Day 316 – Reading – Matthew 27 and Mark 15

Read and believe in Jesus!

Matthew 27 and Mark 15 cover the Roman trials of Jesus, His crucifixion, and His burial (as will Luke and John in tomorrow’s study).   It’s good to take a long, hard look at what Jesus endured to secure our salvation. He received the judgment that was rightly ours in God’s sight.  

 

Jesus Delivered to Pilate.

The Jewish Sanhedrin condemned Jesus to death for blasphemy in their three “mock’ trials, because He said -under oath – that He WAS the Son of God.  Under Roman rule, the Jews did not have the power to execute someone.  This fulfilled prophecy, because Jesus was to “hang on a tree” and not be stoned.  And so they bound Jesus and led Him to Governor Pilate.

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Judas Hangs himself

Judas must have been hanging around the courts too, because when he saw that Jesus was actually condemned to death, he changed his mind.  He brought back the thirty pieces of silver he’d earned to betray Jesus. Was he hoping to stop the execution??

Judas: “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood!“

The Jews: “What is that to us?  See to it yourself.“

Judas threw the silver coins into the Temple, and went out and hung himself.

The Jews, picking up the coins, said, “Well, it is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is blood money.” Instead, they purchased the potter’s field as a place to bury strangers. (This also fulfilled prophecy. (See Zechariah 11:12-13.)

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Jesus Stands Before Pilate

Pilate asks Jesus a question, right off, because this is a crime against Caesar, and He could give the death sentence the jews wanted.  “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus agreed.  Meanwhile, outside the chief priests and elders were shouting accusations.  Pilate turned to Jesus, “Have You no answer to make?  See how many charges they bring against you?”  But Jesus was silent.

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The Crowd Chooses Barabbas

Pilate went out to the crowds of people gathered outside.  At Passover, it was his custom to release one of his prisoners to them.  Currently, he had one nasty dude, an insurrectionist and a murderer, Barabbas.  Surely, in comparison, the people would want Jesus. 

“Do you want me to release to you the ‘king of the Jews?’  But the Jews had roused the people to call for the criminal.

“Barabbas!”

“Then what should I do with the man you call the King of the Jews?”

“Crucify Him!”

“Why?  What evil has he done?”

“Crucify Him! Crucify Him!”  

The Jewish leaders had done their job well, exiting the crowd who had called Jesus their king less than a week earlier, to now scream for Him to be crucified.

Pilate took a bowl of water, and in the sight of the crowd and leaders, “washed his hands.”  “I am innocent of this man’s blood; see to it yourselves.”

And they all answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”

Pilate released Barabbas, had Jesus scourged, and sent Him to be crucified.

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Jesus is Mocked

Pilate’s soldiers sought to have some fun with the prisoner before they took Him to be crucified.  They stripped Jesus, and put on Him a scarlet robe, and a “crown” they twisted from some thorns, handing him a stick as a scepter.   They kneeled before him and mocked him. “Hail, King of the Jews!”  They spit on him and took the stick and beat Him on the head.  Then they stripped Him of the red robe, put His own clothes back on and led Jesus away to be crucified.

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The Crucifixion

As Jesus climbed Golgotha’s hill, the soldiers conscripted a strong man to carry His cross. It was a man from Cyrene, named Simon. 

When they arrived at the ‘Place of the Skull,’ they offered him a drink of drugged wine to dull the pain, but Jesus refused.  They took off his clothes, dividing them among themselves by casting lots.  And they nailed him to the cross.  Over his head, in the place reserved for the list of crimes committed by the prisoner,  they nailed a sign that Pilate sent along.  it said, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” in three languages.

Two robbers were also crucified with Jesus. They put one on either side of Him.

And then the mocking began. 

“You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!”

“If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”

“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself!”

“Let the Christ, the King of Israel, come down now from the cross that we may see and believe.”

“He trust in God; let God deliver Him now.”

And the robbers on either side of Jesus also mocked Him.
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The Death of Jesus

At noon, darkness spread over the whole land for three hours.

About 3:00 p.m., Jesus cried out, “Eli, Eli, Lama sabachthani?” (My God, my God, why have You forsaken me.)

Some thought Jesus was crying out for Elijah and ran to get a sponge so He could speak more.

“No, wait, let’s see whether Elijah will come and take him down.”

Jesus cried out with a loud voice (“It is finished!”) and breathed His last breath, yielding up His Spirit.

THEN! 

—–The veil in the Temple that covered the Most Holy Place was torn in two from the TOP to the Bottom.

—–The earth shook and rocks were split.

—–Tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints were raised, coming out of their tombs.

The Centurion who saw the earthquake and what happened was filled with awe.  “Truly, this was the Son of God!”

There were also women watching from a distance who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him.

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Jesus is Buried.

When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, a respected member of the Council, who was also a disciple of Jesus.  He (took courage) and asked Pilate for the body of Jesus. Pilate was surprised that Jesus was dead already and asked the Centurion. When he learned Jesus WAS dead, he ordered His body to be given to Joseph.  Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud and laid it in his own new tomb.  He rolled a great stone to the entrance and went away.  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there and saw when Joseph put Jesus’ body.

The next day, the chief priests and Pharisees went to Pilate.

“Sir, we remember how that imposter said, while he was still alive, that after three days, He would rise.  Therefore, order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. The last fraud would be worse than the first.”

Pilate: “Here’s a guard of soldiers. Go, make it as secure as you can.”

So they sealed the stone of the tomb and set a guard.