Matthew 27:26-31 The Scourging

Then he released Barabbas for them; but after having Jesus scourged, he handed Him over to be crucified. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole Roman cohort around Him. They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. And after twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and they knelt down before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on Him, and took the reed and began to beat Him on the head. After they had mocked Him, they took the scarlet robe off Him and put His own garments back on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him. [Matthew 27:26-31 NASB]

Matthew seems to be a master of understatement. He uses the phrase, "after having Jesus scourged..." then he moves on with his narrative. 

One bit of misinformation that I often hear repeated is that Jesus received forty stripes. This is not true. While the Jews were limited by the Law to use no more that forty stripes, Jesus wasn't scourged by the Jews, but by the Romans. And the Romans had no such restrictions.

The Roman whip master was trained to scourge a man until he reached a point near death, but without allowing him to die, no matter the number of lashes. The whip was made of many leather straps with metal or bone tied into them. With every lash, they would cut into His back, tearing away the flesh.

It was not enough to execute Him. They felt the need to mock Him. They stripped him naked in order to humiliate Him, and they spat on Him. 

They gave Him a robe, a crown of thorns and a reed for a scepter to mock the claim that He was King of the Jews. The robe, laid on his freshly torn back would have been another agony of pain. As it sat on his back, it would have congealed with His blood, so that when they removed it, it would have torn the flesh all over again.

The thorns in His crown were about 2 - 3 inches long, hard and sharp. As they took the reed and hit Him over the head, they would have driven the thorns into His scalp, bloodying His whole head and face.

Then they led Him away to be crucified.

All of this was done by the hands of the Romans. Some might argue that in crucifying Jesus, they were just following orders. But they mocked and tortured Him for pleasure.

Over the years, I have heard ignorant people justify their antisemitism by saying "the Jews killed Jesus." This is not true.

The Jews handed Him over to be killed, but He died at the hands of the Gentiles. There is none more nor less guilty, and there is none more nor less innocent. As the Bible says, "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." [Romans 3:23 NASB]

Isaiah received this vision concerning the Messiah:

He was despised and forsaken of men,A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;And like one from whom men hide their faceHe was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore,And our sorrows He carried;Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,Smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was pierced through for our transgressions,He was crushed for our iniquities;The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,And by His scourging we are healed. All of us like sheep have gone astray,Each of us has turned to his own way;But the LORD has caused the iniquity of us allTo fall on Him. He was oppressed and He was afflicted,Yet He did not open His mouth;Like a lamb that is led to slaughter,And like a sheep that is silent before its shearers,So He did not open His mouth. [Isaiah 53:3-7 NASB]

All of the suffering that Jesus endured, He endured on our behalf. Every bruise, every stripe, every mockery, every humiliation, all of the pain, all of the torture; it was all done for us, that we may be forgiven and healed.

He didn't have to do it, but He did.

I lack the words to express my gratitude for Jesus' suffering. "Thank you" hardly seems sufficient. Therefore I will try to express my gratitude in how I live my life. Not being good out of compulsion, or a sense of guilt. Not by following a law of requirement, but by accepting God's grace. By walking in the Spirit, keeping my mind fixed on Him.

In know that in my flesh, I am incapable of expressing my gratitude to Jesus. But I trust that His Spirit - who lives within me - will bring that gratitude to life in my service to God and to others.

Matthew 27:1-25 Crucify Him!

Now when morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus to put Him to death; and they bound Him, and led Him away and delivered Him to Pilate the governor....Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor questioned Him, saying, “Are You the King of the Jews?” And Jesus said to him, “It is as you say.”....Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the people any one prisoner whom they wanted. At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. So when the people gathered together, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you? Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”....But the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to put Jesus to death....Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Crucify Him!” And he said, “Why, what evil has He done?” But they kept shouting all the more, saying, “Crucify Him!”  When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but rather that a riot was starting, he took water and washed his hands in front of the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this Man’s blood; see to that yourselves.” And all the people said, “His blood shall be on us and on our children!” [Matthew 27:1-25 NASB]

Such is the vindictiveness of the religious rulers:

1. They gathered a crowd that would do and say whatever they demanded.
2. Knowing that the Jewish Law had restrictions based on mercy, they handed Jesus over to the Romans so that He would receive a harsher punishment.
3. They chose to allow a murderer to be released instead of Jesus, in order to satisfy their religious envy.
4. The didn't just demand Jesus' death; they demanded His death by crucifixion. Had Jesus been stoned or beheaded, He would have died relatively quickly. But crucifixion was a slow, torturous death. They wanted Him to suffer for as long as possible before dying.
5. They were willing to call down a curse upon themselves and their children.

