Matthew 27

Religious leaders give Jesus to Pontius Pilate verse 1- 2

When the morning was come all the chief priests and elders of the people

took counsel against Jesus to put HIM

to death – and when they had bound HIM – they led HIM away

and delivered HIM to Pontius Pilate the governor

Judas returns money to the religious leaders verse 3- 5

Then Judas – which had betrayed HIM – when he saw that HE was condemned

repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the

chief priests and elders – saying

I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood

And they said – What is that to us? see you to that

AND he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple – and departed

and went out and hanged himself

Religious leaders fulfill Scripture with money verse 6- 10

And the chief priests took the silver pieces – and said

It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury

BECAUSE it is the price of blood

and they took counsel – and bought with them

the potter’s field to bury strangers in

WHEREFORE that field was called – The field of blood – to this day

THEN was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet

saying

and they took the thirty pieces of silver

the price of HIM that was valued

whom they of the children of Israel did value

and gave them for the potter’s field – as the Lord appointed me

Jesus before political ruler verse 11- 14

And Jesus stood before the governor – and the governor asked HIM

saying

Are you the King of the Jews?

AND Jesus said unto him

You said

AND when HE was accused of the chief priests and elders

HE answered nothing

THEN said Pilate unto HIM

Hear YOU not how many things they witness against YOU?

AND HE answered him to never a word

insomuch that the governor marveled greatly

Custom of political ruler verse 15- 18

Now at that feast the governor was wont to release unto the people a prisoner whom they would

AND they had then a notable prisoner – called Barabbas

THEREFORE when they were gathered together Pilate said unto them

Whom will you that I release unto you?

Barabbas – or Jesus which is called Christ?

FOR he know that for envy they had delivered HIM

Pilate’s wife warns him regarding Jesus verse 19

When he was set down on the judgment seat – his wife sent unto him

Saying

Have you nothing to do with that just man

FOR I have suffered many things this day

in a dream because of HIM

Religious leaders insight the crowd verse 20- 25

BUT the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitude that they

should ask Barabbas and destroy Jesus

The governor answered and said unto them

Whether of the twain will you that I release unto you?

They said

Barabbas

Pilate said unto them

What shall I do then with Jesus – which is called Christ?

They all say unto him

Let HIM be crucified

And the governor said – WHY – what evil has HE done?

BUT they cried out the more – saying

Let HIM be crucified

WHEN Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing

but that rather a tumult was made

he took water

and washed his hands before the multitude

and said

I am innocent of the blood of this just person

see you to it

THEN answered all the people – and said

HIS blood be on us – and on our children

Pilate releases Barabbas verse 26

THEN released he Barabbas to them

and when he had SCOURGED Jesus

he delivered HIM to be crucified

Soldiers mock Jesus verse 27- 31

THEN the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall

and gathered to HIM the whole band of soldiers

and they STRIPPED HIM – and put on HIM a SCARLET ROBE

And when they had platted a CROWN OF THORNS – they put it on HIS head

AND a reed in HIS right hand – AND they bowed the knee before HIM

and MOCKED HIM – saying

Hail – King of the Jews

And they SPIT on HIM – and took the reed – and smote HIM on the head

and after they had MOCKED HIM – they took the robe off from HIM

and put HIS own raiment on HIM

and led HIM away to crucify HIM

Jesus going to Golgotha verse 32- 34

AND as they came out – they found a man of Cyrene- Simon by name

him they compelled to bear HIS cross

AND when they were come unto the place called Golgotha – that is to say

a place of a skull

They gave HIM vinegar to drink mingled with gall

and when HE had tasted thereof

HE would not drink

Jesus on the cross verse 35- 38

AND they CRUCIFIED HIM – and parted HIS garments – CASTING LOTS

that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet

They parted MY garments among them

and on MY vesture did they CAST LOTS

And sitting down they watched HIM there

AND set up over HIS head HIS accusation written

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

THEN were there two thieves crucified with HIM

one on the right hand – and another on the left

Crowd mocks Jesus verse 39- 40

And they that passed by reviled HIM – wagging their heads – and saying

YOU that destroy the temple – and build it in three days

save YOURSELF

If YOU be the Son of God – come down from the cross

Leading religious leaders mock Jesus verse 41- 44

Likewise also the chief priests mocking HIM

with the scribes and elders

said

HE saved others – HIMSELF HE cannot save

IF HE be the King of Israel

let HIM now come down from the cross

and we will believe HIM

HE trusted in God – let HIM deliver HIM now

IF HE will have HIM

FOR HE said – I am the Son of God

The thieves also – which were crucified with HIM – cast the same in his teeth

Jesus comments at three o’clock verse 45- 46

Now from the sixth hour [12 Noon] there was darkness over all the land

to the ninth hour [3 P.M.]

