Jesus Is Taken to Pilate
Matthew 27
1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people
decided that Jesus should die. 2They tied him, led him away, and turned him over
to Pilate, the governor.
Judas Kills Himself
3Judas, the one who had given Jesus to his enemies, saw that they had
decided to kill Jesus. Then he was very sorry for what he had done. So he took
the thirty silver coins back to the priests and the leaders, 4saying, “I sinned; I
handed over to you an innocent man.”
The leaders answered, “What is that to us? That’s your problem, not ours.”
5So Judas threw the money into the Temple. Then he went off and hanged
himself.
6The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple and said, “Our
law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because it has
paid for a man’s death.” 7So they decided to use the coins to buy Potter’s Field as
a place to bury strangers who died in Jerusalem. 8That is why that field is still
called the Field of Blood. 9So what Jeremiah the prophet had said came true:
“They took thirty silver coins. That is how little the Israelites thought he was
worth. 10They used those thirty silver coins to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord
commanded me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
11Jesus stood before Pilate the governor, and Pilate asked him, “Are you the
king of the Jews?”
Jesus answered, “Those are your words.”
12When the leading priests and the older leaders accused Jesus, he said
nothing.
13So Pilate said to Jesus, “Don’t you hear them accusing you of all these
things?”
14But Jesus said nothing in answer to Pilate, and Pilate was very surprised at
this.
Pilate Tries to Free Jesus
15Every year at the time of Passover the governor would free one prisoner
whom the people chose. 16At that time there was a man in prison, named
Barabbas, who was known to be very bad. 17When the people gathered at Pilate’s
house, Pilate said, “Whom do you want me to set free: Barabbas or Jesus who is
called the Christ?” 18Pilate knew that the people turned Jesus in to him because
they were jealous.
19While Pilate was sitting there on the judge’s seat, his wife sent this message
to him: “Don’t do anything to that man, because he is innocent. Today I had a
dream about him, and it troubled me very much.”
20But the leading priests and older leaders convinced the crowd to ask for
Barabbas to be freed and for Jesus to be killed.
21Pilate said, “I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to set free
for you?”
The people answered, “Barabbas.”
22Pilate asked, “So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?”
They all answered, “Crucify him!”
23Pilate asked, “Why? What wrong has he done?”
But they shouted louder, “Crucify him!”
24When Pilate saw that he could do nothing about this and that a riot was
starting, he took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. Then
he said, “I am not guilty of this man’s death. You are the ones who are causing
it!”
25All the people answered, “We and our children will be responsible for his
death.”
26Then he set Barabbas free. But Jesus was beaten with whips and handed
over to the soldiers to be crucified.
27The governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the governor’s palace, and they all
gathered around him. 28They took off his clothes and put a red robe on him.
29Using thorny branches, they made a crown, put it on his head, and put a stick in
his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and made fun of him,
saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30They spat on Jesus. Then they took his stick
and began to beat him on the head. 31After they finished, the soldiers took off the
robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to be
crucified.
Jesus Is Crucified
32As the soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus, they forced a man
from Cyrene, named Simon, to carry the cross for Jesus. 33They all came to the
place called Golgotha, which means the Place of the Skull. 34The soldiers gave
Jesus wine mixed with gall to drink. He tasted the wine but refused to drink it.
35When the soldiers had crucified him, they threw lots to decide who would get
his clothes. 36The soldiers sat there and continued watching him. 37They put a
sign above Jesus’ head with a charge against him. It said: THIS IS JESUS, THE
KING OF THE JEWS. 38Two robbers were crucified beside Jesus, one on the
right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and insulted Jesus and shook
their heads, 40saying, “You said you could destroy the Temple and build it again
in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you are really the
Son of God!”
41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders
were also making fun of Jesus. 42They said, “He saved others, but he can’t save
himself! He says he is the king of Israel! If he is the king, let him come down
now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusts in God, so let God
save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44And in the same way, the robbers who were being crucified beside Jesus also
insulted him.
