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Week 20 — Day 1
1 Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put Him to death.
2 And having bound Him, they led Him away and delivered Him to 1Pilate the governor.
3 Then Judas, who betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned, regretted and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,
4 Saying, I have sinned in betraying innocent blood. But they said, What is that to us? You see to that yourself!
5 And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple and departed, and he went away and hanged himself.
15 Now at the feasts the governor was accustomed to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted.
24 And Pilate…took water and 1washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of this 2man’s blood.…
26 Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he 1scourged and delivered up to be 2crucified.
The spiritual significance of chapter twenty-seven is that it is related to righteousness. In 27:19 Pilate’s wife referred to the Lord Jesus as a righteous man, and in verse 24 Pilate himself called Him a righteous man.
It is very meaningful that Matthew inserted the record of the destiny of Judas into his account of Pilate’s judgment of Christ. The record of Judas testifies of righteousness. Even the betrayer of the Lord Jesus eventually realized that He was a righteous man and that what had been done to Him was altogether unrighteous. In an attempt to be righteous, he threw away the thirty pieces of silver, for his conscience did not allow him to keep them. This is righteousness. When Judas returned the money, the religious leaders seemed to say, “We cannot keep this money, the price of blood, for the service of God. It is better that we use it to buy a parcel of land for burying strangers [vv. 6-7].” This shows that even the religious leaders had a formal righteousness.
The concept here in chapter twenty-seven is rather deep. In chapter twenty-six we saw a contrast between the life that can make it to be for the kingdom and the life that cannot make it. Now in chapter twenty-seven we have a contrast between righteousness and unrighteousness.…This contrast implies that the kingdom of the world cannot stand. The reason it cannot stand is that it is not built upon righteousness.…Because of the unrighteousness of the government of the kingdom of this world, Christ was wrongly condemned to die. Nevertheless, actually He was rightly sentenced to death by the righteousness of God. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 803-807)
21 Pilate, an agent of Caesar Tiberius, was a Roman procurator in Judea (Palestine) from A.D. 26-35. Not long after he unjustly delivered up the Lord Jesus to be crucified, his rule ended abruptly. He was banished and committed suicide.
In the evil conspiracy the Jewish religionists convinced the heathen politician to collaborate with them to kill the Lord Jesus.
241 This was to appease his conscience.
242 Some MSS add, righteous.
261 This utterly exposed the darkness and injustice of politics! This injustice fulfilled Isa. 53:5, 8.
262 The Jewish death penalty was carried out by stoning (Lev. 20:2, 27; 24:14; Deut. 13:10; 17:5). Crucifixion was a heathen practice (Ezra 6:11) adopted by the Romans for the execution of slaves and heinous criminals only. The Lord Jesus’ being crucified was a fulfillment not only of the Old Testament prophecies (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13; Num. 21:8-9) but also of the Lord’s word concerning how He would die (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32). These could not have been fulfilled by stoning. See note 321 in John 18.
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 803-808; Hymns: #20
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 20 — Day 2
34 They gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall. And when He tasted it, He would not drink.
35 And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among themselves, casting lots.
38 At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.
39 And those who were passing by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying,
40 You who destroy the temple and build it up in three days, save Yourself! 1If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!
42 He saved others; Himself He 1cannot save!…
45 Now from the sixth hour darkness fell over all the land until the ninth hour.
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, 1why have You forsaken Me?
48 And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he soaked it with 1vinegar and put it on a reed, and gave it to Him to drink.
50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and 1yielded up His spirit.
Verses 27 through 32 show how the Lord Jesus was mocked by the heathen soldiers.…The Lord here, as the Passover Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins, was brought [v. 31] like a lamb to the slaughter, fulfilling Isaiah 53:7-8. [Following this, Matthew 27:33-44 reveals] how the Lord was mocked by men and killed.…Verse 34 says, “They gave Him wine to drink, mingled with gall. And when He tasted it, He would not drink.” The wine mingled with gall (and also with myrrh — Mark 15:23) was used as a stupefying drink. But the Lord would not be stupefied; He would drink the bitter cup to the dregs. [Furthermore], verse 35 says, “And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among themselves, casting lots.” The Lord was robbed to the uttermost by sinners, fulfilling Psalm 22:18. This too exposed the darkness of Roman politics.
