The Gospel According to Matthew Chapter 27
Originally posted Tuesday, February 5, 2008
General Comment: Chapter
26 lives up to its placement within the Passion Narrative. This part of the
tradition is very old, probably the first portion of the oral tradition
that became fairly uniform in its outline and content and committed to
memory. It has all the elements of true Pathos: a plot to kill Jesus; a
fallen disciple within the conspiracy; a somber last meal with friends;
the agony of human struggle in the garden - for Matthew the moment of choice
reminiscent of the Garden of Eden; betrayal and arrest; abandonment by the
disciples; a fixed hearing and finally being denied by the one who bravely
declared he would remain faithful to the end, even of his own life. Through it
all there is the inevitability of the outcome. Although we know what that
inevitability is we follow each step as if we were watching the gathering
clouds of an approaching storm. Through all of this, one figure stands firm, as
if he is not the victim but the choreographer of the dance. Does he know the
outcome? Probably. No omniscience would be needed to understand what was ahead.
But he understood the goal. To paraphrase Martin Luther King, Jr., he had been
to the mountain top and had seen the promised land. Jesus knew his
cause was true and there seemed no other way to be faithful to it than to play
this drama through to the very last act.
Day 5 The Passover
Matthew Chapter 27:1-2 Jesus Before Pilate
These two verses belong to the end of Chapter 26. They
serve as a transition from one location to another, closing the hearing before
Caiaphas and moving toward the trial before Pilate. They also serve as the
bookend to MT 26:3-5 where the plot to kill Jesus is conceived.
Most translations read in vs.2 that Pilate was the
Governor of Judea. Because of an inscription found in 1961 in Caesarea, we now
know he held the office of Prefect, an official over a minor province
which Judea was. Governors would be over much larger areas such as Syria.
Jesus is handed over to the Romans because the Jewish leadership
had been stripped of the authority to carry out death sentences.
According to later Jewish writings this change was made approximately when the
events portrayed here in Matthew occurred.
Matthew Chapter 27:3-10 Judas Commits Suicide
Matthew has inserted this text for two reasons. First, he
means for us to compare Peter's denial of Jesus with Judas' betrayal (literally
"handing him over"). In the case of Judas, he regrets what he has
done and then dies in despair by his own hand. Peter, on the other hand, also
regrets his actions, but rather than either running away or committing suicide
he will rejoin the disciples as a faithful servant of the church. Peter became
the model of true repentance which always includes being embraced by the
community. Matthew thereby reminds the reader that there are two kingdoms
involved in a great struggle: Peter returns and is accepted in the kingdom of
God. Judas, having given himself for hire, remains, in
death, part of the kingdom of those who used him.
Second, Matthew shows his distain for the "chief
priests and the elders" Their evil intent to have Jesus killed is
advanced with Judas' paid assistance. They have used him as a means to an end,
and when Judas returns to them and admits his sin of betraying innocent
blood (Jesus), they reject his appeal and refuse to take back the
"blood money." They have used him to guarantee their own success and
having achieved that goal they push him aside.
vss. 7-10 are a mixture of mostly Zech. 11:12-13 with
selections from Jeremiah chapters 18-19, referring to the Potter and
his clay, a metaphor for God and God's human creation. The actual Potter's
Field was located in the Hinnom valley which was also a source of clay.
The area was used until the mid 1900s as a burial place for non-Jews. The clay
soil had a rich red color, giving the area the name "Field of Blood."
(The term "Potter's Field" was commonly used in this country for a
cemetery in which indigents were buried) Matthew has no doubt used an older
tradition and woven it into this story of Judas' death.
Matthew Chapter 27:11-14 Jesus Before Pilate
Consider this scene. The representative of the
greatest empire in the world is seated on the Judgment Seat at the
entrance to the Praetorium. Standing before him, for all intents and
purposes, is a Galilean peasant, powerless and of no particular importance. Yet
the Jewish leadership has sent him to Pilate with the apparent political
charge that either Jesus or his followers have claimed he is the Messiah,
the [Davidic] King of the Jews, reason enough for a death sentence. Pilate is
obliged to ask if the charge is true. Jesus' answer is an unambiguous
"yes." What other charges may have been brought are not mentioned,
but to them Jesus gives no answer and Pilate's reaction is one of amazement
that this man in front of him will not offer any defense (Matthew is tailoring
the scene after Isa. 52:14-15; 53:7, part of the Suffering Servant section
of Isaiah. He would understand this interchange as fulfillment of prophecy).
