Matthew 27:1-26
“What Shall I Do With Jesus?”
Vs. 11-26 The Trial of Pilate
Intro
Chapter 26 closed as Jesus was being led out of Caiaphas’ house. We now move to what is the central part of the Bible, the crucifixion. Paul wrote in 1 Cor. 15:3-4. “For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.”
Amazingly, though very little of the actual event is given any description, in fact Matthew in verse 35 puts it extremely plain when he says, “Then they crucified Him.” No explanation of how gruesome of an event this was. Instead, what Matthew records is how people reacted to these events. We have already seen the disciple’s response.
They all fled. Then we spent time looking at Peter’s failure. We saw how religion dealt with Jesus. In this section we will see the final outcome of Judas, and as well we shall look at Pontius Pilate’s response to Jesus. We will even take a glance at this figure named Barabbas.
I remember the first time as a Christian that I read these verses and how amazed and overwhelmed I felt at the price Jesus paid for me. I believe that I have continued to grow in my amazement at these events. However, I fear that if I’m not careful, these events will become no big deal. Maturity ought to bring a greater sense of worship in us, don’t you think?
Vs. 1-10 Two Bound Men
Vs. 1-2 The three trials at the hands of the Jewish authorities had been going on all night. The Sanhedrin had convicted Jesus of blasphemy, but the problem was that the Roman government did not recognize this as a capital offense. So they had to come up with some charges that they could apply to Jesus that would get Him sentenced to death by the Romans. Now according to Luke’s account (23:2), they came up with three:
1.) “Perverting the Nation”
2.) That He was telling people that they need not pay taxes to Rome.
3.) That He claimed to be a king in opposition to Caesar.
There was no proof of any of these things, but they were all capital offenses. It appears based upon Luke’s account, as well as John’s (18:28–38), that the one that Pilate was most interested in was the one that dealt with Him being king. To which finally Jesus has to explain that His kingdom is not like the kingdoms of the world; it is a kingdom in men’s hearts.
It would have been around 5 a.m. as they led Jesus away bound for Pontius Pilate. But why do that at all? Why not just put him to death? Well, capital punishment had been outlawed except when the Roman government did it. The Jews would never think of crucifixion as a form of punishment. What they did was stone a person. Yet here it is clear that Jesus was crucified. You see, the Bible was clear on the way in which Jesus would die.
- Deut. 21:23 says, “Cursed is everyone that hangs on a tree.”
- Ps 22:14-18.
Now some of your versions say that Judas repented, but that is not what the original language says. The word indicates remorse or regret at the outcome of one’s action. Simply put, Judas was bummed that he had come to these conclusions. Now we know that Judas wanted the power and prestige that hanging with Jesus brought him.
And I kind of think that Judas was hoping that when Jesus started His reign that Judas was going to be made secretary of state. Then, when it was obvious that this was not going to be the outcome, Judas was hoping to be rewarded financially. So why then did he bring the money back? Perhaps he was hoping that this would give him some status with the religious community?
Folks, may I just say that there is a big difference between true biblical repentance, which is a change of thinking, emotions, and will that changes a person’s actions, and being sorry you got caught and that what you wanted to happen because you sinned to begin with did not turn out the way in which you wanted it to.
Judas was remorseful, which led to despair and, as we shall see, to suicide. If Judas really wanted to repent, he would not have gone up to the religious leaders; he would have instead gone over to Jesus. And had he done so, he would have found forgiveness. A lot of folks are sorry about the consequences of their actions, but are not sorry for the actions themselves!
Another thing that interests me is knowing how self-centered Judas was, and the way I am as well, his statement concerning Jesus as “innocent.” Hey, when those that betray you and those that hate you call you innocent, it can only mean that there was no inconsistency or hypocrisy. Any sin Jesus would have done, any wrong attitude that He would have manifested any time He boasted, stretched the truth, or lost His temper, would have caused Judas not to say He was “innocent.”
Judas might have said, “Hey, I’ve been with Jesus for 3 1/2 years, and He is not all that.” “I remember the time He did this, or said that.” Folks think of this moment: if Jesus was really not sinless and the religious community wanted to find something to conflict Jesus with, why not just ask Judas? I will tell you why, because Judas knew that there was nothing phony about Jesus!!
