Matthew 27

Matthew 27:1

Chapter 26 came to a close as Jesus was led out of the palace of Caiaphas after an illegal midnight meeting of the Sanhedrin, the Jewish Supreme Court. It was now five o’clock in the morning. After a night of agony in the Garden of Gethsemane followed by a beating at the hands of the palace guards, Jesus was led before Pontius Pilate. Why? To fulfill prophecy. You see, when the Jews put a man to death, they stoned him. Old Testament prophecies, however, all depict the Son of God being crucified. “Cursed,” the Old Testament Law declares, “is everyone that hangs on a tree” (see Deu_21:23).

Thus it was in fulfillment of prophecy that Jesus was brought before a Roman governor in order that He might die a Roman death. Keep in mind, however, that Roman soldiers were drafted from all countries throughout the empire. So, although it was the Jews who sentenced Jesus to die, and although it was the Romans who devised His method of execution, He who died for the sins of the whole world did, in fact, die by the hands of the whole world.

Matthew 27:3

If Judas had seen any fault, any inconsistency, any hypocrisy, or any sin in Jesus, he could have justified the betrayal in his own mind. He could have said, “He makes Himself out to be the Son of God, but I’ve seen Him lose His temper,” or “I remember the time He stretched the truth,” or “I heard Him gossip.” Instead, Judas realized Jesus was exactly who He declared Himself to bethe Lamb of God, the Sinless One.

Matthew 27:5

It intrigues me that Judas hung himself on a tree. Deu_19:16-19 says that if a man bears false witness and someone suffers because of the lie, the false witness must share the same fate as the one about whom he lied. Do you see what’s happening? As Judas realized Jesus would soon be crucified on a tree, it’s as if he got as close as he possibly could to sharing the same fate as the One about whom he lied. This is further proof that Judas realized perhaps more clearly than any other man that Jesus was completely flawless and totally innocent.

Matthew 27:6

What was a potter’s field? In Bible times, if a potter discovered cracks or chips in something he had made, he would throw the marred vessel outside of his shop. Over time this area would become full of broken pottery. Because nothing would be able to grow in this portion of land, it was good for nothing except to use as a cemetery for strangers and travelers who had no other place to be buried. Now, think with me for a moment. The blood money of Jesus Christ was used to buy the place where broken pottery and dead bodies were. That’s us. Without Jesus we were shattered, dead, and good for nothing. What hope is there for broken pottery? Only this: If it is reheated and placed in water once again, it will become pliable and able to be re-shaped and restored. So, too, if we as broken pieces of pottery become heated by the trials our Master Potter allows in our lives, if we’re warmed by the love He has for us and washed by the water of the Word He gives to us, we can be re-shaped and used for His glory.

Matthew 27:11

Jesus stood before Pilate who was at this point in big trouble politically. Pilate had already made three big blunders and had been warned by Tiberius Caesar that if he made one more, he would be removed from his post. Pilate made his first mistake when he initially came into Jerusalem. As his soldiers carried their standards topped with eagles of gold and silver into the temple area, the Jews saw the eagles as idols and became so infuriated that they rioted on the temple mount. Wanting to quell the rebellion immediately, Pilate ordered the riotous Jews held in an amphitheatre outside Jerusalem where they would be slaughtered unless they repented. These courageous Jews laid their heads down on the ground and said, “Chop off our heads, but there will be ten thousand others to take our places if your images ever come on temple property again.” Foreseeing a bloody rebellion and a political strike against him, Pilate backed off. But word got back to Rome that Pontius Pilate had been beaten by some obstinate Jews. A short time later, Pilate wanted to make up for his bad start with the Jews by bringing in a fresh supply of water. So he built an aqueduct that would carry water from the north down to Jerusalem. It was a great engineering feat. But he financed the undertaking with money from the temple treasury. This infuriated the Jews and blood was shed as Pilate put down the ensuing rebellion. When Pilate ordered new armor for his soldiers, the new shields bearing the image of Emperor Tiberius Caesar incensed the Jews. Considering them to be a form of idolatry, the Jews rebelled yet again. And when Tiberius heard of it, he was incensed and sent the message to Pilate that if there was one more rebellion, he’d be out of a job.