And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice – saying

Eli – Eli – lama sabachthani? that is to say

MY God – MY God – why have YOU forsaken ME?

People thought HE was calling for Elijah verse 47- 49

Some of them that stood there – when they heard that – said

This man calls for Elijah

And straightway one of them ran – and took a sponge

and filled it with vinegar

and put it on a reed

and gave HIM to drink

The rest said – Let be – let us see whether Elijah will come to save HIM

Events at point of Jesus’ death verse 50- 53

Jesus – when HE had cried again with a loud voice – yielded up the ghost

AND BEHOLD – the veil of the temple

was rent in twain from the top to the bottom

AND the earth did quake – AND the rocks rent

AND the graves were opened

AND many bodies of the saints which slept arose

and came out of the graves after HIS resurrection

and went into the holy city

and appeared to many

Roman soldier comments verse 54

NOW when the centurion – and they that were with HIM – watching Jesus

saw the earthquake and those things that were done

they feared greatly – saying

Truly this was the Son of God

Women watching the cross verse 55- 56

AND many women were there beholding afar off

which followed Jesus from Galilee

ministering unto HIM – among which was Mary Magdalene

Mary the mother of James and Joses

and the mother of Zebedee’s children

Joseph of Arimathea buries Jesus verse 57- 61

When the even was come – there came a rich man of Arimathea – named Joseph

who also himself was Jesus’ disciple – he went to Pilate

and begged the body of Jesus

THEN Pilate commanded the body to be delivered

AND when Joseph had take the body – he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth and laid it in his own new tomb – which he hewn out in the rock and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulcher and departed

AND there was Mary Magdalene – and the other Mary

sitting over against the sepulcher

Guards given to guard tomb verse 62- 66

Now the next day – that followed the day of preparation

the chief priest and Pharisees came together unto Pilate

saying

Sir – we remember that that deceiver said – while HE was yet alive

After three days I will rise again

Command therefore that the sepulcher be made sure

until the THIRD DAY

lest HIS disciples come by night – and steal HIM away

and say unto the people – HE is risen from the dead

SO the last error shall be worse than the first

Pilate said unto them – You have a watch – go your way

make it as sure as you can

so they went

and made the sepulcher sure – sealing the stone – and setting a watch

COMMENTARY:

DAILY SPIRITUAL BREAKFAST: Young Believers

: 3 Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders. (3338 “repented” [metamellomai] means to regret, change one’s mind, feel sad about, have remorse, be sorry, or to feel repentance.)

DEVOTION: There is a difference between truly repenting of a sin and just being sorry you got caught in a sin. Here we have Judas for whatever reason taking money to betray Jesus. He might have thought this would have caused Jesus to change HIS plan to die and instead take over the kingdom. He might have been mad because he was the treasurer of the group and thought there was going to be money coming in for years when it was going to end soon and he would have no more money coming in. We can’t be sure if he even knew that Jesus knew from the beginning that he was going to betray HIM.

Now Jesus was arrested and they were going to kill HIM and Judas felt sorry for what he had done. He wanted to undo what he had done so he took the money back to the religious leaders and asked them to release Jesus. They just laughed at him. He threw the money and left. Then he went out and hung himself.

Now we want to make sure that we don’t teach that suicide is the unpardonable sin. The only unpardonable sin is rejection of Jesus Christ as your personal Savior. I have only had one funeral for someone who had committed suicide. The funeral director thought my sermon was the best he had heard regarding someone who committed suicide. I wrote the sermon for Nelson Publications and it is in their Pastor’s Manuel. We don’t condone suicide but we understand that some people struggle with it.

