(1) Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was
condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of
silver to the chief priests and elders,
(1) An example of the horrible judgment of God upon those who sell
Christ as opposed to those who buy Christ.... [ Continue Reading ]
And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and (a) departed,
and went and hanged himself.
(a) Out of the sight of men.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not
lawful for to put them into the (b) treasury, because it is the price
(c) of blood.
(b) The treasury of the temple.
(c) Of life and death.... [ Continue Reading ]
And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to
bury (d) strangers in.
(d) Strangers and guests, whom the Jews could not endure to be joined
with even after they were dead.... [ Continue Reading ]
Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by (e) Jeremy the prophet,
saying, (f) And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of
him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value;
(e) As this prophecy is found in (Zechariah 11:12) it cannot be denied
that Jeremy's name slipp... [ Continue Reading ]
(2) And Jesus stood before the governor: and the governor asked him,
saying, Art thou the King of the Jews? And Jesus said unto him, Thou
sayest.
(2) Christ holds his peace when he is accused in order that we may not
be accused: acknowledging our guiltiness, and at the same time his own
innocence.... [ Continue Reading ]
(3) Now at [that] feast the governor was wont to release unto the
people a prisoner, whom they would.
(3) Christ is first acquitted by the same judge who condemns him, that
we might see how the just dies for the unjust.... [ Continue Reading ]
(4) When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but [that] rather a
tumult was made, he took water, and (g) washed [his] hands before the
multitude, saying, I am innocent of the (h) blood of this just person:
see ye [to it].
(4) Christ being acquitted by the testimony of the judge himself is
non... [ Continue Reading ]
Then answered all the people, and said, (i) His blood [be] on us, and
on our children.
(i) If there is any offence committed in slaying him, let us and our
posterity suffer for it.... [ Continue Reading ]
(5) And they stripped him, and (k) put on him a (l) scarlet robe.
(5) Christ endures that reproach which was due to our sins; meanwhile,
in spite of this, by the secret providence of God he is entitled king
by those who did him that reproach.
(k) They threw a cloak about him and wrapped it around... [ Continue Reading ]
And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him
they (m) compelled to bear his cross.
(m) They compelled Simon to bear his burdensome cross, by which it
appears that Jesus was so poorly handled before that he fainted along
the way, and was not able to bear his cross the whole d... [ Continue Reading ]
(6) And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to
say, a place of a skull,
(6) He is led out of the city so that we might be brought into the
heavenly kingdom.... [ Continue Reading ]
(7) They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had
tasted [thereof], he would not drink.
(7) Christ found no comfort anywhere, that in him we might be filled
with comfort.... [ Continue Reading ]
(8) And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots:
that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They
parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.
(8) He is made a curse, so that in him we may be blessed: his garments
are taken from him so tha... [ Continue Reading ]
(9) And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE
KING OF THE JEWS.
(9) He is pronounced the true Messiah, even by those who reject him.... [ Continue Reading ]
(10) Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right
hand, and another on the left.
(10) Christ then began to judge the world, when after his judgment he
hung between two thieves.... [ Continue Reading ]
(11) And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,
(11) To make full satisfaction for us, Christ suffered and overcame
not only the torments of the body, but also the most horrible torments
of the mind.... [ Continue Reading ]
The (n) thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in
his teeth.
(n) This is spoken using the figure of speech called synecdoche, for
only one of the thieves reviled him.... [ Continue Reading ]
(12) Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto
the ninth hour.
(12) Heaven itself is darkened for very horror, and Jesus cries out
from the depth of hell, and all during this time he is being mocked.... [ Continue Reading ]
And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli,
Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou
(o) forsaken me?
(o) That is, in this misery: And this crying out is a natural part of
his humanity, which, even though it was void of sin, still felt the
wrath... [ Continue Reading ]
Some of them that stood there, when they heard [that], said, This
[man] calleth for (p) Elias.
(p) They allude to Elias' name, not because they did not understand
what he said, but because of a profane impudence and disrespect, and
he repeated those words so that this repetition of the name might b... [ Continue Reading ]
(13) Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the
ghost.
(13) Christ, after he had overcome other enemies, at length provokes
and attacks death itself.... [ Continue Reading ]
(14) And, behold, the (q) veil of the temple was rent in twain from
the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;
(14) Christ, when he is dead, shows himself to be God Almighty, and
even his enemies confess the same.
(q) Which separated the holiest of all.... [ Continue Reading ]
And the (r) graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which
slept arose,
(r) That is to say, the stones broke apart, and the graves opened
themselves to show by this act that death was overcome: and the
resurrection of the dead followed the resurrection of Christ, as the
next verse indicate... [ Continue Reading ]
(15) When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea,
named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple:
(15) Christ is buried, not privately or by stealth, but with the
governor's consent, by a famous man, in a place not far distant, in a
new tomb, so that his death cannot be doubted.... [ Continue Reading ]
(16) Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the
chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
(16) The keeping of the tomb is committed to Christ's own murderers,
so that there might be no doubt of his resurrection.... [ Continue Reading ]
Pilate said unto them, Ye have a (f) watch: go your way, make [it] as
sure as ye can.
(f) The soldiers of the garrison who were appointed to guard the
temple.... [ Continue Reading ]