All signs point to Jesus: A journey through the book of Matthew, chapters 26-27
CHAPTER 26-28
As I conclude this blog devotional in the book of Matthew, I hope that you’ve been blessed by it by learning more of who Jesus of the Bible is.
In these last three chapters, we learn about the days preceding his death. In some churches this is called ‘Passion’ or ‘Holy’ week. We learn about the passion of Jesus. When I look up ‘passion’ in the dictionary, it is defined as a strong and barely controllable emotion. It is also defined as the suffering and death of Jesus. I guess I could say the suffering and death of Jesus came from a strong emotion-that is God’s love for us. However, it is God who was always in control. This was always his plan and if you study the Old Testament which I encourage you to do next, this plan is evident.
QUESTIONS
Chapter 26
Why weren’t the Jewish religious leaders planning to kill Jesus on Good Friday at the Passover?
Why didn’t Jesus see the woman’s action as wasteful?
What is significant about the price of thirty pieces of silver that the high priests offered Judas?
What was the opportunity Judas was looking for?
Why did Jesus say it would have been better for Judas not to have been born?
How does Holy Communion work?
What was wrong with the zeal of Peter and the other disciples?
Was it wrong for Jesus to ask the Father to take the cup (cross) away?
What was the danger of Peter’s rash attack on those arresting Jesus?
What charge was the basis for the Jewish court’s conviction of Jesus?
What is ironic about the first accuser of Peter being a servant girl?
Chapter 27
Why did the Jewish leaders hand Jesus over to Pilate instead of executing Him themselves?
What led Judas to hang himself?
Why did Jesus answer Pilate indirectly and remain silent at the accusations of the Jewish leaders?
Why did Pilate offer the choice of Barabbas or Jesus rather than simply set Jesus free?
Why did Pilate wash his hands?
Why did the Roman soldiers use objects to mock Jesus?
How does the mocking of the chief priests, scribes, and elders show they did not understand the Scriptures?
What does it mean that Jesus was forsaken by God?
Chapter 28
What is the purpose of the angel’s appearance?
What are the shortcomings of the lie the chief priests concocted—that Jesus’ disciples stole His body while the guards slept?
What is the mission Christ gave His Church through the apostles?
What does Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” mean for our day-to-day lives?
There is a lot to unpack in these last 3 chapters so I will try to give an overview, then talk about the verse that most spoke to me.
Chapter 26-27 gives us the journey to the cross. The Exposition Commentary summarizes this as: at the center piece of all history and determinant of our eternity, the cross reveals God’s holiness, our wickedness, and he humility of Jesus Christ. We have seen the holiness of God portrayed already in Jesus just studying the book of Matthew. We know he is sovereign over all, righteous above all, just in all his wrath, and loving toward his creation. So how can a righteous God be loving to rebellious sinners that deserve his wrath? The wickedness is revealed in the jewish leaders, rejecting, accusing the Son of God. We see Roman leaders sentencing and crucifying God. The soldiers beat. The crowds ridicule and even the disciples betray. We’ve been studying Jesus for over 3 months. The disciples walked with Jesus for 3 years and still did not prove faithful. This should make us tremble at the wickedness of our own lives.
Jesus died our death. The spiritual reality of the cross is based on three events, the Lord’s supper (26:26-29), the garden of gethsemane (26:36-46) and Jesus’ cry from the cross (27:45-50)
Jesus suffered our separation when he cried from the cross. Since Jesus took on our sin, he was forsaken and this is the curse of the cross. Before the cross, we were cast our of God’s presence, because of he cross, we are now invited into God’s presence. What an awesome God we have. How should we respond to the cross. I pray to surrender my heart to God daily. I pray that we can proclaim the hope of the Gospel.