Matthew 27:12

The accusations were being hurled against Jesus, but He answered not a wordjust as Isaiah had prophesied seven hundred fifty years earlier (Isa_53:7). Jesus could have blown His accusers away. He could have given brilliant legal defense. But He said nothing. Maybe this week you’ve been defending yourself against accusations or slander. I am learning that the problem with defending yourself is that you’ll never be able to stop. Start defending yourself, and that’s all you’ll do all day long. David found a better solution: Let the Lord be your Defender, your Rock, your Shield, your Fortress, and your high Tower (Psa_18:2). He who chose not to defend Himself lives to defend you (Heb_7:25).

Matthew 27:15

The name “Barabbas” or “Bar Abba” means “son of the father.” From other Gospel accounts, we know Barabbas was an insurrectionist and a murderer. He was despicable, brutal, and hated by the people. As Pilate brought out Barabbas, he must have been certain that the crowd wouldn’t want a man like him back on the streets. Pilate must have thought that surely the Jews would want Jesus insteadthe true Son of the Father.

Matthew 27:19

Claudia Procula, the daughter of Augustus, had married Pontius Pilate. History not only tells us she had converted to Judaism, but also that, following this event, she became a convert to Jesus Christ.

Matthew 27:20

“What shall I do with Jesus?” That’s the key question for every person throughout history. Pilate had a choice to make right then. He could either stand up for what he knew was right, or he could follow the crowd and save his political skin. So, too, there are those who truly know in the bottom of their hearts that Jesus Christ is the only Way, even though the crowd all around them says, “Don’t be so restrictive. Don’t be so narrow. You don’t want to be a fundamentalist do you?”

Matthew 27:23

Listen carefully and you’ll hear the torment in the voice of Pontius Pilate, who examined Jesus and said, “I find no fault with Him.” This Roman governor who was constantly at odds with the Jews now followed a Jewish practice taken from Deuteronomy 21 that stated that if a man was murdered outside a city and no one knew who the murderer was, the elders were to wash their hands as an illustration of their innocence in the matter.

Matthew 27:25

They got their way. But the Jewsa beautiful, blessed peoplewould feel the effects of this statement for centuries.

Matthew 27:26

We know from the other Gospels that the scourging Pilate ordered was his attempt to incite some kind of compassion for Jesus in the hearts of the Jews. Scourging was brutal. It was done with a Roman instrument of torture called a “flagellum"a whip made of twelve or thirteen leather thongs. Lead balls were attached to the ends of these thongs, and pieces of glass and metal were embedded between the lead balls and the handle. The accused would be tied by his wrists and dangled about a foot off the ground, rendering him helpless to protect himself in any way. Then the beating would beginusually thirty-nine lashes.

The first blows would cause welts to form on his shoulders and back. By the seventh or eighth blow, the glass would begin to cut open these large welts, not only reducing the back to the consistency of hamburger, but also exposing the internal organs. At the end of the beating, the accused would be cut down and he would fall to the ground where he would lay in a pool of his own blood. Most men died under the beating of the flagellum. But Jesus, of course, did not die here. Soldiers stood Him up, brought Him out, and presented Him to the crowd. “Behold the Man,” Pilate said (see Joh_19:5) as if to say, “Look at this Man. Isn’t this enough?”

Matthew 27:27

Taking the mock scepter out of Jesus’ hand, the soldiers beat the crown of thorns into His skull. With a single word, Jesus could have wiped out these soldiers and ascended into heaven, saying, “If this is the verdict of Israel, if this is the cruelty of the Gentiles, you’re on your own.” But He didn’t. We’re not talking about a myth or a story, a novel or a movie. This really happened. And in the process of His scourging and beatings and ultimately His crucifixion, Jesus was thinking of and absorbing it all for you and me.

