|
Matthew 26-28 Death and Resurrection We have not followed cunningly devised fables.—2 Peter 1:16 Michael Nekora In the last chapters of his description of the death of Jesus Christ Matthew mentions six events that are not in the accounts of the other gospel writers:
Judas Then one of the twelve, called Judas Iscariot, went unto the chief priests, and said unto them, What will ye give me, and I will deliver him unto you? And they covenanted with him for thirty pieces of silver. And from that time he sought opportunity to betray him.—Matthew 26:14-16 Although Mark (14:10,11) and Luke (22:3-6) say Judas conspired with the chief priests to deliver Jesus unto them, only Matthew states that they paid “thirty pieces of silver” for him. Why did Judas want to betray Jesus? Money is an unlikely motive. He carried the group’s funds in a bag and stole whatever he wanted (John 12:6). An alternate conjecture is that Judas felt more and more threatened by his guilty conscience and the master’s implied condemnation of him as he spoke to the crowds around him. For example, Jesus uses the word “hypocrites” fourteen times in Matthew’s gospel, usually when speaking of the scribes and Pharisees. Judas would have heard the master say, “Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias prophesy of you, saying, this people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoreth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me” (Matthew 15:7,8). If Jesus then turned and looked directly at Judas, one can only imagine the reaction. Judas might well say to himself, “If Jesus were to die—and he does talk about his death—this thorn in my side would go away.” He could then apply the usual salve for a guilty conscience: a short memory. Why would the chief priests do business with Judas? They had all the power. What could Judas do for them? Luke tells us that Judas “sought opportunity to deliver him unto them in the absence of the multitude” (Luke 22:6). That was what the chief priests needed. The common people loved Jesus. Only a few days earlier they had shouted as he rode into Jerusalem, “Hosanna to the Son of David” (Matthew 21:9). Just before Satan took control of Judas Luke writes, “And the chief priests and scribes sought how they might kill him; for they feared the people” (Luke 22:2). The unexpected appearance of Judas, perhaps the only one of the twelve not from Galilee and thus more acceptable to them, would solve a big problem for the chief priests. He could tell them where to go and what to do without the common people knowing about it. The thirty pieces of silver is mentioned again when Judas has second thoughts about what he has done: Then Judas, which had betrayeth him, when he saw that he [Jesus] was condemned, repented himself, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, I have sinned in that I have betrayed the innocent blood. And they said, What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself.—Matthew 27:3-5 Matthew is the only gospel writer who says Judas committed suicide, although it is mentioned in Acts 1:18,19. Matthew goes on to speak about the dilemma caused by the return of the money: And the chief priests took the silver pieces, and said, It is not lawful for to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood. And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter’s field, to bury strangers in. Wherefore that field was called, The field of blood, unto this day. Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremy the prophet, saying, And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him that was valued, whom they of the children of Israel did value; and gave them for the potter’s field, as the Lord appointed me.—Matthew 27:7-10 The Companion Bible in Appendix 161 discusses at length this transaction of the chief priests and compares it to the field where Judas died. The evidence suggests it was two different fields. The priests bought a field after Judas was dead. Judas hung himself on his own property, something that would have been known afterward. It was probably then that the eleven realized he had been stealing from the “bag” and investing the proceeds in real estate. He could not wear better clothes, eat better food, or do any of the things people with money usually do. But he could “invest in his retirement.” Then, as now, real estate was one such investment. The assertion that the thirty pieces of silver was “spoken by Jeremy [Jeremiah] the prophet” has been perplexing since there is nothing in the book of Jeremiah even remotely associated with such a phrase. Perhaps the Companion Bible’s suggestion is as good as any. It notes that Matthew says it was spoken by Jeremiah, not written. Consequently we have no basis to be disappointed that the words are not found in Jeremiah’s written words. Pilate’s Wife When he [Pilate] was set down on the judgment seat, his wife sent unto him, saying, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.—Matthew 27:19 How did Pilate’s wife know what was happening at the distant judgment hall? This is one of three subtle clues that the chief priests met with Pilate the night before to be sure he would agree to carry out their verdict of death. Although granted much autonomy by Rome, local authorities could not directly execute anyone (though an out-of-control mob might do so illegally, as they did at the stoning of Stephen). The chief priests needed Pilate’s cooperation or there would be no crucifixion. Favors were constantly being traded between the Roman governor and the chief priests, and this was a time when the chief priests needed a big one. If Pilate’s wife witnessed the conversation between her husband and the priests, it is not surprising she dreamed about it. And that dream alarmed her so much she sent word to her husband to not participate in this evil scheme. Other evidence of prior collusion is suggested in words recorded in John: “Pilate then went out unto them, and said, What accusation bring ye against this man? They answered and said unto him, If he were not a malefactor, we would not have delivered him up unto thee” (John 18:29-30). The priests could not come into Pilate’s judgment hall because they would become ceremonially unclean and be unable to eat the Passover when the sun went down. How could they be so sure Pilate would come out to them? Would it not be more likely a Roman governor would demand that they either