Chronological Bible Study – Nov 12
What I Noticed Today (Matthew 27; Mark 15)
Matthew 27
In verses 1-2, that morning, the chief priests and elders decided to put Jesus to death, so they bound Him and delivered him to Pilate, the governor.
Note: It was against Jewish law to conduct trials at night. So these initial trials by the chief priests and elders were all a violation of Jewish law. Also, under Roman law, Jews did not have the right to pass a death sentence on someone, so they took the trial to Pilate, the Roman governor of Judea.
In verses 3-10, Judas had a change of heart, having realized that he had betrayed an innocent man. He attempted to return the money to the chief priests by throwing it down at their feet. They refused, so Judas went out and hanged himself. The chief priests took the money and bought a potter’s field as a burial place for strangers (called the Field of Blood because it was purchased with blood money). This was in fulfillment of Zechariah 11:12-13, and Jeremiah 32:6-9.
In verses 11-14, Jesus was brought before Pilate, who asked if He was king of the Jews, and Jesus answered only, “You have said so.” When accused by the chief priests and elders, Jesus said nothing.
Note: According to Roman law, refusing to put on a defense was equivalent to an admission of guilt.
In verses 15-23, it was a tradition during the feast of governors to release a prisoner. Pilate asked the crowd do you want me to release Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ. Pilate’s wife warned him not to have anything to do with Jesus’ death, but the chief priests and elders stirred up the crowd so that they shouted for Barabbas’ release, and the crucifixion of Jesus.
In verses 24-26, When Pilate realized the crowd was determined, he washed his hands before them, saying he was innocent of Jesus’ blood. He then had Jesus scourged and released him to be crucified.
Note: Scourging prior to crucifixion was a common Roman punishment. The scourging was done with a whip that had multiple thongs, each with bone or metal shards. When the whip hit the body, it was then pulled away, tearing off pieces of flesh.
In verses 27-30, the battalion of the governor’s soldiers took Jesus to the governor’s palace, stripped him, put on a scarlet robe, and a crown of thorns on his head, and a reed in his hands. They mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” They spat on him and hit him with the reed. Finally, they put his own clothes on him and led him away to be crucified.
Note: A Roman battalion was between 420 and 480 men.
Note: Scarlet was associated with sin (Isaiah 1:18). Putting on the scarlet robe is a picture of Jesus taking on our sins.
Note: Jesus said nothing during this time of humiliation.
In verses 32-44, Jesus carried his cross on the way to be crucified. The Romans compelled Simon the Cyrene (in northern Africa) to help carry the cross to Golgotha.
Note: Golgotha is Aramaic for “skull.” So named perhaps because the place was shaped like a skull. Also, Calvary is the Anglicized translation of the Latin for the Greek word kranion.
When Jesus had been lifted up on the cross, they offered him wine mixed with gall, but he refused it. The soldiers divided his garment by casting lots for them in fulfillment of Psalm 22:18. Jesus was crucified with two robbers in fulfillment of Isaiah 53:12. The chief priests, elders, and the crowd continued to mock Him because of His claim to be king of the Jews, the Son of God.
Note: Gall was narcotic used as a pain deadener.
In verses 45-50, between the sixth hour and the ninth hour (12n – 3 pm), there was darkness over all the land, and in the ninth hour, Jesus said, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me.”
Note: It was during this time that Jesus had taken on the sins of man. Since God is Holy and cannot be in the presence of sin, Jesus, for the first time, felt separated from the Father.
Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up His spirit.
Note: Jesus’ life was not taken from Him; He gave it up, releasing His spirit to the Father.
In verses 51-54, three miraculous events occurred at the time of Jesus’ death:
- The curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The curtain separated the place where the priests ministered from the Holy of Holies, where God lived. Rabbinic tradition speaks of the veil being as thick as a man’s hand or about 4 inches.
- There was a strong earthquake.
- The tombs of many saints were opened. They were raised up and went into the city and appeared to many!
When the centurion watching over Jesus saw all this, he said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
In verses 55-56, many women from Galilee who had been following Jesus and ministering to Him, looked on from a distance, including Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother (Salome) of the sons of Zebedee.
Note: It is telling that these women were faithful in their ministry to Jesus right up until the end. It stands in stark contrast to the disciples who had deserted Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane.
