Year of the Bible
Matthew 27
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Commentary on the Gospel of St. Matthew Chapter 27:
After the overnight interrogation by the Temple leaders, it’s now morning and the chief priests and elders can hand Jesus over to the secular government, led by Pilate. Judas regrets his actions, just as Peter did in 26:75. However, Judas turns to the chief priests and elders, not back to Jesus, as Peter will. In verses 11-26, Jesus stands before Pilate, who as governor has the duty to determine if Jesus has committed a crime against the state. The title “King of the Jews” is central, drawing our memories back to the beginning of Matthew’s Gospel, when the newborn “King of the Jews” was pursued by Herod. Matthew shows us that the line from the Christmas Hymn, “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice,” “Christ was born to save!” is eminently true. Details such as the role of dreams, Gentile recognition of Jesus, and the taunt to save oneself all also appeared in Matthew Chapters 1-4. God is in control and Jesus the great rescuer is fulfilling his destiny as planned. At the moment of Jesus’ death (vs. 51-53), we read of signs of apocalypse--an earthquake, the dead raised and appearing in Jerusalem, and the entrance to the holiest part of the Temple split open--the end of an age. The era of death’s grip on humanity is over, Jesus’ victory is here
The Gospel of St. Matthew Chapter 27:
Jesus Brought before Pilate
1 When morning came, 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 to Pilate the governor.
Judas Hangs Himself
3 When Judas, his betrayer, saw that he was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders, 4 saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” They said, “What is that to us? See to it yourself.” 5 And throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself. 6 But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since they are blood money.” 7 So they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. 8 Therefore that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what had been spoken by the prophet Jeremiah, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him on whom a price had been set by some of the sons of Israel, 10 and they gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord directed me.”
Pilate Questions Jesus
11 Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said to him, “You have said so.” 12 But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he made no answer. 13 Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14 But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge; so that the governor wondered greatly.
Barabbas or Jesus?
15 Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to release for the crowd any one prisoner whom they wanted. 16 And they had then a notorious prisoner, called Barabbas. 17 So when they had gathered, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Barabbas or Jesus who is called Christ?” 18 For he knew that it was out of envy that they had delivered him up. 19 Besides, while he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man, for I have suffered much over him today in a dream.” 20 Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. 21 The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” 22 Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified.” 23 And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified.”
Pilate Delivers Jesus to Be Crucified
24 So when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this righteous man’s blood; see to it yourselves.” 25 And all the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!” 26 Then he released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the praetorium, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe upon him, 29 and plaiting a crown of thorns they put it on his head, and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spat upon him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe, and put his own clothes on him, and led him away to crucify him.
The Crucifixion of Jesus
32 As they were marching out, they came upon a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; this man they compelled to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means the place of a skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mingled with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots; 36 then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him; for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
The Death of Jesus
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. 46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lama sabach-thani?” that is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” 47 And some of the bystanders hearing it said, “This man is calling Elijah.” 48 And one of them at once ran and took a sponge, filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave it to him to drink. 49 But the others said, “Wait, let us see whether Elijah will come to save him.” 50 And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit.
51 And behold, the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook, and the rocks were split; 52 the tombs also 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 went into the holy city and appeared to many. 54 When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe, and said, “Truly this was the Son of God!”
55 There were also many women there, looking on from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering to him; 56 among whom were Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
The Burial of Jesus
57 When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also was a disciple of Jesus. 58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered it to be given to him. 59 And Joseph took the body, and wrapped it in a clean linen shroud, 60 and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock; and he rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb, and departed. 61 Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.
The Guard at the Tomb
62 Next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63 and said, “Sir, we remember how that impostor said, while he was still alive, ‘After three days I will rise again.’ 64 Therefore order the tomb to be made secure until the third day, lest his disciples go and steal him away, and tell the people, ‘He has risen from the dead,’ and the last fraud will be worse than the first.” 65 Pilate said to them, “You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can.” 66 So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.
* Daily Lectio Divina Question:
Pilate distanced himself from his responsibility for Jesus’ death: “see to it yourselves” (v. 24). Lord, when I’m tempted to make excuses for my own sins, how might I unite myself with you who, though innocent, took upon yourself all our sins?
Bible Commentary provided by the Catholic Biblical School of Michigan, an adult faith formation apostolate, http://cbsmich.org/
Revised Standard Version; Second Catholic Edition. (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2006).
