27 1Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people met and decided to kill Jesus. 2They tied him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilatea, the governor.The Jewish leaders answered, "We don't care! That's a problem for you, not us." 5So Judas threw the money into the Templeb. Then he went out from there and hanged himself. 6The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the Temple. They said, "Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the Temple money, because this money has paid for a man's death." 7So they decided to use the money to buy a field called Potter's Field. This field would be a place to bury people who died while visiting in Jerusalem. 8That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. 9This showed the full meaning of what Jeremiah the prophetc said:
12Then, when the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders made their accusations against Jesus, he said nothing. 13So Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear all these charges they are making against you? Why don't you answer?" 14But Jesus did not say anything, and this really surprised the governor. 17When a crowd gathered, Pilatea said to them, "I will free one man for you. Which one do you want me to free: Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiahh?" 18Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous of him. 19While Pilate was sitting there in the place for judging, his wife sent a message to him. It said, "Don't do anything with that man. He is not guilty. Last night I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much." 20But the leading priests and older Jewish leaders told the people to ask for Barabbas to be set free and for Jesus to be killed. 21Pilate said, "I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which one 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 Messiah?" All the people said, "Kill him on a cross!" 23Pilate asked, "Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?" But they shouted louder, "Kill him on a cross!" 24Pilate saw that there was nothing he could do to make the people change. In fact, it looked as if there would be a riot. So he took some water and washed his handsi in front of them all. He said, "I am not guilty of this man's death. You are the ones who are doing it!" 25The people answered, "We will take full responsibility for his death. You can blame us and even our children!" 26Then Pilate set Barabbas free. And he told some soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then he handed him over to the soldiers to be killed on a cross. 35The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then they threw dice to divide his clothes between them. 36The soldiers stayed there to guard him. 37They put a sign above his head with the charge against him written on it: "this is jesus, the king of the jews." 38Two criminals were nailed to crosses beside Jesus - one on the right and the other on the left. 39People walked by and shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads 40and said, "You said you could destroy the Templeb and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross if you really are the Son of God!" 41The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. They made fun of Jesus the same as the other people did. 42They said, "He saved others, but he can't save himself! People say he is the king of Israeld. If he is the king, he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. 43He trusted 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 criminals on the crosses beside Jesus also insulted him. 47Some of the people standing there heard this. They said, "He is calling Elijah."l 48Quickly, one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled the sponge with sour wine and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to get a drink from it. 49But the others said, "Don't bother him. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him." 50Again Jesus cried out loudly and then diedm. 51When Jesus died, the curtainn in the Templeb was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were broken. 52The graves opened, and many of God's people who had died were raised from death. 53They came out of the graves. And after Jesus was raised from death, they went into the holy city, and many people saw them. 54The army officero and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, "He really was the Son of God!" 55Many women were standing away from the cross, watching. These were the women who had followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him. 56Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and Johnp were there. 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. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it. aPilate, Pontius The Roman governor of Judea, 26-36 a.d. Read Lk. 23:1-3. bTemple The permanent building in Jerusalem that replaced the portable “Holy Tent” that was used by the Israelites from the time of their wandering in the desert to the reign of King Solomon, when the first Temple was built. Like the Holy Tent, the Temple was the center of Israelite worship, although provision was made for it to be “a house of prayer for all nations” (Isa. 56:7). cprophet A person who speaks a message from God. Many of the books in the Old Testament are messages spoken or written by “the prophets,” who were some of those God chose to speak for him. God often used dreams or visions to tell or show his prophets what they should say. dIsrael Another name for Jacob (see Gen. 32:24-28) and for the nation God chose to accomplish his plan of blessing the world through the Messiah (see “Messiah”). The people of Israel were the descendants of Jacob’s twelve sons. In the New Testament this name is sometimes used in a broader sense to mean all of God’s people. e27:10 “They took … me” See Zech. 11:12-13; Jer. 32:6-9. fPassover A very important holy day for the people of Israel and their descendants. They ate a special meal on this day every year to remember that God made them free from slavery in Egypt in the time of Moses. The name may come from the word in Ex. 12:13, 23, 27 that means “to pass over” or “to protect.” g27:16 Barabbas In some Greek copies the name is Jesus Barabbas. hMessiah A Hebrew word that has the same meaning as the Greek word Christ (see “Christ”). It was a title for the kings of God’s people in the Old Testament and for the special king God promised to send as a “savior” to defeat evil and establish the reign of God. Many prophets made it clear that this new kingdom would be eternal; that is, not only would the promised Messiah bring about a time of justice and right living among God’s people here on earth, but also his kingdom would extend beyond this world to life forever with God. However, most Jews of the first century expected the Messiah to be a political ruler here on earth who would defeat the other nations and return the nation of Israel to a position of great glory and power. But God intended his Messiah to establish a new “Israel,” an eternal kingdom that would bless all the nations. i27:24 washed his hands Pilate did this as a sign to show that he wanted no part in what the people did. j27:34 gall Probably used as a drug to relieve pain. k27:46 Quote from Ps. 22:1. l27:47 “He is calling Elijah” The word for “My God” (Eli in Hebrew or Eloi in Aramaic) sounded to the people like the name of Elijah, a famous man who spoke for God about 850 b.c. m27:50 died Literally, “let his spirit leave.” ncurtain The curtain that separated the inner sanctuary (Most Holy Place) from the front room in the Tabernacle (see “Holy Tent”) and in the Jerusalem Temple. It represented the spiritual barrier that kept people from entering God’s presence. When Jesus died, the curtain was torn open (Mt. 27:51), which was a symbol to show that in the heavenly temple the way into God’s presence had been opened. See Heb. 10:19, 20. oarmy officer A centurion, a Roman army officer who had authority over 100 soldiers. p27:56 James and John Literally, “the sons of Zebedee.” qtomb A grave dug in a wall of rock or a building where a dead body is buried. It can also be a small building made to show respect for important people who had died. rPreparation day Friday, the day before the Sabbath day. sPharisee A person who belonged to a Jewish religious group that claimed to follow carefully all Jewish laws and customs. |