Matthew 27:1-66

Matthew’s Good News

Matthew’s *Gospel

Hilda Bright

Chapter 27

Judas kills himself 27:1-10

v1 It was very early in the morning. All the chief *priests and the other leaders decided that Jesus should die. v2 So they tied him up and they led him away. Then they handed him over to Pilate, who was the *Roman ruler. v3 Judas had handed Jesus over to them. Now he saw that Jesus was going to die. And he felt guilty and ashamed. So he returned the 30 silver coins to the chief *priests and the other leaders. v4 ‘I have *sinned’, he said. ‘I handed over a man who is not guilty.’

‘We do not care’, they replied. ‘That is your responsibility.’

v5 So Judas threw the money into the *Temple and he left. Then he went away and he hanged himself.

v6 The chief *priests took the money. ‘It is against the law to put this money into the *Temple funds’, they said to each other. ‘It is money that paid for a man’s life.’

v7 So they decided that they would buy a field with the money. Then foreigners would have a place to bury their dead people. This field belonged to a man who made earth pots. v8 And people have called it ‘the Field of Blood’ up to this very day. v9 Then the words came true that God’s servant Jeremiah spoke long ago. ‘They took the 30 silver coins’, he had said. ‘Israel’s people had agreed to pay this price for him. v10 Then they used the coins to buy a field. The field belonged to a man who made earth pots. This happened exactly as the *Lord had ordered me.’

Verses 1-2 The *Jewish government (called the Sanhedrin) had the power to decide *religious matters. But the *Romans did not allow them to kill anyone as punishment. Only the *Roman ruler could decide to do that. The name of the *Roman ruler was Pontius Pilate. He ruled the *Judea region from the year *AD 26 to *AD 36. He ruled from the town called Caesarea. But he had come to Jerusalem city with his soldiers for the *Passover. Crowds of *Jews were in Jerusalem city at *Passover time. They remembered how Moses had led their people out from Egypt long ago. Moses led them to freedom. These crowds could easily cause trouble for their *Roman rulers. They might even attack them to get freedom again. The soldiers were there to prevent such an attack.

Verses 3-4 Judas saw that the *priests had handed over Jesus to Pilate. Then Judas realised how serious his action had been. He tried to return the 30 silver coins to the *priests that had paid him. But they did not care that he was sorry now.

Verse 5 Only Matthew records that Judas killed himself. But Acts 1:18-19 says that he bought a field with the money. And he died because he fell in the field. Both Matthew and in Acts they say that people called the field ‘Akeldama’. That means the ‘Field of Blood’. They had paid the money as the price of a man’s life. Also, Judas died there.

Verses 6-8 The *priests were guilty because they acted against the law. They did not worry about that. But they thought that it was wrong to use the money in the *Temple funds. So they used it to buy a field for a good purpose. This field was for foreigners to bury their dead people.

Verses 9-10 Matthew used a verse from Zechariah 11:13. There, God’s special servant’s wages were only 30 pieces of silver. So he threw them to the man who made earth pots in God’s house. This was a picture of what would happen later. Matthew said that this had come true. Judas’ wages had bought the field from the man who made pots. Matthew says that these were Jeremiah’s words. Perhaps this is because Zechariah’s book was in the same bigger *scroll as Jeremiah’s book. The Jews called this big *scroll ‘Jeremiah’.

Pilate questions Jesus 27:11-14

v11 Meanwhile, Jesus stood in front of the *Roman ruler. And the ruler asked him. ‘Are you the *Jews’ king?’

‘Yes, what you say is true’, Jesus replied.

v12 Then the chief *priests and the other leaders accused Jesus, but he did not answer them. v13 So Pilate asked him. ‘Do you not hear them? They are accusing you of all these crimes.’ v14 But Jesus did not answer anything. And his attitude really astonished the *Roman ruler.

