LESSON 8
THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MATTHEW
CHPTRS. 25-28
Chptr. 27 Cont.’:
Explanation Matt. 27:35b- and text Matt. 27:36-66, plus explanations for Matt 27:36-49
b. Then they crucified Him: It is significant to remember that Jesus did not suffer as the victim of circumstances. He was in control. Jesus said of His life in John 10:18, “No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of Myself.” It is terrible to be forced to endure such torture, but to freely choose it out of love is remarkable. Can we ever rightly doubt God’s love for us again? Has He not gone to the most extreme length to demonstrate that love?
5. (35b) The Roman soldiers at the crucifixion of Jesus.
A. Divided His garments, casting lots: Jesus lost even His clothing at the cross. He was nailed to the cross as a naked, humiliated man.
1). Jesus came all the way down the ladder to accomplish our salvation. He let go of absolutely everything – even His clothes – becoming completely poor for us, so we could become completely rich in Him
Matt. 27:36-66 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.37 And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him: THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.38 Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.39 And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads40 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.”41 Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said,42 “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.43 “He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ”44 Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing. 45 Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour there was darkness over all the land.46 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?”47 Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said, “This Man is calling for Elijah!”48 Immediately one of them ran and took a sponge, filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and offered it to Him to drink.49 The rest said, “Let Him alone; let us see if Elijah will come to save Him.”50 And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit.51 Then, behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth quaked, and the rocks were split,52 and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;53 and coming out of the graves after His resurrection, they went into the holy city and appeared to many.54 So when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!”55 And many women who followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to Him, were there looking on from afar,56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.57 Now when evening had come, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who himself had also become a disciple of Jesus.58 This man went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given to him.59 When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,60 and laid it in his new tomb which he had hewn out of the rock; and he rolled a large stone against the door of the tomb, and departed.61 And Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.62 On the next day, which followed the Day of Preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered together to Pilate,63 saying, “Sir, we remember, while He was still alive, how that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise.’64 “Therefore command that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest His disciples come by night and steal Him away, and say to the people, ‘He has risen from the dead.’ So the last deception will be worse than the first.”65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard; go your way, make it as secure as you know how.”66 So they went and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone and setting the guard.
27:36-66 And they are sitting and guarding him there: and they place, over by his head, the cause of his death in a scripture, This is Yah Shua The Sovereign of the Yah Hudaya. Then they stake two robbers — one by the right and one by the left. And those passing over are blaspheming over him shaking their heads and wording. You who razes the nave and builds it in three days, deliver your soul! If you are the Son of God, descend from the stake! Likewise, also the Rabbi Priests with the scribes and elders and the Pherisas mocking him, wording, Others he enlivened: his soul he is not able to enliven. If he is the sovereign of Isra El, have him now descend from the stake: and we trust in him. He confides upon God: have him rescue him now — if he wills: for he words, I am the Son of God. Likewise, also the robbers whom they staked with him are also reproaching him. And from hour six, darkness being over all the earth to the ninth hour: and about the hour nine Yah Shua shouts with a resounding voice, wording, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is, El, El, Why forsake you me? Psalm 22:1 Some of humanity — of those standing there, when hearing that word. This one calls to Eli Yah. And within the hour one of them races and takes a sponge and fills it with vinegar and places it on a reed and is watering him. Those remaining are wording, Allow! We see if Eli Yah rescues him. And he — Yah Shua again shouts with a resounding voice and releases his spirit. MATERIAL AND PHYSICAL REACTIONS
And straightway, the face of the portal of the nave splits in twofrom above until below: and the earthquakes and the stones split and the tombs open and many bodies of the sleeping holy rise and come from the tombs after his resurrection and enter the holy city and manifest to many. And the centurion and those with him guarding Yah Shua when they see the quaking and all that become and they are frightening greatly, wording, Truly, this Son be of God. And there also have been many women observing from afar who had been following Yah Shua from Gelila who had been ministering to him — one of them, Maryam the Magdelaita, and Maryam the mother of Yaaqub and Yausi, and the mother of the sons of Zabedai. YAH SHUA ENTOMBED And when, being evening, a rich man of Ramtah named Yauseph comes — he also, being discipled by Yah Shua: approaches toward Philataus and asks for the body of Yah Shua: then Philataus misvahs to give the body to him: and Yauseph takes the body and binds it in pure linen: and places it in his own new tomb that was quarried in the stone: and he rolls a great stone placing it over portal of the house of the tomb and and goes: and there have been Maryam the Magdelaita and the other Maryam sitting toward the tomb. THE TOMB SEALED AND GUARDED And the day tomorrow having been after the lowering the Rabbi Priests and Pherisas congregate unto Philataus, and wording to him, Our Lord, we remember that deceiver wording, when living, From after three days I rise. So misvah to heed the tomb until day three — lest his disciples come and thieve him by night and word to the people, He rose from the house of the dead! — and the final deception being more evil than the first. Philataus word to them, You have a custodian: go and heed it as you know. And they go and heed the tomb — sealing the stone with a custodian. Aramaic NC
5. (36-37) The Roman soldiers at the crucifixion of Jesus.