Although the Jewish leaders rejected the Lord Jesus as their King, it was sovereign of God that they set up above His head as a charge “THE KING OF THE JEWS” (v. 37).
Verse 38 says, “At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left.” This was for the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9a.
[By the time of Matthew 27:45, unrighteous men had exhausted their deeds. They had done everything they could. At that time, God came in, in a righteous way to judge this crucified Savior and to forsake Him.] This verse says, “Now from the sixth hour darkness fell over all the land until the ninth hour.” The sixth hour was 12:00 noon, and the ninth was 3:00 p.m. The Lord was crucified from the third hour, 9:00 a.m. (Mark 15:25), until the ninth hour, 3:00 p.m. He suffered on the cross for six hours. In the first three hours He was persecuted by men for doing God’s will; in the last three hours He was judged by God to accomplish our redemption. It was during this time that God counted Him as our Substitute who suffered for our sin (Isa. 53:10). Darkness fell over all the land (Matt. 27:45) because our sin and sins and all negative things were being dealt with there; and because of our sin God forsook Him (v. 46). (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 808-811)
401 This was a repetition of the devil’s temptation in the wilderness (4:6).
421 If He had saved Himself, He could not save us.
461 God forsook Christ on the cross because He took the place of sinners (1 Pet. 3:18) — He bore our sins (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:6) and was made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21).
481 Offered to the Lord in a mocking way (Luke 23:36) for quenching His thirst (John 19:28-30 and note 301).
501 This was His giving up of His spirit (John 19:30); it indicates that the Lord voluntarily yielded up His life (Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46).
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 808-812; Hymns: #94
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 20 — Day 3
51 And behold, the veil of the temple was split in two from top to bottom, and the earth was shaken and the rocks were split,
52 And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
54 Now the centurion and those with him guarding Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that happened, became greatly frightened, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.
57 And when 1evening fell, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.
58 This man came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded that it be given to him.
Verses 51 through 56 reveal the effect of Christ’s crucifixion. Verse 51 says, “And behold, the veil of the temple was split in two from top to bottom.” This signifies that the separation between God and man had been abolished because the flesh of sin (the flesh being signified by the veil) taken by Christ (Rom. 8:3) had been crucified (Heb. 10:20 and note 2).…Now the way to enter into the presence of God is open for us. What a wonderful effect of the Lord’s death! His death was not martyrdom; it was an act of redemption.
[Matthew 27:51] also says that “the earth was shaken and the rocks were split.” The shaking of the earth signifies that the base of Satan’s rebellion was shaken, and the splitting of the rocks signifies that the strongholds of Satan’s earthly kingdom were broken. Hallelujah, the Lord’s death tore the veil, shook the base of Satan’s rebellion, and broke the strongholds of Satan’s kingdom! What a death! Praise the Lord for His death! Because God’s righteousness was fully satisfied, Christ’s death could be so effective.
[In verse 52] the opening of the tombs signifies that the power of death and Hades was conquered and subdued, and the raising of the bodies of the saints signifies the releasing power of the death of Christ. Verse 53 says that they came out of the tombs after His resurrection and entered into the holy city and appeared to many. In the type, the firstfruits of the harvest (Lev. 23:10-11) were not a single stalk of wheat but a sheaf of wheat, typifying not only the resurrected Christ but also the saints who were raised from the dead after His resurrection, as seen here.…The Roman centurion and guards testified that Jesus was truly God’s Son when they saw what happened at the death of Christ (v. 54).
Verses 57 through 66 reveal that the Lord Jesus was buried by a rich man.…This righteous One was surely worthy of such a burial.
After the Lord Jesus was buried, the chief priests and the Pharisees came to Pilate and asked him to secure the grave until the third day (vv. 62-64). [This securing was] probably by a cord stretched across the stone and sealed at both ends (see Dan. 6:17). On the negative side, this sealing was intended by the opposing Jewish leaders to be a precaution, but on the positive side, it turned out to be a strong testimony of the Lord’s resurrection. Without such a sealing, the resurrection of Christ would not have been as significant. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 812-814)
571 After the Lord accomplished His redemptive and life-imparting death, His situation of suffering immediately changed into a situation of honor. Joseph, a rich man (Matt. 27:57), and Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews (John 3:1), came to take care of His burial, binding His body with myrrh and aloes and burying it in a new tomb with the rich (Isa. 53:9). In human honor of a high standard, the Lord rested on the Sabbath day (Luke 23:55-56), waiting for the time to rise from the dead.