The priests and elders got what they wanted. Jesus was taken out of the way. But what cost did they pay?

Jesus threatened their position in this world. By turning Him over, they lost their position in the next world. Ultimately, they earned condemnation from God. They wanted Jesus to suffer. In return their own suffering will be much greater, and for eternity.

Even in this life their victory must have seemed hollow. Jesus' disciples continued to preach His name, and to perform miracles in His name. After His death, Jesus' name was proclaimed far and wide, far beyond the influence of these priests and leaders. Despite the eye-witness accounts, verified by the miracles the disciples performed, they refused to consider Jesus' resurrection.

We are told in Hebrews:

Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy on the testimony of two or three witnesses. How much severer punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled under foot the Son of God, and has regarded as unclean the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “The Lord will judge His people.” It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God. [Hebrews 10:28-31 NASB]

He has told us:

If your enemy is hungry, give him food to eat;And if he is thirsty, give him water to drink; For you will heap burning coals on his head,And the LORD will reward you. [Proverbs 25:21-22 NASB]

If we seek revenge, we may succeed in our vengeance, but we will have failed in life.

Just like the priests and elders, vindictiveness against another will bring a curse upon yourself. Do you feel wronged? Then let yourself be wronged. Forgive the wrong-doer. In the end, God will sort it all out, and God's justice - or God's mercy - will be served.

Matthew 27:3-10 Judas' Remorse

Then when Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that He had been condemned, he felt remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned by betraying innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? See to that yourself!” And he threw the pieces of silver into the temple sanctuary and departed; and he went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver and said, “It is not lawful to put them into the temple treasury, since it is the price of blood.” And they conferred together and with the money bought the Potter’s Field as a burial place for strangers. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one whose price had been set by the sons of Israel; and they gave them for the potter's field, as the lord directed me.” [Matthew 27:3-10 NASB]

I have no doubt that Judas was truly remorseful. He tried to undo his wrong by returning the money. He appealed to the priests sense of justice by saying, "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But to no avail. In the end, he failed to do the one thing that was needed. He didn't turn to God for forgiveness.

At times in my life, I have sinned. And in the shame of that sin, I have carried the guilt. I have allowed it to sit as a barrier wall between God and me. I have allowed my relationship with God to grow cold because of the guilt that I continued to carry.

Over the years, I have learned the folly of that type of living. By God's grace, every sin in my past has been brought before Him and forgiven.

I have learned to live by grace, and not as a slave to sin. As Paul said:

Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its lusts, and do not go on presenting the members of your body to sin as instruments of unrighteousness; but present yourselves to God as those alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness to God. For sin shall not be master over you, for you are not under law but under grace. What then? Shall we sin because we are not under law but under grace? May it never be! Do you not know that when you present yourselves to someone as slaves for obedience, you are slaves of the one whom you obey, either of sin resulting in death, or of obedience resulting in righteousness? But thanks be to God that though you were slaves of sin, you became obedient from the heart to that form of teaching to which you were committed, and having been freed from sin, you became slaves of righteousness. [Romans 6:12-18 NASB]

Jesus has set us free from the bondage of sin, but we can still choose to live either in sin or in righteousness. I know there are those who believe that we cannot be free from sin. They believe this because of their own experience and because they don't understand the scriptures or the power of God.

When I say that we choose, I don't mean that we have the power within ourselves to overcome sin. I mean that we can choose whether to submit ourselves to the power of God in our lives, or we can choose to submit ourselves to the desires of our flesh.

Paul said, "But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the flesh. [Galatians 5:16 NASB]

He goes on to describe the difference between the flesh and the Spirit. 

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. [Galatians 5:19-21 NASB]

These are not commandments. Paul isn't saying, "Thou shalt not..." These are the deeds of the flesh that manifest when we live for ourselves instead of for God. By saying, "and things like these", he is not limiting or defining the flesh, but is merely pointing out what is obvious and common sense. These things are of the flesh, and are therefore of sin.

He goes on to say:

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. [Galatians 5:22-23 NASB]

If you are living your life for God, walking in the Spirit, keeping your mind set on Him, then your life will bear godly fruit, and it will look like this. Once again, by saying "against such things," he is not making a comprehensive list called the "fruit of the Spirit" but is demonstrating an example of a godly life.