A. That it might be fulfilled: Yet even in all this sin, pain, agony, and injustice God guided all things to His desired fulfillment.
a.It may seem that Jesus has no control over these events. Yet the invisible hand of God guided all things, so that specific prophecies were specifically fulfilled. 48 fulfilled –Here are a few: See Zechariah 9:9; fulfilled in Luke 35-37; Matthew 21:6-11
• Messiah is to be betrayed by a friend.
See Psalms 41:9; 55:12-14; fulfilled in Matthew 10:4; 26:49-50; John 13:21
• Messiah is to be sold for 30 pieces of silver.
See Zechariah 11:12; fulfilled in Matthew 26:15; 27:3
• The money for which Messiah is sold is to be thrown “to the potter” in God’s house.
See Zechariah 11:13; fulfilled in Matthew 27:5-7
• Messiah is to be hated without cause.
See Isaiah 49:7; Psalm 69:5; fulfilled in John 15:24-25
• Messiah is to be silent before His accusers.
See Isaiah 53:7; fulfilled in Matthew 27:12
• Messiah is to be executed by crucifixion, by having His hands and feet pierced.
See Psalm 22:16; fulfilled in John 19:28
• Messiah is to be given vinegar to quench His thirst.
See Psalm 69:21; fulfilled in Matthew 27:34
• Messiah is to be executed without having a bone broken.
See Exodus 12:46; Psalm 34:21; fulfilled in John 19:33-36
• Messiah is to be buried with the rich when dead.
See Isaiah 53:9; fulfilled in Matthew 27:57-60
• Messiah is to be raised from the dead.
See Isaiah 53:9-10; Psalm 2:7; 16:10; fulfilled in Matthew 28:1-20; Acts 2:23-36;13;33-37; 1 Corinthians 11:4-6
• Messiah is to be executed by crucifixion as a thief.
See Psalm 22:16; Zechariah 12:10; Isaiah 53:5, 12; fulfilled in Luke 23:33; John 20:25; Matthew 27:38; Mark 5:27, 28
b. Sitting down, they kept watch over Him: This was to prevent someone from rescuing Jesus from the cross. Men were known to have lived after being taken down from a cross.
c. THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS: In John 19:21 we read that the religious leaders among the Jews objected to this title. They felt it was false, because they did not believe that Jesus was the King of the Jews. They also believed it was demeaning, because it showed Rome’s power to humiliate and torture even the King of the Jews. Yet Pilate would not alter this, and when asked to take down the inscription he answered, What I have written, I have written (John 19:22).
1). The written charge (or titulus) was normally carried before a criminal on the way to execution, or hung around his neck, and would then be fixed to the cross, thus reinforcing the deterrent effect of the punishment.
6. (38-44) Jesus is mocked on the cross.
a. Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left: In His crucifixion, Jesus stood right in the center of sinful humanity. With the mockery of the criminals, the rejection of Jesus by His people is complete. Even criminals rejected Him.
1)The Jews placed him between these two, perhaps to intimate that he was the worst felon of the three.
2). One of these robbers trusted in Jesus, and one did not (Luke 23:39-43). He simply made a request. Luke 23: 42-43 And he was saying, Jesus, remember me when You come [d]in Your kingdom!” 43 And He said to him, Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.
b. And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads: In the midst of His staggering display of love, Jesus was not honored. Instead, He was blasphemed and His enemies sneered, saying, “Save Yourself. If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
1). Significantly, they mocked Jesus for who He really was and is.
· They mocked Him as a Savior.· They mocked Him as a King.· They mocked Him as a believer who trusted in God.· They mocked Him as the Son of God.
c. Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing: There were many low points to Jesus’ ordeal on the cross, but this is surely one of the lowest. Even among the three crucified men, Jesus was put in the “lowest” position.
