As soon as Matthew mentions Judas as the one who will “betray” or “hand over” ( paradidomi ) Jesus (10:4), he records a fair bit about handing over and betrayal. Often, Jesus warns that the disciples will be handed over (10:17, 19, 21; 24:9-10), but after chapter 17, . . . . Continue Reading »
Following up on the last post: Perhaps we are to see Judas throwing the money to the priests as a kind of day of atonement. He “throws” ( hripto ) Jesus’ innocent blood, turned to cash, into the temple, then leaves the temple (like a scapegoat) and kills himself. The . . . . Continue Reading »
Jesus’ blood is the blood of the covenant, poured out for forgiveness (Matthew 26:28). How does it remove sin? We find a surprising answer to this when we trace the trail of blood through Matthew’s gospel. Blood is first mentioned in Jesus’ diatribe against the scribes . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Who was tried by Pontius Pilate, tortured, and crucified? All the heretics denied it, but Christian orthodoxy has always said that, impossible as it seems, the One who suffered on the cross was none other than God the Son in human flesh. THE TEXT “When morning came, all the . . . . Continue Reading »
“Be wise as serpents,” Jesus says. How? The first wise serpent in the Bible is a deceiver. Is Jesus encouraging His disciples to use deception to protect themselves? In part, the answer is qualified Yes. Jesus wants us to let our Yes be Yes, and our No No. . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew 26:58: Peter also was following Him at a distance as far as the courtyard of the high priest, and entered in and sat down with the officers to see the outcome. We’ve concentrated in the sermon this morning on Jesus’ trial itself, but as Matthew tells the story of the trial, it is . . . . Continue Reading »
Matthew describes two sets of witnesses in the Sanhedrin trial of Jesus. One is a set of false witnesses, but they fail to bring convincing testimony. There is a second set of witnesses, two witnesses, who come “later” (v. 60). These witnesses bring a united testimony, . . . . Continue Reading »
The priests and elders are sticklers. They want to convict Jesus and put Him to death. That’s the goal of the trial. But they also know that they have to operate according to the rules of justice given in their Torah. They know they need testimony, and they know that . . . . Continue Reading »
On the first Passover, Israel was delivered from the angel of death and separated from Egypt. In the narrative in Exodus 12-14, the night of Passover continues, narrativally, until the day after the crossing of the sea. Chronologically, it is not the same night; but in the narrative . . . . Continue Reading »
The trial and death of Jesus looks like a tragedy, for Him. It isn’t, not in the least, and not just because He’s raised from the dead. He’s no victim of circumstance or fate, but lays down His life for His sheep. But there is tragedy, the tragedy of Israel. . . . . Continue Reading »
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