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 812-814; Hymns: #1089, #169 (vv. 1, 3, 5)
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 20 — Day 4
Matt. 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens.
20 For I say to you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.
6:33 But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
Rom. 1:16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one who believes, both to Jew first and to Greek.
17 For the righteousness of God is revealed in it out of faith to faith.…
Psalm 89:14 Righteousness and justice are the foundation of Your throne.…
[Matthew 5:10, 20 and 6:33] reveal that righteousness is related to the kingdom and that the kingdom is built upon righteousness. We need to be clear about this if we are to get into the depth of chapter twenty-seven.
In Matthew 27 we see a contrast between man’s unrighteousness and God’s righteousness.…Praise God that man’s unrighteousness turned into God’s righteousness!
The basic way in which man’s unrighteousness turned into God’s righteousness was through Christ.…In all of human history there has not been a case in which man’s unrighteousness has been as totally exposed as in the crucifixion of Christ. As we all know, there is unrighteousness in the judicial branch of any earthly government. But no earthly court has seen as much unrighteousness as was exposed in the case of the trial and crucifixion of the Lord Jesus.
Second, the Christ who exposed man’s unrighteousness to the uttermost also bore all the unrighteousness He had exposed.…This is like housecleaning.…In cleaning a room the dust is first exposed. Then it is swept into the dustpan. Likewise, on the day of the Passover, the Lord Jesus first exposed all the “dust,” all of man’s unrighteousness. Then He cleaned up the “dust” He had exposed. Oh, the very presence of the Lord Jesus exposed every particle of hidden “dust” in the whole universe. Eventually, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself became the “dustpan,” and all the “dust” was collected upon Him.…Thus, after all man’s unrighteousness had been exposed, it was borne by Christ on the cross. This made everything ready for the righteous God to come in to judge the unrighteous ones and all their unrighteousness.
This matter of righteousness is a crucial aspect of the truth of the gospel. This is very basic, for it is our ground and basis for being saved.…Through Christ our Substitute, we have already been judged according to righteousness on the cross. Therefore, God must save us.
Nothing binds God as much as His righteousness [Psa. 89:14]. If God’s righteousness could be taken away, His throne would be cast down. We can say, “Praise the Lord! Even if God wants to change His mind, He cannot do it because He is a just God!” How meaningful this is!
Righteousness, or justice, is a judicial matter. Love, on the contrary, is a matter of the emotion.…Whether God loves us or gives us up, He is not wrong. He also would not be wrong in showing grace to us or in not showing grace to us. Grace is a matter of God’s wish.…But righteousness is a matter neither of emotion nor of wish, it is a judicial matter. A judicial matter is related to the execution of the law, to legislation. God’s gospel is altogether a judicial matter, a matter of divine legislation.…Of course, God’s salvation is initiated by His love and accomplished through His grace. Eventually, however, it issues in His righteousness.…Our salvation has been sealed and confirmed by God’s righteousness. Now not even God Himself can change our salvation.…It is upon this righteousness that the kingdom of God is built. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 805, 815-820)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 805, 815-820; Hymns: #21
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 20 — Day 5
1 Now late on the Sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the 1first day of the week, Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary came to look at the grave.
2 And behold, there was a great 1earthquake, for an angel of the Lord descended out of heaven and came and rolled away the stone and sat upon it.
5 And the angel answered and said to the women, Do not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Jesus, the crucified.
6 He is not here, for He has been raised, even as He said. Come, see the place where He was lying.
7 And go quickly and tell His disciples that He has been raised from the dead, and behold, He goes before you into 1Galilee. There you will see Him. Behold, I have told you.
8 And they went away quickly from the tomb with 1fear and great joy and ran to report this to His disciples.
9 And behold, Jesus 1met them, saying, Rejoice! And they came to Him and took hold of His feet and worshipped Him.
11 Christ resurrected on the first day of the week. This signifies that His resurrection brought a new start with a new age for the kingdom of the heavens. See note 11 in John 20.
