Matthew 27
27
The Death of Judas
1Early in the morning all the chief priests and the leaders of the people decided to execute Jesus. 2They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.
3Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. 4He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”
They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”
5So he threw the money into the temple, went away, and hanged himself.
6The chief priests took the money and said, “It’s not right to put it into the temple treasury, because it’s blood money.” 7So they decided to use it to buy a potter’s field for the burial of strangers. 8That’s why that field has been called the Field of Blood ever since. 9Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true, “They took the 30 silver coins, the price the people of Israel had placed on him, 10and used the coins to buy a potter’s field, as the Lord had directed me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
(Mark 15:1–5; Luke 23:1–4; John 18:28–38)
11Jesus stood in front of the governor, ⌞Pilate⌟. The governor asked him, “Are you the king of the Jews?”
“Yes, I am,” Jesus answered.
12While the chief priests and leaders were accusing him, he said nothing. 13Then Pilate asked him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they’re bringing against you?”
14But Jesus said absolutely nothing to him in reply, so the governor was very surprised.
The Crowd Rejects Jesus
(Mark 15:6–15; Luke 23:18–25; John 18:39, 40)
15At every Passover festival the governor would free one prisoner whom the crowd wanted. 16At that time there was a well-known prisoner by the name of Barabbas. 17So when the people gathered, Pilate asked them, “Which man do you want me to free for you? Do you want me to free Barabbas or Jesus, who is called Christ?” 18Pilate knew that they had handed Jesus over to him because they were jealous.
19While Pilate was judging the case, his wife sent him a message. It said, “Leave that innocent man alone. I’ve been very upset today because of a dream I had about him.”
20But the chief priests and leaders persuaded the crowd to ask for the release of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
21The governor asked them, “Which of the two do you want me to free for you?”
They said, “Barabbas.”
22Pilate asked them, “Then what should I do with Jesus, who is called Christ?”
“He should be crucified!” they all said.
23Pilate asked, “Why? What has he done wrong?”
But they began to shout loudly, “He should be crucified!”
24Pilate saw that he was not getting anywhere. Instead, a riot was breaking out. So Pilate took some water and washed his hands in front of the crowd. He said, “I won’t be guilty of killing this man. Do what you want!”
25All the people answered, “The responsibility for killing him will rest on us and our children.”
26Then Pilate freed Barabbas for the people. But he had Jesus whipped and handed over to be crucified.
The Soldiers Make Fun of Jesus
(Mark 15:16–19; John 19:1–3)
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the palace and gathered the whole troop around him. 28They took off his clothes and put a bright red cape on him. 29They twisted some thorns into a crown, placed it on his head, and put a stick in his right hand. They knelt in front of him and made fun of him by saying, “Long live the king of the Jews!” 30After they had spit on him, they took the stick and kept hitting him on the head with it.
The Crucifixion
(Mark 15:20–32; Luke 23:33–38; John 19:16b–24)
31After the soldiers finished making fun of Jesus, they took off the cape and put his own clothes back on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
32On the way they found a man named Simon. He was from the city of Cyrene. The soldiers forced him to carry Jesus’ cross.
33They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34They gave him a drink of wine mixed with a drug called gall. When he tasted it, he refused to drink it. 35After they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by throwing dice. 36Then they sat there and kept watch over him. 37They placed a written accusation above his head. It read, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”
38At that time they crucified two criminals with him, one on his right and the other on his left.
39Those who passed by insulted him. They shook their heads 40and said, “You were going to tear down God’s temple and build it again in three days. Save yourself! If you’re the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41The chief priests together with the experts in Moses’ Teachings and the leaders made fun of him in the same way. They said, 42“He saved others, but he can’t save himself. So he’s Israel’s king! Let him come down from the cross now, and we’ll believe him. 43He trusted God. Let God rescue him now if he wants. After all, this man said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44Even the criminals crucified with him were insulting him the same way.
