The Way - Day 259 (Matthew 27)

Pastor Tom's Journal on Today's Reading:
Matthew 27:1-25
The morning after Jesus' captivity the chief priests and elders continued to plot against Jesus in order to put Him to death (27:1). So, they tied Jesus up and took Him to the home of Pontius Pilate (Roman governor) because technically only Rome was permitted to pronounce the death sentence. As Jesus stood before Pilate it became obvious to him that Jesus was an innocent man and the chief priests/elders were envious of His ministry (27:18). As was customary during this time of Passover, the governor would release a prisoner to gain favor with the Jews. Pilate brought a man named Barabbas before the people. Barabbas was a notorious prisoner because he was a robber and murderer and in the back of Pilate's mind he wanted the people to allow Jesus to be released instead of this hardened criminal, Barabbas. However, the religious leaders stirred up the crowd against Jesus and convinced Pilate to release Barabbas rather than Jesus (27:15-22). Even Pilate's wife attempted to come to the rescue of Jesus by informing her husband of haunting dreams she had about Jesus (27:19). Pilate asked the people what he should do to Jesus and they answered "let Him be crucified." Pilate immediately responded by asking what Jesus had done wrong, but the people cried out more to crucify Him (27:23). The governor knew that the situation was going to get worse if he did not give into their demands so he washed his hands declaring his innocence in the pronouncement of death of Jesus (27:24). The people did not care because they replied "His blood be on us and our children." I guess what amazes me most about this incident is the fact that Jesus remained silent...He never defended Himself, but rather was focused on the mission which His Father had sent Him to fulfill - death to pay the penalty for man's sin. Why? "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son...." Jesus was willing to go to the cross because of me and the sin that separated me from a relationship with God the Father. If He willingly died for me, the least I can do is live for Him!

Matthew 27:26-50
I'm not sure if there is anything that I can add to this passage. The words truly speak for themselves as we see Jesus, who was betrayed by Judas earlier, now being beaten and mocked. Here is a list of what Jesus faced as a result of claiming that He was God: flogging (v.26), nakedness (v.28), a crown of thorns twisted on His head (v.29), humiliation (v.29), people spit on Him and struck Him on the head (v.30), nailed to a cross (v.35), crucified between two thieves who also made fun of Him (vv.38,44), public blasphemy (vv.39-43), and ultimately abandonment by His Father (vv.45-50). I can't help but think that Jesus Christ willingly died on the cross to pay the penalty for my sins. Jesus loved me so much that He gave up His very life so I could have eternal life! Thanks be to God for salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ!

Matthew 27:51-66
Because Jesus was truly God, many supernatural things happened when He died. Matthew gives us an account of several of those things. First, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (27:51). This curtain blocked off the entrance into the Most Holy Place within the temple and Exodus 26:33 informs us that the ark of the covenant, which symbolized God's presence, was behind that curtain. Furthermore, Hebrews 9:2-10 tells us that the priests only went behind the curtain once a year in order to offer a blood sacrifice for his sins as well as the sins of the people. Of course this sacrifice did not remove the sin but was symbolic of the sacrifice Jesus Christ would make to take away our sins. When Jesus died on the cross, the temple's veil was torn from top to bottom symbolizing that sacrifices no longer had to be made by the priests because God accepted the payment of Jesus' death. Hebrews 10 also reveals that the curtain being torn also opened the presence of God to any who would come in the name of Jesus Christ (Hebrews 10:19-22). Another result of Jesus' death was that the graves were opened and many bodies of saints who had died were raised. Matthew alone mentions this miracle and adds that after Jesus' resurrection the righteous dead appeared to many people. We probably would also be safe in assuming that those who were raised ascended into heaven giving us a glimpse of the rapture spoken of in 1 Thessalonians 4. An earthquake had also taken place as a result of Jesus' death causing many people to think Jesus was the Son of God (27:54). When evening had come (following Jesus' death), Joseph of Arimathea asked Pilate for the body of Jesus (27:57-60). Pilate commanded that Jesus' body be given to Joseph and he took Jesus and buried Him in a new tomb (27:60). The tomb was made of rock and after Jesus was placed inside the tomb, Joseph rolled a large stone against the door and left. On the next day the chief priests and Pharisees gathered to Pilate asking him to secure the tomb because they feared Jesus' disciples may try to steal the body to make it look like He had resurrected (27:62-64). Pilate agrees to their request so they go, seal the tomb, and place guards by it (27:65-66). I wonder how the believers must have felt while Jesus was in the tomb...confused, defeated, and disappointed. We can definitely identify with these feelings in our daily life as we experience pain, loss, and confusion; however, we must remember that we worship God and He will always prevail!

Dear God, help me to look past my confusion and doubt realizing You possess all power to change that which was meant for evil into good!