Now I don’t know about you, but I’m sad to say that if you hang around me sooner or later, you will see that there are some inconsistencies about what I say on Sunday mornings and how I live my life. Not so with Jesus!
So Judas was trapped with what he had done. Funny isn’t it that Jesus is bound to be put to death, but really it is Judas that was bound in his own sin to enable him to loosen his grip on his life, whereas Jesus was going to die and death could not even hold Him. Now which one of these two men was the one that was bound?
Hey, folks, has religion let you down? Have you bought into some form of religion and found yourself in a bondage to sin? Then why not cast yourself upon Jesus? He will be your slave and set you free!!.
Now I need to mention this because someone will point out that there is a seeming contradiction between this account here in Matthew and the one told to us by Luke in the book of Acts. Luke says that, “Now this man purchased a field with the wages of iniquity, and falling headlong, he burst open in the middle, and all his entrails gushed out.”
Yet here we are told that Judas went out and hanged himself, then the chief priests took the silver and realized that it was unlawful for them to use the money for the temple treasure bought in the potter’s field.
Now Acts does not say that Judas committed suicide in the field that the priests bought, for that would have defiled the land. So what you have piecing these two verses together is that the priests bought a field with the money that Judas had thrown down. Furthermore, it appears that when Judas went to hang himself, his body remained undetected for some time and eventually broke free and fell to the ground, bursting his body open.
One more thing: the field that was purchased was called the Potters Field, but why? Well, it seems that the potters in those days had a field that they would discard their broken, cracked, or chipped pots into. Over time, this field would be so overcome with broken vessels that the field would be useless for any agriculture. Is that not a great picture for us?
I mean that the blood money of Jesus Christ would go to buy a place where broken vessels and dead bodies were. Folks, that is what you and I were: clay pots that cannot hold that which they were intended to do so. Furthermore, we were dead in our sin, and He has purchased us by His blood!!!
Vs.9-10 One last thing here in this quote, which Matthew tells us is a fulfillment of prophecy. Matthew tells us that it was spoken by Jeremiah. And if you look through Jeremiah, you will not find this verse. What you will find is that Jeremiah speaks about a potter and something that he purchases from him, but it is Zechariah that this is quoted from.
So did Matthew make a mistake? No, because it is believed that Zechariah takes some of what he shares from Jeremiah’s prophecy, a common practice. It is also worth noting that at this time the O.T. was not in book form with chapters and verses. Instead they were in scrolls, with shorter books rolled up with the longer ones. That was the case with Zechariah; it was actually in the scroll of Jeremiah, so they would simply say, “In the scroll of Jeremiah, which includes Zechariah.”
Vs. 11-26 The Trial of Pilate
Vs.11-14 Now as I look at this section, it really is the trial of Pilate and not Jesus. As I said above, the only thing that interested Pilate was the accusation of Jesus saying He was King.
Pontius Pilate was an interesting fellow. Based upon his name, it is believed that he had at one time been a slave and somehow won his freedom. We further know that he did not much care for the Jews. He had offended the Jews several times to the point of riots. Once it had gotten so bad that he killed some Galileans while they made their sacrifices at the temple. All of this had gotten back to Rome, and Pilate had to watch what he was doing with regards to the Jews.
Jesus answers Pilate just as He had Caiaphas. “You’ve made the right assessment of who I am.” Yet with that said, Jesus does not again defend himself as the chief priests and elders make accusations against Him. All of this amazes Pilate. Truly, Pilate had never witnessed a defendant quite like Jesus.
Vs. 15-26 Now I want to bring some things to light in this passage, yet in doing so I realize that I may not touch on every point in this.
A.) Vs. 15 There was this custom at feast time, and with Pilate already being in hot water with the Jews and at the same time not liking the religious leaders, he is thinking that he has got a way out of the problem of Jesus. Furthermore, we are told that his wife, a convert to Judaism, had suffered in a dream concerning Jesus. So Pilate was thinking.
B.) Vs. 16 Then there is this fellow named Barabbas, who we are told by Mark (15:17) was a murderer and a guy who had been held for starting a riot. Now Bar-Abbas is an interesting name. It would kind of be a last name. You will recognize the first part of it, “Bar,” from what Peter was called “Bar-Jonah.” Bar means “son of.” Now abba, you will remember, is the Hebrew word for father; today we would say “Daddy.”