Jesus Dies on the Cross
(Mark 15:33–41; Luke 23:44–49; John 19:28–30)
45At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” 47When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. 49The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”
50Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.
51Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. 52The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. 53They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.
54An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!”
55Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. 56Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
Jesus Is Placed in a Tomb
(Mark 15:42–47; Luke 23:50–56; John 19:38–42)
57In the evening a rich man named Joseph arrived. He was from the city of Arimathea and had become a disciple of Jesus. 58He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth. 60Then he laid it in his own new tomb, which had been cut in a rock. After rolling a large stone against the door of the tomb, he went away. 61Mary from Magdala and the other Mary were sitting there, facing the tomb.
The Chief Priests and Pharisees Secure Jesus’ Tomb
62The next day, which was the day of rest—a holy day, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together and went to Pilate. 63They said, “Sir, we remember how that deceiver said while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be brought back to life.’ 64Therefore, give the order to make the tomb secure until the third day. Otherwise, his disciples may steal him and say to the people, ‘He has been brought back to life.’ Then the last deception will be worse than the first.”
65Pilate told them, “You have the soldiers you want for guard duty. Go and make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66So they went to secure the tomb. They placed a seal on the stone and posted the soldiers on guard duty.
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GOD'S WORD® Translation ©1995, 2003, 2013, 2014, 2019, 2020 by God's Word to the Nations Mission Society. All rights reserved.
Matthew 27
27
Thirty Silver Coins
1-2In the first light of dawn, all the high priests and religious leaders met and put the finishing touches on their plot to kill Jesus. Then they tied him up and paraded him to Pilate, the governor.
3-4Judas, the one who betrayed him, realized that Jesus was doomed. Overcome with remorse, he gave back the thirty silver coins to the high priests, saying, “I’ve sinned. I’ve betrayed an innocent man.”
They said, “What do we care? That’s your problem!”
5Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple and left. Then he went out and hung himself.
6-10The high priests picked up the silver pieces, but then didn’t know what to do with them. “It wouldn’t be right to give this—a payment for murder!—as an offering in the Temple.” They decided to get rid of it by buying the “Potter’s Field” and use it as a burial place for the homeless. That’s how the field got called “Murder Meadow,” a name that has stuck to this day. Then Jeremiah’s words became history:
They took the thirty silver pieces,
The price of the one priced by some sons of Israel,
And they purchased the potter’s field.
And so they unwittingly followed the divine instructions to the letter.
Pilate
11Jesus was placed before the governor, who questioned him: “Are you the ‘King of the Jews’?”
Jesus said, “If you say so.”
12-14But when the accusations rained down hot and heavy from the high priests and religious leaders, he said nothing. Pilate asked him, “Do you hear that long list of accusations? Aren’t you going to say something?” Jesus kept silence—not a word from his mouth. The governor was impressed, really impressed.
15-18It was an old custom during the Feast for the governor to pardon a single prisoner named by the crowd. At the time, they had the infamous Jesus Barabbas in prison. With the crowd before him, Pilate said, “Which prisoner do you want me to pardon: Jesus Barabbas, or Jesus the so-called Christ?” He knew it was through sheer spite that they had turned Jesus over to him.
19While court was still in session, Pilate’s wife sent him a message: “Don’t get mixed up in judging this noble man. I’ve just been through a long and troubled night because of a dream about him.”
20Meanwhile, the high priests and religious leaders had talked the crowd into asking for the pardon of Barabbas and the execution of Jesus.
21The governor asked, “Which of the two do you want me to pardon?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
22“Then what do I do with Jesus, the so-called Christ?”
They all shouted, “Nail him to a cross!”
23He objected, “But for what crime?”
But they yelled all the louder, “Nail him to a cross!”
24When Pilate saw that he was getting nowhere and that a riot was imminent, he took a basin of water and washed his hands in full sight of the crowd, saying, “I’m washing my hands of responsibility for this man’s death. From now on, it’s in your hands. You’re judge and jury.”