The second thought regarding Judas was that he was not truly remorseful. If he wanted to receive forgiveness all he had to do is ask. Peter at the same time period denied knowing Christ which was a sin too. HE went out weeping and truly wanted to change his mind about his relationship with Jesus. He wanted to be forgiven. He asked for forgiveness. His outcome was different. He confessed his sin and was forgiven. He walked in a different direction. He walked toward the LORD.

There is a difference between regret because of being caught and sorrow because of sin. Learn the difference and if you find yourself or someone else in such as situation you can explain that godly sorrow is different from regret. Read 2 Corinthians 7: 8- 10.

CHALLENGE: We all have to examine the reason behind our sorrow over our sins. We need to have godly sorrow over our sin.

DAILY SPIRITUAL LUNCH: Transitional Believers

: 14 And HE answered him to never a word; insomuch that the governor marveled greatly. (2296 “marveled” [thaumazo] means wonder, be astonished, to be amazed, to admire, to be had in admiration, or be surprised.)

DEVOTION: Silence is one of the disciples of the faith. There is a time to talk and a time to be quiet. It would seem that when you are on trial for your life you would want to say something. Jesus was standing in front of the one person who could set HIM free. HE made a choice to be quiet.

Pilate was surprised by the fact that Jesus didn’t try to defend HIMSELF. He tried to get Jesus to talk. Jesus only responded to Pilate’s comment that about HIM being the King of the Jews. Jesus simply stated “You said it.”

Pilate was also warned by his wife that she had had a dream about Jesus and that he should not have anything to do with “that just man.” It had to get Pilate thinking about what he was facing. In fact, he told the people that Jesus was a just man and he didn’t want to be held accountable for HIS death. He washed his hands of the whole thing.

There are going to be times when we need to keep silent. Remember that Jesus is our example. We might be falsely accused of something that we never did but the more we say the worse it gets. Defending yourself at times seems good but we have to look at things from the other person’s perspective. They have a tendency to always think you are guilty because you defend yourself.

Jesus didn’t defend HIMSELF because HE knew it was the plan of Father for HIM to die on the cross for the sins of the world. HE was falsely accused but didn’t say a word. We can do the same at times in our life. You can surprise people with your silence.

CHALLENGE: Let the LORD defend you. Let your life be a testimony to who you really are.

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: 42 HE saved other; HIMSELF HE cannot save. If HE be the King of Israel, let HIM now come down from the cross, and we will believe HIM. (4982 “save” [sozo] means deliver, to free from harm or evil, heal, rescue, keep safe, preserve, cure, or to make healthy from an illness.)

DEVOTION: The religious leaders were lying. They saw all the miracles that Jesus had preformed. Each time they said HE did it by the power of Satan. They said that HE was a false prophet. They called HIM names.

Now they have their way with HIM. They have HIM on the cross. They think they have a victory. They think once Jesus is dead the people will come back to them. They want to be the ones they listen to. They want their praise. They love the praise of men.

Jesus never praised them. HE confronted them for their false teachings. They had the people wondering about who HE really was in relationship to God. They make statements at the cross that could have convinced them that HE was genuine.

They claimed that He saved others. They claim that they will believe HIM if HE would just come down from the cross. They were lying. If HE came down from the cross they would again accuse HIM of getting HIS power from another source rather than God.

Today we can be like the Pharisees. We can say to God if you will only do this one thing I will believe you are the only true God. We can put our fleece out like Gideon and see if the LORD will do what we want HIM to do. It is wrong but we just want to know for sure that the LORD is truly the only God of the universe.

CHALLENGE: We are lying to ourselves if we try to do what the Pharisees did. Our responsibility is to trust the LORD and let HIS Holy Spirit guide us to truth.

DAILY SPIRITUAL SUPPER: Mature Believers

: 52, 53 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. (1454 “resurrection” [egersis] means a rousing, excitation, a rising up, or rising from the dead.)

DEVOTION: The trial of Jesus continues. The religious leaders brought Jesus to the political leader of the Roman Empire. Why? It is because the religious leaders could not condemn anyone to death. Once Jesus was before Pilate, he asked HIM some questions. The first one HE answered. The second one HE said nothing.

Pilate was warned of his wife regarding Jesus. He tried to have HIM released but the religious leaders stirred up the people.