D. The death of Jesus.
1. (45) An unusual darkness on the land.
a. Now from the sixth hour until the ninth hour: From the Roman reckoning of time, this was approximately from 12:00 noon until 3:00 in the afternoon. This unusual darkness lasted for some three hours, much longer than any natural eclipse.
1). This was not the entire time Jesus was on the cross, but the later part of that time. According to Mark 15:25 and 15:34, we can surmise that Jesus hung on the cross for about 6 hours (approximately between 9:00 in the morning and 3:00 in the afternoon).
2). This darkness was especially remarkable because it happened during a full moon – during which time Passover was always held – and during a full moon it is impossible that there be a natural eclipse of the sun.
b. There was darkness over all the land: The remarkable darkness all over the earth showed the agony of creation itself in the Creator’s suffering.
1). There was contemporary evidence for this unusual darkness. “Origen (Contra Celsus, ii,33) and Eusebius (Chron.) quoted words from Phlegon (a Roman historian) in which he made mention of an extraordinary solar eclipse as well as of an earthquake about the time of the crucifixion.” (Geldenhuys in his commentary on Luke)
2). Phlegon, Roman historian wrote: “In the fourth year of the 202nd Olympiad, there was an extraordinary eclipse of the sun: at the sixth hour, the day turned into dark night, so that the stars in heaven were seen; and there was an earthquake.” (Cited in Clarke)
2. (46-49) Jesus cries out to the Father in agony.
a. My God, My God: In quoting Psalm 22, Jesus declared His fulfillment of that prophecy, in both its agony and in its exultation. The Psalm continues to say, You have answered Me. I will declare Your name to My brethren; in the midst of the congregation I will praise You (Psalm 22:21b-22).
b. Why have You forsaken Me? Jesus had known great pain and suffering (both physical and emotional) during His life. Yet He had never known separation from His Father. At this moment, He experienced what He had not yet ever experienced. There was a significant sense in which Jesus rightly felt forsaken by the Father at this moment.
c. Why have You forsaken Me? The agony of this cry is significant. Did God separate Himself from Jesus? Some scholars say yes God did forsake Him and others say no.
Was Jesus Really Separated from God on the Cross?
He said: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Jesus’ cry from the cross has for centuries been interpreted by the church to mean that the Father forsook Jesus, turned his face from him and left him to face the cross by himself. But is that true? Did the Father actually forsake Jesus and turn his back on him? As we read those words of Jesus in scripture a seed question becomes planted in our minds – if he forsook Jesus will he turn away from us? Did he forsake Jesus and will he forsake us? If we take the words of Jesus at face value, we might believe that God abandoned Jesus on the cross, however if we look at other scriptures and understand some cultural things we actually begin to see something different.
If we take the words of Jesus at face value we might believe that God abandoned Jesus on the cross, however if we look at other scriptures and understand some cultural things we actually begin to see something different.
In scripture we find quite a few verses in the Old Testament that seem to indicate that while God promised not to forsake Israel Deut. 4:31 he then goes back on his word and does forsake them. But does he actually forsake them or does their sin have consequences; are they are reaping what they have sown? Here are some of those verses for you to check out – Deut. 31:16-18; 1Kings 6:11-13; Neh. 9: all especially 30 ,31; Is. 59:2; Is. 54:8.
(Is. 54:8) In a little wrath I hid My face from you for a moment; but with everlasting kindness I will have mercy on you, says Jehovah your Redeemer.
Let’s look at how God dealt with Jesus because that has a huge significance for us and our lives. Throughout his lifetime Jesus made some interesting claims.
John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.” That reality was never rescinded before, during or after the cross.
In John 14:9 -11 Jesus says four times that he and the Father are in each other. v9 “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.”
In speaking of his coming death, Jesus believed the Father would not leave him to face it alone.
John 8:28,29 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself…. 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone.
John 16:32, Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Then we come to those famous words on the cross… My God, my God why hast thou forsaken me (Matt 27:46) Did God really turn his back on Jesus and forsake him or was something quite different from what the words seem to imply actually happening. I believe that something different was happening.
Why? Because God is good (Mark 10:18), He is love (1 John 4:8) He is faithful (Deut. 7:9) cannot be false to his word or who he is and his mercy triumphs over judgment (James 2:13).
Jesus perfectly fulfilled all the law and obeyed all Gods commandments so God couldn’t go back on his word and forsake Jesus. God said to the children of Israel that if they obeyed his laws then he would never leave nor forsake them (see verses earlier in article). Jesus himself believed the Father would not leave him or forsake him as seen earlier in this article.
