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As we embark on this exercise, how wonderful it is to know that even while we are studying Jesus’ crucifixion and burial, we know that in our subsequent lesson, we will be rejoicing in his victory over death. These next two chapters are the foundation of our faith—specifically, that our Savior was crucified, died and was buried, and then rose again. Keep this hope in mind as we study this lesson about the events that leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion and burial.

Read Matthew 27:1-66 and consider the following questions:

1. When the light of day breaks, the Jews decide to hand over Jesus to Pilate. Pilate was the governor, or procurator, over both Judea and Samaria. He normally lived in the palace at Caesarea; however, he had come to his palace in Jerusalem during the time of the Passover celebration. Since the Jews had already convened a midnight trial, why do you think they now wanted a second trial with Pilate? I can think of two reasons; how about you? (see Matt. 27:1-2)
   1. ANSWER 1: Jewish law required all trials to be held in the daylight. If they were going to "convict" Jesus, it would have to be during the day. Prosecuting him in a Roman trial would fix this, and it help them maintain good relations with the Roman authorities.
   2. ANSWER 2: Another reason for a second trial is that they wanted Jesus executed, and they had no authority to carry that out. (This would seem a little strange, since Saul had no trouble holding everyone’s cloaks while they stoned Stephen.)
2. The moment that the Jews made the decision to take Jesus to Pilate, Judas realized that they were out to execute Jesus. What did Judas do when the High Priests refused to take back the thirty pieces of silver? How does the description in Matthew differ from the one in Acts 1:18-19 written by Luke, and how can we explain it? (see Matt. 27:3-10)
   1. ANSWER 1: Judas was very distraught by what he had done, but he did not repent. Instead, he went to the Temple, to this Holy place itself, and threw in the money. Filled with remorse, realizing he would be the cause of the death of an innocent man, he then went out and hung himself.
   2. ANSWER 2: In the book of Acts, we read that he bought a field then fell headlong into it, with his insides bursting out. The differences in the two stories are probably easiest to explain when we understand that the High Priests bought the field in Judas’ name with the money that Judas had been paid. We can also postulate that while trying to hang himself on the branch of a tree on a high cliff, the branch broke, causing Judas to suffer a great fall. No doubt that his intestines spilled out from the impact.
3. Compare Zechariah 11:12-13 with the story of Judas. What similarities do we see?
   1. ANSWER: The Zechariah reference is to a prophesy about the rejection of the Messiah for thirty pieces of silver—the price that was paid when an ox gored a slave; see Exodus 31:32. It is considered such a trivial price that it is thrown to the potter, a low–paid person. In Matthew, it is used to buy the potter’s field—again, a cheap price. Just as the people of Zechariah’s day rejected God, so too do the High Priest and Elders in Roman times, rejecting Christ and paying thirty pieces of silver for the potter’s field.
4. Jesus now stands before Pilate, on trial for calling himself the King of the Jews. Did Jesus admit to Pilate that he was indeed their King? (see Matt. 27:11-14)
   1. ANSWER: Yes, his response affirmed this, but he would not answer any other question or respond in any way to the rest of Pilate’s charges.
5. In Matthew 25:15-23, Pilate tries over and over to spare Jesus. We can see in Pilate a man torn in many directions. His wife tells him that she had a dream and that Jesus is innocent. In John 19:12, we see that the crowd is threatening to report him to Caesar if he does not execute someone claiming to be a king. We also see that Pilate himself could find no fault in Jesus; yet, the pressure was on to keep the peace and to work with the Jewish leadership to settle the matter. How does Pilate plan to handle this in a way that keeps everyone satisfied?
   1. ANSWER: He reasoned (and gambled) that, given the choice between freeing an innocent man and a notorious rebel like Barabbas, the crowd would choose Jesus. In this way, he could have upheld the custom of the day to release one Jewish prisoner. In addition, the High Priest and Elders would have had their day in court, and an innocent man would be released&Mdash;at least that was his plan.