So Barabbas means “son of the father,” but what was his first name? Well, I think we can discover this by the way Pilate asks the question to the crowds in verse 17, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?” Why would Pilate use Barabbas last name and then distinguish Jesus as the one who is called Christ? Well, according to some ancient manuscripts of Matthew, it is because both men shared a common first name, Jesus!
Now as you go down and read Pilate’s question to the crowds as to which person he should release, it brings up some interesting realities. A few blocks away in some cell lay this guy, Barabbas, and as far as he knew, this was his last day to breathe. His only hope lies in this pardoning deal that Pilate did. Yet he was on death row for murder and trying to overthrow the government that was going to put him to death. Now he no doubt could not hear what Pilate was asking the crowd, but I bet he could hear their response to Pilate’s questions. And what might he hear over and over? Well, let’s see: ”
- Vs. 21 Barabbas
- Vs. 22-23 Let him be crucified.
And the more Pilate asked why, the more they shouted. I am thinking that old Barabbas must have lost all hope in that cell. So that verse 26 must carry more weight than we have thought before; as Barabbas, we have been the first person to recognize that Jesus, the true Son of the Father, died for him.
As I close now, may I just leave you with the tragedy of Pilate, a man who did not want to do something to Jesus but followed popular opinion? Folks following the crowd will lead you to hell! No matter how much Pilate tried to divorce himself from his actions, he could not. Washing his hands did not change the facts. Saying that Jesus was a just man only made his cowardice even more unbearable.
Folks. Pilate knew what was right but did nothing about it because he was wanting to please people. I know of a lot of people who today do the same thing with Jesus. They know what they need to do is receive Him as their savior, but because they are afraid of what others will think, they do nothing.
May I just say that be careful what you do with Jesus, for you will either stand on His blood or His blood will be on you!
Matthew 27:27-50
“The Way to Calvary”
Vs. 27-33 The Road to Redemption
Vs. 34-44 On The Cross
Vs. 45-50 His Final Moments
Intro
As most of you are aware, my family and I have just returned from our vacation. Something has dawned on me, and it started as we left Merced to S.F. Everybody is on a journey; the only questions are: Where are you going and who is taking you there? I mean, the moment we start out in life, we are trying to get to some place, and most of the time we are doing so in our own strength according to what we think is best. My little niece is starting to walk, and she is on her way to go where she thinks is best for her.
As my family and I sat on the tarmac in San Francisco, we heard what no traveler wants to hear from the captain of the plane: “This is your captain, and we are going to have to return to the terminal as we have had a small malfunction. I’m sorry for your inconvenience.” Now, I was bummed that we were not able to take off, but I was far more grateful that our captain discovered this small malfunction before we took off.
You see, our captain’s sole duty was to take us to paradise. I mean, he was not going for his benefit; he was going for ours! What a bummer if when we got on to the plane instead of the trained captain flying the plane, the stewardess went around the plane with a hat full of numbers so that we all could draw to see who it was that was going to fly the plane! Yet that is how most people govern their lives.
One day two elderly women were out on the town driving the old 64 Buick when they came to an intersection. The stoplight was red, but they just plowed right on through. The woman in the passenger’s seat thought to herself, “Did we just run a red light?” Not being sure, she did not say anything. A few moments later came another red light, and again they drove right on through.
The passenger was getting a little bit more nervous, but she still was not 100% sure that the light was red. So she determined that she would watch real carefully at the next signal. Sure enough, as they came to the next intersection, the light was definitely red, and they went right on through.
This time the passenger spoke up quite frantically, “Mildred! Did you know that we have just run through three red lights in a row? You could have killed us both!” At which point Mildred turned to her friend very surprised and said, “Oh, am I driving? I thought you were!”
And the point? Well, let me ask you a twofold question: where are you going and who is driving? This morning we shall see that Jesus is in control, and His sole purpose was to get us to paradise!
Vs. 27-33 The Road to Redemption
Vs. 27-28 They had just released Barabbas (the Son of the Father), and the cruelty that was to be dished out to him was laid upon Jesus. Hey, did you ever stop to realize that? I mean, all of this horrible scene was what was to be yours for the sins that you have committed. Can you imagine for a moment Barabbas standing off to the side somewhere watching all of this, thinking this should have been happening to me?