Matthew Chapter 27:15-26 Barabbas or Jesus, Your Choice
If there was such a custom of releasing a prisoner on
Passover it has not been recorded in history, either Roman or Jewish. Philo, a
Jewish Philosopher living and writing in Alexandria near 50 CE (a contemporary
of Paul), a careful chronicler of the activities of the Roman Prefect of
Egypt, Flaccus, and also mentions the bad character traits of Pilate, makes no
mention of the practice. In addition, it is most unlikely Pilate would have
released a hardened criminal, particularly in the middle of a festival noted
for its Messianic, nationalistic fervor. This may be why Luke has omitted the
use of this story which first appears in Mark. However, the history of such an
event is secondary to Matthew's intent in this carefully crafted
scene before Pilate.
There are a number of interpretive aides by which
we can understand how Matthew has used this scene before Pilate as a
unified whole. First is Pilate's reluctance to sentence Jesus; he gives
the crowd a choice of freeing a really dangerous man, Barabbas, or this
Jesus, who Pilate senses has been turned over to him out of jealousy. Add to
that his wife's dream leads her to urge Pilate to let him go because he is
innocent. Second, consider Pilate's position over against that of the chief
priests and elders, who incite a near riot by the crowd by urging the people to
call for Barabbas' release and Jesus' crucifixion.
Second is the strongly ironic outcome. Note the names of the
two choices, one Is Jesus son of Joseph and the other is Jesus
son Abbas. Jesus son of Joseph will be hailed by the early church as
the Son of God, the Father. Jesus Abbas' name in Aramaic also means son of
the Father. Abba was a term used in Jesus' time to address God in
prayer. So, Jesus bar (son of) Abbas (God), the criminal sentenced to death, is
chosen to be freed and Jesus, the Church's proclaimed true Son of God, the
Messiah is sentenced to death.
Third, with Pilate washing his hands of the matter -a denial
of responsibility, and the "people as a whole" shouting,
"His blood be on us and our children," Matthew has demonstrated the
early church's shift of the blame for Jesus' death from the Romans to the
Jewish leadership. This particular text has served as a rallying cry for those
who would blame all Jews as "Christ Killers." It is at the core of
anti-Semitism. Looking at the four Gospels and Acts in parallel one easily
sees this progression.
Matthew Chapter 27:27-31 The Soldiers
It was customary for Roman soldiers to heap as much
humiliating abuse upon a prisoner as possible without killing him before a
crucifixion. The flogging was with long strips of leather that had sharp pieces
of bone imbedded in the ends. It was meant to cut the flesh to the bone. Here
Matthew notes the irony of that treatment. The soldiers place a robe (King's
attire) on him, a crown of thorns on his head, put a reed in his
hand as a King's scepter, kneel before him and mockingly address him as King of
the Jews. With that they were ready to take him to the cross. For Matthew all
of this is in fulfillment of Scripture, particularly the Suffering Servant
Chapters in Isaiah.
We see within this section more of Matthew's use of
irony. The soldiers who accept Caesar as a divine king, in their
humiliating of Jesus, do not know they are crowning the one whom Matthew's
community worships as the true King.
Matthew 27:32-44 The Crucifixion
The flogging would have taken quite a toll on Jesus' ability
to walk, much less endure the cross bar victims were required to carry.
The soldiers enlist Simon (he would have had no choice), from Cyrene
(modern Libya) to carry the cross bar. It is again a touch of irony that the
only person at the cross with Jesus besides the soldiers, is from a
Gentile territory. Matthew would want us to remember the saying, "...just
as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family,
you did it to me."
The crucifixion was a very gruesome death. The forearms are
tied to the cross beams. Nails are driven through the wrists and hands. There
was a foot rest to which the feet were nailed, sometimes through the ankles.
Death came from asphyxiation as the body sank and compressed the lungs. If
death took too long, the legs were broken so the body would lose any support
and sink downward, stopping the ability to breathe. It could be a slow death.
The details of the offering wine mixed with gall (Ps. 69:21),
dividing the garments (Ps. 22:15), the mocking criminals (Isa. 53:3, 9. 12),
and the derision of the passers by, chief priests, and elders (Ps.
22:8,9) are all seen as fulfillment of Scripture. Throughout all of
this scene, from Jesus being hauled up by pulley to the top notch in the
pole, the taunting, the humiliating, there is this sign clearly visible,
written in Latin, Greek and Aramaic, "This is Jesus, the King of the
Jews." What was meant as a supreme sarcasm, for Matthew and the church
that follows, it became a supreme truth. The King who was killed would one
day win over the Empire that killed him. One can only wonder what it would take
for him to win over the world.
Matthew Chapter 27:45-56 The death of Jesus.