6. Rejecting Pilate’s gambit, the crowd called out to crucify Jesus and therefore release Barabbas. Pilate continued to try and get them to see the error of this choice, but they would have none of it. As the crowd shouted louder and louder to have Jesus crucified, Pilate finally gave in. He was not about to have a riot on his hands, or incite people to go to Caesar and tell him that Pilate had allowed someone claiming to be King to go free. What did Pilate do as a final gesture? Was this gesture something that the Jews would have been familiar with? (see Matt. 27:24-26 and Deut. 21:6-9)
   1. ANSWER: Pilate played out a scene in public that is now common knowledge worldwide: he washed his hands of the whole affair. In particular, "he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s blood,’ he said, ‘it is your responsibility.’" The Jews knew immediately what the ceremonial washing meant, as it was prescribed in Deuteronomy 21:6-9 for the innocent.
7. When Pilate told them that he was innocent of "this man’s blood" and that "it is your responsibility;" how did the crowd respond? (see Matt. 27:25)
   1. ANSWER: They agreed with Pilate, and shouted in reply, "His blood is on us and on our children!" Sadly, this will also be true when, in 70 A.D., God will bring judgment on Jerusalem. The Romans will lay a deadly and bloody siege to the city, killing many of the "children" referenced in the crowd’s response.
8. Pilate proclaimed his innocence in words and in the ceremonial washing. Does the Bible tell us that he was innocent? (see Matt. 27:24 and Acts 4:27)
   1. ANSWER: No, clearly he was not innocent. He played as much a part in the execution of Jesus as did the Jews. In fact, we see from Acts and other Gospel descriptions of the events leading up to Jesus’ crucifixion, that Pilate conspired with Herod, the Gentiles living in the area, and the Jewish leadership. He was a co–conspirator. He had no excuse; as the highest authority in the land, he could have easily had Jesus set free, but chose instead to have him crucified. He is as guilty as all of the other conspirators who wanted Jesus put to death.
9. Matthew 27:27-31 records our now–familiar understanding of some of he events that transpired just prior to Christ’s crucifixion. Many other details are contained within the other three gospels. As we can see from these verses, Jesus was beaten severely, mocked, spat upon, ridiculed, and beaten again and again. It is incredible that he survived long enough to be crucified. Read Isaiah 52:13-15. What insight does this prophesy give us about the bloody scene in the Praetorium?
   1. ANSWER: Clearly, all the way back to the time of Isaiah, God knew what the Jews would do to His one and only son, Jesus, the Messiah. From these brief verses, we can understand more fully just how brutal and violent that the Roman guards were to Jesus. He was almost unrecognizable even as a man, or a human being, let alone as Jesus. It was simply a bloodbath with Jesus as the recipient.
10. Matthew 27:32-56 records some of the events that occurred during Jesus’ crucifixion. In a moment, we will look at the picture of His crucifixion painted by all of the Gospels, but first I want to focus on a very well known verse in Matthew—Matthew 27:46. Read this verse; then refer to Psalm 22. Remember as you read the verse in Matthew that it was common practice to cite a specific Psalm by reciting its first line. What do you think Jesus is saying? Does he believe that God forsook him? Can you find other verses in this Psalm that mirror what is happening at his crucifixion?
    1. ANSWER: I believe that Jesus is citing this entire Psalm as a way of drawing the Jews’ attention to it. Clearly this Psalm is about the Messiah, and what happens to the Messiah. Clearly we see verses 6-8 being played out right in front of Jesus, as well as verses 14-18. The Psalm goes on to speak about the time that the Messiah will rule the earth as well. This Psalm is about the Messiah, and I believe that it is equally clear that Jesus was trying to get them to see this. I also believe that when the day comes that God opens the eyes of the Jews, they will remember this Psalm and see its connection to Jesus’ crucifixion as well.