Notice the singular use of the word "fruit" and not "fruits". It wouldn't be appropriate to say, "I have love, joy and peace, but I need to work on patience." That would contradict the message of grace that he is teaching throughout the book of Galatians that our sanctification is by Gods grace without works, just as our salvation was.

And you can't separate these attributes as individual "fruits". They are all manifestations of the one fruit of the Spirit. If you say, "I need to work on patience", what you are really saying is that you are not displaying the fruit of the Spirit in your life. The solution isn't to "work on patience", but to draw closer to God in prayer so that He can change you.

Turn your mind toward God, and let the fruit of His Spirit grow in you. 

Don't think of these things as rules to live by, but as signposts showing the way.

The difference is this: if you live by rules you will say, "I must not have immorality, impurity, sensuality and such in my life. Instead I must have love, joy peace and such."

Living by grace says, "I see immorality in my life, therefore I will turn to God so that I can be rid of it." or "I have a greater love for people than I used to. I see the fruit of the Spirit in my life, and will turn to Him in thanksgiving."

Living by the rules is life in the flesh, and the flesh cannot please God. Trying to deal with sin on your own is like Judas taking the money back to the priests hoping to undo his wrong.

Living by grace is knowing that you can't undo your past, but you can be forgiven, and "forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus." [Philippians 3:13-14 NASB]

Matthew 26:69-75 Peter's Denial

Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard, and a servant-girl came to him and said, “You too were with Jesus the Galilean.” But he denied it before them all, saying, “I do not know what you are talking about.” When he had gone out to the gateway, another servant-girl saw him and said to those who were there, “This man was with Jesus of Nazareth.” And again he denied it with an oath, “I do not know the man.” A little later the bystanders came up and said to Peter, “Surely you too are one of them; for even the way you talk gives you away.” Then he began to curse and swear, “I do not know the man!” And immediately a rooster crowed. And Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said, “Before a rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” And he went out and wept bitterly. [Matthew 26:69-75 NASB]

Jesus had said, "Then Jesus said to them, “All of you will be made to stumble because of Me this night." [Matthew 26:31 NKJV] Peter famously answered, “Even if all are made to stumble because of You, I will never be made to stumble.” [Matthew 26:33 NKJV]

"Jesus said to him, “Assuredly, I say to you that this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.”" [Matthew 26:34 NKJV]

When Jesus was arrested, Peter must have thought the moment to prove himself had come, so he took out a sword and started swinging. Not being a soldier, he managed to cut off the ear of a servant of the high priest. But instead of praise, Peter received a rebuke from Jesus. 

When they led Jesus away, Peter followed at a distance. Convinced that he had proven his loyalty, he put Jesus' words out of his mind.

When Peter's moment of truth came, he didn't recognize it for what it was.

Peter was prepared to stand up for Jesus against an angry mob. He was prepared to lay down his life when confronted with violent opposition. He was not prepared for a simple question by a simple servant girl.

Martyrdom for Christ's sake is not something any of us aspire to. But it is a reality that many people in the world face every day.

I think that if faced with the choice of death or denying Jesus, most believers would choose death rather than deny their faith.

I also think that many of us would fail, and have failed in the same manner as Peter.

Have you ever been in the situation where you are in a department store (or other public place) and you have a slight stirring to say a word of blessing in Jesus name? Or, within that same setting, to pray for someone you don't even know? Or to share the gospel? I have. And I take no pleasure in saying that I have failed to follow through. I have dismissed the urge as a random thought, and I have wondered how people might respond.

It is odd, but it seems like it's easier to do the big things, but fail in the small things. 

I encourage you to pray with me. I ask God to forgive me for failing to obey the promptings in my heart, and by so doing, denying Him. I pray that He will give me grace to speak boldly and in pure obedience whenever He prompts me to do so.