Verse 11 The *Sanhedrin had to accuse Jesus of a political crime. They had accused Jesus of ‘speaking evil words against God’. But they knew that Pilate did not care about that. So they said that Jesus had caused trouble for the *Romans. He said that he was the *Jews’ *Messiah, a king (Luke 23:1-2). But *Roman law did not allow the *Jews to have a king. Pilate’s question to Jesus emphasised the word ‘you’. ‘Are you the king of the *Jews?’ He could not believe that Jesus was a king. Jesus did not look like someone who was trying to win political power. Pilate realised that the *Jewish authorities hated Jesus. They had accused him to a *Roman ruler. Jesus replied that he was a king. But ‘what you say’ depended on how Pilate understood the word ‘king’. Jesus was not trying to rule a territory. He was a king. But he wanted to rule the people’s hearts because he loved them.

Verses 12-14 Most people would protest that they were innocent. Especially if the soldiers might fix them on a *cross to die. So it astonished Pilate that Jesus remained silent. *Roman law said that a person who refused to answer was guilty. The chief *priests wanted Jesus to die. They wanted Pilate to order his soldiers to kill him on a *cross. So Jesus knew that a reply to them was no use at all. He was also aware of what God wanted. He knew that he was obeying God, his Father.

Pilate offers the choice between Jesus and Barabbas 27:15-26

v15 It was the *Roman ruler’s custom at *Passover time to free one *Jewish person from prison. The people could choose the man that he freed. v16 At that time they had a well-known man in the prison called Barabbas. v17 So when the crowd had gathered, Pilate asked them. ‘Which man do you want me to free? Do you want Barabbas to be free? Or do you want Jesus, who is called Christ?’ v18 Pilate knew that the *religious leaders were jealous of Jesus. That was why they had handed him over.

v19 While Pilate was sitting on the judge’s seat, his wife sent him this message: ‘Do not have anything to do with that man. He is not guilty. I have suffered a great deal today because I had a dream about him.’

v20 But the chief *priests and the other leaders persuaded the crowd to ask for freedom for Barabbas. And they asked for Jesus' death.

v21 ‘Which of these two men do you want me to free?’ the *Roman ruler asked them. ‘Barabbas’, they answered.

v22 ‘So what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?’ Pilate asked. ‘Fix him to a *cross with nails!’ they all replied.

v23 ‘Why? What crime has he done?’ Pilate asked them.

But they shouted even louder. ‘Fix him to a *cross with nails!’

v24 Pilate saw that he could do nothing more. Instead, the crowd would soon disturb the peace. So he took some water, and he washed his hands in front of the crowd. ‘I am innocent of this man’s death’, he said. ‘It is your responsibility.’

v25 All the crowd answered him. ‘We and our children will be responsible for his death!’

v26 Then Pilate freed Barabbas. But he told the soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then they should take him away and fix him with nails to a *cross.

Verses 16-17 Pilate thought that he could escape from his problem. It was the custom to free one prisoner as a sign of *Roman kindness. He would offer a choice to the crowd. Barabbas was in prison because he had attacked the *Romans. He had murdered people during the attack. But the *Jewish people probably thought that he was a hero. He had opposed the *Romans. Barabbas means ‘a father’s son’, so he may have come from a good family. Perhaps not to use the father’s name protected the family from their son’s wrong actions. Or his character may have been similar to his father’s character. Jesus was the ‘the Father’s Son’. He was like his Father because he loved other people. Some writers record Barabbas’s first name as ‘Jesus’. Other writers may have left the name out on purpose.

Verses 17-18 So Pilate offered the choice between Jesus and Barabbas. Pilate knew that Jesus was innocent. He should have freed him at once, but he was afraid of the *Jewish people. They had complained to his superior officers about his actions several times:

1. When he first went to the *Judea region, he brought the *Roman flags into Jerusalem. But they had the image of the great king in Rome on them. The *Romans considered their king to be a god. So this was against what the *Jews believed. Pilate had to remove the flags. The *Jews were prepared to die rather than to allow pictures of any other god in their city.

2. Pilate improved the water supply to Jerusalem. But he used money that the *Jews had given for the *Temple.

3. He had ordered his soldiers to kill some people from Galilee in the *Temple (Luke 13:1-4). It was against *Jewish *Law for foreigners to enter the *Temple. It was also against the *Law to kill people like that, especially in that holy place.

