Matthew 27 Summary - Quick Bible Study

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MATTHEW 27 SUMMARY IN 5 MINUTES

• WHEN:

  • The birth of Jesus probably occurred around 4 B.C..

  • From Luke 3:23, we know Jesus began His ministry when He was about 30 years old.

  • This would place the events of Jesus’ ministry roughly between 26-31 A.D..

• CHARACTERS:

  • Jesus - The Messiah. The Son of God.

  • Pontius Pilate - The 5th Roman governor of Judea who permitted the Jews to crucify Jesus.

  • Chief Priests and Elders - Jewish leaders who opposed Jesus’ ministry.

  • Judas Iscariot - One of Jesus’ 12 Apostles who betrayed Him.

  • Joseph of Arimathea - A rich man who asked Pilate for permission to bury Jesus.

  • Barabbas - A criminal who was jailed in Jerusalem for insurrection and murder.

• WHERE:

  • All of the events of chapter 27 occurred in-and-around the city of Jerusalem.

• OUTLINE:

  • JUDAS ISCARIOT KILLS HIMSELF (27:1-27:10):

    • In the morning, the Jews took Jesus to the Roman governor, Pilate.

    • Judas regretted his actions and tried to give the betrayal money back to the priests, but they wouldn’t accept it because it was “blood money.”

    • Judas left the Temple and hung himself.

  • JESUS ON TRIAL BEFORE PONTIUS PILATE (27:11-27:26):

    • Pilate questioned Jesus, but Jesus “gave him no answer.”

    • Pilate didn’t find any reason to condemn Jesus to death.

    • Pilate gave the people a choice to release Barabbas (a murderer) or Jesus.

    • The chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas.

    • The Jews repeatedly insisted that Jesus should be crucified until Pilate finally relented and gave permission.

  • JESUS MOCKED BY THE ROMAN SOLDIERS (27:27-27:31):

    • Roman soldiers took Jesus, stripped Him of His clothes, and put a scarlet robe and a crown of thorns on Him.

    • They beat Him, spit on Him, and mocked the idea of Him being a king.

  • THE CRUCIFIXION (27:32-27:44):

    • Jesus was taken to Golgotha (Place of a Skull) to be crucified.

    • Simon, a man of Cyrene, was recruited to help Jesus carry His cross.

    • The Roman’s drove nails through Jesus’ hands and feet and crucified Him.

    • They put a sign over His head which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

    • The chief priests, scribes, and elders passed by and mocked Jesus.

    • Two thieves were crucified with Jesus, one on each side of Him.

  • JESUS DIES ON THE CROSS (27:45-27:56):

    • The earth was dark from 12pm to 3pm.

    • Around the 9th hour (3pm), Jesus cried out and “yielded up His spirit.”

    • The curtain of the Temple tore and there was an earthquake.

  • JESUS’ BURIAL (27:57-27:66):

    • A rich man, Joseph of Arimathea, took Jesus’ body and buried it in his tomb.

    • Pilate gave the Jews permission to place a guard at the tomb.

    • The tomb was sealed to prevent any rumors of a third day resurrection.

• BIG PICTURE:

  • This was the saddest day in human history.

  • The Creator of all human beings came to earth to loved His creation, but His creation determined Him too repulsive to tolerate.

  • Luckily, the greatest day in history (in spite of humanity) was only a few days away.

• APPLICATION:

  • It’s worthwhile to take some time to meditate on the fact that our sins are as responsible for Jesus’ death as the sins of the chief priests and elders.

  • All sin is a rejection of God. Sin is a statement that we know how to direct our lives better than Him.

  • Jesus had to die to save all of us from the pride of our sins and to fix our relationship with God.