Pilate gave in and the soldiers abused Jesus and then took HIM to be crucified. Once on the cross the crowd, religious leaders and thieves all mocked HIM.

Jesus cried out and they thought HE was calling Elijah but they misunderstood HIM. HE was crying out to the Father. HE was taking the sin of the world on HIS shoulders. HE was fulfilling Scripture. HIS whole purpose for coming the first time was to die on the cross for our sins. HIS blood sacrifice was made in our place. HE was our redeemer.

Now after HIS cry, HE gave up the ghost or died. Once HE died things started to happen. First Matthew tells us that the veil on the temple ripped from TOP to BOTTOM. That is unusual in itself as most things would rip from the bottom to the top. The second thing that happened was an EARTHQUAKE. The third action was the ROCKS RENT. Now the next thing was very unusual: the graves of the Old Testament saints were opened. Then three days later they walked around in the city of Jerusalem. These were dead men walking in the streets of Jerusalem!!! Many saw them walking around.

Finally, the soldiers who were watching the death of Jesus made a comment: “Truly this was the Son of God.” This shook up the soldiers. They believed that Jesus was the true Son of God.

Some people think that if the dead came back and told them that there is life after death – they would believe. Here was an opportunity for this to happen. Can we think that many became followers of Jesus because of these saints walking on the streets of Jerusalem? We don’t hear of many choosing to follow Christ because of this happening. This was just one other testimony to who Jesus was. Each of the things that happened during the crucifixion and after the resurrection of Christ were to show everyone that HE was real. Do we believe it to be real? If we do, are we sharing it with others? Please share this truth!! Jesus died on the cross for our sins. HE was in the grave three day. HE arose from the dead on the third day. We serve a RISEN SAVIOR!!!

CHALLENGE: Share this truth with one person this week. We serve a RISEN SAVIOR. No other religion can claim this fact.

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DISCIPLINES OF THE FAITH:

BODY

Chastity (Purity in living)

Fasting (Time alone with LORD without eating or drinking)

Sacrifice (Giving up something we want to serve the LORD)

Submission (Willing to listen to others and LORD)

Solitude (Going to a quiet place without anyone)

SOUL

Fellowship (Gathering together around the Word of God)

Frugality (wise use of resources)

Journalizing (Writing down what you have learned from the LORD)

Study and Meditation (Thinking through your study in the Word)

Secrecy (Doing your good deeds without others knowing but God)

SPIRIT

Celebration (Gathering around a special occasion to worship LORD)

Confession (Tell the LORD we are sorry for our sins on a daily basis)

Prayer (Conversation with God on a personal level)

Silence (Letting the LORD deal with some problems and needs)

Worship (Time to praise the LORD alone or in a group)

Chief priests verse 1, 3, 13, 20, 41

Temple verse 5, 40

Treasury verse 6

Veil of the Temple verse 51

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DOCTRINES OF THE FAITH:

Scripture (66 inerrant books of the Bible)

Jeremiah – the prophet verse 9, 10

Prophet verse 35

Elijah verse 47- 49

God the Father (First person of the Godhead)

God verse 40, 43, 46

God the Son (Second person of the Godhead –God/man, Messiah)

Jesus verse 1, 11, 17, 20, 22, 26, 27, 37, 46, 50, 55, 57, 58

King of the Jews verse 11, 29, 37

Answered nothing of chief priests/elders verse 12

Christ verse 17, 22

Just man verse 19

Crucified verse 22, 23, 31

Just person verse 24

Jesus the king of the Jews verse 37

Son of God verse 40, 43, 54

King of Israel verse 42

Nature affected verse 45, 51

Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani verse 46

Forsaken verse 46

Yielded up the ghost verse 50

Resurrection verse 53

Deceiver (by chief priests and Pharisees) verse 63

God the Holy Spirit (Third person of the Godhead – our comforter)

Trinity (Three persons of the Godhead who are co-equal = ONE God)

Angels (Created before the foundation of the world – Good and Evil)

Man (Created on the sixth twenty-four hour period of creation)

Pontius Pilate: Governor verse 2, 11, 13- 27, 58, 62, 65

Strangers verse 7

Barabbas verse 16, 17, 20, 21, 26

Wife of Pilate verse 19

Soldiers verse 27- 37

Man of Cyrene: Simon verse 32

Thieves verse 44

Centurion verse 54

Sin (Missing the mark set by God on man and angels)