Permission to use the RSV-2CE given for Bishop's Year of the Bible by Ignatius Press. Many thanks to Ignatius for this. If you're looking for a good Catholic edition of the Bible, look no further
Mateo 27
27 1 Al llegar el amanecer, todos los
príncipes de los sacerdotes y los ancianos
del pueblo se pusieron de acuerdo
contra Jesús para darle muerte. 2 Y atándolo,
lo llevaron y lo entregaron al procurador
Pilato.
3 Entonces Judas, el que le entregó,
al ver que había sido condenado, movido
por el remordimiento, devolvió las
treinta monedas de plata a los príncipes
de los sacerdotes y ancianos:
4 –He pecado entregando sangre
inocente –dijo.
–¿A nosotros qué nos importa? Tú
verás –dijeron ellos.
5 Y, después de arrojar las monedas
de plata en el Templo, fue y se ahorcó.
6 Los príncipes de los sacerdotes recogieron
las monedas de plata y dijeron:
–No es lícito echarlas al tesoro del
Templo, porque son precio de sangre.
7 Y, después de ponerse de acuerdo,
compraron con ellas el Campo del Alfarero
para sepultura de peregrinos; 8 por
lo cual ese campo se ha llamado, hasta el
día de hoy, «Campo de sangre». 9 Así se
cumplió lo dicho por medio del profeta
Jeremías: Y tomaron las treinta monedas
de plata, precio en que fue valorado
aquel a quien tasaron los hijos de Israel;
10 y las dieron para el campo del alfarero,
tal como me lo ordenó el Señor.
11 Hicieron comparecer a Jesús ante el
procurador. El procurador le interrogó:
–¿Eres tú el Rey de los Judíos?
–Tú lo dices –contestó Jesús.
12 Y aunque le acusaban los príncipes
de los sacerdotes y los ancianos, no respondió
nada. 13 Entonces le dijo Pilato:
–¿No oyes cuántas cosas alegan contra
ti?
14 Y no le respondió a pregunta alguna,
de tal manera que el procurador
quedó muy admirado.
15 En el día de la fiesta, el procurador
tenía costumbre de conceder a
la gente la libertad de uno de los presos, el
que quisieran. 16 Había por aquel entonces
un preso famoso que se llamaba Barrabás.
17 Así que cuando ellos se reunieron, les dijo
Pilato:
–¿A quién queréis que os suelte: a
Barrabás o a Jesús, el llamado Cristo?
18 –pues sabía que le habían entregado
por envidia.
19 Mientras estaba sentado en el tribunal,
su mujer mandó decirle:
–No te mezcles en el asunto de ese
justo; porque hoy en sueños he sufrido
mucho por su causa.
20 Pero los príncipes de los sacerdotes
y los ancianos persuadieron a la
multitud para que pidiese a Barrabás e
hiciese morir a Jesús. 21 El procurador
les preguntó:
–¿A quién de los dos queréis que os
suelte?
–A Barrabás –respondieron ellos.
22 Pilato les dijo:
–¿Y entonces qué voy a hacer con
Jesús, el llamado Cristo?
Todos contestaron:
–¡Que lo crucifiquen!
23 Les preguntó:
–¿Y qué mal ha hecho?
Pero ellos gritaban más fuerte:
–¡Que lo crucifiquen!
24 Al ver Pilato que no adelantaba
nada, sino que el tumulto iba a más,
tomó agua y se lavó las manos ante el
pueblo diciendo:
–Soy inocente de esta sangre; vosotros
veréis.
25 Y todo el pueblo gritó:
–¡Su sangre sobre nosotros y sobre
nuestros hijos!
26 Así que les soltó a Barrabás; y a Jesús,
después de haberle hecho azotar, se
lo entregó para que fuera crucificado.
27 Entonces los soldados del procurador
condujeron a Jesús al pretorio y
reunieron en torno a él a toda la cohorte.
28 Le desnudaron, le cubrieron con una túnica
roja, 29 y le pusieron en la cabeza una
corona de espinas que habían trenzado y
en la mano derecha una caña. Se arrodillaban
ante él y se burlaban diciendo:
–Salve, Rey de los Judíos.
30 Le escupían, y le quitaban la caña
y le golpeaban en la cabeza. 31 Después
de reírse de él, le despojaron de la túnica,
le colocaron sus vestidos y lo llevaron
a crucificar.