The first part of chapter 28, verses 1-15 speaks of Jesus resurrection. As I wrote a couple weeks ago, when I mentioned the Easter decorations, the resurrection is the central part of why we are Christians. Our eternity hangs on this truth. Take a moment to think about how you would answer this question, ‘why are you a Christian? Is it because it makes you a good person? Is it because your parents were. Is it just because the world is a better place and able to manage with Jesus on your side? Is it because you stood up in a church one Sunday , proclaiming Jesus Lord over your life? I can answer by easily going into my own testimony of how Jesus delivered me from my addictions. These are all good reasons, but its not the central part of why we are Christian. There are many arguments that have been brought up against the resurrection of Jesus , but history reveals that he actually did die on the cross and rise from the grave. If this is true, then we must accept EVERYthing he said. The implication is that Jesus has the last word in this world and our lives! Jesus is Lord regardless of our decision to submit to him. We are Christian because IT IS TRUE. Do you believe in the historical resurrection of Jesus? And if so, do you surrender to his authority?
Matthew not only shows us that Jesus is King, but ends this gospel by telling us how he sent out the disciples to proclaim this. We are part of that story as his disciples. This mission is not based on who we are or what we can do. This mission is based on JESUS and what he is able to do in and through our lives.
‘Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age’ -Matthew 28:20
To be a disciple is to make disciples! And Jesus is always with us!
Knowing that Jesus is Lord over all and my redeemer reveals that I need a redeemer, which compels me to share the gospel. I will pray to God daily to reveal to me practical ways in which to do this. By your power Lord, not mine and for your Glory. Amen!
JESUS’ PASSION
While Jesus announces His coming death by crucifixion, the chief priests plot His death.
Read 26:1–5.
Q 131:
Why weren’t the Jewish religious leaders planning to kill Jesus on Good Friday at the Passover?
A 131:
The disciples criticize a woman’s extravagant love.
They feared the crowds with which Jesus was so popular. Many of these crowds were Jews who had journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover. The priests thought they would be easier able to kill Jesus after the feast.
Read 26:6–13.
Q 132: Why didn’t Jesus see the woman’s action as wasteful?
© 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®.
A 132: He knew that she had anointed Him out of faith and love. It was an extravagant sacrifice to prepare for the even more extravagant sacrifice He would make in a few days.
Judas offers to betray Jesus.
Read 26:14–16.
Q 133:
A 133:
Q 134:
What is significant about the price of thirty pieces of silver that the high priests offered Judas?
Zechariah had prophesied this exact sum of money for Jesus’ betrayal (see Zechariah 11:11–13), and it was the exact value Moses set on a dead slave.
What was the opportunity Judas was looking for?
A 134: A time when Jesus was away from the crowds and defenseless.
Jesus predicts Judas’s betrayal at the Last Supper.
Read 26:17–25.
Q 135:
A 135:
Why did Jesus say it would have been better for Judas not to have been born?
Jesus was trying to open Judas’s eyes to see beyond the greed that motivated this betrayal. He wanted to warn Judas of the intense guilt that would strike and overwhelm him, robbing him of hope that Jesus could forgive him.
A time when Jesus was away from the crowds and defenseless.
Jesus institutes Holy Communion for His believers.
Read 26:26–29.
Q 136:
A 136:
How does Holy Communion work?
Similar to the Old Testament sacrifice called the peace offering, God lets us eat the very body and drink the very blood of the sacrifice—the Lamb of God—to assure us that our sins are completely forgiven because in this very body and blood Jesus paid the price of our sins by suffering and dying on the cross.
Jesus predicts His disciples will flee and Peter will deny Him three times.
Read 26:30–35.
Q 137:
A 137:
What was wrong with the zeal of Peter and the other disciples?
Their confidence was completely in their own power and determination to remain loyal to Jesus. When they saw the very real danger facing them, their courage vaporized and they fled in terror. The correct response to Jesus’ prediction would have been humble repentance, turning to Christ for strength rather than relying on their own.
Jesus prays in the Garden of Gethsemane.
© 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®.
Read 26:36–46.
Q 138:
A 138:
Was it wrong for Jesus to ask the Father to take the cup (cross) away?
No. Jesus was fully human, He was not eager to suffer the cruel, torturous death awaiting Him. Nor was He anxious to feel the wrath of God strike Him. But Jesus’ goal in His prayer was for His Father to mold Jesus’ will to match the Father’s. It took three hours of praying for Jesus to be ready for what He must suffer for all of us. Jesus gives us a model of persistent prayer, exposing how weak we often are in our prayers as we struggle with problems that depress us and drive us to extreme fatigue and sleepiness like the disciples.