Counsel against Jesus verse 1

Kill Jesus verse 1

Betrayed verse 3, 4

Sinned verse 4

False witness verse 13

Envy verse 18

Evil verse 23

Mocked Jesus verse 29, 31, 41

Thieves verse 38, 44

Reviled Jesus verse 39

Wagged heads at Jesus verse 39

Deceiver verse 63

Salvation (Provided by Christ’s death on the cross for our sins)

Innocent blood verse 4, 24

Prophet Jeremiah verse 9

Appointed verse 10

Just verse 19, 24

Save verse 40, 42, 49

Believe verse 42

Trust verse 43

Saints verse 52

Resurrection verse 53

Ministering verse 55

Disciple verse 57, 64

Israel (Old Testament people of God)

Chief priests verse 1, 3, 6, 13, 20, 41, 62- 64

Elders of the people verse 1, 3, 13, 20, 41

Judas repented himself verse 3

Judas hanged himself verse 5

Field of blood verse 8

Children of Israel verse 9

Golgotha: place of a skull verse 33

Jews verse 37

Scribes verse 41

Holy city: Jerusalem verse 53

Many women verse 55

Galilee verse 55

Mary Magdalene verse 56, 61

Mary the mother of James and John verse 56, 61

Man of Arimathaea: Joseph verse 57- 60

Pharisees verse 62- 64

Church (New Testament people of God)

Disciples verse 64

Last Things (Future Events)

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QUOTES regarding passage

What did Judas experience as a result of his heinous betrayal of Jesus Christ? He felt terrible remorse, even a profound self-loathing. But remorse, even accompanied by self-loathing, is not biblical repentance leading to true faith and salvation. Matthew may have indicated this by dropping the word usually employed for repentance (metanoeo), using metamelomai instead. Even without this change of words, however, it is clear that Judas’s repentance was utterly unlike Peter’s. Peter’s was a true repentance. Peter was crushed and wept shameful, bitter tears. Judas did not weep. He knew that he had done wrong and regretted his mistake, but his remorse did not drive him to repentance. Repentance would have turned him to Jesus. His sense of unatoned guilt only drove him farther away. (Boice, J. M. (2001). The Gospel of Matthew (598). Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books.)

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Perhaps he did not expect his betrayal to lead to a crucifixion, thinking either that Jesus would finally mount a revolt and escape arrest or that, if imprisoned, he would not receive so severe a sentence. At any rate, Judas is “seized with remorse” (from Greek metamelomai). This verb is much rarer in the New Testament than the typical verb for “repenting” (metanoeō) and seems here to refer to a change of mind or feeling of regret, which falls considerably short of full-fledged repentance (cf. 2 Cor 7:8, in which such remorse precedes repentance; and Heb 7:21, in which it refers to a change of mind and not sorrow for sin), even if in other contexts the semantic ranges of the two words overlap (e.g., Matt 21:29, 32). (Blomberg, C. (1992). Vol. 22: Matthew. The New American Commentary (407). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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Judas does acknowledge his sin and Jesus’ innocence, but he does not demonstrate the mark of genuine repentance—appropriate corrective action. (Blomberg, C. (1992). Vol. 22: Matthew. The New American Commentary (407). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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27:5 Judas responds in anger and despair. He hurls the money to the floor, probably in the temple treasury room (korbanas, v. 6), and goes out and kills himself. Was he inspired by the gruesome model of Ahithophel (2 Sam 17:23)? It is not possible to conclude from Judas’s actions that suicide automatically damns a person. There may be reasons why believers would take their lives when they are not fully in control of their senses (e.g., when there is a chemical imbalance in the body), but the Scriptures never commend suicide as do certain non-Christian religions. Suicide is always sinful, in violation of the Sixth Commandment (Exod 20:13), even if it can be forgiven. In Judas’s case, however, there is no scriptural warrant for the sentimental notion that he was actually saved. (Blomberg, C. (1992). Vol. 22: Matthew. The New American Commentary (407–408). Nashville: Broadman & Holman Publishers.)

