In this message we come to Matt. 27. Apparently, this chapter is not related to the kingdom of the heavens. Actually, it is very much related to it. If we do not read this chapter in the light of the kingdom of the heavens, we shall not be able to understand it adequately.
The first verse of chapter twenty-seven begins with the word “Now.” This word indicates that one thing has been completed and that another is about to take place. We may think that chapter twenty-seven is merely a continuation of Matt. 26. But in spiritual significance, chapter twenty-seven is much different from chapter twenty-six. The spiritual significance of chapter twenty-six is that it reveals the life that can succeed in being for the kingdom and exposes the life that cannot succeed. 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. In this chapter the Lord Jesus was treated in a very unrighteous manner.
Verses 1 and 2 reveal that it was the Jewish religious leaders who delivered the Lord Jesus to Pilate. Pilate was a Roman procurator, an agent of Caesar Tiberius in Judea (Palestine), A.D. 26-35. Not long after he unjustly delivered the Lord Jesus up to be crucified, his government ended abruptly. He was banished and committed suicide. In their evil conspiracy, the Jewish religionists persuaded the heathen politician to collaborate with them to kill the Lord Jesus.
In verses 3 through 10 we read of the destiny of Judas. When I was young, I was troubled by the fact that this record of Pilate’s judgment upon Christ speaks of the destiny of Judas. I could not see the relationship between these two things. Verses 1 and 2 speak of the delivering up of the Lord Jesus to Pilate by the religious leaders. Then verse 3 begins the account of Judas’ hanging himself. Verses 3 and 4 say that Judas “repented and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,” saying that he had “sinned in delivering up innocent blood.” Then Judas threw the pieces of silver into the temple, departed, and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and, knowing that it was not lawful to put them into the temple treasury because they were the price of blood, used them to buy a field as a burial place for strangers (vv. 6-7). They would not receive back the price of blood. Actually, what they did to the Lord Jesus was more evil than Judas’ deed. After giving us an account of all this, in verse 11 Matthew resumes his record of the judgment of Christ by Pilate.
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.” This shows that even the religious leaders had a formal righteousness. Thus, the concept here was that of righteousness.
The kingdom of the heavens is built upon righteousness. In 5:10 the Lord said, “Blessed are those who have been persecuted for the sake of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of the heavens,” and in 5:20 He said, “For I say to you, that unless your righteousness surpass that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall by no means enter into the kingdom of the heavens.” In 6:33 the Lord said to seek first the kingdom and God’s righteousness. These verses 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 twentyseven.
At the time Christ was crucified, the Jews had no legal right to judge Him or to sentence Him. Although they could spy on the Lord Jesus regarding certain things, they did not have the governmental position to judge anyone. They were simply a religious group, and government was not under their control. Therefore, the Jewish Sanhedrin had no governmental authority, and it could not pronounce judgment regarding justice or injustice, righteousness or unrighteousness. It could only express religious opinion. Hence, the actual judgment of the Lord Jesus did not take place in chapter twenty-six, but in chapter twenty-seven.
In Jesus’ answering Pilate, Jesus admitted that He was the King of the Jews (v. 11). But to the accusation of the Jewish leaders He answered nothing.
Pilate, the Roman governor, had the position to judge Christ. In principle, he should have judged Him according to righteousness. The kingdom of the heavens is based upon righteousness, but chapter twenty-seven reveals that the kingdom of the world is absolutely unrighteous. This chapter affords a contrast between righteousness and unrighteousness. The earthly government, the kingdom of this world, is unrighteous, but the kingdom of the heavens is righteous. The Lord Jesus stood before Pilate as the uniquely righteous One, yet He was condemned to death by the unrighteous worldly government. Later we shall see that actually Christ was judged and killed by the righteous God. Apparently, He was sentenced to death by the unrighteous worldly government. This sentence was unrighteous. Actually, He was condemned to death by God. This sentence was righteous.
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. The significance of chapter twenty-seven is that it shows the contrast between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of the heavens. On the side of the kingdom of the world, there is unrighteousness, but on the side of the kingdom of the heavens, there is righteousness. On the one hand, Jesus was sentenced and condemned to die on the cross in unrighteousness; on the other hand, He was sentenced to die in righteousness. Both rightly and wrongly, Jesus was crucified. He was wrongly sentenced by the unrighteous worldly government. He was righteous and innocent, as even His betrayer testified. Pilate also testified that Christ was a righteous man, even washing his hands to show that he did not want to get involved in any unrighteousness. As we shall see, the Lord was sentenced rightly because He was sentenced to die by the righteous God. Thus, chapter twenty-seven is a chapter concerning unrighteousness and righteousness.