25The crowd answered, “We’ll take the blame, we and our children after us.”
26Then he pardoned Barabbas. But he had Jesus whipped, and then handed over for crucifixion.
The Crucifixion
27-31The soldiers assigned to the governor took Jesus into the governor’s palace and got the entire brigade together for some fun. They stripped him and dressed him in a red robe. They plaited a crown from branches of a thornbush and set it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand for a scepter. Then they knelt before him in mocking reverence: “Bravo, King of the Jews!” they said. “Bravo!” Then they spit on him and hit him on the head with the stick. When they had had their fun, they took off the robe and put his own clothes back on him. Then they proceeded out to the crucifixion.
32-34Along the way they came on a man from Cyrene named Simon and made him carry Jesus’ cross. Arriving at Golgotha, the place they call “Skull Hill,” they offered him a mild painkiller (a mixture of wine and myrrh), but when he tasted it he wouldn’t drink it.
35-40After they had finished nailing him to the cross and were waiting for him to die, they killed time by throwing dice for his clothes. Above his head they had posted the criminal charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews. Along with him, they also crucified two criminals, one to his right, the other to his left. People passing along the road jeered, shaking their heads in mock lament: “You bragged that you could tear down the Temple and then rebuild it in three days—so show us your stuff! Save yourself! If you’re really God’s Son, come down from that cross!”
41-44The high priests, along with the religion scholars and leaders, were right there mixing it up with the rest of them, having a great time poking fun at him: “He saved others—he can’t save himself! King of Israel, is he? Then let him get down from that cross. We’ll all become believers then! He was so sure of God—well, let him rescue his ‘Son’ now—if he wants him! He did claim to be God’s Son, didn’t he?” Even the two criminals crucified next to him joined in the mockery.
45-46From noon to three, the whole earth was dark. Around mid-afternoon Jesus groaned out of the depths, crying loudly, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”
47-49Some bystanders who heard him said, “He’s calling for Elijah.” One of them ran and got a sponge soaked in sour wine and lifted it on a stick so he could drink. The others joked, “Don’t be in such a hurry. Let’s see if Elijah comes and saves him.”
50But Jesus, again crying out loudly, breathed his last.
51-53At that moment, the Temple curtain was ripped in two, top to bottom. There was an earthquake, and rocks were split in pieces. What’s more, tombs were opened up, and many bodies of believers asleep in their graves were raised. (After Jesus’ resurrection, they left the tombs, entered the holy city, and appeared to many.)
54The captain of the guard and those with him, when they saw the earthquake and everything else that was happening, were scared to death. They said, “This has to be the Son of God!”
55-56There were also quite a few women watching from a distance, women who had followed Jesus from Galilee in order to serve him. Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the Zebedee brothers.
The Tomb
57-61Late in the afternoon a wealthy man from Arimathea, a disciple of Jesus, arrived. His name was Joseph. He went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate granted his request. Joseph took the body and wrapped it in clean linens, put it in his own tomb, a new tomb only recently cut into the rock, and rolled a large stone across the entrance. Then he went off. But Mary Magdalene and the other Mary stayed, sitting in plain view of the tomb.
62-64After sundown, the high priests and Pharisees arranged a meeting with Pilate. They said, “Sir, we just remembered that that liar announced while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will be raised.’ We’ve got to get that tomb sealed until the third day. There’s a good chance his disciples will come and steal the corpse and then go around saying, ‘He’s risen from the dead.’ Then we’ll be worse off than before, the final deceit surpassing the first.”
65-66Pilate told them, “You will have a guard. Go ahead and secure it the best you can.” So they went out and secured the tomb, sealing the stone and posting guards.
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THE MESSAGE: The Bible in Contemporary Language copyright © 1993, 2002, 2018 by Eugene H. Peterson. All rights reserved. Used by permission of NavPress. Represented by Tyndale House Publishers.