Verses 1-10: Betrayal’s Aftermath and Prophetic Fulfillment

¹ Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: ² and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor. ³ Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, ⁴ saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.” ⁵ He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He went away and hanged himself. ⁶ The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, “It’s not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.” ⁷ They took counsel, and bought the potter’s field with them, to bury strangers in. ⁸ Therefore that field was called “The Field of Blood” to this day. ⁹ Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying, “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him upon whom a price had been set, whom some of the children of Israel priced, ¹⁰ and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.”

• Religious and political powers can unite in injustice against the righteous:

  The coordinated “counsel” to put Jesus to death and the formal handoff to Pilate show how moral responsibility can be shared across institutions. Matthew does not present Jesus’ death as accidental; it comes through deliberate human decisions that remain accountable even as God’s saving purpose advances through them.

• Remorse is not the same as repentance that seeks God’s mercy:

  Judas “felt remorse” and openly confessed, “I have sinned,” acknowledging Jesus as “innocent blood.” Yet his despair ends in self-destruction rather than turning toward God for restoration. The passage soberly distinguishes the pain of guilt from the healing that comes through humble return to God.

• Hypocrisy can strain out ritual concerns while ignoring weightier moral evil:

  The chief priests reject putting the money into the treasury because it is “the price of blood,” even though they have already pursued the death of the innocent. Matthew exposes a conscience that is punctilious about procedure yet hardened toward the injustice at the heart of the matter.

• God’s redemptive plan includes real fulfillment in concrete history:

  Matthew explicitly frames the events as fulfillment of what was spoken through the prophet, underscoring that Jesus’ passion is not merely a tragedy but the outworking of God’s long-promised purpose. The fulfillment language invites readers to see continuity between God’s prior word and the saving events now unfolding.

Verses 11-26: The King on Trial and the Crowd’s Choice

¹¹ Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “So you say.” ¹² When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing. ¹³ Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many things they testify against you?” ¹⁴ He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly. ¹⁵ Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired. ¹⁶ They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas. ¹⁷ When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?” ¹⁸ For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up. ¹⁹ While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him.” ²⁰ Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus. ²¹ But the governor answered them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas!” ²² Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?” They all said to him, “Let him be crucified!” ²³ But the governor said, “Why? What evil has he done?” But they cried out exceedingly, saying, “Let him be crucified!” ²⁴ So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.” ²⁵ All the people answered, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!” ²⁶ Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

• Jesus’ kingship is confessed even in hostile courts:

  The central question—“Are you the King of the Jews?”—places Jesus’ identity at the forefront. His restrained reply and silence under accusation present a kingship unlike worldly power: he is not scrambling to preserve himself, but submitting to the path that will accomplish salvation.

• Human responsibility is real, even amid divine purpose:

  Matthew emphasizes envy, persuasion, and public choice: leaders “persuaded the multitudes,” the people demanded crucifixion, and Pilate acted from political calculation. Each party makes genuine decisions, showing that the saving drama unfolds through accountable human agency rather than bypassing it.

• Innocence does not guarantee protection in a fallen world:

  Pilate’s wife calls Jesus “that righteous man,” and Pilate himself speaks of “this righteous person,” yet the machinery of public pressure still crushes him. The chapter teaches that the world can condemn the innocent, and that God’s righteousness is not measured by immediate earthly vindication.

• Substitution is pictured in the release of Barabbas and condemnation of Jesus:

  The narrative contrast is stark: a “notable prisoner” goes free while Jesus is flogged and “delivered to be crucified.” Without needing to spell out a full doctrine here, Matthew provides an enacted image of exchange—one spared while another suffers—preparing readers to understand the saving meaning of the cross.

• External gestures cannot remove guilt without true justice and repentance:

  Pilate washes his hands and claims innocence, yet he still “delivered” Jesus to crucifixion. The scene warns against moral evasion: symbolic acts and public disclaimers do not undo participation in wrongdoing.