Matthew 26:57-68 Before the Sanhedrin

Those who had seized Jesus led Him away to Caiaphas, the high priest, where the scribes and the elders were gathered together. But Peter was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in, and sat down with the officers to see the outcome. Now the chief priests and the whole Council kept trying to obtain false testimony against Jesus, so that they might put Him to death. They did not find any, even though many false witnesses came forward. But later on two came forward, and said, “This man stated, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to rebuild it in three days.’” The high priest stood up and said to Him, “Do You not answer? What is it that these men are testifying against You?” But Jesus kept silent. And the high priest said to Him, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” Jesus said to him, “You have said it yourself; nevertheless I tell you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming on the clouds of heaven.” Then the high priest tore his robes and said, “He has blasphemed! What further need do we have of witnesses? Behold, you have now heard the blasphemy; what do you think?” They answered, “He deserves death!” Then they spat in His face and beat Him with their fists; and others slapped Him, and said, “Prophesy to us, You Christ; who is the one who hit You?” [Matthew 26:57-68 NASB]

How sad that they needed to bring in false witnesses, and even then they couldn't get their story straight enough to find agreement. When the did finally find two witnesses to agree, it was only because they had distorted Jesus' words.

After Jesus had overturned the tables of the money changers and driven out the merchants from the temple, the gospel of John tells us;

The Jews then said to Him, “What sign do You show us as your authority for doing these things?” Jesus answered them, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” The Jews then said, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will You raise it up in three days?” But He was speaking of the temple of His body. [John 2:18-21 NASB]

They turned Jesus' prophecy of His resurrection into a terrorist threat.

Even with two witnesses agreeing, the claim was so far-fetched as to be dismissed even by the Sanhedrin. Otherwise, they would have charged Him with something immediately. It seems that Caiaphas was at his wits end when he desperately told Jesus, “I adjure You by the living God, that You tell us whether You are the Christ, the Son of God.” 

Jesus had only to remain silent, and they would have had no more basis for accusation. Instead, He answered honestly, "It is as you said." Jesus then warned them that although they were in the seat of power judging Him, one day He would be in the seat of power judging them.

Upon hearing the truth so boldly spoken, they flew into a rage.

I have witnessed this kind of behavior in Christians and church leaders who are so ingrained in their tradition and dogma that the simple truth of scripture results in irrational anger. I was called to stand before the district board of elders in my (former) denomination because I dared to question whether merely attending a movie theater was actually a sin. Setting aside the law of grace, and completely disregarding the teaching of Romans and Galatians, they let me know that theater attendance was sin - because they said so. What's more, I was sinning by questioning them. I didn't last long in that denomination.

It is good to stand up for the truth, but you must be sure that truth is truly on your side. Jesus calmly spoke the truth, and the priests angrily fought against it in defense of their tradition. When speaking of spiritual matters, do you calmly speak the simple truth as you know it from the Bible? Or are you defending a tradition or teachings you heard from someone else?Study the Bible for yourself, and know what it says and why you believe the things you do.

I will never forget the face of rage, mere inches from my own, as a man repeated the tradition that he had been taught in church. In fact, he was attributing the work of the Holy Spirit to Satan, and he didn't know any better because he didn't know the scriptures.

Don't be caught blaspheming the Holy Spirit simply because you don't know what is written in the Bible. Study it for yourself, and - even if it contradicts everything you have been taught - embrace the truth.

Matthew 26:47-56 The Arrest

While He was still speaking, behold, Judas, one of the twelve, came up accompanied by a large crowd with swords and clubs, who came from the chief priests and elders of the people. Now he who was betraying Him gave them a sign, saying, “Whomever I kiss, He is the one; seize Him.” Immediately Judas went to Jesus and said, “Hail, Rabbi!” and kissed Him. And Jesus said to him, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and seized Him. And behold, one of those who were with Jesus reached and drew out his sword, and struck the slave of the high priest and cut off his ear. Then Jesus said to him, “Put your sword back into its place; for all those who take up the sword shall perish by the sword. “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels? “How then will the Scriptures be fulfilled, which say that it must happen this way?” At that time Jesus said to the crowds, “Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest Me as you would against a robber? Every day I used to sit in the temple teaching and you did not seize Me. “But all this has taken place to fulfill the Scriptures of the prophets.” Then all the disciples left Him and fled. [Matthew 26:47-56 NASB]

Judas betrayed Jesus with a kiss, and Jesus responded, “Friend, do what you have come for.” Even in his betrayal, Jesus did not look upon Judas as an enemy, but had compassion for him, and called him "friend". Had Judas repented and sought forgiveness, I believe he would have received it. 

When we perceive an insult or injury, we may, with difficulty, learn to forgive. But though the person is forgiven, we will still tend to keep our distance. It is even possible that, in time, a friendship may be rekindled. But how many of us will be able to look our betrayer in the eye, and in the moment of betrayal, call him "friend". That is the character of Jesus. And that is the character that we should want to aspire to.