32 Cuando salían encontraron a un
hombre de Cirene que se llamaba Simón,
y le forzaron a que le llevara la
cruz. 33 Llegaron al lugar llamado Gólgo-
ta, es decir, «lugar de la Calavera». 34 Y le
dieron a beber vino mezclado con hiel; y
lo probó pero no quiso beber. 35 Después
de crucificarlo, se repartieron sus ropas
echando suertes. 36 Y allí, sentados, le
custodiaban. 37 Sobre su cabeza pusieron
por escrito la causa de su condena: «Éste
es Jesús, el Rey de los Judíos». 38 Luego
fueron crucificados con él dos ladrones:
uno a la derecha y otro a la izquierda.
39 Los que pasaban le injuriaban moviendo
la cabeza 40 y diciendo:
–Tú que destruyes el Templo y en
tres días lo edificas de nuevo, sálvate a
ti mismo; si eres Hijo de Dios, baja de
la cruz.
41 Del mismo modo, los príncipes de
los sacerdotes se burlaban a una con los
escribas y ancianos, y decían:
42 –Salvó a otros, y a sí mismo no
puede salvarse. Es el Rey de Israel, que
baje ahora de la cruz y creeremos en él.
43 Confió en Dios, que le salve ahora si le
quiere de verdad, porque dijo: «Soy Hijo
de Dios».
44 Incluso los ladrones que habían
sido crucificados con él le insultaban de
la misma manera.
45 Toda la tierra se cubrió de tinieblas
desde la hora sexta hasta la hora
nona. 46 Hacia la hora nona Jesús clamó con
fuerte voz:
–Elí, Elí, ¿lemá sabacthaní? –es decir,
Dios mío, Dios mío, ¿por qué me has
desamparado?
47 Algunos de los allí presentes, al
oírlo, decían:
–Éste llama a Elías.
48 E inmediatamente uno de ellos corrió,
tomó una esponja, la empapó en
vinagre, la sujetó en una caña y se lo dio
a beber. 49 Los demás decían:
–¡Déjalo! Vamos a ver si viene Elías
a salvarle.
50 Pero Jesús, dando de nuevo una
fuerte voz, entregó el espíritu.
51 Y en esto el velo del Templo se rasgó
en dos de arriba abajo y la tierra tembló
y las piedras se partieron; 52 se abrieron
los sepulcros, y muchos cuerpos de
los santos, que habían muerto, resucitaron.
53 Y saliendo de los sepulcros, después
de que él resucitara, entraron en
la Ciudad Santa y se aparecieron a muchos.
54 El centurión y los que estaban con
él custodiando a Jesús, al ver el terremoto
y lo que pasaba, se llenaron de gran
temor y dijeron:
–En verdad éste era Hijo de Dios.
55 Había allí muchas mujeres mirando
desde lejos, las que habían seguido a
Jesús desde Galilea para servirle. 56 Entre
ellas estaban María Magdalena, María –
la madre de Santiago y de José– y la madre
de los hijos de Zebedeo.
57 Al atardecer vino un hombre rico
de Arimatea, llamado José, que también
él se había hecho discípulo de Jesús.
58 Éste se presentó a Pilato y le pidió el
cuerpo de Jesús. Pilato, entonces, ordenó
que se lo entregaran. 59 Y José tomó el
cuerpo, lo envolvió en una sábana limpia
60 y lo puso en su sepulcro, que era
nuevo y que había mandado excavar en
la roca. Hizo rodar una gran piedra a la
puerta del sepulcro y se marchó. 61 Estaban
allí María Magdalena y la otra María
sentadas frente al sepulcro.
62 Al día siguiente de la Parasceve se
reunieron los príncipes de los sacerdotes
y los fariseos ante Pilato 63 y le dijeron:
–Señor, nos hemos acordado de que
ese impostor dijo en vida: «Al tercer día
resucitaré». 64 Manda, por eso, custodiar
el sepulcro hasta el tercer día, no vaya a
ser que vengan sus discípulos, lo roben
y digan al pueblo: «Ha resucitado de entre
los muertos», y sea la última impostura
peor que la primera.
65 Pilato les respondió:
–Ahí tenéis la guardia; id a custodiarlo
como os parezca bien.
66 Ellos se fueron a asegurar el sepulcro
sellando la piedra y poniendo la
guardia.
Pregunta de Lectio Divina del día de hoy
Pilatos se apartó a sí mismo de su responsabilidad por la muerte de Jesús: "vosotros veréis" (v.24). Señor, cuando estoy tentado(a) a poner pretextos por mis pecados, ¿cómo me podré unir a tí que, siendo inocente, tomaste sobre tí todos nuestros pecados?"
La Biblia de Navarra
Permiso para usar esta versión de la primera edición de la Biblia de Navarra
para el Año de la Biblia del Obispo
dado por Ediciones Universidad de Navarra, S.A. (EUNSA).