Matthew 27 Background Information with Maps and Images (Picture Study Bible - Matthew) Free Bible Online

Matthew 27

1 - Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death:

2 - and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.

3 - Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders,

4 - saying, "I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood."But they said, "What is that to us? You see to it."

5 - He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He went away and hanged himself.

6 - The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, "It's not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood."

7 - They took counsel, and bought the potter's field with them, to bury strangers in.

8 - Therefore that field was called "The Field of Blood" to this day.

9 - Then that which was spoken through

10 - and they gave them for the potter's field,as the Lord commanded me."Zechariah 11:12-13; Jeremiah 19:1-13; 32:6-9

11 - Now Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him, saying, "Are you the King of the Jews?"Jesus said to him,"So you say."

12 - When he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he answered nothing.

13 - Then Pilate said to him, "Don't you hear how many things they testify against you?"

14 - He gave him no answer, not even one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.

15 - Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release to the multitude one prisoner, whom they desired.

16 - They had then a notable prisoner, called Barabbas.

17 - When therefore they were gathered together, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ?"

18 - For he knew that because of envy they had delivered him up.

19 - While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of him."

20 - Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the multitudes to ask for Barabbas, and destroy Jesus.

21 - But the governor answered them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"They said, "Barabbas!"

22 - Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?"They all said to him, "Let him be crucified!"

Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ?"They all said to him, "Let him be crucified!"

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23 - But the governor said, "Why? What evil has he done?"But they cried out exceedingly, saying, "Let him be crucified!"

24 - So when Pilate saw that nothing was being gained, but rather that a disturbance was starting, he took water, and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it."

25 - All the people answered, "May his blood be on us, and on our children!"

26 - Then he released to them Barabbas, but Jesus he flogged and delivered to be crucified.

27 - Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

Then the governor's soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered the whole garrison together against him.

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28 - They stripped him, and put a scarlet robe on him.

29 - They braided a crown of thorns and put it on his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"

30 - They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head.

31 - When they had mocked him, they took the robe off of him, and put his clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32 - As they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name, and they compelled him to go with them, that he might carry his cross.

33 - When they came to a place called "Golgotha", that is to say, "The place of a skull,"

34 - they gave him sour wine to drink mixed with gall. When he had tasted it, he would not drink.

35 - When they had crucified him, they divided his clothing among them, casting lots,Psalm 22:18 and John 19:24]

36 - and they sat and watched him there.

37 - They set up over his head the accusation against him written, "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

38 - Then there were two robbers crucified with him, one on his right hand and one on the left.

39 - Those who passed by blasphemed him, wagging their heads,

40 - 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, the Pharisees, and the elders, said,

42 - "He saved others, but he can't save himself. If he is the King of Israel, let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.

43 - He trusts in God. Let God deliver him now, if he wants him; for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

44 - The robbers also who were crucified with him cast on him the same reproach.

45 - Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour.

46 - About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying,"Eli, Eli, limasabachthani?" That is,"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"Psalm 22:1

47 - Some of them who stood there, when they heard it, said, "This man is calling Elijah."

48 - Immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him a drink.

49 - The rest said, "Let him be. Let's see whether Elijah comes to save him."

50 - Jesus cried again with a loud voice, and yielded up his spirit.

51 - Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.

Behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from the top to the bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.

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52 - The tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised;

53 - and coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, they entered into the holy city and appeared to many.

54 - Now the centurion, and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake, and the things that were done, feared exceedingly, saying, "Truly this was the Son of God."

55 - Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him.

Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him.

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56 - Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.

57 - When evening had come, a rich man from Arimathaea, named Joseph, who himself was also Jesus' disciple came.

58 - This man went to Pilate, and asked for Jesus' body. Then Pilate commanded the body to be given up.

59 - Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,

60 - and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had cut out in the rock, and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed.

61 - Mary Magdalene was there, and the other Mary, sitting opposite the tomb.

62 - Now on the next day, which was the day after the Preparation Day, the chief priests and the Pharisees were gathered together to Pilate,

63 - saying, "Sir, we remember what that deceiver said while he was still alive: 'After three days I will rise again.'

64 - Command therefore that the tomb be made secure until the third day, lest perhaps his disciples come at night and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He is risen from the dead;' and the last deception will be worse than the first."

65 - Pilate said to them, "You have a guard. Go, make it as secure as you can."

66 - So they went with the guard and made the tomb secure, sealing the stone.

The Book of Matthew

Matthew 2:2 - Where is he that is born King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him.

Matthew 18:3 - And Jesus said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.

Matthew in The New Testament - A Brief Overview

Painting of St. Matthew with Angel by Rembrandt

The Word Gospel. The first book of the English Bible that most of us read from is the Gospel of Matthew. Matthew is the first of the four gospel writings, yet there is only one gospel about Jesus Christ and there are four different writers: Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. The word "Gospel" means "good news", and the good news is about Jesus Christ dying on the cross and then 3 days later conquering death and rising from the dead, offering salvation to all mankind, this is the Gospel.