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Each is thus seen to have fulfilled Jesus’ prediction (26:24 for Judas; 26:34 for Peter), but Peter’s bitter weeping (of repentance? see on 26:75) contrasts with Judas’ despairing remorse and suicide. Matthew’s striking focus on Judas (26:14–16, 21–25, 47–50) is thus brought to its climax in a grim warning of the results of deliberate apostasy (as opposed to Peter’s temporary lapse under pressure).( France, R. T. (1985). Vol. 1: Matthew: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (389–390). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.)

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3–4. Repented is not the word usually so translated in the New Testament (which usually implies a resulting forgiveness), but means ‘regretted’, ‘changed his mind’; its only other New Testament uses are in 21:29, 32; 2 Cor. 7:8; Heb. 7:21. It is thus appropriate to convey the idea of remorse without suggesting Judas’ salvation. (France, R. T. (1985). Vol. 1: Matthew: An introduction and commentary. Tyndale New Testament Commentaries (390). Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press)

This caused him to feel remorse. This did not necessarily mean that Judas came to a saving faith in the Messiah, but it certainly indicated that he wished he had not betrayed him. It also implied deep emotional distress. At the very least he realized he had been instrumental in the death of an innocent man. This was too much for Judas to bear. Messiah or not, this man had been his friend and teacher. (Weber, S. K. (2000). Vol. 1: Matthew. Holman New Testament Commentary (458). Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman Publishers)

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At this point, Judas returned to the scene. He witnessed the official trial and sentencing of Jesus and realized that He was condemned to die. Judas’ response was one of remorse and regret. The Greek word translated “repented himself” in Matthew 27:3 indicates, not a sorrow for sin that leads to a change of mind and action, but a regret at being caught, a remorse that leads to despair. Peter truly repented, and Jesus restored him. But Judas did not repent, and this led him to suicide.

Judas had sold Jesus for the price of a slave (Ex. 21:32). In desperation, he threw the money on the temple floor and left. The Law would not permit the use of this kind of tainted money for temple purposes (Deut. 23:18). The leaders were careful to observe the Law even while they were guilty of breaking it. They used the money to buy a “potter’s field” where Jewish strangers who died could be buried properly. (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996). The Bible exposition commentary (Vol. 1, p. 100). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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27:3–10. When Judas Iscariot realized the outcome of the deliberations, he was filled with remorse and went back to the officials. He had not envisioned this as the outcome of his betrayal, but what he had hoped to accomplish is not mentioned in the biblical text. He knew he had betrayed innocent blood for he admitted Jesus was not worthy of death. The religious leaders were unsympathetic, pointing out that that was his problem, not theirs. Judas decided he had to get rid of the money he had received for betraying the Lord. The money was apparently a continual reminder of his action and convicted him of his sin. He went to the temple and threw the money into the temple (naos, the holy place itself, not the temple precincts). Unlike Peter, however, Judas’ remorse did not include repentance, for he went from the temple and hanged himself. (More details of his action were given by Luke, Acts 1:18–19.)

Judas’ act of throwing the betrayal money into the temple caused the religious leaders some problems. They did not feel the money should be put into the temple coffers since it was blood money, money paid to bring about a man’s death. Yet they had had no scruples about giving it out in the first place (Matt. 26:15). They decided to take the money and buy a parcel of land (apparently in Judas’ name, Acts 1:18) in which to bury foreigners. The parcel, which was a potter’s field, a place where potters dug for clay, became known as the Field of Blood (Matt. 27:8), or Akeldama in Aramaic (Acts 1:19).

Matthew viewed these events as the fulfillment of a prophecy of Jeremiah. But the prophecy Matthew quoted was primarily from Zechariah, not Jeremiah. There is a close resemblance between Matthew 27:9–10 and Zechariah 11:12–13. But there are also similarities between Matthew’s words and the ideas in Jeremiah 19:1, 4, 6, 11. Why then did Matthew refer only to Jeremiah? The solution to this problem is probably that Matthew had both prophets in mind but only mentioned the “major” prophet by name. (A similar situation is found in Mark 1:2–3, where Mark mentioned the Prophet Isaiah but quoted directly from both Isaiah and Malachi.) In addition, another explanation is that Jeremiah, in the Babylonian Talmud (Baba Bathra 14b), was placed first among the prophets, and his book represented all the other prophetic books. (Barbieri, L. A., Jr. (1985). Matthew. In J. F. Walvoord & R. B. Zuck (Eds.), The Bible Knowledge Commentary: An Exposition of the Scriptures (Vol. 2, pp. 86–87). Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.)

