Matthew 27 - The Death of Jesus

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Judas Hangs Himself

When Judas saw Jesus was condemned he felt remorse and returned the 30 pieces of silver he obtained by betraying Jesus. He even said the words, "I have sinned and betrayed innocent blood." So I think one would have to conclude Judas has repented of his sin. Yet, his shame and guilt was so great he took his own life. Though Jesus' death on the cross would grant him forgiveness, he could not forgive himself. 

Jesus Before Pilate

In order to rile up Pontius Pilate, the religious leaders brought Jesus up on the charges of saying he was the, "King of the Jews". When Pilate asked him he said, "You have said so", meaning he did not deny it. Though Jesus continued to be accused by the elders and chief priests, he made no reply. 

When it came time for the festival it was the governor's (Pilate) tradition to release a criminal to the Jews to appease them. Pilate knew that Jesus was being wrongfully accused, and he had in his possession a well known criminal named Barabbas. Thinking that the crowd would ask to have Jesus released, he asked the crowd who he should release to which they replied, "Give us Barabbas!" Pilate wasn't expecting this, so he asked them what he should do with Jesus. Note the irony that even Pilate, and apparently his wife, knew Jesus was a great and innocent man. But the crowd cried, "Crucify him".  Pilate once more asked what Jesus had done wrong and they shouted all more loudly, "Crucifiy him!" '

This is a great illustration of the gospel. Jesus, an innocent man was declared guilty, while the guilty man was set free. We are like Barabbas, but because Jesus died in our place, we are set free from sin and the consequences we deserve because of it which is death. See Romans 6:23 

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

One can barely read what they did to Jesus knowing He was and is the Son of God. He was mocked, spat on, gauged with a thorny crown on his forehead, and beat over the head repeatedly with a shepherd's staff. 

Jesus could have resisted them at any moment calling down a legion of angels to strike them dead, but he endured the pain and humiliation out of love for us. 

The Crucifixion of Jesus

Many people think Jesus refused to drink the wine because it was meant to dull the pain he would feel on the cross. When he was nailed to the cross prophetically this placard was nailed over his head, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS!" 

The people continued to taunt and jeer Jesus by saying, "You came to save others but you can't even save yourself. Come down off the cross if you are the Son of God!" Little did they know that if Jesus came down from the cross, they would still be dead in their sins. \

Matthew's version says both of the criminals hurled insults at him as well. But we know from Luke 23 that one of the criminals realized he was being justly punished, and Jesus was be punished unjustly. When he asked Jesus to remember him in his kingdom Jesus responded, "Today you will be with me in paradise!" 

The Death of Jesus

The pain of the cross must have been unbearable, as it was the most torturous and cruel way to carry out capital punishment. It was meant to be a public deterrent to future criminals. But for Jesus the worst part was not the unjust pain he suffered but the separation from his heavenly Father. The Father poured out his wrath on Jesus, as he became the substitute for our sins. 

Jesus cried out, "My God, my God why have you forsaken me?" Though Jesus knew he was going to be crucified, die, and rise again, it did not take away the pain of the moment when he was separated from His Father. This was emotional pain was equally excruciating. 

When Jesus finally died, the curtain of the temple was torn in two symbolizing that Jesus had now opened the way for us to come into God's presence. Jesus' death opened to way to heaven and people who were dead came to life.  Once again it was the Roman centurion and those who guarded Jesus who proclaimed, "Surely this was the Son of God!" The love they saw Jesus pour out for His people revealed His true nature. 

The Burial of Jesus

We meet Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man who bought a cave to bury Jesus in with white linen cloths. Joseph used his money to give Jesus a proper burial. He was a disciple who had counted the cost. We also see the two Mary's waiting at the tomb. They had faith that Jesus would rise from the dead when no one else did. 

Do you see a theme here? The Centurion and soldiers realize Jesus truly is the Messiah! Joseph, a rich man gives his riches to bury Jesus properly. The women are the only ones left following him. Where are the twelve? The 120? All have fallen away either in fear or disappointment. But fortunately this is not the last we will hear of them. 

The Guard at the Tomb

The Pharisees were paranoid Jesus would rise from the dead like he had predicted. So they made Pilate seal the tomb and posted a guard fearing the disciples would steal him and perpetuate the hoax of his resurrection. 

"They couldn’t have been afraid of the disciples. They knew they were terrified and in hiding. They knew they were gone from the crucifixion scene. Their intelligence sources and informants let them know the disciples were terrified. Instead, they were afraid of the power of Jesus." - Guzik

These details are some of the strongest evidence that the only logical conclusion is that Jesus did really rise from the dead. There are no plausible arguments about why the tomb was empty.

The tomb was secured by a seal, which was an obstacle of human authority. The seal was a rope, overlapping the width of the stone covering the entrance to the tomb. On either side of the doorway, there was a glob of wax securing the rope over the stone. You could not move the rock without breaking the seal. It was important that the guards witness the sealing, because they were responsible for whatever was being sealed. These Roman guards would watch carefully as the stone was sealed, because they knew their careers, and perhaps their lives, were on the line. The Roman seal carried legal authority. It was more than yellow tape barricading a modern crime scene; to break a Roman seal was to defy Roman authority. That stone was secured by the authority of the Roman Empire.

iii. The tomb was secured by a guard, which was an obstacle of human strength. A typical Roman guard had four soldiers. Two watched while the others rested. This guard may have had more. The soldiers would be fully equipped – sword, shield, spear, dagger, armor. We should also remember that these were Roman soldiers. They didn’t care about Jesus or Jewish laws or rituals. They were called to secure the tomb of a criminal. To them the only sacred thing at this tomb was the Roman seal, because if that were broken, their careers were ruined and they might be executed themselves. Soldiers cold-blooded enough to gamble over a dying man’s clothes were not the kind of men to be tricked by trembling disciples, or would not jeopardize their necks by sleeping at their post.

iv. None of these obstacles mattered. They all fall away before Him!

· Material obstacles don’t stand before the resurrected Jesus.

· Human authority doesn’t stand before the resurrected Jesus.

· Human strength doesn’t stand before the resurrected Jesus.