4. Pilate wanted to free Jesus. But the *Jews accused him of not being loyal to Caesar, the great king (John 19:12).

Verse 19 Pilate’s wife may have come from an important family. She may have been interested in what the *Jews believed. She may even have heard Jesus when he was teaching. *Romans believed that dreams could warn people about bad events. So Pilate may have tried to persuade the crowd even more when he received her message. He may have thought that the people really would choose Jesus.

Verses 20-23 A crowd can be dangerous. Someone can easily encourage them to cause trouble. The *priests and other *Jewish leaders may have found ways to make the crowd excited. Some of Barabbas’s friends could have been in the crowd to cause trouble. Some people would have supported anyone who opposed the *Romans.

Verses 24-25 It was a *Jewish custom for someone to wash his hands in that way. It showed that he was not responsible for a crime or for a *sin. And the *Jews said that they would accept responsibility for Jesus’ death. They and their children did suffer because they had refused to accept Jesus. The *Romans attacked Jerusalem city and destroyed it in the year *AD 70. Since that time, some people have said that all *Jews are responsible for Jesus’ death. Because of this, some people have been cruel to the *Jews. And they have been glad when *Jews suffer. But it is wrong to blame only the *Jews. The *sins of every person caused Jesus’ death. So, all people everywhere share the responsibility.

Verse 26 Pilate wanted to protect his job. So he freed the guilty man called Barabbas. And he ordered his soldiers to kill Jesus. They beat him before they fixed him on the *cross with the nails. It was a terrible punishment. They made the whips from long pieces of leather and they tied pieces of sharp bone or metal to them. The men in the prison suffered terrible injuries from these whips. Even strong men went mad sometimes. Some men even died before the soldiers could fix them to a *cross.

The soldiers insulted Jesus 27:27-31

v27 Then the *Roman ruler’s soldiers took Jesus into the ruler’s palace. All the rest of the soldiers gathered round him as well. v28 They took off his clothes and put a bright red coat on him. v29 Then they wound *thorns together to make a crown. They placed the crown on his head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then they bent down on their knees in front of him and they laughed at him. ‘Welcome, king of the *Jews!’ they said. v30 They *spat on him. They took the stick and they hit him on the head many times. v31 After they had finished laughing at him, they took off the coat. They put his own clothes on him again. Then they led him away to fix him on a *cross.

Verse 27 The soldiers who belonged to Pilate lived in the ruler’s palace with him.

Verses 28-29 The *Jews had accused Jesus of being a king. The soldiers knew that, so they laughed at him. They pretended to give him honour as a king. A soldier wore a red coat that looked like the king’s clothes. So they put a red coat on Jesus. They made the crown from ‘*thorns’, which were the very sharp small branches of a tree. The *Roman rulers wore crowns. Perhaps the soldiers wanted their crown to look like the *Roman crown. The pictures on *Roman coins show crowns. They had beams of light like the sun. Instead of light, Jesus’ crown had sharp *thorns which hurt him. The stick looked like the special stick that a king carried. It showed that he had authority. The soldiers would have given a welcome to the great king in Rome. So they pretended to give Jesus a welcome in the same way. People bent down on their knees to show respect to important officials. The soldiers knew that the *Jews did not have a king. So they insulted and joked about both Jesus and the *Jews.

Verse 30 Then the soldiers became more cruel. They *spat at Jesus and they hit him with the stick.

They kill Jesus on a *cross 27:32-44

v32 As they were going along, they met a man. He came from the place called Cyrene. And his name was Simon. The soldiers forced him to carry the *cross for Jesus. v33 They came to a place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means ‘the Place of the *Skull’). v34 There, they offered Jesus a mixture of some wine and a drug for the pain. But after he had tasted it, Jesus refused to drink it. v35 Then the soldiers fixed Jesus to the *cross. The authorities allowed the soldiers to keep the clothes from people on the *cross. So they played a game to see who would win Jesus’ clothes as the prizes. v36 Then they sat down to guard him. v37 Above his head they placed a sign. It said why they had fixed him to the *cross. ‘This is Jesus, the King of the *Jews’, they had written on it. v38 They killed two criminals on *cross at the same time as Jesus. One was on a *cross at his right side and the other one was on a *cross at his left side.