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27:3, 4 Judas felt remorse because he had not planned for this to happen. He may have betrayed Jesus in order to force Him to take action against His enemies and inaugurate His kingdom. But that was not God’s timing and plan. (Radmacher, E. D., Allen, R. B., & House, H. W. (1999). Nelson’s new illustrated Bible commentary (p. 1197). Nashville: T. Nelson Publishers)

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27:3–4 Matthew inserts his unique narrative of Judas’s suicide (cf. Acts 1:16–20; 2 Sam 17:23) between the Jewish (26:57–68; 27:1–2) and Roman (27:11–26) stages of Jesus’ trial. It is difficult to establish the chronological relationship of Judas’s remorse and suicide to the rest of the events in the chapter. The remorse was due to Jesus’ being condemned, which may refer to Pilate’s later decision. Or perhaps Judas was one of the bystanders in Caiaphas’ courtyard and learned there that the Sanhedrin had condemned Jesus. In any event, the religious leaders in this passage had the time to receive Judas, which implies that they were no longer involved with Pilate (27:12, 20). (Turner, D., & Bock, D. L. (2005). Cornerstone biblical commentary, Vol 11: Matthew and Mark (p. 352). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers)

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FROM MY READING:

DIVINE DIRECTION

poem by Anne R. C. Neale

No need or any situation is too small for the Divine Direction,

I know that God is always with me so I need not fear,

God’s Divine ideas, and wisdom and guidance that He gives to me

I receive every second on my life, year, after year after year,

No matter how busy I am with chores or appointments,

I live with joy and confidence knowing God is with me,

I have my Love, Belief, Hope, Faith and Trust totally in God,

God is with me always, and that is great you see.

No need or any situation is too small for God’s Direction,
God holds me in the palms of His hands,

I stay focused on my physicals and Spiritual being,

With God in my Life, I have an inner peace which is so totally grand.

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Old Testament WORDS for TODAY by Warren W. Wiersbe

Slothful and sluggard are old words that describe lazy people. Slothful comes from the slow-moving sloth in the animal world and sluggard from the slower-moving slug in the world of mollusks. Other words we might use today would be loafer, slouch, or goldbricker. (p. 128)

Work is not punishment for sin, because our first parents worked in the garden before sin came on the scene (Gen. 2: 15). Work is a privilege and an opportunity for us to learn and grow, to use our God-given abilities and the natural resources the Lord has given us so that we may provide for ourselves and others and give to the LORD (Eph. 4:28). (p. 129)

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Family Worship by Donald S. Whitney

Basically, there are three elements to family: read the Bible, pray and sing. (p. 44)

As the children get older, set a goal to read through the entire New Testament, and later through the entire Bible.

To improve their understanding, perhaps ask the children to choose a verse or phrase to explain to you, and then have them pick one for you to explain to them.

…….

Whatever you approach, pray about at least one thing suggested to you and your family by the Scripture passage you have read. (p. 45)

I’ve discovered in teaching this idea that sometimes people presume that they need to prepare some sort of lesson or devotional for family worship. Not so. Occasionally you may encounter an article, blog post, sermon illustration, or the like that you want to share with the family as a means of conveying biblical teaching. (p. 47)

If you aren’t involved in an organized Bible memory program, consider developing a simple one of your own. Some families do this by working on one or more verses from the book of the Bible they are currently reading. (p. 49)

You’re probably aware of studies which demonstrate the many benefits received by the children whose parents read to them. (p. 50)

Whatever time you choose, consider the wisdom of adapting a time when the family is already accustomed to being together, rather than trying to create another routine gathering during the day.