In the 60’s, the intellects of the time pronounced what they thought was a great truth: “God is dead!” and since that time they have been mocking and torturing him. Man is never content to just deny God; they have to glory in their denial! Every year since then, the media has become more brazen in their mocking of God, to the point that we have now come to the point that we are not in a post-Christian society; instead, we find ourselves in a neo-pagan society.
I was flipping through the 1999-2000 plan that Merced High gave all the students. It is what they wish to pass on to generation X. Most of it is quite moral, but when it got to spirituality, it should be a student with her legs crossed Indian style chanting a mantra! Can’t show the Bible, but any other weird religion and it’s OK.
The official charge against Jesus was that He claimed to be King of the Jews (verse 37). Now it is interesting to me as much as Pilate said that he wanted nothing to do with this; he sure does nothing to prevent the cruelty.
It says here that the whole “garrison” gathered around Jesus to mock and torture Him, but just how many people is that? Well, the word “garrison” is rendered “cohort” in other translations, and it represents a Roman military unit with a capacity of 1000 men; ten cohorts formed a legion. So roughly 1,000 men formed around Jesus with the sole purpose of being cruel!
Then it says that they stripped him, and the word means to unclothe him. Now the average Jewish male wore 5 articles of clothing: a headband around his forehead, sandals for their feet, an inner cloak sort of like a nightshirt, a belt, and an outer tunic, which was like a robe. So I want you to picture this moment: 1000 men surround you and strip you naked; talk about humiliating! Afterward they put a “soldier’s cloak” on him, and this is all that he wore until he left and went to Calvary.
There stood the Prince of Peace naked except for an old reddish purple Roman military coat, surrounded by 1000 men making fun of you. Yet Jesus says not a word; He stood there and took the shame that is ours. He wore our nakedness, covered only by our feeble attempt to be strong. As I look at this scene now, I realize two things about Jesus:
- How completely submissive He was in every way to the plan of our redemption!
- How incredibly strong in every sense of the word He was.
Today people make fun of Jesus all the time, and He says nothing. There are no angry looks, no snarled lips of hatred, only the look of love and the desire to see those that are so hateful experience His love. One day, folks, every knee will bow before this same Jesus!
Vs. 29-31 Next, it says that they wove a crown of thorns and pushed it into His brow.
If you go back to the fall of man in the garden, you will discover something very interesting about what these soldiers do. Back in Gen. chapter 3:17–19, God says to Adam, “Cursed is the ground for your sake; in toil you shall eat of it all the days of your life. Both thorns and thistles it shall bring forth for you, and you shall eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of your face,
you shall eat bread till you return to the ground.” So the thorns came as a result of God’s curse against man’s sin, as well as the sweat. How interesting that the curse is now being placed upon the head of Jesus. Gal 3:13 says that Jesus “became a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree. They were pressing back into the very brow of the very curse that followed because of sin.
Folks, how little the world understands of this act of our Jesus for their sins. Would one mock and despise the person who saved their life? They spit on him, beat him, and mocked him, all the while He was dying to save their lives!
Vs. 31 says that they put His clothes back on Him as they led Him through the streets to Golgotha, or in Latin, Calvary. Again, I want to remind you that this is a historical fact; it is not fantasy; this all happened.
Vs. 32-33 The march to the actual crucifixion was used by Rome as a warning to potential troublemakers that this would be their fate if they challenged Rome. It was led by a centurion on horseback, who shouted out the crime of the condemned. It was required that the prisoner carry his own crossbeam and that he wear around his neck a placard that announced his crime.
Now Jesus had been up all night whipped and beaten, so He was unable to complete the gauntlet of carrying the crossbeam. So they enlisted this man from Northern Africa and forced him to carry the crossbeam. Simon had no doubt come to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover.
Most of those who lived so far away did not come every year to Jerusalem to celebrate; instead, they came only once their whole life. So there is Simon; he has saved up for years to go to this feast, and when he arrives, he perhaps sees Jesus riding in on a donkey and people claiming He is the Messiah. Then a week later, he, like thousands of others, lined the street to watch this same man carry a cross on his way to Calvary.