Matthew 27:31

Because he carried the Cross of Christ, Simon of Cyrene became a convert to Christ (Mar_15:21; Rom_16:13). The Government Upon His Shoulders A Topical Study of Mat_27:31-32 Approximately seven hundred fifty years before Jesus was born as the Babe of Bethlehem, the prophet Isaiah wrote these words, “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty God, The Everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace” (Isa_9:6). Shortly after Isaiah gave this prophecy, the Assyrians, a bloodthirsty people, swooped into Israel and conquered the ten northern tribes. As they carried their captives back to Assyria, they did so with extreme cruelty, leading the Jews across the desert with fishhooks in their mouths. Along the way, the Assyrians would skin many of the Jews alive. They would cut off the heads of those who complained and stack the heads in large pyramids to be left in the desert as a warning to any would-be rebels. “When would the One come of whom Isaiah wrote?” Israel must have wondered as she longed for release from her torment. But the time was not yet. About one hundred years after the Assyrian aggression, another invasion was launched against Israel. This time it was the Babylonians. Beginning in 605 B.C., the Babylonians launched a series of attacks against the southern part of the country. These attacks climaxed in the year 586 B.C., when the soldiers of Nebuchadnezzar, led by Sennacherib, marched into the Holy City of Jerusalem, raped the women, tortured the children, and destroyed the temple. The people were terrified. Their hearts cried for the day when He might come of whom Isaiah spoke: the Wonderful Counselor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace who would carry the government on His shoulders. But the time was not yet. The Babylonians were followed by the Greeks. On his deathbed, Alexander the Great turned over control of Israel to the Seleucid family. From that dynasty came a man named Antiochus Epiphanes, a picture of the coming anti-Christ. His hatred for the Jews was so great that one day he went into the temple, sacrificed a pig on the altar, made the priests drink the blood, and smeared the remainder on the temple walls. How the people longed for the day when Messiah would come and the government would be borne upon His shoulders. But the time was not yet. The Greeks were followed by the Romans. When the Romans descended upon that region of the world and beat it into bloody submission, the people of Israel must surely have wondered if Messiah would ever come. Then news began a to circulate throughout the country about an itinerant Rabbi from Nazareth whose words were so gracious that the common people hear Him gladly (Mar_12:37). “Truly, He must be the Wonderful Counselor,” some might have said. Others might have said, “Did you hear what He did? He spoke a word and the storm ceased. He calls the dead from their graves. He heals those afflicted with leprosy. Truly, He’s the Mighty God.” Others might have said, “Did you see the way He took the little children on His lap, laid His hands on them, and pronounced blessing upon them? Truly, He must be the Everlasting Father.” Others might have said, “Did you hear that when His disciples were out at sea, struggling against the storm, He was asleep in the hold of the boat? Such peace we’ve never seen, never heard of, never known. Truly, He must be the Prince of Peace.” “Could He be the fulfillment of Isaiah’s prophecy?” After He fed five thousand men with just a few loaves and fishes, the people gathered around Him to make Him King. No wonder! Just thinka King who could not only free them from Rome’s tyranny, but could feed them as well! “We place the government upon Your shoulders,” they cried. “Be our King!” But when He heard that, John tells us Jesus departed from the crowd and went up into a mountain alone (Joh_6:15). Time went on and people still wondered. Then, after three years of working miracles, giving wonderful counsel, and radiating peace, Jesus rode into Jerusalem. He was greeted by the cries of hundreds of thousands of people gathered in the city to celebrate Passover. They waved palm branches and cried, “Hosanna. Save Now. Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord. This is the time! Take the government upon Your shoulders!” But as the week went on and as the people realized that Jesus was not going to take control politically, their hearts began to turn. By the end of the week, their cry was, “We will not have this Man rule over us. We will not allow the government to rest upon His shoulders. Crucify Him.” They didn’t know that on that very day, the government would indeed be placed upon His shoulders. What was upon His shoulders? What is His government? The Cross. The Cross was His symbol, His proof, His method, His government. Putting the Gospel accounts together, we get the scene in totality… As thousands lined the Via Dolorosa, Jesus was preceded by a man carrying a sign reading “King of the Jews” and by two soldiers in full armor. Two additional soldiers followed Him. Along the way, He collapsed. Not wanting Jesus to die on the street, wanting to see Him make it to Calvary where He could be crucified and tortured further, one of the soldiers stopped and rested the point of his spear upon the shoulder of a man named Simon. Simon was now compelled by Roman law to carry the Cross the rest of the way to Calvary. Simon was from Cyreneor present-day Libya. We know he was a proselyte, one who had converted to Judaism. Simon of Cyrene, desiring as all Jews did, to celebrate at least one of the feasts in the Holy City, saved all of his money and made all of the necessary plans and preparations. At last the day arrived when he crossed the Mediterranean to celebrate Passover in Jerusalem! But when he arrived, he realized it was an unusual festival. Controversy abounded. At the beginning, people cried, “Hosanna.” At the end, they cried, “Crucify.” And Simon didn’t know what to make of it. Lined up along the street with hundreds of thousands of others, Simon watched a Man carrying a Cross to Calvary. On the way, the Man stumbled right in front of him. Simon then felt the unmistakable sensation of iron pressed upon his shoulderthe spear of a Roman soldierand probably wondered, Why me? Of all the hundreds of thousands of people here, why do I have to carry this criminal’s cross up the hill? But he had no choice. So he put the Cross on his shoulder. The procession continued on to Calvary and Jesus was crucifiedwith Simon probably watching and wondering. What happened to Simon? He became a believer. How do I know? Mark writes, “And they compel one Simon a Cyrenian, who passed by, coming out of the country, the father of Alexander and Rufus, to bear his cross” (Mar_15:21). Mark, writing his Gospel from the city of Rome identified Simon as the father of Rufus and Alexanderthe implication being that Rufus and Alexander were well known in the Christian community in Rome. Forty or fifty years later, in Rom_16:13, Rufus’ name again is mentioned when Paul, writing to the church in Rome, salutes Rufus and his mother. The implication of this is very meaningful to me. Simon of Cyrene, who carried the Crossthe government of Christbecame governed by Christ. Jesus said, “All who are weary, come to Me and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn of Me and you’ll find rest in your souls” (Mat_11:28-29). What is the yoke Jesus places upon our shoulders? Surprise. It’s the Cross. “Wait a minute,” you say. “That’s contradictory. How could a cross be easy? How could a cross give rest to my soul?” Jesus knew and demonstrated as no one else could that the key to life truly lies in death. The key to life lies in taking up the cross and dying to self. Even as Jesus died for our sin, so we too are to die to self. Live for yourself and you’ll end up dying. Life will be a drag. You’ll be unhappy, cynical, bitter, and mean. But die to self and you’ll find His burden easy and His load light. The cross is a sweet yoke. Ask Simon. This week, I encourage you to say, “Lord, I’m going to take up the cross. I’m going to quit worrying about why I am misunderstood or why no one is helping me. I’m going to die to myself, reach out to others, and reach up to You.” If you do, you will have a fabulous week, for whoever loses his life will find it. That’s the beautiful mystery of Christianity. “Oh, Jon, you’re manipulating me,” you say. “You’re trying to motivate me and I resent it.” That’s okay. Simon probably resented the touch of the spear upon his shoulder, too. But the spear compelled him to carry the Cross. And the Cross drew him to Christ.