21 This signifies that the earth, the base of Satan’s rebellion, was shaken by the Lord’s resurrection.
71 The heavenly King began His ministry from Galilee of the Gentiles (4:12-17), not from Jerusalem, the holy city of the Jewish religion; after His resurrection He again went to Galilee, not to Jerusalem. This strongly indicates that the resurrected heavenly King had fully abandoned Judaism and had initiated a new age for God’s New Testament economy.
81 With fear because of the great earthquake (v. 2) and with great joy because of the Lord’s resurrection.
91 This took place after the Lord appeared to Mary the Magdalene (John 20:14-18).
The resurrection of Christ was a matter of God’s righteousness.…According to His righteousness, God had to judge Christ on the cross because Christ was bearing all our unrighteousness. But after God had judged Christ in full, God’s righteousness held Him responsible to release Christ from death and to raise Him up from among the dead.
We need to consider Romans 4:25. This verse says, “Who was delivered for our offenses and was raised for our justification.” This verse links resurrection with righteousness.…Therefore, Christ’s resurrection is a proof both of God’s righteousness and of our justification.…In the sphere of Christ’s resurrection, God is the righteous God, and we are the justified people of God. Here we have the kingdom.
The resurrection of Christ was first discovered by two sisters, Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary. They discovered it by loving the Lord to the uttermost. Then they became the first two witnesses of the Lord’s resurrection.
The Jewish leaders with the Roman soldiers spread a false rumor about Christ’s resurrection [Matt. 28:11-15]. They gave the soldiers a large sum of money to say that the Lord’s disciples came by night and stole Him away while the guards slept. This word from the mouth of the religious leaders was a bare lie, indicating the lowest standard and falsehood of their religion. In verse 14 they said to the soldiers, “And if this comes to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him and make sure that you have nothing to worry about.” The evil religionists always persuade the evil politicians to perpetrate falsehood. Verse 15 indicates that this lie concerning the Lord’s resurrection was widely spread, as were the rumors concerning His followers and His church after His resurrection (Acts 24:5-9; 25:7). (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 821-826)
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 821-826; Hymns: #121, #639
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 20 — Day 6
16 And the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus directed them.
17 And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him, though some doubted.
18 And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth.
19 Go therefore and disciple all the nations, 1baptizing them 2into the 3name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,
20 Teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am 1with you all the days until the consummation of the age.
Verse 16 says, “And the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus directed them.” The constitution of the kingdom was decreed on a mountain (see note 11 in ch. 5), the heavenly King’s transfiguration took place on a high mountain (see note 12 in ch. 17), and the prophecy concerning this age was given on a mountain (see note 31 in ch. 24). Now, for God’s economy of the New Testament the disciples needed to go to the mountain again. Only on the high level of a mountain can we see clearly the New Testament economy.
Because all authority was given to Him (v. 18), the heavenly King sent His disciples to disciple all the nations. They go with His authority. To disciple the nations is to make the heathen the kingdom people for the establishing of His kingdom, which is the church, even today, on this earth.… Notice [in verse 19] that the Lord did not charge the disciples to preach the gospel, but to disciple the nations.…To disciple the nations is to cause the Gentiles to become the kingdom people. We have been sent by the Lord not only to bring people to salvation, but also to disciple the nations. This is a matter of the kingdom. (Life-study of Matthew, pp. 826-828)
191 Baptism brings the repentant people out of their old state into a new one by terminating their old life and germinating them with the new life of Christ that they may become the kingdom people. John the Baptist’s recommending ministry began with a preliminary baptism, a baptism by water only. Now, after the heavenly King had accomplished His ministry on earth, had passed through the process of death and resurrection, and had become the life-giving Spirit, He charged His disciples to baptize the discipled people into the Triune God. This baptism has two aspects: the visible aspect by water and the invisible aspect by the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:38, 41; 10:44-48).…The disciples baptized the new converts (Acts 2:38) not only into water but also into the death of Christ (Rom. 6:3-4), into Christ Himself (Gal. 3:27), into the Triune God (v. 19), and into the Body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13).…Hence, the baptism ordained by the Lord here baptizes people out of their life into the Body life for the kingdom of the heavens.