Suddenly Jesus falls right in front of him, and he feels the point of a Roman spear in his back, and he has to carry that crossbeam up to Golgotha. What happened to Simon? Well, we are told in Mark 15:21 that he was “the father of Alexander and Rufus.” This is an indication that these two boys of Simon were well known in the Christian community.
Furthermore, in the book of Romans 16:13, Paul writing to the church in Rome salutes them, saying, “Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother and mine.” So? Well, I believe that Simon became a strong believer, and his family walked with God. Simon had come to Jerusalem to sacrifice his Passover lamb, and instead he met the Lamb of God who was sacrificed for him.
Vs. 34-44 On The Cross
Vs. 34 In the original language, “gall” and “myrrh” are the same word and describe a gummy substance that had many different uses. Here we see it mixed with “sour wine,” which would be vinegar. It was used as a narcotic to deaden pain.
It was customary to offer this narcotic drink, which was extremely bitter, to those who were to be crucified, for this would help ease the pain of being crucified. Yet Jesus refuses it. What Jesus was about to do, He did so with all of His faculties. Interestingly, even this is a fulfillment of scripture, as we read in Ps. 69:21. “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst, they gave me vinegar to drink.”
Now a lot of people use drugs, alcohol, and other stimulants to deaden the pains of their lives, but Jesus took your pain every bit of it so that you turn to Him and not some artificial way of escaping! As soon as Jesus realized what it was that they were offering Him, He wanted nothing to do with it. Folks, don’t turn to something to deaden your pain for a short while; turn to Jesus, for He took all your pain with Him on the Cross, and it was nailed there!
Vs. 35 Matthew very simply states the crucifixion. The word crucifixion is where we get our English word “excruciating” from. And that is because it describes the type of painful death that occurred to those who were crucified. Now none of the gospel describes the act itself in any detail. The gospel writer records the crucifixion as a historical fact, and the Epistles explain the meaning of the event. Simply put, history states Jesus died, but the Epistles explain that He did so for our sins (1 Cor. 15:3).
Again, scripture is fulfilled as the soldiers divided his clothes among them. Yet when it came to the outer tunic or robe, they gambled to see who would win it, for John tells us it was without seam.
Think of this a moment: Jesus is there virtually naked upon the cross paying for the sins of the world, and here are the soldiers playing games at the foot of the cross. So? Well, I think a lot of people are playing games with the cross today! You know people can handle Jesus fine; many people like what He has to say, but there is always one thing they don’t like about Jesus, THE CROSS. What the world wants is a crossless Christ. Because if they accept the cross, then they are forced to accept the reason for it, and that is that we are sinners!!!
Vs. 36-37 Notice that they guarded him; after all, there had been many strange reports spoken about this man.
Then they put this sign over Him, written in three languages: Hebrew, Greek, and Latin. This was the full reason He was put to death: “This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews.” This was the only thing that Pilate did not waver on, and in so doing, he did not realize that he had ordered the first gospel tract. It announced to all, including the revolutionaries on either side of Him, that He was being put to death because He was the Savior and King. And that very day one of the thieves would believe that message and be saved.
Vs. 38-40 The word robbers here would better be called revolutionaries, for the word means robbery with violence. Most likely they were part of the Barabbas gang who were trying to cause an insurrection against Rome by killing and stealing.
Look at how they mocked Jesus: “Save yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Could he have? You bet! But if He would have saved Himself, he could not have saved you and me! The reason I so believe in Jesus today is because He did not come down from the cross instead He rose from the dead! Phil. 2:8-11 says, “And being found in appearance as a man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the cross.
Therefore God also has highly exalted Him and given Him the name which is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth, and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Vs. 42-44 Here we have what indictment the religious leaders made on Jesus:
- Vs. 42 He saved others
- Vs. 43 He trusted in God
Yet with those observations, they came to the wrong conclusions. They determined if He was King, then He should save Himself first, but Jesus always thinks of others first, which is why He is the King of Kings. Then they said, “If He is the Son of God, then God should deliver Him.” But His trust in the Father is seen in the fact that He was delivered to death for our sins!