Judas betrays Jesus, and the Jewish chief priests and elders arrest Him.
Read 26:47–56.
Q 139:
A 139:
What was the danger of Peter’s rash attack on those arresting Jesus?
The guards outnumbered the disciples, and much bloodshed could have resulted as they put down the rebellion. Jesus stepped in to prevent the tension from escalating and to defuse the situation. Luke 22:51 tells us Jesus even healed the servant’s ear so no charges could be leveled against Peter.
Jesus’ trial before Caiaphas and the Jewish religious leaders.
Read 26:57–68.
Q 140:
A 140:
What charge was the basis for the Jewish court’s conviction of Jesus?
Jesus was charged for blasphemy in claiming to be the Son of God. It was fitting that He would not be convicted of a false charge from lying witnesses, but convicted for claiming the truth, that He was the Christ, the Son of God. Notice that the Jewish leaders did not challenge the notion that God had a Son, but that Jesus of Nazareth claimed to be that Son of God.
Peter denies Jesus three times.
Read 26:69–75.
Q 141:
What is ironic about the first accuser of Peter being a servant girl?
A 141:
The Jewish court condemns Jesus, then hands Him over to Pilate.
In that day, a woman’s testimony would not be accepted in court, yet Peter’s courage and bravado crumbled when she accused him of being with Jesus. After that, Peter sought to escape the courtyard, and ended up denying Jesus two more times.
© 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®.
Read 27:1–2.
Q 142: Why did the Jewish leaders hand Jesus over to Pilate instead of executing Him themselves?
A 142: The Romans had taken away the Jewish high court’s right to executions. That meant Jesus would be crucified. The high court would have stoned Him to death if they still had that privilege.
Judas hangs himself.
Read 27:3–10.
Q 143:
A 143:
What led Judas to hang himself?
He felt deep regret when he realized Jesus was condemned to
die. Though he approached the chief priests, they did not lead
him to God for forgiveness. They washed their hands of him. Overwhelmed by his guilt and grief, and convinced that God could not forgive his monstrous sin, Judas hanged himself.
In truth, Judas’s sin was no worse than Peter’s. If he had only held out until Jesus’ resurrection, he could have been restored.
Jesus appears before Pontius Pilate.
Read 27:11–14.
Q 144:
A 144:
Why did Jesus answer Pilate indirectly and remain silent at the accusations of the Jewish leaders?
Jesus admitted the truth that He was the King of the Jews, but He knew Pilate would not understand the kind of Kingship He held, so He answered it indirectly. He could have easily won acquittal if He had spoken up, but His intention was to suffer and die to save us from our sins, so He remained silent to the false accusations of the Jewish leaders.
Pilate offers the crowd the choice of freeing Jesus or a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.
Read 27:15–23.
Q 145:
A 145:
Why did Pilate offer the choice of Barabbas or Jesus rather than simply set Jesus free?
Pilate believed Jesus was not guilty of a crime deserving death,
but he was too nervous to go against the Jewish leaders by setting Him free. Barabbas was a true revolutionary leader who had led insurgents against Romans and killed some. He was a definite threat to the stability of the Roman-Jewish relations upon which the chief priests relied. Pilate thought the Jewish leaders would see Barabbas was a far greater threat to their future than Jesus was. But he underestimated how deeply the Jewish leaders hated Jesus.
Pilate yields to pressure from the crowd and delivers Jesus to be crucified.
© 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®.
Read 27:24–26.
Q 146:
A 146:
Why did Pilate wash his hands?
He felt the crowds had pressured him to condemn an innocent man—something he did not like to do. By washing his hands, he tried to shift the blame to the crowd and make them responsible for Jesus’ death. The crowd, which was likely made up of temple servants and workers, were all too happy to take the blame upon themselves. We shouldn’t hold the whole Jewish nation responsible for Jesus’ death—and Jesus Himself prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do” (Luke 23:34). But Pilate couldn’t just wash his guilt away. Only Jesus’ blood could do that.
Pilate’s Roman soldiers mock Jesus.
Read 27:27–31.
Q 147: Why did the Roman soldiers use objects to mock Jesus?