Matthew 27:33

In the Greek language, “gall” and “myrrh” are the same word. Since myrrh was used as a narcotic to deaden pain, were the soldiers showing mercy to Jesus by offering Him myrrh? Probably not. More likely, it was because they didn’t want Him to die too quickly. They wanted to lengthen His suffering. Myrrh was a costly substance. Exodus 30 says it was used to anoint prophets, priests, and kings. Psalms 45 refers to it as a perfume. John 19 tells us it was used for embalming. At His birth, Jesus was given myrrh (Mat_2:11). Why? Because He is the Anointed One, because His Name is as ointment poured forth (Son_1:3), because He came to die. Perhaps it was because He knew it was a drug to deaden the pain, Jesus refused to take it.

Matthew 27:35

Each Jewish male wore five articles of clothing: a headband, sandals, an inner cloak sort of like a nightshirt, a belt, and an outer tunic, or robe. The soldiers divided Jesus’ clothing among themselves. But when it came to the outer tunic, they threw dice to see who would get it. Why? Because “without seam” (see Joh_19:23), it was a beautifully constructed garment. As God Himself in the Person of Jesus Christ died for their sins, the soldiers played games on Golgotha.

Matthew 27:36

The pain from the nails piercing Jesus’ hands would cause His pectoralis major muscles to go into spasms and His lungs to no longer operate properly. The only way one being crucified could breathe would be to straighten his legs, place his full weight on the nail driven through his feet, and stand straight, thereby forcing air into his lungs. To exhale, he would bend his knees, causing the full weight of his body to hang on the nails in his hands. That is why when they wanted to finally kill a man being crucified, the Romans would break his legs. It was the most cruel, torturous death ever devised by man. Cicero said it was not fit for even the most common criminal.

Matthew 27:39

“He saved others,” said the chief priests, scribes, and elders. They had denied this previously, saying that if Jesus had helped anyone, it had been only through the power of the devil (Mat_12:24). Now comes the moment of truth. When they think they’ve got Him, they admit He saved others. How could they do otherwise? The lepers were healed. The dead were raised. The blind saw. The deaf heard. Jesus could have come down from the Cross and saved Himself. But had He saved Himself, He could not have saved you. This is what the world still wants. The world wants Christbut not crucified. The world wants a Jesus figure, a Christ-consciousness, a cosmic spirituality, a harmonic convergence, teachings on love, truth, and global unity. The world still says, “Give us Christbut not on the Cross.” Why? Because Christ crucified means we have to acknowledge the part we played in His horrific death. We have to acknowledge that we are murderous sinners in need of a Savior. And the world doesn’t want to do that. They want Jesus as a Hero, but not as a Lamb slain for their sin.

Matthew 27:43

“What’s wrong, Jesus?” the crowd heckled. “You trusted in Godnow look at You.” You’ll hear the same thing today. People will say to youor perhaps you’ll hear the enemy whisper in your ear"I thought you trusted in God. How come you’re in this mess?” But, as the old sermon says, “This is Friday. But Sunday’s a-comin’.”

Matthew 27:44

The Greek word translated “land” is ge, from which we get our word “geography.” It means “earth.” In other words, the whole world was blanketed with darkness. As you study literature and mythology, you find that a three-hour darkness is referred to in virtually every culture. At Jesus’ birth, a star shone over the manger and light flooded the sky. At His death, darkness covers the earth because when man rejects the Light of the world, darkness covers his world.

Matthew 27:46

Every other time Jesus addressed God, it was always as “Abba.” But here He speaks from a distance to His Father as He says, “My God, My God.” Why? Of God, Habakkuk declared, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity” (Hab_1:13). Yet Paul writes that Jesus not only bore our sin, but actually became sin for us (2Co_5:21). Therefore, unable to behold evil or look on iniquity, the Father had no other choice but to turn His back on His Sonand Jesus felt the agony of that isolation. Hear not only the agony of isolation, but a word of information. Those who taunted Him as He paid for their sin should have known Jesus was quoting Psalms 22, the classic psalm that described crucifixion. Thus, even as He was dying, Jesus was clueing people in. As they mocked Him, He was saying, “Psalms 22 is being fulfilled in your very presence.” But they didn’t understand. They were in the dark not only physically but spiritually because they chose not to see the Light.

Matthew 27:47

Jesus didn’t dieHe dismissed His Spirit. His life wasn’t taken awayHe gave it away. And at last, the price was paid.