This contrast implies that the kingdom of the world cannot stand. The reason it cannot stand is that it is not built upon righteousness. However, the kingdom of the heavens and of God is altogether righteous. God’s kingdom is 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. Thus, this chapter exposes the unrighteousness of the worldly government, and it reveals the righteousness of God’s government.
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. He would have said, “You have no right to do this because you are just a religious party. You cannot arrest people and judge them. This is illegal.” Pilate did not say this because he was unrighteous and fearful. Afraid of the Jewish religious leaders, Pilate acted against Roman law, which was very strong. The Roman Empire was famous for its law. But although the law was strong, the enforcement of the law was weak. Pilate was not even as righteous as Judas. If the betrayer of the Lord Jesus was able to say that he had sold innocent blood, the governor of the kingdom should have been even more righteous. Nevertheless, Pilate “washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man” (v. 24). This was a timid and irresponsible withdrawal. Verse 26 says, “Then he released to them Barabbas; but Jesus he scourged and delivered Him up that He might be crucified.” This was an utmost exposure of dark, unjust politics. This injustice fulfilled Isaiah 53:5 and 8.
When Jesus was appearing before Pilate, Pilate’s wife “sent to him, saying, Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much today in a dream because of him” (v. 19). This dream was sovereign of God. Pilate’s wife did not want him to get involved with this unrighteous matter. According to his conscience, Pilate also knew that Jesus was righteous and that the Jews were unrighteous in arresting Him. He also knew that he should have released this righteous man, but he was afraid to do this. Accustomed at the time of the feast to release to the crowd one prisoner whom they wanted, Pilate asked, “Which of the two do you want me to release to you? And they said, Barabbas” (v. 21). Barabbas was a most sinful criminal. No doubt, Pilate intended to release Jesus and to keep Barabbas. But the people wanted him to release Barabbas and to crucify Jesus. Pilate seemed to be saying, “You ask me to release the most sinful criminal and to crucify the innocent one.” Verse 23 says, “But he said, Why, what evil has he done? But they cried out the more, saying, Let him be crucified!” Pilate was subdued by the voices of the crowd. In order to appease his conscience, he “took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; you see to it” (v. 24). Then the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children!” (v. 25). Thus, Pilate released Barabbas, but scourged Jesus and delivered Him up that He might be crucified. What a portrait this is of unrighteousness!
The Jewish death penalty was by stoning (Lev. 20:2, 27; 24:23; 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. To crucify the Lord Jesus was not only a fulfillment of the Old Testament (Deut. 21:23; Gal. 3:13; Num. 21:8-9), but also of the Lord’s own word concerning the mode of His death (John 3:14; 8:28; 12:32), which could not have been fulfilled by stoning.
Verses 27 through 32 show how the Lord Jesus was mocked by the heathen soldiers. They stripped Him and put on Him a scarlet robe (v. 28). Verse 29 says, “And having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they kneeled before Him and mocked Him saying, Hail, King of the Jews!” Thorns are a symbol of the curse (Gen. 3:17-18). The Lord Jesus became a curse for us on the cross (Gal. 3:13). After spitting on the Lord, beating Him on His head, and mocking Him, they took the robe off Him, put His garments on Him, and led Him away to be crucified (vv. 30-31). The Lord here, as the Passover Lamb to be sacrificed for our sins, was brought like a lamb to the slaughter, fulfilling Isaiah 53:7-8.
Verse 32 says, “And as they were coming out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to bear His cross.” Cyrene was the Greek colonial city, the capital of Cyrenaica in North Africa. It seems that Simon was a Cyrenian Jew.
Verses 33 through 44 reveal how the Lord was mocked by men and killed. Verse 33 says, “And coming to a place called Golgotha, which is called Place of a Skull.” Golgotha is a Hebrew name (John 19:17) which means skull (Mark 15:22). Its equivalent in Latin is Calvaria, anglicized into Calvary (Luke 23:33). It does not mean a place of dead men’s skulls, but simply skull.
Verse 34 says, “They gave Him wine to drink mingled with gall; and having tasted it, He would not drink.” The wine mingled with gall (and also with myrrh — Mark 15:23) was intended as a stupefying draught. But the Lord would not be stupefied; He would drink the bitter cup to the dregs.
Verse 35 says, “And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments among them, casting lots.” The Lord suffered the sinners’ robbery to the uttermost, fulfilling Psalm 22:18. This also 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, “Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right hand and one on the left.” This was for the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9.
Verses 39 and 40 say, “And those who were passing by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads, and saying, You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!” This was a repetition of the Devil’s temptation in the wilderness. The chief priests, scribes, and elders also mocked Him by saying, “He saved others; himself he cannot save! He is king of Israel, let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe on him” (v. 42). If He could have saved Himself, He could not have saved us.