The gospel of John in chapter 18 adds an interesting aspect of this scene. When the crowds approached, Jesus asked them, "Whom do you seek?" 

They answered Him, “Jesus the Nazarene.” He said to them, “I Am.” And Judas also, who was betraying Him, was standing with them. So when He said to them, “I Am,” they drew back and fell to the ground. [John 18:5-6 NASB]

(Note that many English translations render the Greek word "eimi" as "I am he". The word "he" is added for readability, but is not in the original, and is more accurately translated, "I am".)

This brings to mind Moses at the burning bush. When Moses asked God His name the scripture says;

God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM”; and He said, “Thus you shall say to the sons of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” [Exodus 3:14 NASB]

The power of Jesus' declaration of divinity caused to the crowd to draw back and fall to the ground.

What is apparent in this scene is that, although Jesus is the one being arrested, He is the one who is in control. He stopped Peter from fighting, and potentially starting a bloody battle. According to Luke, Jesus healed the slave's ear that Peter cut off.

He further displays His divine authority when he says, “Or do you think that I cannot appeal to My Father, and He will at once put at My disposal more than twelve legions of angels?" I think an army of more that 6,000 angels could have effectively destroyed the entire Roman army, much less a crowd with swords and clubs.

Having already come to terms with it in prayer, Jesus was determined to fulfill the prophecies, and redeem mankind. Jesus allowed Himself to be arrested; not because He was overwhelmed by numbers or by armament, but because He loved the us enough to die for us.

Matthew 26:36-46 Prayer In Gethsemane

Then Jesus came with them to a place called Gethsemane, and said to His disciples, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” And He took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and distressed. Then He said to them, “My soul is deeply grieved, to the point of death; remain here and keep watch with Me.” And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” And He came to the disciples and found them sleeping, and said to Peter, “So, you men could not keep watch with Me for one hour? “Keep watching and praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.” He went away again a second time and prayed, saying, “My Father, if this cannot pass away unless I drink it, Your will be done.” Again He came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more. Then He came to the disciples and said to them, “Are you still sleeping and resting? Behold, the hour is at hand and the Son of Man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners. “Get up, let us be going; behold, the one who betrays Me is at hand!” [Matthew 26:36-46 NASB]

It was here that Jesus began to fulfill the prophecy: 

He was despised and forsaken of men,A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief;And like one from whom men hide their faceHe was despised, and we did not esteem Him. Surely our griefs He Himself bore,And our sorrows He carried;Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,Smitten of God, and afflicted. [Isaiah 53:3-4 NASB]

Jesus said that He was "deeply grieved, to the point of death." Luke adds in his gospel, "And being in agony He was praying very fervently; and His sweat became like drops of blood, falling down upon the ground." [Luke 22:44 NASB]

Jesus despaired at what He knew He was about to endure, and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.” 

He said, "if it is possible." We tend to believe that all things are possible for God. But there are certain things that are not possible. It is impossible for God to lie. It is impossible for us to be saved by works apart from God's grace. And, it was impossible for God to redeem mankind without the sacrifice of Jesus. He hated what was to come, but knowing the necessity of it, he was willing.

What was it that Jesus was so afraid of? The mockery? The scourging? The crucifixion? These things were agonizingly painful, yet others had endured them without the overwhelming torment of the soul that Jesus endured.

Peter tells us, "and He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed." [1 Peter 2:24 NASB] Throughout the Old Testament, a cup was used as a metaphor of God's wrath. When Jesus bore our sins, He drank of the cup of God's wrath. He who knew no sin, became sin for us, and bore our punishment. He became the ultimate sacrifice so that we could come to God by faith and receive His forgiveness. We don't need to pay a penance or atone for our sins because Jesus has already paid it for us.

Let us be thankful to Him that He willingly endured the agony of Gethsemane. In the hours to come, He would be tortured and killed. But it was here, in prayer, that He won the spiritual victory that allowed Him to endure, and to willingly become a sacrifice. It was here that He wrestled His soul into submission to His Father's will.

Let us also learn from His example. When we are faced with overwhelming circumstance; when sorrows mount upon sorrow; when we feel we have no way out; let us turn to our Father in prayer. He may work to change your circumstances. Or he may only change you, so that you can endure them. In any case, when trouble comes, that is not the time to hide from God, but to seek Him even more.