Paul says in 2 Cor 5:19 …God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them. God was IN Christ, they were one, and so he hung there too. The Amplified Bible says it like this “It was God [personally present] in Christ, reconciling and restoring the world to favor with Himself, not counting up and holding against [men] their trespasses [but cancelling them], and committing to us the message of reconciliation (of the restoration to favor).”(AMP)
Although mankind has felt abandoned or forsaken by God since the fall he was not. Even before mankind was created God made provision for the possibility of the fall, even then he decided he would never forsake us. Scripture tells us that Jesus was the lamb that was slain from the foundation of the world (Rev 13:8)
Jesus, as fallen man, was identifying with us, taking on our sin; our grief, our confusion and the inaccurate feeling of abandonment by God that mankind had suffered since the fall. He was not speaking out of his feeling of abandonment, he knew God was with him, he was speaking out of ours. You might be thinking but the Bible says our sins have separated us from God and hidden his face from us (Is 59:2) Note here it is sin that does the separating, sin that hides Gods face from us making us not able to see him not God hiding himself from us because of sin. It is sin that is the bad guy not God. God has not forsaken or abandoned us because of our sin.
Col 1:21 says it all. Colossians 1:21 And you, who once were alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now He has reconciled.
Another thing that was happening at that point was something that would be yet another indicator to all present there at the cross, that Jesus was in fact the Messiah, the long awaited one. A teaching practice in those days was that the teacher / rabbi would say the first verse (as we know them) of a Psalm or passage and the listeners would know what was coming, where the teacher was going by quoting that verse.
Those words “My God, my God why have you forsaken me” are a quote of the first verse of Ps 22 – the prophetic, messianic, psalm of deliverance written by David that begins with that cry but goes on to say that God hasn’t despised him or his cry, he has not hidden his face from him, he has heard when he cried to him; and the passage ends with the declaration “they shall come and proclaim his righteousness because he has done it!“ In other words “It is finished” he has delivered us! David is telling us ahead of time that the Father will not turn his face from Jesus and Jesus refers the Jews back to that passage of deliverance by using this phrase.
Most of those Jews listening would know that Jesus was referencing the entire passage especially any Pharisees or Sadducees there. They knew their scriptures and were familiar with the Messianic prophecies. For those that heard this cry aright, they would have heard that Jesus did not feel forsaken; they would have heard that he was proclaiming hope and deliverance.
Yes there were some who did not get that, who thought he was crying out to Elijah but those possibly were not even Jews and while we can’t know that for sure we do know that there were many people there from different nations. Any Jew listening would have known that Eli means “My God” not “Elijah” so they would not be likely to have made that comment.
I conclude that God never forsake Jesus. Jesus’ cry from the cross has for centuries been interpreted by the church to mean that the Father forsook Jesus, turned his face from him and left him to face the cross by himself. But is that true? Did the Father actually forsake Jesus and turn his back on him?
Throughout his lifetime Jesus made some interesting claims:
John 10:30, “I and my Father are one.” That reality was never rescinded before, during or after the cross.
In John 14:9 -11 Jesus says four times that he and the Father are in each other. v9 “He that has seen me has seen the Father.” 10 “Do you not believe that I am in the Father, and the Father is in Me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on My own initiative, but the Father abiding in Me does His works.” 11 “Believe Me that I am in the Father and the Father is in Me.”
In speaking of his coming death, Jesus believed the Father would not leave him to face it alone.
John 8:28,29 Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself…. 29 And he that sent me is with me: the Father hath not left me alone.
John 16:32, Behold, the hour cometh, yea, is now come, that ye shall be scattered, every man to his own, and shall leave me alone: and yet I am not alone, because the Father is with me.
Now to the other question – will God forsake us? As his children, does God get angry with us and forsake us? No, He doesn’t ever forsake us, not for any reason!
So ,my question is: When did He ever leave or forsake us? Never!!
From our conception as little spirits in Gen 1:26 to our being born in our mother’s womb. Did he forsake us, no! Think on that.
We will continue Explanations of Matt. 27: 50-66 next week. And beginning of Matt. 28.
We will continue with Les.8 next week.
The blessings of the Lord are upon you whether by blood, adoption/sonship or assignment. The blessing of the LORD makes a person rich, and he adds no sorrow with it. Prov. 10:22
David & Mary Sue