| Matthew 27 | |
|---|---|
 Gospel of Matthew 27:62–64 onPapyrus 105, from 5th/6th century | |
| Book | Gospel of Matthew |
| Category | Gospel |
| Christian Bible part | New Testament |
| Order in the Christian part | 1 |
Matthew 27 is the 27th chapter in theGospel of Matthew, part of theNew Testament in theChristianBible. This chapter contains Matthew's record of the day of thetrial,crucifixion andburial of Jesus. Scottish theologianWilliam Robertson Nicoll notes that "the record of this single day is very nearly one-ninth of the whole book".[1]
The original text was written inKoine Greek.This chapter is divided into 66 verses.
Some early manuscripts containing the text of this chapter are:[2]
TheNew International Version (NIV) organises the material in this chapter as follows:
During the morning after hisarrest, thetrial ofJesus before theSanhedrin is concluded with plans to have Jesus executed (verse 1), and he is taken toPontius Pilate, the Roman governor(procurator) ofJudea.[7] As Jesus was being led away,[8]Judas Iscariot, who had betrayed Jesus, sees that his former teacher has been condemned,[9] and is overcome byremorse: in the words of theKing James Version, he "repented himself". The word translated as "repented" (Greek:μεταμεληθεις,metamelētheis) is not the same as the word forrepentance whichJohn the Baptist and Jesus himself used in theirministry (Greek:μετανοειτε,metanoeite);[10] Arthur Carr, in theCambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges notes that "it implies no change of heart or life, but merely remorse or regret".[7]
Judas brings back the30 pieces of silver which had been given to him by the priests of Judea asrecompense for identifying his master toCaiaphas, throwing them down in the temple, and then leaves to commitsuicide. Meanwhile, Jesus impresses Pilate, who is taken aback by Jesus' silent dignity at his questioning over the "many charges" brought against him.[11] Pilate begins to address the crowd, and knowing (or "shrewdly suspecting")[1] that the chief priests had handed Jesus over because they werejealous of his popularity, asks the crowd to choose between freeing a notorious prisoner known asBarabbas, or Jesus. The crowd, persuaded by the chief priests and elders, respond passionately, repeating "Let Him (Christ) be crucified!" Pilate, bewildered by this, asks the crowd for a reason for their choice. Instead, they continue to call ever more loudly for the crucifixion of Jesus.
Pilate comes to see that he cannot reason with the crowd. Hiswife has had a disturbing dream and asks him to have "nothing to do with that just man".[12] Instead, he tries to absolve himself of his responsibility in the case, washing his hands in a basin and saying to the crowd: "I aminnocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it".[13] Then the Jews present at the trialtake responsibility for the shedding of Jesus' blood. Pilate has Barabbas released, lets Jesus be flogged and sends him off to be crucified.
Jesus is led away to thePraetorium of the Governor's Residence, where Pilate's guard and thepraetorian guard mock him, giving him a scarletrobe in place of his own clothes, a reed to hold as a sign of his "kingship" and acrown made of twisted thorns. The soldiers then replace the robe with Jesus' own clothes and lead him toGolgotha (the "place of a skull"); inLuke's Gospel this journey is recorded with "several particulars of what happened on the way to Golgotha, omitted in the other Gospels: the great company of people and ofwomen who followed Him; the touching address of Jesus to the women; the last warning of the coming sorrows; the leading of two malefactors with Him".[7][14] A man namedSimon, fromCyrene, is compelled to carry Jesus'cross. At Golgotha he is offered wine mingled with gall, which he tastes but does not drink. The soldiers cast lots for his garments once he iscrucified. Those who passed him deride him, taunting him to come down from the cross, saying "He trusts in God, let God deliver him now".
At three o'clock Jesus cries "My God, why have you forsaken me?", and starts to give up on his life. One passer-by offers Jesus some wine to drink but the group tell him "Wait, let us see ifElijah comes to save him". They misunderstand Jesus' pleas, as he is in tremendous physical pain. Jesus cries out once more, but eventually dies.
Suddenly, "the crucifixion scene transforms into an explosion of triumph ... as if God responds to the lingering sound of Jesus’ death prayer":[15] theveil of the Temple sanctuary is torn in two, rocks start to split, and anearthquake occurs (verse 51), and there follows, after Jesus' resurrection, a resurrection of the dead saints, who enter the holy city. This indicates how the earth has been shaken by the death of the Son of God. Centurions stare on at Jesus in disbelief, as do other bystanders. Arthur Carr comments that the rending of the temple veil must have been seen and reported by thetemple priests, perhaps those who later (Acts 6:7) became "obedient to the faith".[7]
On the night following Jesus' death,Joseph of Arimathea, adisciple of Jesus, asks for the body of Jesus. Pilate permits this, and Joseph, wrapping the body in a linen cloth, buries the body and rolls a stone against the entrance of the tomb, sealing it from looters and gravediggers.
Meanwhile, the priests and pharisees remember Jesus' remark that "After three days I will rise".[16] The chapter concludes with Pilate authorising a detachment of troops to guard the tomb, in case the disciples come to remove the body.
Matthew's crucifixion story has many parallels with Mark's crucifixion story. However, Matthew follows a theme recurring throughout his gospel by providing deeper descriptions than Mark. Matthew's crucifixion scene runs for only sixteen verses from27:35 to27:51, the same number of verses as in theGospel of Mark, but one more than theGospel of Luke, and three more than theGospel of John. It is postulated that all writers wished to simply recall the facts surrounding Jesus' death, rather than engage in theological reflection.[citation needed]
Mark 15:24,Luke 23:33,John 19:18,Matthew 27:35 all share a succinct summary of the crucifixion, in that they all say, "They crucified Him".Mark andJohn give an account of the time of Jesus' death ("The third hour" inMark 15:25, and the "sixth hour" inJohn 19:14–15), whereasLuke, and Matthew himself do not.
There are differences between theGospels as to what thelast words of Jesus were.Matthew 27:46 andMark 15:34 declare that Jesus' last words were: "Why have you forsaken me"?, whereas his words inLuke 23:46 are "Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit", and inJohn 19:30, "It is finished".
Further differences can be found in the Gospels as to whetherJesus carried his own cross or not. In the Gospels of Matthew, Luke and Mark, Jesus receives assistance fromSimon of Cyrene, whereas in theGospel of John, Jesus carries the cross by himself.
Dale Allison notes an obvious formal feature inMatthew 27:3–10, that is, a parallelism underlining the fulfillment between the scriptural quotation (cf.Zechariah 11:13) and the narrative:[17]
| the narrative | verse(s) | the quotation | verse |
|---|---|---|---|
| 'taking' | 6 | 'they took' | 9 |
| 'thirty pieces of silver' | 3,5,6 | 'thirty pieces of silver' | 9 |
| 'money' (Greek:time) | 6 | 'price' (timen) | 9 |
| 'the potter's field' | 7,8 | 'the potter's field' | 10 |
Other resemblances betweenMatthew 27:51–55 andMatthew 28:1–11 are also noted by Allison:[18]
| The Death of Jesus | The Resurrection of Jesus |
|---|---|
| An earthquake | An earthquake |
| Opening of tombs | Opening of tombs |
| A resurrection | A resurrection |
| The guards fear | The guards fear |
| Witnesses to the events (the resurrected saints) go to the holy city | Witnesses to the events (the Jewish guards) go to the city |
| There are women witnesses (includingMary Magdalene and another Mary) | There are women witnesses (Mary Magdalene and another Mary) |