v39 The people who passed by the *cross shouted insults at Jesus. They shook their heads at him. v40 ‘So, you are going to destroy the *Temple! And you said that you would build it again in three days! Then save yourself! Come down from the *cross, if you are the Son of God!’

v41 In the same way, the chief *priests, the men who taught the *Law and the other leaders insulted him. v42 ‘He saved other people’, they said, ‘but he cannot save himself! If he is Israel’s king, let him come down now from that *cross! Then we will believe him. v43 He trusts God. “I am the Son of God”, he said. So let God rescue him now, if God really wants him.’

v44 The criminals, who were dying on *cross next to him, also insulted him in the same way.

Verse 32 Jesus was on his way to die on a *cross. So he had to carry the *cross himself. Jesus had spent the night with the *Jewish leaders and then with Pilate. The soldiers had beaten him so much that his back was very painful. For these reasons, he was too weak to continue to carry his *cross. So the soldiers forced Simon to carry it for him. Simon was a foreigner. He came from Cyrene, which is in North Africa. Mark tells us that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus (Mark 15:21).

Paul mentions someone called Rufus in Romans 6:13. This may be the same person as Simon’s son. So, in later years, people in Rome may have known these men who had become Christians after Jesus died. And Simon may be the same person as Simon Niger that Luke mentions in Acts 13:1. He had seen Jesus die. So perhaps he had become a Christian then. He was a leader in the church at Antioch.

Verse 34 Some women in Jerusalem provided a drink for the men who were going to die. It was wine that contained a drug. It would make the pain a little less terrible. They offered it to a person before the soldiers fixed him to a *cross with nails. But Jesus refused it. He wanted to be aware of what was happening to the very end. He needed to show how much he loved other people.

Verses 35-36 The soldiers kept the dying men’s clothes. Matthew’s readers would remember the words in Psalms 22:18, ‘They shared my clothes among them. They played a game to win my clothes.’ The soldiers had to stay there to guard the *cross. They waited until the person on the *cross had died. They prevented any friends from trying to rescue him from the *cross.

Verse 37 The notice over Jesus’ *cross said, ‘This is Jesus, the King of the *Jews.’ The *priests complained to Pilate about this. They wanted to change the words. They did not like, ‘the King of the *Jews’. Instead, they wanted the words, ‘He said that he was the King of the *Jews’ (John 19:21-22). Pilate refused to change the words. So the sign remained, and it showed the truth. Jesus was really a king. The *Jews were his own people, although they had refused to accept him.

Verse 38 Jesus had always been a friend to *sinners. Now he was with two *sinners, two criminals. This made the words of Isaiah come true. He had said that God’s Suffering Servant would be among those who were criminals (Isaiah 53:12). James and John had asked for places of honour next to Jesus (Matthew 20:20-23). Now the thieves were in those places, but nobody gave honour to those thieves.

Verses 39-44 record the different ways in which people insulted Jesus. The cruel insults show how wicked people can be. But they also show what was true about Jesus.

1. Verses 39-40 The people who were passing by accused him. He had said that people would destroy the *temple. They thought that he himself would destroy the *Temple. And he had said that he could build it again. If he could do that, he could certainly save himself, they said. If he was the Son of God, he could come down from the *cross. Their insults remind readers about Psalms 22:7-8. But Jesus was really God’s Son. He talked about his body as the *temple. And he would build it again after the *Jews had destroyed it. They did not understand what he meant. He built his body again when he became alive again.

2. Verses 41-43 The *religious leaders spoke the truth, but they did not believe it. ‘He saved other people’, they said. Jesus had rescued people from disease, from *sin and from death. They also said that Jesus could not save himself, which was not true. Jesus could have saved himself, but he refused to do that. It was because of his painful death that he was able to save other people. The *priests said that a *miracle would make them believe him. They would even believe that he was the *Messiah. Because Jesus did not come down from the *cross, those important people threw away their opportunity to believe him. But many people have believed him since then and have become Christians. Jesus suffered. But this showed how much God loves everyone.