• Corporate words have weight, but God’s mercy can still reach families and peoples:

  The crowd’s cry, “May his blood be on us, and on our children!” is a fearful self-imprecation that underscores communal dynamics in sin. Read within the whole gospel message, it should sober believers rather than fuel condemnation of any group, because the same “blood” later becomes the basis of forgiveness proclaimed to all nations.

Verses 27-44: The Suffering King and the Scandal of the Cross

²⁷ Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him. ²⁸ They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him. ²⁹ They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” ³⁰ They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. ³¹ When they had mocked him, they took the robe off him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him. ³² As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross. ³³ When they came to a place called “Golgotha”, that is to say, “The place of a skull,” ³⁴ they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink. ³⁵ When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots, ³⁶ and they sat and watched him there. ³⁷ They set up over his head the accusation against him written, “THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.” ³⁸ Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left. ³⁹ Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads, ⁴⁰ and saying, “You who destroy the temple, and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” ⁴¹ Likewise the chief priests also mocking, with the scribes, the Pharisees, and the elders, said, ⁴² “He saved others, but he can’t save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him. ⁴³ He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” ⁴⁴ The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.

• The true King is revealed through suffering, not coercion:

  Irony saturates the scene: soldiers mockingly enthrone Jesus with robe, crown, and reed, while the placard proclaims his kingship. Matthew confronts the reader with a kingdom that conquers through humility and sacrificial love rather than violence.

• Discipleship is implicated in the cross-bearing path:

  Simon of Cyrene is “compelled” to carry the cross, an unplanned participation in Jesus’ suffering. The moment suggests that proximity to Jesus may bring unexpected costs, and that God can draw ordinary people into the story of redemption in ways they did not choose or foresee.

• The cross is a public event that exposes human hostility toward God:

  Passersby blaspheme, leaders mock, and even the robbers reproach him. The chorus of rejection shows how sin can unite diverse voices against the Holy One, and how spiritual blindness can demand signs (“come down from the cross”) while missing the very act by which God is saving.

• Saving others is not compatible with self-rescue in this mission:

  “He saved others, but he can’t save himself” is spoken as ridicule, yet it unwittingly touches a deep truth: the work Jesus is accomplishing involves choosing not to evade suffering. The refusal to “come down” is not weakness; it is steadfast obedience and love.

• False conditions for faith reveal hardened hearts:

  “Let him come down… and we will believe in him” portrays a demand to control the terms of belief. Matthew presents this as temptation: insisting that God meet our preferred evidences can become a way of avoiding surrender to the truth God is already revealing.

Verses 45-56: Death, Cosmic Signs, and Witnesses

⁴⁵ Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. ⁴⁶ About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” ⁴⁷ Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, “This man is calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink. ⁴⁹ The rest said, “Let him be. Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.” ⁵⁰ Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit. ⁵¹ Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; ⁵³ and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many. ⁵⁴ Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God.” ⁵⁵ Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

• Creation responds to the Creator’s suffering, signaling divine significance:

  The darkness, earthquake, and split rocks are not treated as random atmosphere; they mark the death of Jesus as an event of cosmic and covenantal importance. The created order, in Matthew’s telling, bears witness that something decisive is taking place.

• Jesus’ cry reveals real anguish while remaining God-directed trust:

  “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” communicates profound dereliction and suffering, yet it is addressed to “My God.” Theologically, the passage calls believers to acknowledge the depth of Christ’s suffering without claiming he ceased to be faithful; even in agony, his prayer is Godward.

• Jesus’ death is voluntary and purposeful, not merely imposed:

  Matthew says Jesus “yielded up his spirit,” highlighting agency within suffering. The cross is undeniably inflicted by sinners, yet Jesus is not portrayed as a helpless victim; he is actively offering himself in obedience.

• Access to God is dramatically signaled by the torn temple veil:

  The veil is torn “from the top to the bottom,” emphasizing divine action rather than human initiative. Within the broader biblical frame honored across ancient Christian traditions, this points to a new openness of approach to God grounded in Jesus’ sacrificial death.