In verses 57-61, Joseph of Arimathea, a rich man, and a disciple of Jesus went to Pilate asking for Jesus’ body. He buried Jesus in his own new tomb. Mary Magdalene and the “other” Mary were there by the tomb.
In verses 62-66, the day after the Passover, the chief priests and Pharisees were concerned about Jesus’ claim to be raised on the third day, so they went to Pilate asking for permission to secure Jesus’ tomb. Pilate gave his permission, so they sealed the tomb and posted a guard.
Mark 15
In verses 1-5 (See also Matthew 27:1-2), as soon as it was morning, the chief priests, elders, scribes, and Sanhedrin met to confirm their guilty verdict. They then led Jesus away to Pilate (the Roman governor of the region).
Note: This second meeting was probably 5-6 am on Friday (April 3, A.D. 33). It was typical for a sentence to be confirmed the day following the verdict. Under Roman law, the Sanhedrin could convict someone, but they had no authority to carry out a death sentence.
Pilate questioned Jesus, asking if He was the King of the Jews, and Jesus confirmed that He was. The chief priests accused Jesus of many things, but He did not answer their charges.
In verses 6-15, (See also Matthew 27:15-26), at the Passover festival, Pilate’s custom was to release one prisoner. He asked the people if he should release Jesus, but the chief priests rallied the crowd to demand the release of Barabbas, a convicted murderer. The crowd then demanded that Jesus be crucified, so Pilate had Jesus flogged and then turned Him over to be crucified.
Note: It was Roman custom to flog a male who was sentenced to death. The prisoner was stripped, usually tied to a post, and then flogged with whips that had pieces of sharp bone and metal embedded in them. Because there was no set limit on the number of blows in a Roman flogging, the flogging itself often led to death.
In verses 16-20, (See also Matthew 27:27-31), the Roman soldiers removed Jesus from the courtyard and took Him inside the palace. There they humiliated Him by dressing Him in a purple robe and placing a crown of thorns on His head. They beat Him with rod and spit on Him. Finally, they dressed Him in His own clothes and led Him away to be crucified.
In verses 21-32, (See also Matthew 27:32-44), the Roman soldiers forced Simon the Cyrene to carry Jesus’ cross until they reach Golgotha (which means Place of the Skull). They offered Jesus wine mixed with myrrh, but He refused it.
Note: Myrrh was a narcotic given to deaden the pain and bring about a quicker death.
They crucified Jesus at 9 am (the third hour), casting lots for His clothes (fulfilling Psalm 22:18) and put a sign on the cross “The King of the Jews.” Jesus was crucified between two outlaws (fulfilling Isaiah 53:12).
Passersby, the chief priests, and scribes mocked Jesus so much that even the two men being crucified with Him also mocked Him.
In verses 33-41 (See also Matthew 27:45-56), in the ninth hour (12n), darkness came over the land for three hours until 3 pm. Jesus shouted, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?”
Note: Jesus had taken on the sin of the world, so at this moment, he was separated from the Father who cannot look upon sin (Habakkuk 1:13).
Jesus let out a loud cry and breathed His last. At that moment, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom. The centurion who was standing near Jesus said certainly this man was the Son of God.
Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James the younger and Jose, and Salome, mother of Zebedee’s sons were there and had been attending to Jesus.
Note: The devotion of these women who had been ministering to Jesus stands in stark contrast to the disciples who had been scattered just as Jesus predicted.
In verses 42-47 (See also Matthew 27:57-61), it was Preparation Day (Friday before the Sabbath), and Joseph of Arimathea, a member of the Sanhedrin, went to Pilate and requested Jesus body in order to bury Him. When Pilate confirmed that Jesus was indeed dead, he gave Jesus’ body to Joseph.
Note: Roman custom was to leave a body hanging on the cross for some time. Only the Roman magistrate had the authority to release the body for burial. Jewish custom was to bury the corpse on the day the person died, and this needed to be done before evening.
Joseph wrapped Jesus’ body, placed Him in a tomb, and rolled a large stone across the entrance while Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of Jose were watching.
Note: The large stone that covered the entrance of the tomb was quite heavy and rolled downhill into a slot in front of the tomb. Moving it away would require it to be rolled uphill, which would require several men.
What did you notice in your study today? Feel free to visit the website and leave a question or a comment.