3. Verse 44 The two criminals next to Jesus also insulted him. Luke records that one man changed. He asked Jesus to remember him later. He believed that Jesus was the King (Luke 23:39-43). So even when Jesus was suffering painfully, he cared about the people with him. He promised a believer life for ever with him. So he separated the believer from someone who refused to accept him.

Jesus dies 27:45-56

v45 From noon until three o’clock, darkness came over the whole land. v46 At about three o’clock, Jesus cried out with a loud voice, ‘Eloi, Eloi, lama sabachthani?’ This means, ‘My God, my God, why have you left me completely alone?’

v47 Some of the people who were standing there heard this. ‘He is calling Elijah’, they said.

v48 Immediately, one of them ran and got a *sponge. He filled it with sour wine and he put it on a stick. Then he offered it to Jesus to drink. v49 But the rest of the people did not help. ‘Leave him alone. We want to see if Elijah will come to save him’, they said.

v50 Jesus cried out again with a loud voice. Then he died. v51 At that moment, the big curtain in the *Temple tore from the top to the bottom. Then it was in two parts. The earth shook, and the rocks split apart too. v52 Graves broke open. And many *holy people who had died became alive again. v53 They came out of their graves. And after Jesus became alive again, they went into the holy city. Many people saw them there.

v54 The *Roman officer and the men with him were guarding Jesus. They saw the *earthquake and all that happened. So they were very frightened. ‘He really was the God’s Son!’ they said.

v55 Not very far away, many women were watching. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to take care of him. v56 Mary Magdalene was among them, and also Mary, who was James’s and Joseph’s mother. And Zebedee’s wife was there too.

Verse 45 The darkness may have had a natural cause. It may have been a sudden dust storm. But it could not have been the moon hiding the sun. That could not happen at *Passover time because there was a full moon at night. In the *Old Testament, darkness was a sign to show God’s judgement. In Egypt, the ruler would not let the *Israelites leave his country. There was darkness for three days (Exodus 10:22). Amos also wrote about God’s judgement. ‘At that time I will make the sun go down at noon. The earth will become dark in the middle of the day’, (Amos 8:9).

Jesus had said that he was the Light of the World (John 8:12). The darkness was a sign of God’s judgement because people *sinned. So Jesus had taken our place. Paul explains this in 2 Corinthians 5:21. ‘Christ never *sinned. But for our benefit, God punished him as if he had *sinned’, Paul wrote.

Verses 46-49 Jesus cried out from the *cross in Aramaic. (This was the language that his family spoke.) He was saying the first verse of Psalms 22. Jesus had lost the sense that God was with him. He still said ‘my’ God. But he felt completely alone and in despair. Jesus understands every emotion that people feel. His *disciples had run away and left him alone. Now he felt that God was not with him any more. The people who heard Jesus’ words did not understand them. The *Jews thought that he was calling Elijah. They believed that God’s servant from long ago would come to them. He would come to help people in trouble. The *Roman soldiers may have thought that he was calling out to the sun god, called Helios. Then someone brought him some sour wine in a *sponge. Perhaps Matthew thought about the words from Psalms 69:21. ‘I was *thirsty. So they gave me sour wine to drink’, the psalm says. Other people were curious. They wanted to know whether Elijah really would return to help Jesus.

Verse 50 The loud cry was probably the cry, ‘It is finished!’ John recorded it in his *gospel, (John 19:30). See Psalms 22:24. The psalm says that God heard Jesus. God heard him when he cried for help. God had given Jesus work to do. And Jesus knew that he had finished that work. So he cried out because he was glad that it was complete. Luke records that Jesus gave his spirit to his Father (Luke 23:46).

Verse 51 The curtain in the *Temple separated the main room (the *Holy Place) from the special room (the Most *Holy Place). Only the chief *priest could go into the Most *Holy Place. He went in once a year to pray. He asked God to forgive him together with all the *Jewish people (Leviticus 16:11-19). Jesus died for people’s *sin. So there was no more need for people to offer dead animals to God. The curtain tore ‘from the top to the bottom’. God tore it. A person would have torn it from the bottom to the top. That was a sign that, from now, everyone could go directly to God. A *priest on earth no longer needed to act between the people and God. Now Jesus himself is the people’s *priest (Hebrews 10:11-12). After Jesus became alive again, some of the *Jewish *priests believed and trusted him. Those *priests probably gave the information about the curtain (Acts 6:7).