• Resurrection power is already breaking in, anticipating Easter:

  The opened tombs and the appearance of raised saints “after his resurrection” connect Jesus’ death to victory over death. Matthew links cross and resurrection as one saving movement: the crucified Messiah is also the Lord who brings life.

• The crucified Jesus is confessed as Son of God by unlikely witnesses:

  A Roman centurion declares, “Truly this was the Son of God,” showing that revelation can pierce hardened contexts. Faith here arises through witnessing “the things that were done,” suggesting that God uses both word and deed to draw people to confession.

• Faithful service endures at the margins when power abandons:

  The women who “followed” and were “serving him” appear as steady witnesses when many others are absent. Matthew honors persevering discipleship that remains near the suffering Christ, and this prepares for their later role as witnesses to burial and resurrection.

Verses 57-61: The Burial and the Honoring of Jesus’ Body

⁵⁷ When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus’ disciple came. ⁵⁸ This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus’ body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, ⁶⁰ and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock, and he rolled a great stone against the door of the tomb, and departed. ⁶¹ Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

• Jesus’ death is verified, and his burial is concrete and witnessed:

  The request for the body, Pilate’s authorization, the linen wrapping, and the sealed tomb ground the passion in public, observable history. This matters theologically because Christian hope rests on real events: a true death, a true burial, and therefore a meaningful proclamation of resurrection.

• Discipleship can require public courage and costly identification:

  Joseph is described as Jesus’ disciple and acts decisively in a politically charged setting. The passage commends a faith that does not remain hidden when devotion becomes inconvenient, and it shows how God provides faithful servants at crucial moments.

• The dignity of the body is affirmed even in death:

  Jesus’ body is treated with care—wrapped “in a clean linen cloth” and laid in a tomb. This coheres with the Christian conviction, shared widely across traditions, that the body matters to God and that burial practices can express reverence and hope.

• Reliable witnesses remain, anchoring the coming resurrection testimony:

  Mary Magdalene and the other Mary sit “opposite the tomb,” positioning them as eyewitnesses to location and circumstance. Matthew quietly strengthens the credibility of the resurrection proclamation that will follow.

Verses 62-66: Opposition Tries to Secure Defeat but Prepares a Stronger Witness

⁶² Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate, ⁶³ saying, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise again.’ ⁶⁴ Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He is risen from the dead;’ and the last deception will be worse than the first.” ⁶⁵ Pilate said to them, “You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can.” ⁶⁶ So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

• Unbelief can ironically testify to Jesus’ own predictions:

  Jesus’ opponents remember his claim: “After three days I will rise again.” Even while calling him “that deceiver,” they preserve the memory of his prophecy, showing that the resurrection expectation is not a later invention but part of the passion context itself.

• Attempts to control outcomes cannot finally thwart God’s purpose:

  The tomb is secured with a guard and a seal, a human effort to prevent the very claim they fear. Matthew sets up the theological irony: measures meant to suppress truth can become part of God’s providential arrangement that makes the later testimony stronger.

• The gospel confronts both moral and intellectual resistance:

  The leaders’ concern about deception reveals that opposition is not only about power but also about competing narratives of what God is doing. Matthew prepares readers to see that faith will be contested, and yet God provides public circumstances that answer honest questions without coercing the will.

Conclusion: Matthew 27 presents Jesus’ passion as the intersection of human sin and divine saving purpose: leaders, crowds, and rulers act freely and are accountable, yet God fulfills his word and advances redemption through the suffering of the righteous King. The chapter proclaims the innocence, kingship, and voluntary self-offering of Jesus; it signals new access to God through the torn veil; it foreshadows resurrection power; and it anchors Christian hope in public, witnessed events that invite sober repentance, steadfast discipleship, and worship of Jesus as the Son of God.