Jesus Dies
45At noon the whole country became dark, and the darkness lasted for three
hours. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama
sabachthani?” This means, “My God, my God, why have you rejected me?”
47Some of the people standing there who heard this said, “He is calling
Elijah.”
48Quickly one of them ran and got a sponge and filled it with vinegar and tied
it to a stick and gave it to Jesus to drink. 49But the others said, “Don’t bother him.
We want to see if Elijah will come to save him.”
50But Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and died.
51Then the curtain in the Temple was torn into two pieces, from the top to
the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks broke apart. 52The graves opened,
and many of God’s people who had died were raised from the dead. 53They came
out of the graves after Jesus was raised from the dead and went into the holy city,
where they appeared to many people.
54When the army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake
and everything else that happened, they were very frightened and said, “He really
was the Son of God!”
55Many women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to help him were
standing at a distance from the cross, watching. 56Mary Magdalene, and Mary the
mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.
Jesus Is Buried
57That evening a rich man named Joseph, a follower of Jesus from the town
of Arimathea, came to Jerusalem. 58Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have
Jesus’ body. So Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give it to Joseph. 59Then
Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60He put Jesus’ body
in a new tomb that he had cut out of a wall of rock, and he rolled a very large
stone to block the entrance of the tomb. Then Joseph went away. 61Mary
Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.
The Tomb of Jesus Is Guarded
62The next day, the day after Preparation Day, the leading priests and the
Pharisees went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember that while that liar was
still alive he said, ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ 64So give the order
for the tomb to be guarded closely till the third day. Otherwise, his followers
might come and steal the body and tell people that he has risen from the dead.
That lie would be even worse than the first one.”
65Pilate said, “Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you
know.” 66So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves by sealing
the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.
The Holy Bible, New Century Version
SITUATION
The Jewish leaders decided that Jesus must die. Because they were not allowed to execute anyone, they turned him over to the Romans. Jesus appeared before Pontius Pilate (governor of Samaria and Judea from A.D. 26 to 36) prior to his crucifixion.
OBSERVATION
Jewish leaders refused to believe Jesus was the Messiah and insisted that Pilate execute him. Yet Jesus died for their sins, and ours, too.
INSPIRATION
Six hours. One Friday.
Let me ask you a question: What do you do with that day in history? What do you do with its claims?
If it really happened ... if God did commandeer his own crucifixion ... if he did turn his back on his own son ... if he did storm Satan's gate, then those six hours that Friday were packed with tragic triumph. If that was God on that cross, then the hill called Skull is a granite studded with stakes to which you can anchor.
Those six hours were no normal six hours. They were the most critical hours in history. For during those six hours on that Friday, God embedded in the earth three anchor points sturdy enough to withstand any hurricane.
Anchor point #l-My life is not futile. This rock secures the hull of your heart. Its sole function is to give you something which you can grip when facing the surging tides of futility and relativism.... Someone is in control and I have a purpose.
Anchor point #2-My failures are not fatal. It's not that he loves what you did, but he loves who you are.... The one who has the right to condemn you has provided the way to acquit you. You make mistakes. God doesn't. And he made you.
Anchor point #3-My death is not final. There is one more stone to which you should
tie.... It blocked the door of a grave. It wasn't big enough, though.... He only went in to prove he could come out. And on the way out he took the stone with him and turned it into an anchor point.... Tie it to his rock and the typhoon of the tomb becomes a spring breeze on Easter Sunday.
There they are. Three anchor points. The anchor points of the cross. (From Six Hours One Friday by Max Lucado)
APPLICATION
Some people would rather see Jesus dead than controlling their lives. What room in the castle of your life (career, family, church) needs to be placed under Christ's control? Don't hesitate a day. Pray now. Give your life fully to him.
EXPLORATION
Jesus' Death Saves Us-john 3:14-17; 11:25- 26; Romans 3:23-26; 1 Corinthians 1:18; Colossians 1:20-22; Titus 3:3-7.
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