Summary of the Book of Matthew

Brief Summary. Jesus of Nazareth is indeed the long awaited Messiah King of he Jews as foretold by the ancient Jewish prophets. He came to reveal how to enter the "Kingdom of Heaven."

Purpose. It is very obvious that the Gospel of Matthew was written for the purpose of revealing that the man Jesus of Nazareth was actually the King of the Jews, the long awaited Messiah, the sovereign Lord Jehovah who came from heaven to this world revealing to mankind the "kingdom of heaven". The King of the Jews, the Messiah Jesus fulfilled every prophecy that was spoken about Him in the ancient Jewish Scriptures, in the Old Testament. The prophecies that spoke of the "Kingdom" that the Messiah would bring would be a spiritual Kingdom that would never be destroyed.

Audience. When reading the book of Matthew it becomes clear that the writer was speaking to a Jewish audience. One of the obvious reasons is that the "Kingdom of Heaven" is mentioned over 30 times and never the Kingdom of God. This is because the Jews do not speak the name of God and this could be the very reason that Matthew used this phrase. There are many times while reading the book that an event happens and a prophecy is cited. The event is mentioned as the direct fulfillment of a promise made to the Jews by one of their Jewish prophets, and the fulfillment of the prophecy was happening before their very eyes. It is clear that the audience of people are the Jews, they were awaiting their King, and Matthew records that the King had come and they rejected their King.

Authorship. Early Christian writings and traditions have attributed the authorship of the Gospel of Matthew to the apostle Matthew. Many scholars question whether or not Matthew was the true author of the first Gospel, but there is no way at this current time to be absolutely positive based on historical evidence. Most agree that Matthew was the author. The Bible reveals that Matthew, or Levi, as he was sometimes called, collected taxes for the Romans. One day Jesus passed by and called Matthew to come and follow him, and Matthew did so. The Bible also records that Matthew held a banquet at his house with several of his tax collector friends and Jesus being invited to the banquet was the guest of honor (Mark 2:14-15). The Bible also provides a list of the 12 apostles and Matthew was named among them.

Date. There is no way to determine with absolute certainty the date that the book of Matthew was written. Most scholars agree that the book of Matthew was written before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., this is because Jesus spoke of many events as though they had not happened yet. A large number of scholars do not believe in the miracle of prophecy and therefore insist that the Gospel of Matthew was written after the fall of Jerusalem because of the accuracy of the predicted events.

Language. There are many references among the books in the history of the early church that state that the Gospel of Matthew was originally written by Matthew in the biblical Hebrew language, and he was writing to an audience of  Jews throughout the world who had become followers of Jesus. Unfortunately there is no evidence whatsoever of a Hebrew or Aramaic manuscript, so many scholars have agreed that the Gospel of Matthew is not actually a translation from Hebrew into Greek, but was actually written in Greek. The whole subject of the Gospel of Matthew being written in Hebrew must remain speculation rather than fact.

Outline of the Book of Matthew

The King Comes and His Kingdom is Rejected - Matthew 1-12
The Rejection of the King's Teaching and Ministry - Matthew 13-25
The King's Trial and Crucifixion - Matthew 26-27
The King's Victory and Resurrection - Matthew 28
The King's Commissioning of His Apostles - Matthew 28

Matthew - Interesting Notes

Matthew mentions four women in his genealogy which is not typical for Jewish genealogical records: Tamar, Rahab, Ruth, Bathsheeba who were all associated with some sort of immorality. Tamar (incest), Rahab (harlotry), Ruth (a descendant of Moab who committed incest) and Bathsheba (adultery). Christ's greatness was in Himself not his genealogy.

There are many intimations for the word "King" in Matthew if one takes the time to look. For example in chapter one there is a royal genealogy mentioning king David at the start. Chapter two reveals the kingly gifts of the Magi. Chapter three calls John the Baptist a "herald" which is a cultural term that represents a herald for a king. Etc. 

There are similarities with the number four. The four colors in the veil of the Temple were purple, scarlet, white, and blue. The four faces of the cherubim are the lion, ox, man, eagle. The four Gospel accounts are Matthew, Mark, Luke, John. 

Quick Reference Maps - Matthew

Israel in New Testament Times

The Kingdom of Herod the Great

The Divisions of Herod's Kingdom

The Flight into Egypt

The Baptism of Jesus

The Beginning of Christ's Ministry

Nazareth and the Sea of Galilee

Jesus Ministers in Galilee

Jesus Comes to Jerusalem

Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus

Jesus Journeys from Nazareth to Jerusalem

The Final Journey of Jesus to Jerusalem

The Name Jesus In Ancient Hebrew Text
"Yeshua" in First Century Hebrew Text. This is how the name "Jesus" would have been written in ancient Hebrew documents. The four letters or consonants from right to left are Yod, Shin, Vav, Ayin (Y, SH, OO, A). Jesus is the Greek name for the Hebrew name Joshua or Y'shua which means "The LORD or Yahweh is Salvation".

Matthew Resources

Outline of the Life of Jesus in Harmony
Simple Map of First Century Israel
Topographical Map of First Century Israel
Map of the Ministry of Jesus
Map of the Roads in Ancient Israel
Map of the Roman Empire