Who Killed Jesus? According to The Gospel of Matthew

Cheryl Mason © April, 2016

Chapter 26

Verse 2 — It’s two days before the Feast of Passover

Verse 3 — The Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders assemble at the Palace of Caiaphas

Verse 4 — They are plotting to take Jesus by force and kill Him (premeditated murder)

Verse 5 — But not during the Feast (Passover) for they feared the people

Verse 7 — Jesus is anointed with oil for burial (verse 12)

Verse 14 – Judas Iscariot goes to the High Priest

Verse 15 – Judas Iscariot receives thirty pieces of silver to deliver Jesus over to them (a parody of Joseph being sold by his brothers)

Verse 17 – First day of Unleavened Bread ─ Jesus prepares for the Passover

Verse 26 – Jesus and His disciples eat the Passover meal

Verse 32 – Jesus predicts His Resurrection

Verse 34 – Peter is told he will deny Jesus three times

Verse 36 – Jesus and the disciples arrive at the Garden of Gethsemane

Verse 37 – Jesus is sorrowful

Verse 38 – Jesus prays … take this cup from me, not my will but your will be done

Verse 42 – Jesus prays again … take this cup from me etc.

Verse 45 – Jesus reprimands the disciples for falling asleep

Verse 47 – Judas arrives with the Chief Priests and Elders to arrest Jesus

Verse 49 – The sign of the kiss … Judas kisses Jesus

Verse 53 – Jesus says He has the power to summon twelve legions of Angels (3000-6000) in a legion, that is up to 72,000 Angels

Verse 54 – Jesus is obedient in order to fulfill the Scriptures

Verse 55 – Jesus says to the crowds … I sat daily with you, teaching you in the Temple

Verse 57 – Jesus is led away by Caiaphas the High Priest, where the Scribes and the Elders were assembled. Josephus in Antiquities (xv111.64) mentions men of renown of the highest standing condemned Jesus to death.

Verse 59 – Chief Priests, Elders and all the Council seek a false testimony (Two witnesses under Judaic/Talmudic Law)

Verse 61 – In the end two false witnesses testified that Jesus said, “I’m able to destroy this Temple and build it up in three days.”

Verse 63 – High Priest says to Jesus, “Under oath tell us if you are the Christ (Messiah), the Son of the Living God.”

Verse 64 – Jesus replies, “It is as you say … nevertheless you will see the Son of Man, sitting at the right hand of Power, and coming on the clouds of Heaven”, (Messianic Expectation – Daniel 7:13)

Verse 65 – The High Priest tore his clothes, accused Jesus of Blasphemy (punishable by death)

Verse 66 – “What you think?”, they said, “He is deserving of death!”

Verse 67 – They spat on Him, beat Him, struck Him with their hands

Verse 68 – Prophesy!!! (Obviously, because Jesus had declared Himself to be the Son of Man who will come in the clouds).

Verse 69 – Peter’s ordeal — Peter denies Jesus

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Chapter 27

The Next Morning: The day before Passover

Verse 1 — Chief Priests and Elders meet again to conspire to kill Jesus

Verse 2 — They bound Jesus and delivered Him to Pontius Pilate Governor of Judea (Pilate had no jurisdiction over a Galilean like Jesus) Pilate was Governor of Judea, that’s why we read in Luke’s Gospel (Luke 3:1) that Jesus had to appear before Herod because Jesus lived in Herod’s jurisdiction. Pilate used the opportunity to involve Herod not only to build a closer relationship to Herod but also to pass-the-buck onto Herod. Don’t forget Pilate had been warned by his wife not to get involved with Jesus (Matthew 27:19).

Verse 3 — Judas Iscariot returns the thirty pieces of silver to the Chief Priests, declared Jesus innocent then leaves and commits suicide. The ‘blood money’ is returned into the
temple treasury

Verse 9 — “And, it was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying, And, they took the thirty pieces of silver, the value of Him who was priced, whom they of the children of Israel priced” (Zechariah 11:12). Jeremiah spoke it, Zachariah recorded it.

Verse 11 — Jesus is brought before Pilate the Governor of the Province of Judah

Verse 12 — The Chief Priests and Elders accuse Jesus before Pilate

Verse 13 — Pilate says to Jesus … “Do you not hear the charges they bring against you?”

Verse 14 — Jesus answers nothing

Verse 15 — Passover Prisoner Amnesty –  the releasing of one prisoner

Verse 17 — Pilate asks the crowd, “Whom do you want me to release, Jesus or Barabbas?”

