Matthew 27

Matthew 27 is the second-to-last of the twenty-eight chapters of the Gospel of Matthew. Following Matthew 26, which recounts the nighttime interrogation at the high priest's house and Peter's denial, it records the events from dawn through the following day. In this chapter the Passion narrative (the account of Jesus' suffering and death) reaches its climax.

Outline

• Verses 1–2 At dawn the chief priests and elders bind Jesus and deliver Him to Pilate the governor.
• Verses 3–10 Judas repents, returns the thirty pieces of silver, and hangs himself. The chief priests use the money to buy the potter's field as a burial place for strangers, and the field comes to be called "the field of blood."
• Verses 11–14 Pilate asks, "Art thou the King of the Jews?" and Jesus answers, "Thou sayest." To the accusations against Him He answers not a word.
• Verses 15–26 Following the custom of releasing one prisoner at the feast, Pilate asks whether Barabbas or Jesus should be released. His wife sends him a warning because of a dream. The crowd chooses Barabbas and cries out for crucifixion, and Pilate, after washing his hands, has Jesus scourged and delivers Him to be crucified.
• Verses 27–31 The soldiers mock Jesus, clothing Him in a scarlet robe, placing a crown of thorns on His head, and putting a reed in His hand.
• Verses 32–44 Simon, a man of Cyrene, is compelled to carry Jesus' cross. Jesus is crucified at Golgotha, and the soldiers divide His garments by casting lots. Over His head is placed the accusation "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." The two thieves crucified with Him, those passing by, and the leaders all mock Jesus.
• Verses 45–50 From the sixth hour to the ninth hour darkness covers all the land. Jesus cries out, "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" and then yields up His spirit.
• Verses 51–56 The veil of the temple is torn, the earth quakes, and the bodies of the saints which slept arise. The centurion confesses Jesus to be the Son of God, and the women who had followed Him from Galilee watch from afar.
• Verses 57–61 Joseph, a rich man of Arimathea, receives the body, wraps it in linen cloth, and lays it in his own new tomb.
• Verses 62–66 At the request of the chief priests and Pharisees, the stone at the entrance of the tomb is sealed and a guard is posted to watch it.

Key Verses

• Matthew 27:46 "Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?" — These words are a cry taken from Psalm 22:1. Of the sayings Jesus spoke on the cross, this is the only one Matthew records.
• Matthew 27:51 "The veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom" — This verse is the basis for the interpretation that the way of access to God was opened, and it is read together with Hebrews 10:19–20.
• Matthew 27:54 "Truly this was the Son of God" — This is a confession made by a Gentile soldier.

Characters and Places

• Chief priests and elders: The Jewish leaders who accused Jesus and stirred up the crowd.
• Judas Iscariot: The disciple who betrayed Jesus; after repenting, he takes his own life.
• Pontius Pilate: The Roman governor of Judea, who presides over the trial and permits the crucifixion.
• Pilate's wife: On the basis of a dream, she tells her husband to have nothing to do with the matter of Jesus.
• Barabbas: A notable prisoner released in place of Jesus.
• Simon of Cyrene: The man compelled to carry Jesus' cross.
• The centurion: A Roman army officer in command of about a hundred men; keeping watch at the cross, he confesses Jesus as the Son of God.
• Mary Magdalene and the other women: With her were Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children.
• Joseph of Arimathea: A rich man and disciple of Jesus who buries Jesus in his own new tomb.
• Pharisees: Together with the chief priests, they request that the tomb be guarded.
• The Praetorium (common hall): The governor's residence.
• Golgotha: The place of execution, whose name means "place of a skull."
• The field of blood: The potter's field bought with the silver Judas returned.

Points for Reflection

• The citation of Jeremiah (vv. 9–10): Matthew introduces these words as spoken by Jeremiah, but the wording is closer to Zechariah 11:12–13. Several views have been offered to explain this. One holds that Matthew combined Jeremiah's account of the potter (Jeremiah 18–19) and his purchase of a field (Jeremiah 32) with the words of Zechariah; another holds that he attached the name of a representative prophet; and there are still others.
• The death of Judas: Acts 1:18–19 describes Judas's death differently and calls the field "Aceldama." Some interpreters harmonize the two accounts, while others regard them as distinct traditions.
• The two thieves: Matthew states that both thieves reviled Jesus. Luke 23 includes a scene in which one of the thieves repents.
• The interpretation of verse 25: The words "His blood be on us, and on our children" have historically been misused as grounds for laying responsibility for Jesus' death on the Jewish people as a whole. In a 1965 declaration of the Second Vatican Council, the Catholic Church stated that Jesus' death cannot be charged against all Jews, whether of that time or of today. Many Protestant scholars and churches likewise do not read the verse in that way.
• The interpretation of verse 46: The Reformed tradition often emphasizes this cry as expressing the agony of punishment in which the Son, bearing sin in the place of sinners, was truly forsaken. Other interpreters note that the cry is a prayer that calls to mind the whole of Psalm 22, which ends in a confession of trust. The Seven Last Words, a collection of seven sayings from the cross, draws on the accounts of all four Gospels.
• The saints of verses 51–53: The opening of the tombs and the rising of the saints appear only in Matthew. Some interpret this as a literal event and others as symbolic language, and interpretations also differ as to when it took place.
• Details not in the text: The name of Pilate's wife and the names of the two thieves come from later tradition and do not appear in the text.
• Connections within the New Testament: The phrase "suffered under Pontius Pilate" in the Apostles' Creed refers to the events of this chapter. The account of the guard at the tomb continues in Matthew 28:11–15, where the guards are paid money.

In the Korean Church

The chapter is frequently read as a Passion text during Holy Week, especially at Good Friday services. In sermon series on the Seven Last Words, verse 46 serves as the text for one of the sermons. The hymn "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded," which sings of Jesus wearing the crown of thorns, is also often sung during this season.