesus as King, but they understand that he is not of this world. Watching these brutal acts draws them deeper into the mystery of why Jesus was misunderstood and rejected. It is at the moment of greatest shame that the mystery of Jesus, who came to shed his blood for all, is revealed.
Crucifixion and Death of Jesus.
This marks the climax of the passion narrative, consisting of seven distinct scenes.
1. Darkness (45). Evocation of Amos’s prophecy (Am 8:9f). The early Christians reread this passage as a prophetic prediction of the Son of God’s death.
2. Jesus’ prayer (46). Jesus feels God’s abandonment (Ps 22), but remains faithful until the end.
3. The evocation of Elijah (47-49). In the Aramaic word “Eli” (“My God”), some believe (or pretend) to hear the name of Elijah, who was considered the precursor of the triumphant coming of the Messiah.
4. The death of Jesus (50). The most significant moment in the entire Gospel is described with the utmost brevity.
5. Cosmic phenomena (51-53). The tearing of the veil signals that the Temple has lost its sacred significance and that the old order has ended. Jesus’ death not only destroys the old structures but also ushers in new ones. God is no longer to be sought in a temple built by human hands but in Jesus, who is truly God-with-us, the real Temple of God.
6. The faith of the pagans (54). Through the soldiers’ confession, Matthew demonstrates the revelatory power of Jesus’ death. The Jews reject him; the pagans confess him. The Messiah becomes the hope of the nations.
7. The women (55f). The news about the women acts as a bridge to the resurrection stories. Their presence until the end contrasts with the disciples’ cowardly absence. From the joyful beginning in Galilee to the painful conclusion, they have accompanied and served Him—another lesson for the community.
Burial of Jesus – Guarding the Tomb.
Burial was an important custom among the Israelites. Being denied a proper burial was seen as a disgrace. Two of the women mentioned earlier attend the burial as witnesses. The rest of the story’s statements are made with the final event in mind: the resurrection (62ff). They had to guard against later accusations that would deny the resurrection, so the Gospel seeks to explain the origin of the rumor of the body’s theft and to prove it false.