Matthew 27:51

As the veil in the temple was rent in two, the Holy of Holies became open for anyone to come into the presence of God at any time concerning any matter. When God gave the law to Moses on Mount Sinai, the earth shook (Exo_19:18) because the Law was meant to shake people up. “You think you’re righteous?” the law asked. “You think you’re okay? Try this on for size and see how you match up.” Paul wrote in Galatians that the law was given as a schoolmaster to make us see that we’re sinners in need of a Savior (Gal_3:24). Here, the earth is shaking againthis time not to shake man up, but to shake him loose. We’re free! It is finished. The veil is rent. The price is paid. The word “arose” literally means “appeared.” I believe what happened here is this: The earthquake caused the stones that covered the tombs to roll away. The bodies within those tombs then became exposed and visible. Open House! A Topical Study of Mat_27:50-51 Sometimes we have a “boys will be boys” attitude toward sin. Human nature being what it is, we wonder what the big deal is about messing up. So what if we miss the mark? We’re just human aren’t we? What’s the problem? The problem is, being a personal God and loving Father, God is grieved by the sin we commit so easily and nonchalantly. Why? Is it because He’s hypersensitive? No. Is He upset that we’re not behaving like “good little boys and girls”? No.

The Father hates sin because He sees the devastating effects it brings about. He sees the sorrow and the suffering, the problems and the pain that sin leaves in its wake. Thus, contrary to popular opinion, sin is not bad because it’s forbidden. Sin is forbidden because it’s bad. Sin is seriousdeadly serious. In Leviticus 17, God declared there can be no remission of sin, no forgiveness of sin, without the shedding of blood.

You see, it’s not a matter of “boys will be boys” or “accidents happen.” Sin is a deadly matter, and God is deadly serious about it. That’s why there can be no forgiveness without bloodshed. The nation of Israel could experience forgiveness of sin on only one day each year: Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement. On that day, the high priest would go through a great ceremonial cleansing before robing himself in his priestly garments. He would then take the blood of the bulls and goats and lambs that had been sacrificed on the altar in the courtyard and would walk into the Holy Place, the area of the temple where all priests were allowed. Beyond the Holy Place was a veil separating it from the Holy of Holies. This veil was massive: sixty feet high, thirty feet wide, and ten inches thick. It was made of seventy-two braids, each consisting of twenty-four cords. The veil was so heavy that it took three hundred priests to hang it. Beyond the veil was the Holy of Holiesa small room only the high priest could enter only on the Day of Atonement. The Holy of Holies contained the Ark of the Covenant.

Covering the Ark was the mercy seat, and filling the Holy of Holies was the shekinah glory of Godthe visible, tangible presence of the Lord. On one day each year, the high priest went from the altar in the courtyard, into the Holy Place and then through the veil into the Holy of Holies, where he sprinkled the blood and interceded on behalf of the people. If, however, the high priest was not properly cleansedif he was not right with Godhe would die in the Holy of Holies. In Exodus we read that hanging from the hem of the high priest’s robes were hung bells and pomegranates, signifying the gifts and the fruit of the Spirit. As long as the priests in the Holy Place could hear the bells on the high priest’s robes ringing behind the veil, they knew everything was all right. But if the bells stopped ringing, they knew there was trouble.

In later years, a rope was tied around the ankle of the high priest so that if he dropped dead, he could be pulled out of the Holy of Holies without placing anyone else’s life in jeopardy. It was a powerful, awesome, and, in a very real sense, terrifying moment when the high priest entered the Holy of Holies to intercede for the people. With this in mind, can you imagine how the priests in the Holy Place must have felt on the day Jesus died? First, there was darkness. Then the massive veil was ripped from top to bottom as if it were a piece of paper. Suddenly, these priests who would never have been allowed into the Holy of Holies could look right in. The way was now open. For the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered? because that the worshipers once purged should have had no more conscience of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins.Heb_10:1-4 The shedding of blood and the application of the blood in the Holy of Holies could not really make one right with God. If it could, there would have been no need to do it year after year. But the continued sacrifices were a constant reminder that the blood of bulls and goats and lambs was simply a shadow, a picture that pointed to One who was to comethe Lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world forever. By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. Now where remission of these is, there is no more offering for sin. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; and having an high priest over the house of God; let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.Heb_10:10, Heb_10:17-22 Even as the veil in the temple was ripped from top to bottom, so the body of the Lamb of God was ripped for us. He paid the price for all of my sin, rebellion, and foolishness. “It is finished,” He cried. The work is complete. Therefore, Hebrews says, come boldly into the presence of God. You have been cleansed by the blood. The veil is rent.