Vs. 45-50 His Final Moments
Vs 45 Throughout this whole time, God the Father is silent. At His Son’s baptism, He spoke, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Then at the Mount of Transfiguration, God the Father again spoke and said, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear Him.”
Yet now there is silence except for this darkness that fell upon the land. Jesus was put on the cross around 9 a.m., and at about noon darkness covered the land, and it lasted for three hours. It is interesting because you can search history in different cultures and find that they all speak of a time when the sky went dark.
The Roman historian Tertullian speaks of this darkness at the time of Jesus’ death, and you can read about it in the Roman archives. What makes this even more interesting is that we know that it was a full moon because it was the Passover season, which always was held during a full moon, and we know that we cannot have an eclipse during a full moon because the moon is on the opposite side of the sun.
Vs. 46-49 Psalm 22 is often called the 5th gospel by some because it is quoted some 5 times in the gospels. But why did Jesus utter these words? Well, I think that we can find the reason by understanding what was happening there at the cross.
- In Hab. 1:13 we read, “You are of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on wickedness.” At that time our evil and wickedness was placed upon Jesus, and God the Father was not beholding His only Son.
- Furthermore, we read in 2 Cor. 5:21, “For He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us.”
Therefore, the Father had no choice but to turn His back to His Son, and Jesus felt the isolation of that agony, which I believe was far worse than any physical pain. And with the darkest of our sins being placed on the One that is the Light of the World, the only thing that could happen is that the world was dark.
Vs. 50 As I close with this verse, please understand the words of Jesus in John 10:17–18. “Therefore My Father loves Me, because I lay down My life that I may take it again. No one takes it from me, but I lay it down for myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again.” Jesus did have His life taken; He gave it away! Do you understand that Jesus gave His life away for you and to you? 1 Cor. 8:6 tells us, “There is one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we for Him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, through whom are all things, and through whom we live.” It is He that now lives through you if you trust Him!
Matthew 27:51-66
“Signs of Life”
Vs. 51-53 Open, Come On In
Vs. 54-61 Changed Lives
Vs. 62-66 The Proof of Skeptics
Intro
The responses to situations are fascinating to observe. People can go through similar circumstances and react totally differently! What we have in this section is the reaction to the death of Jesus. First in the spiritual realm we see God’s response, then in the physical realm we see nature’s response. We also see the responses of the living and the dead, of believers and non-believers. Yet behind the obvious reactions is the fact that all gave evidence to the finished work of Jesus!
Speaking of strange reactions to stressful circumstances comes the recent true story of two armed robbers in Detroit. It seems that the pair went into a record shop waving guns. The first one shouted, “Nobody move or I’ll shoot you!” The problem was that the second robber did not think that this applied to him as well and proceeded to go get the cash from the register. His partner pulled the trigger and hit him in the shoulder. What is your reaction to Jesus’ death upon the cross for your sins?
Vs. 51-53 Open, Come On In
Vs. 51a Before we look at the spiritual implication of the veil being torn in two from top to bottom, let’s look at the veil itself and what its purpose was. -Now the veil was what separated the Holy Place, which was made up of tables of showbread and the altar of incense, from the Holy of Holies, which is where the Ark of the Covenant was. The veil was massive—60 feet tall, 30 feet wide, and 10 inches thick. It was made of 72 braids; each braid had 24 cords.
It was so heavy that it took 300 priests to put it up or move it. Originally behind the veil is where the visible presence of the Lord was seen in the Shkinah glory, which was between the wings of the cherubim over the mercy seat on the Arch of the Covenant. But that had long since passed away, and all that was there now was complete darkness.
No light was ever there; in fact, no one ever entered the Holy of Holies except the high priest and him only once a year, on the Day of Atonement. On that day the high priest would go through the veil into the small room called the Holy of Holies, and he would sprinkle blood about the mercy seat and intercede on behalf of the nation and its sin. Simply put, the veil of the temple excluded men from God; mankind was outside and not permitted to enter.
Now the high priest had to be properly cleansed; if not, he would die. On the hem of his robe were silver bells and pomegranates, which signified the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit. On the Day of Atonement, as long as the priests could hear those bells ringing behind the veil, they knew everything was cool. But if the bells weren’t ringing, then they were in trouble.