Verse 18 — For Pilate knew they had handed Him over because of Envy (to understand Envy you have to understand the Ancient Near East mindset of Envy) It was the same word used with Joseph and his brothers.

Verse 19 — Pilate is warned by his wife about her dream, she told her husband to have nothing to do with Jesus

Verse 20 — The crowd is persuaded by the Chief Priests and Elders to release Barabbas

Verse 22 — Pilate asks the crowd, “What shall we do with Jesus the Christ (Messiah)?”. They replied, “Crucify Him.”

Verse 23 — Pilate says, “Why what evil has He done?”, They cried all the more, “Crucify Him!”

Verse 24 — Pilate becomes concerned about the angry crowd, he took water and washed his hands, saying, “I’m innocent of this man’s blood”

Verse 25 — The crowd says, “His blood be upon us and on our children” (generational curse)

Verse 26 — Barabbas is released and Jesus is delivered up to be crucified

Verse 27 — Jesus is brought to the Praetorium (The Roman soldiers take over at this point)

Verse 28 — Jesus is stripped and a scarlet robe placed on Him. Because Mark says Purple and Matthew and John say Scarlet, I’m going to refer you to an article by Apologetics Press:

http://espanol.apologeticspress.org/articles/559

Verse 29 — Jesus is crowned with a crown of thorns, given a reed and mocked. It was in this place He was first deemed “King of the Jews!” Perhaps inadvertently the Roman Garrison were mocking the Jews as well. It would’ve been common knowledge that the Jews were waiting for their Messiah.

Verse 30 — Jesus is spat upon and beaten again

Verse 31 — The Robe is removed and Jesus’s own clothes are put back on Him and He is led away to be crucified

Verse 32 — Simon of Cyrene helps Jesus carry His cross

Verse 33 — Jesus arrives at Golgotha

Verse 34 — Jesus is given sour wine mingled with gall, he tastes it then refuses to drink it

Verse 35 — Jesus is stripped naked (crucifixions were performed naked) His garments were divided and lots were cast

Verse 36 — Jesus was watched … (there was always a crowd there, Chief Priests, Scribes, Elders, Romans and Jesus’s own family and friends).

Verse 37 — The Title over The Cross read … “This is Jesus the King of the Jews”

Verse 38 — Two robbers were crucified with Jesus

Verse 39 — Whilst on the cross, Jesus is blasphemed

Verse 40 — The destruction of the Temple and rebuilding accusation is levelled at Him again, “You who said, you will destroy the Temple etc. And, if you are the Son of God come down from the cross” (They were looking for a sign)

Verse 41 — The Chief Priests, Scribes and Elders also mocked Him

Verse 42 — He said … “I’m the Son of God” now let God Deliver Him

Verse 46 — Jesus cries out “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” about the ninth hour (Matthew 27:46 and John 19:14 say ninth hour, but Mark 15:25 says third hour, it’s just a case of whether Jewish standard time or a Roman standard time was used) For a more detailed explanation please refer again to Apologetics Press.

http://apologeticspress.org/apcontent.aspx?category=6&article=584

Verse 48 — Jesus is offered the sour wine drink

Verse 50 — Jesus dies on the cross

Verse 52 — The graves were opened up and the righteous dead were raised from their graves. This is the First Resurrection.

Verse 57 — Joseph of Arimathea a prominent council member gets permission from Pilate to remove the body of Jesus and lay it in his own new tomb. Jesus was buried before Passover in accordance with Judaic Law. Jews removed the body and buried it before sunset, Roman Law dictated that crucified bodies remained on the cross as a deterrent to would-be offenders. Eventually carrion eating animals and birds consumed the bodies.

This is not where this story ends, but in this instance it will end here, because I’ve provided you with a breakdown verse by verse of the important events in the trial and subsequent crucifixion and death of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, according to the Gospel of Matthew.

If you get nothing else out of this, please understand that this man suffered the full force of Judaic and Roman Law under two trials. Something that was unheard of even at a time when these cultures were steeped in cruelty.

In the words of the Apostle Paul … “Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us; for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangs on a tree” (Galatians 3:13). Jesus Christ of Nazareth, could never be a curse for us if He didn’t take on every aspect of the Curse of Judaic Law. If He was crucified and died under Roman Law, then we would have a Roman deity, and a Roman deity becoming a curse for us is irrelevant and carries no spiritual benefit to us.

The End:

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