Every family has to flex its worship time occasionally. Just be careful that your flexibility does not lead to inconsistency. (p. 51)

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1 Corinthians 15
Christ’s resurrection is the basis for our resurrection, which is the final victory over sin.
INSIGHT

It is difficult for us to imagine what our resurrected bodies will be like. Yet there are snatches of information in the Scriptures that may give us some idea. In Matthew 17, for example, we read about Jesus, Moses, and Elijah who, having lost their earthly appearance, glow with a dazzling light. From this one brief example, we might conclude that our bodies will shine with dazzling light, that we will be free from gravity, that we may travel at fabulous speeds, and will be able to appear and disappear. C. S. Lewis once wrote that if we were to see our glorified selves coming down the street, we would be tempted to fall at our own feet and worship ourselves. (Quiet Walk)

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ANOINTED

Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.
Ephesians 4:8
We are told that our Lord was, as it were, anointed and set apart for His Messianic and saving work when the Holy Spirit came upon Him in Jordan when He was baptized by John the Baptist; and in a sense, the same thing is true of the individual Christian. “Ye have an unction from the Holy One,” says John (1 John 2:20). Who is that? The context makes it quite plain—He is none other than our Lord Himself; and in verse 27 the reference is still to the Lord Jesus Christ.
This is an interesting point that can be looked at in two ways. We are told by the apostle Paul in Ephesians 4:8 that “when he ascended up on high, he….gave gifts unto men” (Ephesians 4:8). It was the Lord Jesus Christ who sent the Holy Spirit upon the infant Christian Church. The Holy Spirit did not come until Christ had ascended into heaven; then the Spirit came. He comes from the Father and the Son, or from the Father through the Son; it is as a result of the perfect work of the Son that the Father gives the Holy Spirit to all who belong to Him. That is one way of looking at it.
But there is another way of looking at it. Because we are incorporated into Christ and into the life of Christ, we partake of what is true of Him. Therefore, as He has been anointed and has received the Holy Spirit without measure, all of us who are in Him receive the gift of the Holy Spirit because we are in Him. That is why any kind of teaching that would ever suggest that you can be a Christian without receiving the Holy Spirit is unscriptural. It is impossible for one to be a Christian and then later on receive the Holy Spirit. To be in Christ means that you are receiving the Spirit.
A Thought to Ponder: Any kind of teaching that would ever suggest that you can be a Christian without receiving the Holy Spirit is unscriptural. (From Walking with God, pp. 119-120, by Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones)

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Everything Beautiful in His Time
“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” (Ecclesiastes 3:11)
In verses 2–8 of Ecclesiastes 3 appears a remarkable listing of 28 “times,” arranged in 14 pairs of opposites (e.g., “a time to be born, and a time to die,” v. 2). The entire section is introduced by God’s definitive statement: “To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven” (v. 1). It is then climaxed by His remarkable assurance in the words of our text for the day. Everything that God has made is beautiful in its appropriate time—even death and war, killing and hating, and all the other “negatives” in the list, as well as the 14 “positives”—healing and loving, building and planting, and many others.
The pronoun (implied) could be either “its” or “His,” and since all our “times” are “in thy hand” (Psalm 31:15), it is fitting to recognize that the appropriate time for “every purpose under heaven” is His time—God’s time.
Thus, everything that God has made is, in fact, beautiful when accomplished in His own time, in His way, as set forth in His Word. We may not understand many things in our time, for “no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.” Nevertheless, when God made us, He “set the world in [our hearts],” so that the very deepest roots of our nature assure us that God exists and cares. The Hebrew word for “world” means, literally, that “world without end” (compare Ephesians 3:21). Thus, all that happens to us, if accepted and applied according to God’s Word, becomes beautiful, and “we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose” (Romans 8:28).

(HMM, The Institute for Creation Research)

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It was clear that evangelical theology is metaphysically affirmative, in sharp contrast to neo-

Protestant religious theory; it is unabashedly supernaturalistic, in direct contradiction

to communist materialism; it is confidently revelational and rational, in noteworthy

divergence from Thomistic empiricism; it is unapologetically Scriptural, in marked

dissent from the Roman Catholic emphasis on tradition and on an authoritative

hierarchy. (p. 10-11)

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In several presentations the anti-intellectual trend of recent theology was recognized

as no less a threat to the effective survival of Christianity than was the anti-evangelistic

temper of recent ecumenism. (p. 11)

(Evangelicals at the Brink of Crisis by Carl F. H. Henry)

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We now have a Facebook page for Small Church Ministries – please invite others to join us on Facebook. Thank you. Look for the logo from the devotionals.

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