Verses 52-53 The *earthquake broke open the *holy people’s graves. They had died in the past. And this was a sign that Jesus had defeated death. After Jesus became alive again, these *holy people appeared in the city. Perhaps this emphasised that people should believe that there is life after death. Jesus was the first person to rise from death for ever. Jesus made some people live again but they died later. Jesus will never die again. Because he lived again, people no longer need to fear death (1 Corinthians 15:20).

Verse 54 What happened astonished the *Roman officer and the soldiers with him. And they were very frightened. They said, ‘This really is God’s Son.’

Jesus had spoken about this (John 12:32). ‘When they lift me up on the *cross, I will draw all men to myself’, he had said. Their statement was a sign. It meant that many other people who were not *Jews would believe Jesus in the future.

Verses 55-56 The women from Galilee had courage, so they stayed near the *cross. They watched Jesus die. They may have had less to fear from the authorities because they were women. The 12 *disciples were all men. People did not consider women important in that society. The rulers would not think that women were dangerous. But those women followed Jesus to the end, because they loved him.

Mary Magdalene came from Magdala. It was a town on the west coast of the Sea of Galilee.

James’s and Joseph’s mother, Mary, was either Cleopas’s wife (John 19:25), or Jesus’ mother, Mary (Matthew 13:55).

Zebedee’s wife was Salome (Mark 16:1). She was probably Jesus’ mother’s sister.

They buried Jesus 27:57-61

v57 In the evening, a rich man called Joseph arrived. He came from the town called Arimathea, and he had become one of Jesus’ *disciples too. v58 He went to Pilate and he asked for Jesus’ body. Pilate ordered the soldiers to give it to him. v59 Joseph took the body, and he wrapped it in a clean *linen cloth. v60 He placed the body in his own new grave. He had already dug this grave in the rock like a cave. Then he rolled a big stone across the entrance to close it. And he went away. v61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the grave as they watched him.

Verse 57 Joseph’s home was in a town north west of Jerusalem. Mark and Luke both say that he was a member of the *Jewish government (the *Sanhedrin). Luke also says that Joseph had not agreed with the decision to kill Jesus (Luke 23:51). John wrote that Joseph was a secret *disciple (John 19:38). The *Jewish holy day each week begins at six o’clock on Friday evening. They could not work on the holy day, so there was little time. It was now evening. Also, the *Jews believed that someone must bury a dead person before sunset the same day. Especially if they had hung the person on a tree (Deuteronomy 21:22-23). A *Roman *cross was wood like a tree.

Verses 58-60 Joseph risked danger to himself. People might think that he was Jesus’ friend. Pilate might have refused his request. Pilate allowed him to have Jesus’ body. But Mark tells us more about this (Mark 15:44-45). Pilate was surprised that Jesus was already dead. He waited until the *Roman officer reported to him. It was true, so he agreed to Joseph’s request. Joseph used a ‘clean *linen cloth’ to wrap the body. *Linen is usually white cloth, and this cloth was probably new. The grave (also called ‘the tomb’) was a large cave. He had dug it out of the rock. This grave belonged to Joseph, and it had never had a body in it before. Matthew describes Joseph as a ‘rich’ man. This reminds us that the Suffering Servant had his grave with rich people (Isaiah 53:9).

Verse 61 Matthew notes that the women were sitting near the grave. They saw where Joseph had put the body.

The guard at the grave 27:62-66

v62 The next day was the holy day after the Preparation Day. And the chief *priests and the *Pharisees went to talk to Pilate. v63 ‘Sir’, they said, ‘this man told lies while he was still alive. We remember what he said. “After three days I will become alive again”, he told people. v64 So please give the order to your men to guard the grave until the third day. If they do not guard it, his *disciples might come there. They might steal his body. Then they will tell the people that he has become alive again. This last lie will be worse than the first lie that he told.’

v65 ‘Take some soldiers’, Pilate told them. ‘Go and make the grave as safe as you can.’

v66 So they went and made the grave safe. They fastened the stone across the front with the ruler’s *seal. Then they left the soldiers there to guard the grave.