Years later, they realized that if a person died there, none of them would want to go in and get him, so they would tie a rope around his ankle so they could pull him out without risking their own lives. Why all the fear? Well, Heb. 10:31 reminds us that “it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.” Why is that important? Well, for the high priest, it was a sobering, powerful, glorious moment to enter into the presence of God. Folks, do you realize that you have the privilege of being in His presence?
So what was this all about? Well, according to Lev. 17:11, “it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.” Folks, God takes sin seriously. He does not wink at it and says, “Boys will be boys.” Heb. 9:22 says, “..without shedding of blood there is no remission.” And if there is no remission of our sin, then there can be no fellowship between God and us.
So mankind was outside the presence of the Lord, having no real access to Him except through the high priest once a year. Furthermore, we know through the book of Hebrews that even that sacrifice was a symbol. You see, those high priests offered the blood of animals every year for the sins of the people, but Jesus the Great High Priest had just offered Himself as the sacrifice! And what He did, He did once for all! (Heb. 7:27)
You see, according to Heb. 10:3-4, those very sacrifices each year were a reminder of the fact that sin remained because it was not possible that the blood of bulls and goats could take away sin.
So what does this mean to me? Well, when the veil was torn, it was torn from top to bottom; in other words, it was God who created access to Himself by the sacrifice of His own Son. You and I do nothing to gain access other than receive His Son.
Now can you imagine those priests there in the holy place setting out the showbread, and all of a sudden they hear this loud ripping, and they look up to see the 10-inch-thick veil being ripped in two, exposing the Holy of Holies, and for the first time in 1,000 years, light shone upon the mercy seat.
Folks, the way to God the Father is now open! The priests that were standing there were not allowed to look in and were suddenly looking into the light of the glory of God. Jesus on the cross once for all took all of my rebellion, sin, and foolishness, and with the offering of Himself for my sin, opened the door for me to come into the presence of God! And that not just once a year, just at a certain place, and only certain people.
NO!! You can come anytime, any place, any person!!! Do you understand? Heb 4:16 says, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” And when do you need to obtain mercy and find grace or help in times of need? Well, I don’t know about you, but for me, it is 24 and 7!! What a bummer to have a need, and you try to reach me and I’m not available.
Folks, you don’t have to wait until the church is open; you don’t have to wait for a specific time, nor do you have to wait for a specific person. You don’t have to have me pray for you. I have no closer access than you do; I will pray with you, but you can approach His throne of grace because the veil has been torn in two.
May I just say that sometimes we fall into a trap thinking that if I just try harder, read more, pray longer, and give more money, then God will hear me! God does not do things based upon our devotion; He does them based upon His devotion to us! So then why bother reading my Bible or praying? Well, it’s not the act that changes, but it is the motivation in the act that changes! What did he say? I don’t read my Bible, go to church, worship or pray to impress God, or to find favor. No, I do those things because I am impressed with God and because I have found favor!! Amen?
So the access to God is open; you don’t have to go through me or a priest. You don’t have to say “Hail Mary’s” or any of that.
Vs. 51b-53 Now here are recorded three things that further show the reaction to the death of Jesus.
A.) Vs. 51b The earth quaked, and the rocks split. In a natural realm, earthquakes were not uncommon events. Yet the timing of this, in light of the words of Jesus a week earlier, makes it a sign. What do you mean? Well, in Rom. 8:22 we read that “the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now.”
That is, all of creation was put under the curse at the fall of mankind. Furthermore, as the crowds worshiped Jesus as He entered Jerusalem, the religious leaders rebuked Jesus, commanding Him to tell them to stop, to which He replied in Luke 19:40. “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.” So? Hey, folks, this was the first rock concert, and may I just say that it was worship!! The rocks
were quaking and splitting out a worship song that was declaring that the curse had been lifted!
B.) Vs. 52 Second, we are told that because of the earthquake, the stones that were covered over the tombs were opened. Now the word “raised” here would better be rendered “appeared.” So I believe that what happened here at first was that the bodies of some of the believers were made visible!
So what does that mean? Why this sign? Well, if you go to 1 Cor. 15:55–58, you read, “O Death, where is your sting? O Hades, where is your victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” I believe that God was showing that death could not hold the saints in the grave.