No longer is the Holy of Holies for the high priest only. Every person who simply believes Jesus Christ died for his or her sin can come boldly into the presence of God. That’s revolutionary! Not only the high priest, not only the pastor, not only a certain Bible study teacher or prayer warrior or singer can come. “Everyone come,” God is saying. “The price has been paid by one offering. So comenot hesitantly, fearfully, or reluctantly. Come boldly.

It’s Open House!” During the Gulf of Tonkin crisis, Henry Kissinger asked one of his eager young assistants at the State Department to research the area. The assistant labored round the clock for six days to prepare what he felt was a thorough and profound paper. Proudly, he put it on Kissinger’s desk. It came back fifteen minutes later with this note scribbled at the top: Please redo. HK. I’ve got to do it over? the assistant thought. I gave it my all. But he worked doubly hard on the rewrite. He placed the second paper on Kissinger’s desk. Fifteen minutes later, it was again returned with these words at the bottom: Please redo. HK. The weary assistant took his paper and spent yet a third week working feverishly to get it done. Again it went to Kissinger’s desk. Again it came back with the same note. Finally, the young man stormed into Henry Kissinger’s office and declared, “Mr. Kissinger, I’ve barely slept in three weeks. This is the very best I can do.” “Well, in that case, I’ll read it now,” replied Kissinger. Sometimes I think we picture our Father like that, saying to us, “Pray harder. Study longer. Sacrifice deeper. Give more. And if you continue to give, pray, sacrifice, and givemaybe I’ll read your paper. Maybe I’ll listen to your prayer. Maybe I’ll respond to your question.” But, gang, the issue is not trying harder. The issue is realizing Jesus completed the work once and for all. The Father says to us, “Come boldly into My presence. Whether you have devotions or not is immaterial. Whether you study My Word or not is irrelevant. My Son opened the way for you. His body was torn. He was the ripped veil.” Yet what do we do? We get out our little scissors and say, “I realize there’s a big opening in the veil, but I’m going to try to cut my own way through with my works of righteousnessmy devotion, my prayer, my witnessing.” Listen, precious people, the work is done. The price is paid. The way into God’s presence is open to everyone who believes. It is open to any person at any time at any place. Thus, any time and any place, every time and every place can be holy. Changing a diaper can be just as much an act of devotion and worship as reading your Bible if you do it to the glory of God, celebrating the fact that you can come into His presence anywhere. That’s what the Samaritan woman heard from Jesus when, in answer to her question concerning the proper place to worship, He said, “The Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and in truth” (Joh_4:24). In other words, it’s not where your body is that matters. It’s where your heart is that counts. Working out at the YMCA can be an act of worship if you say, “Lord, I thank You for the fact that I can exercise. Help me to somehow reflect something of You as I’m doing this. May this be a time, Lord, when I can encourage someone and really be thankful to You for what You’ve given me today.” You are in the Holy of Holies at that time, even though there’s not a pew in sight. Does this mean you should never read your Bible, never pray, never tithe, or never come to church? Of course not. It means, however, that your motivation for doing those things changes.

