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As unbelieving Jews pressure the Romans to "Crucify Him!", Jesus suffers for us. Today's study of this ancient story is a contemporary call to recognize the gravity of sin, the immense cost of forgiveness, and the boundless grace offered through Jesus Christ.

They condemned Jesus as worthy of death for blasphemy - either speaking evil of God OR claiming to BE God.

This is the last time Matthew’s gospel refers to Peter by name, but his genuine repentance and Jesus’ gracious forgiveness means that Peter’s life is not beyond restoration. In fact, Jesus had said so…hours before during the Last Supper.

The man who had once denied his King told this ancient audience…and tells us, that…

Your failure is not final - (re)turn to Jesus.

You haven’t gone too far for His grace…yet. And neither have your family & friends. If you’re still breathing, there’s still HOPE!

• TURN or RE-turn to Jesus! Turn from your sin. Turn to Jesus. Do life with followers of Jesus! Share what God is doing in your life with another believer! 
• If you know what it’s like to be forgiven…don’t keep that to yourself! Take the Gospel message to others! Tell them how you’ve been forgiven and how they can be forgiven too! Show them that…Your failure is not final - (re)turn to Jesus.

This is likely the ‘official’ trial where they sentenced Jesus in the daytime and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor - since Jews couldn’t put anyone to death based on Jn 18:31. Although the governor lived in Caesarea, he came to stay at the late King Herod’s palace, to make sure Jerusalem remained peaceful.

People often imply that suicide is an unforgivable sin and those who kill themselves go to hell. The Scripture is silent about this. There is debate whether Judas went to hell or not. While Judas was seized with remorse for having sinned of betraying Jesus, it’s not like this was one moment of giving in to temptation, like Peter’s denial. Instead, Judas had been a false disciple the whole time, stealing from the treasury (Jn 12:6). Judas had been possessed by Satan (Lk 22:3; Jn 13:27). When the apostles later replace Judas with another man, they pray:

It’s pretty clear that they did NOT believe that would be heaven.

Judas didn’t go to hell because of suicide, but because he refused to fully follow Jesus. Unlike Peter who genuinely repents for his momentary denial of Jesus, Judas had been denying Jesus as Lord for years. 

Sweeping your sin under the rug OR genuinely turning from your sin and turning to the Lord Jesus? 

Hypocrisy —>These men recognize this money is tainted because of what it was used for - blood money meant to kill another human being - yet THEY are the ones who made the payment! This is why the place got the nickname “The Field of Blood”. 

The potter’s field was likely a place that had been used to collect clay for pottery and later became a burial place for foreigners who died in Jerusalem. This is the same place where Judas hung himself, and where his body ultimately fell from the tree & exploded when it hit the ground where his guts spilled out (Acts 1:18).  

Matthew notes this was prophesied hundreds of years before, mentioning the prophet Jeremiah, although Zechariah 11:12-13 is certainly in view as well, specifically referring to the 30 pieces of silver being thrown to the potter at the house of Yahweh. Language about the potter’s field is found in Jer 19:1-13 referring to the same area. It is common to headline the better known prophet even though the citation comes from multiple prophets (note: “Jeremiah or one of the prophets” Mt 16:14).

Why was he in amazement? It’s likely because every other person on the planet would be pleading their case and defending themselves when faced with the possibility of the death sentence. Yet Jesus made no reply. Why do you think that is? Jesus is ready to drink from the cup, as this was the Father’s will, that our sins would be put on Him.

• You can read John’s Gospel in chapter 18 to see more of Pilate’s interaction with Jesus.

Ultimately, Pilate finds no reason to charge Jesus (Jn 18:38), and attempts to release Jesus, but the religious leaders would have none of it. Dr. Luke gives us some information that none of the other gospels mention. 

Herod Antipas was the son of Herod the Great (the one who had tried to kill Jesus as a baby). Herod Antipas was the governor over Galilee and was the same man who had John the Baptist beheaded (Matt. 14:1–11 = Mark 6:14–28).

You’ve heard of Barabbas, but JESUS Barabbas? Yep. He had the same first name as Jesus - Yeshua in Hebrew. 

• Barabbas: Bar = Son + Abbas = Father = Son of the Father 

Barabbas was likely viewed as a terrorist by the Romans, an “insurrectionist” captured and being held for execution.

Mark 15:7 and Luke 23:19 also note that he was imprisoned for murder (cf. Acts 3:14).

Pilate asks “Do you want me to release Jesus, “son of the father” or Jesus, ’the so-called King of the Jews’ ?

They WOULD be held responsible for His death. Those who would not repent and respond to the Gospel message will ultimately be judged for all eternity. Further, those who lived in Jerusalem would face God’s punishment for rejecting Jesus when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70.

Unlike the Jewish flogging with sticks and a maximum of 39 lashes, this likely consisted of the Roman woven leather whip known as the flagrum, with pieces of metal balls and sharp bone tied onto the strips. The metal bruised the skin causing bleeding under the skin, while the bone would lacerate the skin causing an incredible loss of blood. 

Jesus, the unblemished One, the One whom Pilate declared as innocent, would die, instead of one who deserved to die.

Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse:

Barabbas was the only man in the world who could say that Jesus Christ took his physical place. But I can say that Jesus Christ took my spiritual place. For it was I who deserved to die…He was handed over to judgment because of my sins

...Christ was my substitute.

Take some time to discuss these questions with your family, friends, or group.

1. What challenged you, encouraged you, or left you scratching your head, from today’s teaching?
2. Read 2 Corinthians 7:10. Remorse vs. Repentance: How can we distinguish between mere remorse and true repentance in our own lives? What steps can we take to ensure that our sorrow for sin leads to genuine change and reconciliation with God?
3. How does reading the accounts from all 4 Gospels (Matthew, Mark, Luke, & John) help us better appreciate what Jesus went through for us? Give an example of how another Gospel beyond Matthew’s Gospel help fill in the gaps for you.
4. Reflecting on the treatment Jesus received before the crucifixion, how can believers deepen their gratitude for Christ's sacrifice? How did today’s teaching help you to appreciate WHY we participate in the Lord’s Supper?
5. How can we pray for/care for one another this week? (Pray for one another.)