Verses 62-63 The time for Preparation was between three and six o’clock on Friday. The next day was the *Jews’ holy day (called the *Sabbath). The *priests and the *Pharisees probably went to Pilate on that day. If they went then, they broke the *Law. They had opposed Jesus because he healed people on the *Sabbath. They said that he broke the *Law. So they had plotted to kill him (Matthew 12:9-14). Now they wanted to be sure that Jesus was out of their way. So they broke the *Law themselves. They knew what Jesus had said. He had said that he would become alive again after three days. Jesus had told this to his *disciples on several occasions. But his words were more public when he spoke about Jonah. And some *Pharisees were present on that day (Matthew 12:40).

The *priests spoke to Pilate with respect. But they referred to Jesus as a man who told lies.

Verse 64 They said that the *disciples might steal the body. Then the *disciples could say that Jesus had become alive again. That would disturb the public. So there would be worse trouble than when he was alive.

Verse 65 Pilate’s words to them can mean:

• ‘You have a guard.’ This would mean that they could use their own *Temple police.

• ‘Take a guard.’ This would mean a guard from Pilate’s soldiers. He was then allowing *Roman soldiers to guard the grave.

Verse 66 They used some soft stuff to stick the stones together. Then they made the ruler’s mark in it and let it get hard. Anyone who broke the ruler’s mark (also called a ‘seal’) would suffer.

gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
priest ~ a man whom God chose to do a special work for him. The priests worked in the Temple.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Roman ~ Rome was the capital city of the rulers at that time. That which belonged to Rome was Roman.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Lord ~ master; a name that we call God or Jesus; we call God or Jesus Lord when we obey them.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
religious ~ something that people do as part of the worship of God.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Judea ~ a part of the country where the Jews lived.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
AD ~ after the date when Jesus was born.
Passover ~ the time when the Jews remember that God freed them from Egypt.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
scroll ~ a long piece of paper or animal’s skin; people fixed it round two pieces of wood; it usually had writing on it.
Sanhedrin ~ the group of Jewish priests and other leaders.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
priest ~ a man whom God chose to do a special work for him. The priests worked in the Temple.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
Messiah ~ the Jews' word for the king who would come and rescue them.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
cross ~ two pieces of wood that someone has fixed together in the shape of a cross.
Law ~ the rules that God gave to Moses for the Jews.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
thorn ~ sharp, hard point on a plant or bush.'spit, spat ~ to make water come out of your mouth very quickly.
skull ~ the bone of the head.
sinners ~ those who do wrong things.
Temple ~ the special building in Jerusalem where the Jews worshipped God.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
worship ~ show honour to God, usually with other people.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
miracle ~ a great thing that only God can do.
sponge ~ soft material that holds liquid.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
earthquake ~ when the earth shakes.'Old Testament ~ the first part of the Bible, which the writers wrote before the life of Jesus.
Israelite ~ a Jewish person.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
disciples ~ those who follow another person to learn from him.
thirsty ~ when someone wants or needs a drink.
gospel ~ 1. good news; 2. one of the first four books in the New Testament.

New Testament ~ the last part of the Bible, which the writers wrote after the life of Jesus.
holy ~ all good with no bad in it; separate from sin.
sin ~ when we do not obey God's commands.
linen ~ a type of material that is like cotton. Linen is a very good quality material.
linen ~ a type of material that is like cotton. Linen is a very good quality material.
Pharisee ~ one of a group of Jews who thought that they obeyed all God’s rules. They did not like the things that Jesus taught. They thought that they did not do any wrong things. So, they thought that they were very important and clever.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.
seal ~ a sign that something is genuine.
sabbath ~ the seventh day, Jewish day of rest.
Jewish ~ a word that describes a Jew or anything to do with a Jew.
Jew ~ a person who is from the family of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob; a person who believes the faith of the Jews, called Judaism.
faith ~ belief in someone or something; things that people believe about Jesus.