In the ninth hour, the entire world against the backdrop of
a darkening sky (Isa. 50.3;Exod.10:22;Amos 8:9), Jesus stirs. He lets out
a loud cry, a lament of the suffering reflecting the ultimate
condition of a humanity left alone in despair. He is forsaken, alone, abandoned
by God (Ps. 22:1) yet it is to God that he cries. Bystanders wonder if he
is calling for Elijah to save this righteous man. But Elijah has already come
and they did with him what they chose. Then a pause, people listening for
what would come next; then another loud cry, a gasp for a final taste of air,
then his body slumps downward. The air escapes his lungs with the quiet sound
of a dove's wings fluttering upward to join the sky. He is dead.
As if in reaction to the darkness, Matthew envisions
the curtain in front of the Holy of Holies being rent asunder from top to
bottom, the Temple no longer filled with God's presence. The ground
shakes, rocks break and the dead escape the chains of the grave to
walk again within the city; and he sees that the only one who
will bear witness to the wonders around and about is this Gentile Centurion who
can utter nothing other than his Pagan mind will allow; a divine hand has
moved the Earth. Surely this must be the son of God!
Matthew Chapter 27:57-61 The Burial
There was a friend who let Jesus borrow a donkey and her
colt. Another provided an upper room for the Passover meal. One last kindness
would be provided. Joseph of Arimathea, a righteous Jew, knew that Jesus had no
family nearby to carry out the Jewish rite of burial. He would do that for this
man who had helped him to see God in a new light, and the future as one of
hope. Pilate would let him take Jesus' body. There was no threat now. His
followers had fled. There was no one to take up his cause. The Roman peace had
been kept through this meager victory. He washes Jesus' body, carefully wraps
it in clean linen cloth. His servant has already opened and prepared the tomb,
one cut into the rock for Joseph's family. The body is placed in the cutout in
the inside wall. His duty performed, Joseph, stands outside and watches the
stone being rolled into the cut groove, across the tomb opening. He recites the
prayer for the dead, bows his head and weeps. The women who followed
Joseph to the tomb, sit nearby and begin their lament as was their custom.
Day 6 Securing the Tomb
Matthew Chapter 27:62-66 Guarding the Tomb
Sometimes even the defeat or the death of one's enemies
cannot bring relief. The disciples by themselves were no threat. The crowds
that had been foolish enough to follow this false Messiah had dispersed and
were returning home now that Passover was finished. All that seemed to
remain were those few women at the tomb, singing their laments. But still,
they remembered Jesus' words about being raised after three days. Most of them
didn't believe in resurrection, but what if a few of his disciples do return
and try to take the body in order to claim a resurrection did happen? The
nonsense could spread like a hot desert wind.
As it is with most conspiracies, those who begin them must
patch up the little holes that keep letting bits of revealing light through and
unraveling the deceit. Pilate will help. He doesn't want any more problems with
Messiahs or pretender Kings. The Chief priests and unlikely allies among the
Pharisees ask Pilate to supply an around-the-clock guard until the third
day after Jesus' death. With his agreement they take a small detachment of
soldiers and set the guard at the tomb.
It is all done now. The threat is over. We will hear no more
of this Galilean.
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Notes
1) MT 27:1-2 This brief section
repeats part of MT26:1-5. It is worth noting as an illustration of how the
oral tradition in all Gospels developed. This text represents an older layer
which is edited with additional material. It would be expected that during the
earlier years of the community's formation and growth, other bits of oral
tradition would be added from other sources. It gives us a realistic view of
the Gospel as a dynamic instrument of evangelism which might go through more
than one edition before it becomes fixed. Thus we can see several layers of material
woven together in what has come down to us.
2) Papias,
an early Christian theologian, wrote near 130 CE that Judas, rather than
committing suicide, wandered aimlessly about as a sad, miserable figure. He had
become so obese that he met his end one day while walking on a road
that was so narrow that he was unable to avoid an oncoming chariot and
was crushed under its wheels and his belly burst open, gushing forth his
bowels. In the Gnostic writings of the 2nd and 3rd centuries we have become
more aware of the Gospel of Judas, in which Judas, rather than being a tragic
figure, is recruited by Jesus to assist him in his plan to have himself
crucified and thereby releasing his spirit from its physical limitations.
3) By
the end of the first Century one of the stories told to refute Christian claims
of a resurrected Lord was the story of the disciples who had come to the tomb
by night and taken Jesus'' body to bury it elsewhere, then claiming he had been
raised. The early Christian writer, Justin, wrote a long treatise refuting such
Jewish and pagan claims.
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