come in to him or go away? And when he asks what charges they bring against Jesus, they show no deference to Pilate’s authority and power. To say that if Jesus had not been a criminal, they would not be there, is condescending, hardly the words of the powerless in front of the powerful. But it would be just what might be said by those who thought they had a prior agreement. They could not afford to have Pilate back out now. Pilate was no match for the cunning priests who had complete control over their crowd, which undoubtedly consisted of employees of the temple, people who were beholden to the priests for their jobs. There is no evidence that those shouting for Jesus’ death were the same as those who had enthusiastically welcomed him into Jerusalem a few days earlier. Those shouting for Jesus’ death were hand-picked for the occasion. Notice the difference between them and those who were on the road to Calvary: “There followed him a great company of people, and of women, which also bewailed and lamented him” (Luke 23:27). Raising the Bodies of Saints Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.—Matthew 27:50-53 Mark and Luke also say the veil of the temple was rent, but only Matthew speaks about an earthquake, and a raising of saints. This has been a perplexing text since clearly no resurrection of humans could occur until the one with the power of life and death, Jesus himself, had been resurrected. That was yet three days in the future. So what happened? “Around Jerusalem there are numerous tombs, many of them remarkable for their beauty, their size, their peculiar structure. Almost all of these are Jewish and give us a good idea of ‘how the manner of the Jews was to bury.’ Whoever could afford it chose the rock, not the earth, for the covering of his body, and preferred to have his body deposited on a clean, rocky shelf, not let down into and covered over with the soil. Hence our ideas of burial are not the same as those of the Jews.”—McClintock and Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, vol. X, p. 458. The earthquake dislodged the contents of the tombs and bodies within them were thrown up and out. There was no resurrection nor walking around by these bodies, though the translators of the King James Bible might have thought there was. Since there is neither verse division nor punctuation in the original Greek text, a possible solution is to render the original text this way: “… the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves.” [End of verse 52, start verse 53] “After his resurrection, [he] went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.” The Greek word translated “many” sometimes means everyone (Matthew 20:28) and sometimes more than a few (Matthew 9:10). Certainly Jesus did go into the holy city and appeared to some after his resurrection. Guarding the Sepulcher Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. So they went, and made the sepulcher sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.—Matthew 27:62-66 Setting a guard at the tomb is described only by Matthew. Though they were not to know it at the time, by insisting that the tomb be guarded, the chief priests were to make matters worse for themselves. Because Pilate had had more than enough of this entire affair, he refused to send his own Roman soldiers to do the job. The priests were told to use the temple guard to be sure the body stayed in the sepulcher where it had been placed. And so the guards took their places. Because this was the “next day,” likely they rolled back the stone to verify the body was still there lest they be accused of dereliction of duty if there was no body at some later time. Then early on the third day there was another earthquake. It rolled away the stone, not to let Jesus out, but to let his faithful followers in. At the Garden Tomb in Jerusalem there is a channel along the ground where a disk-like stone could be rolled to seal the entrance to the tomb.1 A Second Earthquake In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: and for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.—Matthew 28:1-4 The other three gospel writers say that when the women arrived at the tomb, they found the stone had been rolled away. They do not say who did it or what happened to the guards who were to keep anyone from stealing the body. Because there had been guards, there now was a big problem. How could the body disappear since they were explicitly ordered to keep this from happening? Once they were committed to denying the plain truth of who Jesus was, there could be no turning back for the chief priests. They entered into a conspiracy with the guards to explain the disappearance, and only Matthew records it. The Conspiracy Now when they were going, behold, some of the watch came into the city, and shewed unto the chief priests all the things that were done. And when they were assembled with the elders, and had taken counsel, they gave large money unto the soldiers, saying, Say ye, His disciples came by night, and stole him away while we slept. And if this come to the governor’s ears, we will persuade him, and secure you. So they took the money, and did as they were taught: and this saying is commonly reported among the Jews until this day.—Matthew 28:11-15 Everyone knew a sleeping soldier would be severely punished for such gross incompetence. How could the chief priests invent a story which on its face is so preposterous? Yet what else could they do? The great rejoicing on the part of the chief priests, and undoubtedly in the courts of Satan himself, had changed so dramatically that events were spiraling out of control. Decisions had to be made, and made quickly. Today this is called “damage control” and Matthew is the only one to speak of it. The testimony of Matthew about the death and resurrection of Jesus contains many rich details missing from the other gospel accounts. Matthew writes with authority as he describes what happened. What he has recorded for us beautifully illustrates what the apostle Peter said near the end of his life when reflecting on his experience with the master: “We have not followed cunningly devised fables … but were eyewitnesses of his majesty” (2 Peter 1:16).. 1, On the other hand Gabriel Barkey writing in the March-April, 1986, Biblical Archaeology Review presents evidence for the Garden Tomb being a much older, eighth to seventh century B.C. tomb. |