A 147: They wanted to make sport of Jesus. Since kings wore robes and crowns and held scepters in their hands, they dressed Jesus in poor imitations, then knelt in mockery and spat upon Him.
Jesus is crucified.
Read 27:32–44.
Q 148:
A 148:
How does the mocking of the chief priests, scribes, and elders show they did not understand the Scriptures?
The Old Testament prophesied many times that the Christ would suffer and die, bearing the punishment we sinners deserve, so that God may forgive us and free us from the punishment for our sins. Jesus couldn’t save Himself from the cross because He was saving us from our sins.
Jesus cries in agony and dies.
Read 27:45–56.
Q 149:
A 149:
What does it mean that Jesus was forsaken by God?
God the Father abandoned Jesus as He suffered for our sins on
the cross. Jesus experienced His Father’s wrath and fury, not His love and mercy. Jesus suffered the same thing on the cross that unbelievers will experience eternally in hell. God will abandon them, and they will suffer His unending wrath without any comfort or hope. But for believers, since Jesus was forsaken in our place,
we will never be alone, for He promised, “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20).
Jesus’ body is buried.
Read 27:57–61.
Q 150: What is unusual about Joseph burying Jesus’ body?
© 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®.
A 150:
In other parts of the Roman Empire, the bodies of crucified criminals were left to rot on the cross. In Judah, they were taken down so they would not defile the land (Deuteronomy 21:22–23), but buried in a common grave for criminals. Joseph, a wealthy member of the Jewish high court (Mark 15:43) gave Jesus an honorable burial in his own tomb, thus fulfilling Isaiah’s prophecy, “And they made His grave with the wicked and with a rich man in His death” (Isaiah 53:9).
Pilate sets a guard at the tomb.
Read 27:62–66.
Q 151:
A 151:
Why did the Jews demand a guard be set on Jesus’ tomb?
They remembered Jesus’ prophecy that He would rise from the grave on the third day. They didn’t really think Jesus would rise again, but they feared His disciples might steal His body and start saying that Jesus had risen again. By setting a guard and sealing the stone, the Jews guaranteed that Jesus’ resurrection was legitimate. His disciples didn’t come and remove His body; instead, He rose from the dead as He had said.
JESUS RISES FROM THE DEAD AND SENDS THE ELEVEN
Jesus rises from the dead and sends an angel to share the good news.
Read 28:1–10.
Q 152:
A 152:
What is the purpose of the angel’s appearance?
First, to roll the stone away to reveal the evidence that Jesus had risen from the dead. Second, to reveal to the women disciples the good news that Jesus had risen. If they only had the evidence of the empty tomb and the empty grave cloths without the angel’s message, they would not know that Jesus had arisen. They more likely would have suspected that enemies had stolen Jesus’ body (see John 20:2).
The guards report to the chief priests.
Read 28:11–15.
Q 153:
A 153:
What are the shortcomings of the lie the chief priests concocted—that Jesus’ disciples stole His body while the guards slept?
The disciples were despondent, their dreams shattered. They weren’t even thinking about Jesus’ prophecies of rising from the dead and how they might be able to steal His body and tell people He had risen. Likewise, they were overcome with fear, hiding behind locked doors. None of them had the courage to take such a risk. If the guards were asleep, how did they know it was Jesus’ disciples who stole His body? How could the disciples have moved
© 2019 Concordia Publishing House. Scripture: ESV®.
Q 154:
A 154:
that massive stone without waking up the guards? Finally, why would they have risked taking the time to unwrap Jesus’ body and leave the cloths behind instead of simply taking the body with the wrappings and all?
Why did many Jews believe that lie?
Unbelief is not logical. The people who rejected Jesus were happy to believe any argument that fit their viewpoint.
Jesus appears to His apostles and gives them the Great Commission.
Read 28:16–20.
Q 155:
A 155:
Q 156:
A 156:
What is the mission Christ gave His Church through the apostles?
The Church is to make disciples, followers, of Jesus by baptizing and teaching—through Baptism and the Word of God. We are sent to all people of all nations.
What does Jesus’ promise, “I am with you always, to the end of the age” mean for our day-to-day lives?
No matter where we are or what we are going through, Jesus is right there with us to provide our needs, defend us from all evil, hear our prayers, and accomplish His will through us.
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