When the Lord was crucified, even the robbers crucified with Him reproached Him as the others did. In 27:1-44 we see what unrighteous man did to the righteous One. He was mocked, beaten, and crucified. Pilate and all the mockers and persecutors were unrighteous. Even the soldiers of the Roman Empire were unrighteous. If any of them had been righteous, they would not have done anything to the Lord Jesus. The fact that they did something to this righteous One proves that they were unrighteous.
Although man was unrighteous, beginning in verse 45 God came in in a righteous way. This verse says, “Now from the sixth hour darkness came over all the land until the ninth hour.” The sixth hour is our 12 noon, and the ninth is our 3 p.m. The Lord was crucified at the third hour, our 9 a.m. (Mark 15:25). He was suffering 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 for the accomplishment of our redemption. It was during this time that God counted Him as our suffering substitute for sin (Isa. 53:10). Hence, darkness came over all the land because our sin and sins and all negative things were dealt with there, and God forsook Him (v. 46) because of our sin.
By the time of verse 45, men had exhausted their deeds. They had done everything they could. At that time, God came in to judge this crucified Savior and to forsake Him. Verse 46 says, “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” God forsook Christ on the cross because He took the place of sinners (1 Pet. 3:18), bearing our sins (1 Pet. 2:24; Isa. 53:6) and being made sin for us (2 Cor. 5:21).
According to the four Gospels, the Lord Jesus was on the cross exactly six hours. During the first three hours, men did many unrighteous things to Him. They persecuted and mocked Him. Thus, in the first three hours the Lord suffered man’s unrighteous treatment. But at the sixth hour, twelve noon, God came in, and there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour, until three o’clock in the afternoon. This darkness was God’s doing. In the midst of this darkness, the Lord cried out the words quoted in verse 46. When the Lord was suffering the persecution of man, God was with Him, and He enjoyed the presence of God. But at the end of the first three hours, God forsook Him, and darkness came. Unable to tolerate this, the Lord shouted loudly, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” As we have pointed out, God forsook Him because He was our substitute bearing our sins. Isaiah 53 reveals that this was the time God put our sins on Him. In the three hours from twelve noon to three o’clock in the afternoon the righteous God put all our sins upon this substitute and judged Him righteously for our sins. God forsook Him because during these hours He was a sinner there on the cross; He was even made sin. On the one hand, the Lord bore our sins; on the other hand, He was made sin for us. Therefore, God judged Him. This was altogether a matter of righteousness.
Close to the end of His crucifixion, people still mocked Him by giving Him vinegar to quench His thirst (vv. 48-49; John 19:28-30; Luke 23:36).
Verse 50 says, “And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and dismissed the spirit.” This was to give up His spirit (John 19:30), indicating that the Lord voluntarily yielded up His life (Mark 15:37; Luke 23:46). The Lord Jesus was not killed, but willingly yielded up His life. He gave His life for us, and He died.
Verses 51 through 56 reveal the effect of Christ’s crucifixion. Verse 51 says, “And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom.” This signifies that the separation between God and man was abolished, because the flesh (signified by the veil) of sin taken by Christ (Rom. 8:3) had been crucified (Heb. 10:20). The words “from the top to the bottom” indicate that the rending of the veil was God’s doing from above. Because sin had been judged and the flesh of sin had been crucified, the separation between God and man was taken away. 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.
Verse 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 has been shaken, and the splitting of the rocks signifies that the strongholds of Satan’s earthly kingdom have been 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.
Verses 52 and 53 say, “And the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His rising, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.” The opening of the tombs signifies that the power of death and Hades has been 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 rising, entered into the holy city, and appeared to many. In typology, the firstfruits of the harvest 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 revealed here. Where the saints went after they appeared to many, we have no way to trace. 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). Many women, including Mary the Magdalene, Mary, the mother of the Lord Jesus, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and others, witnessed these happening.
Verses 57 through 66 reveal that the Lord Jesus was buried by a rich man. The Lord Jesus was wrapped in a clean linen cloth and laid in a new tomb (vv. 59-60). Mary the Magdalene and the other Mary sat opposite the grave to witness the burial. This kind of burial was for the fulfillment of Isaiah 53:9. 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). Verses 65 and 66 say, “Pilate said to them, You have a guard; go, make it as secure as you know how. And they went and secured the grave with the guard, sealing the stone.” This was intended by the opposing Jewish leaders as a negative precaution, but it turned out to be a strong positive testimony of the Lord’s resurrection. Without such a sealing, the resurrection of Christ would not have been as significant.