192 Into indicates union, as in Rom. 6:3 and Gal. 3:27. The same Greek word is used in Acts 8:16; 19:5 and 1 Cor. 1:13, 15. To baptize people into the name of the Triune God is to bring them into spiritual and mystical union with Him.
193 There is one name for the Divine Trinity. The name is the sum total of the Divine Being, equivalent to His person. To baptize someone into the name of the Triune God is to immerse him into all that the Triune God is.
201 …Among the four Gospels the Lord’s ascension is recorded only in Mark (Mark 16:19) and Luke (Luke 24:51). John testifies that the Lord, as the Son of God, even God Himself, is life to His believers. As such, He can never and would never leave them. Matthew proves that He, as Emmanuel, is the heavenly King who is with His people continuously until He comes back. Hence, in John and Matthew the Lord’s ascension is not mentioned.
Suggested daily reading: Life-study of Matthew, pp. 826-831; Hymns: #608, #7
Enlightenment and inspiration:
Week 20 — Prophecy
IV. The King’s being rejected (12:1—27:66)
F. The completion of rejection (26:1—27:66)
12. Judged by Pilate (27:1-26)
13. Mocked by the heathen soldiers (27:27-32)
14. Crucified (27:33-56)
а. Killed and mocked by men (vv. 33-44)
b. Judged and forsaken by God (vv. 45-50)
c. The effect of His crucifixion (vv. 51-56)
15. Buried by a rich man (27:57-66)
IV. The King’s victory (28:1-20)
A. Resurrected (vv. 1-15)
B. Reigning (vv. 16-20)
In chapter twenty-six we saw a contrast between the life that can make it to be for the kingdom and the life that cannot make it. Now in chapter twenty-seven we have a contrast between righteousness and unrighteousness. Because of the unrighteousness of the government of the kingdom of this world, Christ was wrongly condemned to die. Nevertheless, actually He was rightly sentenced to death by the righteousness of God.
Pilate, the Roman governor, should have judged Christ according to righteousness. According to Roman law, the Sanhedrin acted illegally in arresting Christ. If Pilate had been just, he would have stopped the Sanhedrin from doing this. Because he was unrighteous and afraid of the Jewish religious leaders, he acted against Roman law. As a result, he released to the crowd Barabbas, the guilty one, but Jesus, he scourged and delivered up to be crucified.
Verses 27 through 32 show how the Lord Jesus was mocked by the heathen soldiers. He was brought like a lamb to the slaughter, fulfilling Isaiah 53:7-8. Following this, Matthew 27:33-44 reveals how the Lord was mocked by men and killed. They gave Him wine mingled with gall, a stupefying drink, but the Lord would not be stupefied. Rather, He would drink the bitter cup to the dregs. Moreover, when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among themselves, casting lots. Thus, the Lord was robbed to the uttermost by sinners, fulfilling Psalm 22:18.
By the time of Matthew 27:45, unrighteous men had exhausted their deeds. They had done everything they could. At that time, God came in, in a righteous way to judge this crucified Savior and to forsake Him. The Lord Jesus suffered on the cross for six hours. In the first three hours He was persecuted by men for doing God’s will; in the last three hours He was judged by God to accomplish our redemption. It was during this time that God counted Him as our Substitute who suffered for our sin (Isa. 53:10). Darkness fell over all the land (Matt. 27:45) because our sin and sins and all negative things were being dealt with there, and because of our sin God forsook Him (v. 46).
The effect of the Lord’s crucifixion is revealed in verses 51 through 56. Hallelujah, His death tore the veil of the temple from top to bottom, shook the base of Satan’s rebellion, and broke the strongholds of Satan’s kingdom!
Afterwards, the Lord was buried in a new tomb by a rich man (vv. 57-66). In human honor of a high standard, the Lord rested on the Sabbath day (Luke 23:55-56), waiting for the time to rise from the dead.
After God had judged Christ in full, God’s righteousness held Him responsible to release Christ from death and to raise Him up from the dead. Hence, in Matthew 28:1-20 the King’s victory is manifested: first, in His resurrection (vv. 1-15) and then in His reigning (vv. 16-20).
Because all authority was given to Him (v. 18), the heavenly King sent His disciples to disciple all the nations, charging them to baptize the discipled people into the Triune God, that is, to immerse them into all that the Triune God is.
Composition for prophecy with main point and sub-points:
