June 17, 2024
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Reading along with us in Matthew and Exodus? Here’s today’s reading:
Matthew 27 (NIV)
Judas Hangs Himself
1 Early in the morning, all the chief priests and the elders of the people made their plans how to have Jesus executed. 2 So they bound him, led him away and handed him over to Pilate the governor.……Continue Reading
Matthew 27
Much more prophecy fulfilled in such a short time. Maybe that will be the pattern as we approach the end times, accelerated prophecy fulfillment.
What struck me about reading this chapter again was the severe hardness of their hearts. Even today the evil one blinds people to the truth, and God alone must call them to his Son.
Also there is a significance of Pilot washing his hands.
Jesus said he came for his people alone, so it is amazing that no gentile had a hand in his death and despite their extra efforts to ensure Jesus stayed dead, death could not hold him. Even at the moment of his death, his spirit resurrected people long dead in their tombs.
Then what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled: “They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price set on him by the people of Israel, and they used them to buy the potter’s field, as the Lord commanded me.” Wow, this prophesy was pretty accurate, that’s amazing! And the people doing the deceiving accuse the innocent of being the deceiver. I find that a bit delusional on the part of the religious leaders.
Matthew 27-28
chapter 27 the verse where the field of blood is purchased, I googled it and asked if this field of blood still exist . It does! ,
Matthew 27
Matthew 27
There is so much to be said in this chapter 27. So I will bring up Judas Iscariot, Barabbas, and the thief on the cross. Judas spent time with Jesus fellowshipping and hearing His teachings and even seeing all the miracles and casting out of demons. Judas was also given ability through Jesus along with the other disciples to do miracles and cast out demons in Jesus name. But he becomes disillusioned because Jesus isn`t doing what he wants and setting up His Kingdom on earth right there and now. Actually all of the 12 disciples were thinking that; at least some of them. Even though Jesus kept telling them that He was going to die and rise the third day. This is probably why they had trouble understanding what Jesus was saying. It is sad that Judas killed himself and hanged himself on a tree. He was a follower, but not a true believer. It could had been different; if he had only chose against his own thinking and trusted Christ. He was only sorry that he was responsible for a innocent man`s death. The next person is Barabbas. He was a thief and a murderer and he knew he was guilty and deserved to die on the cross. He was just getting ready to die when suddenly he is freed and Jesus is taken his place. I can`t imagine the joy and bewilderment that he must had been going through. This is what Jesus did for us. For we all are sinners and fall short of God`s glory. Romans 3:23. I would like to believe that Barabbas came to Christ after the Resurrection. Then there is the thief on the cross. According to the Gospels there were two thieves next to Jesus. In Matthew they both ridicule Him but in Luke 23: 39-43 one of thieves rebukes the other thief and asks Jesus to save him. He probably had a change of heart and saw that this was truly the Messiah. He didn`t earn salvation but only called out to Jesus to save him. Romans 10: 13 { For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.} When Jesus called out to God the Father { Why have you forsaken me? } God had to turn away because at that moment of time; Jesus bore all the sins of the world. All past, present, and future sins that mankind is guilty of. He is the Lamb of God which takes away the sin of the world. And when Jesus said. { It is finished} ; He was saying that it is accomplished. This is the reason why He came to earth to take our place as the perfect Lamb of God. God bless.
What a great Savior we have! All these people with earthly power, motive and circumstances, doing what they think is best, seeming as if they are in control and doing to Jesus what they want, but Jesus is truly the one who is in control. First that is self control, managing His own thought, emotion and reaction, conducting Himself in a way that shows Himself to be the suffering servant. The second is sovereign control, knowing there is a course that this must take, He needs to die in this way for Him to bare our sins on His physical body, to be the atonement for all that we have done wrong. For that to happen, there must be people filled with pride, jealousy and evil that push the idea that this good and godly man must die. He is a threat and He is wrong, they think. Pilate, of all people, is trying to do what is right, promote justice. But he is in a strange position to keep the peace ruling over these people who are hell bent (literally) to see Jesus hang on a cross. So Jesus is brutally beaten, misused, mocked, vilified and crucified. But ultimately He is the victor, not the victim. He shows His heart by forgiving those who have put Him in this place, promising the thief that He will be in paradise for the faith that he expresses and taking care of His mother. He shows the purpose of all this by crying out “God why have you forsaken me?” and then “It is finished”. He shows His control by giving up His spirit, reunited with His Father Who had to turn His back on Him for a moment. And then these evil men who have brought this all to pass, try to scurry to make sure Jesus stays in this grave, that He stays dead. Well guess what, they won’t control that either!
This is Jesus. King of the Jews.
His charge was His truth. The people were so blinded by fear, anger, and crowd mentality that the reality of what they were doing went unnoticed. The pain He endured, the suffering for each one of those people that cried “Crucify Him” and for us despite our own sinful ways.
I often think of being in that crowd, how it must have felt to be part of God’s plan but in such a heinous way. I would like to think I would have been mourning my Savior and fighting to stop what was happening. And yet, every time I read the account of His death I am overcome by sadness of what He endured for me and reminded that I still sin, I still fall so short everyday and it makes me feel like someone in that crowd. Such overwhelming, amazing, UNDESERVED love He showers us with!