11. If we had the time and examined all of the verses in the four Gospels recording the events of Jesus’ crucifixion we would have a comprehensive picture of that day. We know that it began at 9 am, the "third" hour; and that at noon, the "sixth" hour, it became dark until 3 pm, the "ninth" hour. We also know that Jesus was nailed on his cross, and it was placed between two thieves, or robbers. We also know that the Roman guards took all of his clothing, leaving him naked on the cross. They cast lots for his clothes, and pierced his side to make sure he was dead. We know that he uttered seven things from the cross and that, upon his death, the Temple curtain was torn from top to bottom. Over each cross during any crucifixion, the Roman guards would hang a sign with that person’s crime written on it. In Jesus’ case, it was done in such a way that all would see it and read it. What sign did they hang over Jesus, and who told them to do it in that specific way? (see Matt. 27:37 and John 19:20)
    1. ANSWER: Pilate told them to write on the sign over Jesus’ head, "THIS IS JESUS, KING OF THE JEWS." Pilate wanted to make sure that everyone could see it and read it— remember that this was the time of the Passover celebration, and people from many countries had traveled to Jerusalem. So, Pilate instructed that the sign be written in the three languages of the day: Aramaic, Hebrew and Greek.
12. We now come to the burial of the King of the Jews. Who was this man, Joseph of Arimathea; and why would he ask for the body of Jesus? Why, in fact, would he offer a grave he owned for a crucified person, especially Jesus? And finally, did Joseph bury Jesus by himself, or did he have help? Were there witnesses? Read Matthew 27:57-61, Luke 23:51-56, and John 19:39; and answer these questions in the space below.
    1. ANSWER 1: Joseph of Arimathea was a believer, and more specifically, he was a member of the Sanhedrin who had come to realize that Jesus was the Messiah. He took a public stand for Jesus by not agreeing with the council to crucify Jesus. He now proclaimed his faith in Jesus once again by offering a place for Jesus to be buried; and by physically getting Jesus’ body off of the cross, wrapping it for burial, and carrying it to the tomb. He was helped by Nicodemus, also a new believer and also a member of the Sanhedrin, who brought along about 75 pounds of myrrh and aloes for the body.
    2. ANSWER 2: There were many women at the cross on that fateful day: Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, the mother of Zebedee’s sons (James and John), and Jesus’ mother Mary, and her sister. They were all present when Jesus gave up his spirit and died on the cross. They would have seen Joseph come to take the body of Jesus from the cross. Some of them followed Joseph to the tomb and watched as he placed Jesus’ body inside, and then rolled a large stone in front of the tomb.
13. It is important that we understand from our study of Jesus’ burial that, not only did the Roman Guards declare Jesus was dead, but many others were around the body and saw it as well; and they saw Joseph bury the body and seal the tomb with a large stone. Jesus’ death on the cross was real, it was public, and it was not a story created by the disciples. It is also worthy of note that, while women continued to stay with the body of Jesus until it was placed in the tomb, the disciples all abandoned him. (See Matt. 26:56.) Another interesting note is that, in Matthew 27:62-66, we see that the disciples have abandoned the teachings of Christ, forgetting that he’d told them he would rise in three days. However, another group of men remembered that Jesus said he would rise in three days. Who were they, and what did they want to do while they waited for three days to elapse?
    1. ANSWER: Rather than seeing a picture of the disciples waiting eagerly for Jesus to rise the third day, they had scattered. Ironically, the group afraid of that third–day "resurrection" was the Sanhedrin. They clearly remembered Jesus’ teaching and wanted Pilate to ensure that nothing like this happened. Again, it is sad that non-believers remembered his teaching better than Jesus’ disciples. Fearing an even bigger problem than he already had, Pilate agreed to put his Roman Guard in charge of further sealing and securing the grave.

We close our lesson with Jesus’ body having been crucified, buried, and sealed in a grave by Pilate’s Roman Guard. Pilate and the Sanhedrin foolishly believed that man could stop God’s great plan of salvation. Even today, mankind believes that it can be its own god, and be greater than God, using their intellect and things made with human hands. How foolish. Our savior has died on the cross, just as prophesied; but praise God, this is not the end of the story—only the beginning. In our next lesson, we will see that HE IS RISEN! What a glorious day that was, the first Easter Sunday!

In Christ,

Wes

[2017]