C.) Vs. 53 Lastly, it says that these same believers came out of the graves after Jesus’ resurrection, and they went into Jerusalem and appeared to many. The word appear means “to exhibit (in person) or disclose (by words), declare (plainly), to inform.” Now Paul tells us in Eph 4:8-9 that when Jesus “ascended on high, He led captivity captive and gave gifts to men. (Now this, “He ascended”; what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth?” Peter tells us in 1 Peter 3:19 that Jesus “preached to the spirits in prison.”
So it is my opinion that it is these O.T. saints that Jesus went to share the liberty that they had looked forward to; thus, they were out there sharing that only through Jesus could you be made perfect! Now I must admit that there is not much given on this whole scene, but it is interesting to think that King David would come up to you and start talking to you, proclaiming the victory won for you in Jesus alone! And remember, all of this took place on the first resurrection Sunday!
Vs. 54-61 Changed Lives
Vs. 54 Centurions were in command of 100 men. They were tough guys, chosen to be in command of 100 men because they were the meanest, bravest fighters around. I guess they were kind of like Marine Corps gunnery sergeants. This Centurion job was to guard the body of Jesus as He hung on the cross. So he no doubt was making fun of him as well. Yet when they all saw the sky darken for three hours and then the earthquake.
It shook up everyone, including this tough guy! They had all heard Jesus say in Luke 23:34. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Then they heard Him say in John 19:30, “It is finished!” And with that, He bowed His head; He gave up His spirit. There was only one conclusion: “This was the Son of God.”
Now there was only one problem with this Centurions statement. Jesus IS the Son of God. Now I’m not sure what happened to these men, but it would not surprise me to see them worshiping the One that they mocked and crucified! Why do you ask? Well, you see, I’m a lot like that Centurion and soldiers, for I used to mock Him, and if I were there, I would have crucified Him, and now I worship Him! Is not God’s grace amazing?
Vs. 55-56 Here is another group of folks who are forever changed by hanging around Jesus. The Women! Mary Magdalene was the gal who had seven demons cast out of her. Then you have two mothers who had two sons each that were a part of the disciples, Mary the mother of James (called the less) Joses.
Then there was Saome, the mother of the sons of thunder James and John. You will remember her as the one who went up to Jesus and asked Him if her two boys could be given the right to have special thrones, one on the left and one on the right hand of Jesus. I wonder as she was there looking up at the Lord there on the cross if she understood Jesus’ words about not knowing what she asked! May I just say that we ought to desire to be there next to Jesus? Our special throne is the cross of dying to self!
Vs. 57-61 Now John tells us that it was not only Joseph of Arimathea but also Nicodemus who came right away to get the body of Jesus after His death. These two had both become followers of Jesus, yet they were not hanging around the 12.
But before you are too hard on these men for being secret disciples, may I remind you that the others are nowhere to be found? It is these two men that step forward at a time when all others shrank away. May I just say that it is to celebrate with a winner? I mean that it takes no character or maturity to associate with someone when they are top, but these men are willing to identify with Jesus when it looks as if He has been defeated! Folks, that takes great character and maturity!
What did they risk coming out in the open like this? They could have lost their lives, their reputation, and at very least, as soon as they touched the body of Jesus, they were ceremonially unclean and could not take part in the “Passover feast.”. Yet it did not matter to them, for they had met the real “Passover” Lamb who had just taken away their sin; they loved Him more than their position and even their lives! How about you?
Vs. 62-66 The Proof of Skeptics
Vs. 62-66 I am amazed at this section of scripture because what it shows is that the enemies believed more in what Jesus said than did His own disciples. They are afraid that somehow Jesus’ body will be missing, and they remembered that He said that He was going to rise from the dead, but the disciples are nowhere to be found because now matter how many times Jesus talked to them about His resurrection, they did not get it!
So they seal the tomb up, and if that seal is broken, it is death! Now old Pilate He kind of says, Go ahead; make it as secure as you can. And they set the guard. A year after this event, Pilate asks to leave Judea and heads to Germany, where he commits suicide. The fact is that he never did get over his cowardice of sending this innocent man to death. And he never did understand that this person that he condemned to death died to set him free. Old Pilate could have had free access to the King of Kings, but he chose otherwise!