Instead of feeling responsible to demonstrate your spirituality, you realize the work has already been done, the price paid, the veil rent. And your motivation to worship, tithe, pray, and study the Word changes from one of responsibility to one of response. When my wife gives me a Valentine, I don’t say, “I better read this. In fact, I’ll have to discipline myself to do it. I’ll carve out time tomorrow morning. Hope I can stay awake. Hope she’s impressed that I read it.” That’s crazy! And yet we take the Valentine of God’s WordHis love letter to usand say, “Well, I better discipline myself. Hope I can stay awake. Where should I start?” When you’re in love with someone, you want to know what she’s saying, what he’s thinking, what they’re feeling. You want to know her mind; you want to hear his heart. Why do I study the Bible? Because I am so impressed with my Father that I want to know more about Him. He has torn the veil from top to bottom. And we can enter into His presenceanyone, any place, any time. Glory be to God! The price was paid. The veil was rent. The way is open. Come on in!

Matthew 27:53

Although the stones shook loose, exposing the bodies at the time of the crucifixion, they could not come out of the graves until after Jesus’ Resurrection. Why? Because Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that Jesus is the Firstfruit. Jesus rose first. These chosen saints who were resurrected after Jesus arose on Easter Sunday began to walk around the Holy City. What a trip it would have been to see people who were dead for ten years cruising around Jerusalem!

Matthew 27:54

Centurions were in command of one hundred men. Centurions were tough menfighters and warriorschosen for their bravery. This centurion saw the darkened sky, felt the earth quaking, listened as Jesus said, “Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do,” and heard Him cry, “It is finished.” And the only conclusion he could make was, “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Matthew 27:55

Mary Magdalene was the woman from whom Jesus cast seven demons (Luk_8:2). In Matthew 20, James and John’s mother had come to Jesus saying, “I have a favor to ask. Could one of my boys be on Your right hand and one on Your left hand in the kingdom?” “You don’t know what you ask,” He had answered. As she looked at Jesus nowwith a man hanging on His right and another on His leftI wonder if her heart stopped as she realized how little she had understood.

Matthew 27:57

John tells us Nicodemus accompanied Joseph of Arimathaea. Both Nicodemus and Joseph were secret disciples of Jesus. What were they risking by burying the body of Jesus? Everything. They could potentially have been sentenced to death for siding with this One who was crucified. They could have lost their prominent positions in the temple and in society if they were discovered to be sympathizers of this itinerant Rabbi from Nazareth. At the very least, they were risking ritual defilement, which meant they couldn’t celebrate Passover after touching the dead body of Jesus. We often hear Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea criticized for being secret disciples. But where were the prominent disciples? Where were Peter, James, and John? They were hiding. It was the heretofore secret disciplesNicodemus and Josephwho were at the Cross, ministering to the body of their Lord. Perhaps you feel like you don’t do much. You don’t walk on water very often. You haven’t healed a whole lot of lepers lately. You’re not real vocal on the job about your belief in Christ. Listenlike Joseph and Nicodemus, you’ll have your opportunity. Quite frankly, I think sometimes the secret disciples are the ones who really shine when the way gets dark. The quiet ones, the unknown ones, are often the strongest. So it was with Joseph and Nicodemus. Their moment had arrived.

Matthew 27:61

These skeptics remembered what Jesus said. With Jesus’ words about rising again in three days ringing in their memories, Jesus’ enemies were worried about what might happen. The believers? They were skeptics. Had they really believed Jesus would rise, they would have been camped out around the tomb to see it happen. Have you found that sometimes the unbeliever believes more than we do? The unbeliever often has more of an understanding of the power and reality of God than do we who have “theologized” or “dispensationalized” Him away with our doctrinal systems. Clarification would help.

Matthew 27:65

It’s almost as if Pilate is saying, “You have a watchfifty soldiersat your command. Make it as sure as you can, but good luck.” What happened to Pilate? Tradition has it that a year after this event, upset emotionally and in trouble politically, he resigned his position and went to Gaul (Germany), where he committed suicide.

Matthew 27:66

The seal of the imperial sign of Rome was embedded in wax upon the rope in front of the stone. Anyone who tampered with the rope or touched the stone would be executed. The stone was sealed. The watch was set. Chapter 27 ends on Friday. But Sunday’s “a-comin’.”