1 When the morning was come, all the chief priests and elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:
2 And when they had bound him, they led him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that.
5 And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.
6 And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood.
7 And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in.
8 Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day.
9 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
10 And gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me.
11 And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou sayest.
12 And when he was accused of the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.
13 Then said Pilate unto him, Hearest thou not how many things they witness against thee?
14 And he answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marvelled greatly.
15 Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner, whom they would.
16 And they had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.
17 Therefore when they were gathered together, Pilate said unto them, Whom will ye that I release unto you? Barabbas, or Jesus which is called Christ?
18 For he knew that for envy they had delivered him.
19 When he was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.
20 But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they should ask Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.
21 The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas.
22 Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.
23 And the governor said, Why, what evil hath he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified.
24 When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it.
25 Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children.
26 Then released he Barabbas unto them: and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered him to be crucified.
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
36 And sitting down they watched him there;
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him:
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedees children.
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered.
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed.
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre.
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first.
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can.
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Chapter 27 of the Book of Matthew in the King James Version (KJV) of the Holy Bible is a pivotal chapter that covers the trial and crucifixion of Jesus Christ, the Son of God, as well as the subsequent events leading up to His burial. This chapter is a culmination of the events that have been unfolding since the beginning of Matthew's Gospel and is central to the Christian belief in the sacrifice and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
The chapter begins with Jesus being handed over to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, by the chief priests and elders. What follows is a series of events that lead to Jesus' crucifixion - Judas' remorse and suicide, the trial before Pilate, the release of Barabbas, the scourging and mocking of Jesus, His crucifixion, death, and burial, and the securing of the tomb.
The chapter opens with the remorse of Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus for thirty pieces of silver. Upon seeing Jesus condemned, Judas was filled with guilt and tried to return the silver to the chief priests and elders. However, they refused to accept it, leading Judas to throw the silver into the temple and go hang himself. This incident underscores the theme of guilt and remorse that can come from betrayal. Judas' actions may also be seen as a stark contrast to Peter's earlier denial of Jesus, demonstrating the different ways in which individuals react to guilt and betrayal.
Following Judas' suicide, the narrative moves to Jesus' trial before Pontius Pilate. Despite being accused by the chief priests and elders, Jesus remains mostly silent during his trial, only speaking to affirm that He is the Son of God. This silence can be seen as a fulfillment of the prophecy in Isaiah 53:7, where the prophet Isaiah speaks of the Suffering Servant who was oppressed and afflicted, yet did not open his mouth.
In a custom of the time, the Roman governor would release a prisoner chosen by the crowd during the Passover. Pilate, recognizing that Jesus was innocent and had been handed over due to envy, offered the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, a notorious prisoner. The crowd, influenced by the chief priests and elders, chose to release Barabbas and crucify Jesus. This event highlights the theme of innocence condemned, a common motif in literature and one that underscores the injustice of Jesus' crucifixion.
After the crowd chose to release Barabbas, Jesus was scourged by the soldiers and mocked. They stripped Him, put a scarlet robe on Him, placed a crown of thorns on His head, and mocked Him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" This cruel treatment of Jesus underscores the themes of humiliation and suffering that are central to the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion.
Jesus was then led to Golgotha, also known as the place of the skull, where He was crucified. While He was on the cross, passersby, chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him. Despite the torment, Jesus did not lash out or curse those who were persecuting Him. Instead, His last words were, "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?". With these words, Jesus breathed His last and yielded up His spirit.
The moment of Jesus' death was marked by several miraculous events. The veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom, the earth quaked, and graves were opened. These events are significant as they symbolize the breaking down of the barrier between God and humanity brought about by Jesus' death.
Following Jesus' death, Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man and a disciple of Jesus, took His body and laid it in his own new tomb. He rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb and departed. The chief priests and Pharisees, remembering Jesus' prophecy that He would rise again on the third day, went to Pilate and requested that the tomb be made secure until the third day. Pilate agreed and gave them a guard, and they sealed the stone and set the guard.
The chapter ends with the tomb of Jesus being secured, setting the stage for the events of the next chapter, where the resurrection of Jesus is detailed. The burial of Jesus and the securing of the tomb underscore the themes of death and resurrection that are central to the Christian faith.
Chapter 27 of the Book of Matthew is a significant chapter that details the events leading up to and including the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. The themes of betrayal, guilt, innocence condemned, humiliation, suffering, death, and resurrection are all present in this chapter, reflecting the central tenets of the Christian faith. The events of this chapter serve to underscore the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, His suffering for humanity, and His ultimate victory over death through His resurrection.
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