Matthew 27:1-26 Jesus Handed Over to Pontius Pilate
“When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people plotted 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 Hangs Himself
Then Judas, His betrayer, seeing that He had been condemned, was remorseful and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.”
And they said, “What is that to us? You see to it!”
Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the temple and departed, and went and hanged himself.
But the chief priests took the silver pieces and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, because they are the price of blood.” And they consulted together and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
Then 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, and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
What did Judas expect? Why did Judas betray Jesus, only to change his mind when he realized that he had helped sign Jesus’ death warrant? Had Jesus caught Judas stealing from the common purse and confronted him? Had Judas reveled in secretly conspiring with top religious authorities, feeling that now he had certainly arrived? We will never know. We do know that Jesus washed Judas’ feet just as he did for all the other disciples and that Jesus himself gave Judas a piece of bread dipped in wine, a sign of brotherhood and trust.
Jesus Faces Pilate
“Now Jesus stood before the governor. And the governor asked Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?”
Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.” And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.
Then Pilate said to Him, “Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?” But He answered him not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.
What was Pilate thinking? Pilate’s wife tried to warn him to leave Jesus alone; however, Pilate feared for his position as governor and knew that he couldn’t trust King Herod or the religious authorities. Pilate undoubtedly ignored his wife’s warnings, feeling that women surely couldn’t understand complicated political affairs. Now Pilate was facing a mob whipped into a frenzy by agitators hired by the priests and elders. Rome would take a very dim view of any violence erupting in Jerusalem, that city with such a bad reputation for trouble makers. And Pilate was not the stuff of which heroes are made; the assignment to Jerusalem was one given to lesser rulers.
Taking the Place of Barabbas
“Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished. And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas. Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?” For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.”
While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, “Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him.”
But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor answered and said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you?”
They said, “Barabbas!”
Pilate said to them, “What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?”
They all said to him, “Let Him be crucified!”
Then the governor said, “Why, what evil has He done?”
But they cried out all the more, saying, “Let Him be crucified!”
When Pilate saw that he could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this just Person. You see to it.”
And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.”
Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.”
Even though Pilate’s wife had warned him and even though Pilate himself realized Jesus was innocent and righteous, he feared the crowds and the censure of Rome. In the end, Pilate chose to save himself by releasing Barabbas.
We read these accounts and feel justified in criticizing Pilate, but would we have done any better had we been in his position? The Jews as a group had a reputation for being difficult and obstreperous. As a Roman, Pilate undoubtedly practiced some kind of religion; however, it obviously gave him nothing to fall back upon during a crisis. The true test of a believer does not come in the midst of a church service with other believers but in the market place, in the political arena, where voices clamor against the very things one holds dear.
Once Barabbas is released, we never hear of him again. Did Barabbas repent or did he continue his evil career, perhaps harming the very individuals who had demanded his release? And what about Judas? Even though we love to hate Judas as a traitor, Judas repented before he hung himself. If Jesus could pardon the thief on the cross, what about Judas? Will we see Judas in heaven?
Our view of the love of God is so constricted that we have no idea how much love God has for malefactors and criminals. We feel superior; yet, Romans 3:23 says that “all have sinned and have fallen short of the glory of God.” We want to believe that we would have followed Jesus to Calvary along with the faithful women, but it’s just as likely that we might have been part of the crowd screaming, “Crucify him!” As disciples, once we truly face the evil nature of our own hearts, we can never again feel superior to anybody else, for we have the potential to commit unspeakable acts.
We must allow God to shine His Holy Spirit light throughout our spirits, showing us the dark corners we have been hiding. Unless God cleans us up, we too can betray Jesus like Judas. We too can bow to popular opinion like Pilate. And we too can be emotionally manipulated to persecute righteous people, just like the members of that crowd. May God deliver us from ourselves!
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, we confess that in and of ourselves there is nothing good. We beg You to clean us up, to change our filthy hearts and minds and spirits for Your holiness. Help us to follow hard after You all the days of our lives. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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