Reflective Bible Study

Continuing our walk through Matthew’s gospel, we come to the place where Matthew wraps up the details of Judas Iscariot’s betrayal, and in the details of this event, while preparing for this episode, I had not noticed a detail in this event until now. In this detail, we get a brief glimpse of what Judas may have been thinking when he decided to betray Jesus, but when things go a different direction than what Judas thought they would, we discover a powerful truth about how Satan treats humanity.

Let’s read this event and discover what we can learn from one of the darkest parts of the gospel message. Our passage for this episode is found in Matthew, chapter 27, and we will read it from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 1, Matthew tells us that:

¹ Early in the morning all the chief priests and the leaders of the people decided to execute Jesus. ² They tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.

³ Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned. He brought the 30 silver coins back to the chief priests and leaders. ⁴ He said, “I’ve sinned by betraying an innocent man.”

They replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”

⁵ So he threw the money into the temple, went away, and hanged himself.

Let’s pause briefly here, because I want to draw attention to what I saw in this passage while preparing for this episode. Before this event, when Judas Iscariot was in the garden leading the mob to arrest Jesus, when it said that all the disciples scattered, in my mind, Judas disappears along with them. In my mind, only Peter and John turned back in order to be near Jesus. Peter turned back and ultimately hung out in the courtyard, while John likely stood on the outer edge of the room Jesus was being tried in.

However, in order for Judas Iscariot to be clearly aware of the outcome of the trial, he would also have needed to be present. With Judas’ reaction to the outcome of the trial, we can conclude that Judas believed the trial would have gone differently. Verse 3 tells us Judas’ response: “Then Judas, who had betrayed Jesus, regretted what had happened when he saw that Jesus was condemned.”

This regret gives us a picture that Judas believed Jesus would not be found guilty of anything, and Judas wanted to be present when Jesus revealed who He was to the religious leaders. Judas actually wanted to be an instrumental role in bringing about Jesus’ step into the role of Messiah.

However, Judas did not understand the role of the Messiah Jesus came to be. In a somewhat ironic twist to the story, Judas actually succeeded in his goal of moving Jesus towards the role of God’s Messiah to humanity, even though he was not alive to witness the end of the events he started.

Another amazing detail in my mind is the reaction of the religious leaders. While Judas Iscariot tries to undo what has happened while realizing he betrayed an innocent man, the religious leaders are clearly more guilty because they don’t care about Jesus’ guilt or innocence. Judas returned and admitted his sin, and the religious leaders replied, “What do we care? That’s your problem.”

The religious leaders reject Judas Iscariot’s realization that he had sinned. While Judas was likely trying to undo what he had done, Judas is also looking for a path to forgiveness. Realizing one has sinned is the first step towards being saved. Judas realized he had sinned, while the religious leaders reject the betrayer they helped create.

After throwing the money back at the religious leaders, Judas leaves and hangs himself. Then our passage continues in verse 6, back with the religious leaders. Matthew tells us that:

⁶ The chief priests took the money and said, “It’s not right to put it into the temple treasury, because it’s blood money.” ⁷ So they decided to use it to buy a potter’s field for the burial of strangers. ⁸ That’s why that field has been called the Field of Blood ever since. ⁹ Then what the prophet Jeremiah had said came true, “They took the 30 silver coins, the price the people of Israel had placed on him, ¹⁰ and used the coins to buy a potter’s field, as the Lord had directed me.”

The biggest truth in this entire event that is amazing in my mind is how the religious leaders walk almost blindly through fulfilling prophecy. This is amazing in my mind because of all the people in the first century, the chief priests would have been the most aware of the prophecies about the Messiah. If these religious leaders had truly recognized what they were doing while also wanting to discredit Jesus from being the Messiah, they would have intentionally changed the details of what happened in some way. If they wanted to break from prophecy, they could have paid a different amount, such as 20 pieces of silver, or even 35. The religious leaders could have taken the money and spent it on anything but a potter’s field.

However, while taking Jesus to the cross, the religious leaders fulfill more prophecies then they are willing to realize or admit, and this truth ultimately confirms the idea that they are the ones who ultimately rejected the Messiah God sent to them.

In this event, I see in the last stages of Judas Iscariot’s life a model for how Satan treats all of humanity. Satan tempts us to do something we know we probably shouldn’t do, and after we have done what he tempted us to do, he ridicules us, causes us to feel regret, shame, and embarrassment, and after we have fallen for the temptation, Satan is eager to remind us how bad of a person we really are.

Judas Iscariot believed he had no hope and he commits suicide. By committing suicide, Judas Iscariot missed out on seeing what he actually prompted. Because of Judas’ betrayal, the religious leaders rejected Jesus and condemn Him to death, the Romans crucified Jesus, and then God accepts Jesus’ sacrifice for humanity by resurrecting Jesus on the third day. Even though Judas Iscariot was not alive to witness it, he actually helped Jesus fulfill His mission.

While this is one of the darkest parts of the gospel message, it helps reveal one of the brightest truths about God/Jesus. Without the darkness of Jesus’ death, we wouldn’t have the hope of Jesus’ resurrection, and because Jesus has been raised from the dead, we can claim the promise that we too will be raised from the dead like Jesus when He returns to bring all God’s people home!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and choose to place your faith in Jesus. Recognize that because of what Jesus did for us on the cross, we have the hope and promise of resurrection in our future when we place our faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus.

Also, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. By studying the Bible personally with a prayerful, open mind, we are able to open our hearts to God and to grow a personal relationship with God and a strong foundation for our faith in Him.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or be tempted or tricked into leaving where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

For the past three episodes, we have focused in on Jesus’ final moments on the cross, using Mark, Luke, and John’s gospels. For this episode, let’s look at the moment Jesus takes His last breath from Matthew’s gospel, and discover an event that only Matthew includes and an event that would make this weekend stand out in history as completely unique.

Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 27, and we will be reading from the God’s Word translation. Starting in verse 45, Matthew tells us that:

⁴⁵ At noon darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. ⁴⁶ About three o’clock Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” ⁴⁷ When some of the people standing there heard him say that, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” ⁴⁸ One of the men ran at once, took a sponge, and soaked it in some vinegar. Then he put it on a stick and offered Jesus a drink. ⁴⁹ The others said, “Leave him alone! Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ Then Jesus loudly cried out once again and gave up his life.

⁵¹ Suddenly, the curtain in the temple was split in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split open. ⁵² The tombs were opened, and the bodies of many holy people who had died came back to life. ⁵³ They came out of the tombs after he had come back to life, and they went into the holy city where they appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ An army officer and those watching Jesus with him saw the earthquake and the other things happening. They were terrified and said, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ Many women were there watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee and had always supported him. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary from Magdala, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.

Did you catch the crazy detail that Matthew includes? While other gospel writers include the detail that the temple curtain rips in two, from top to bottom, only Matthew includes the detail that there was an earthquake right at the moment of Jesus’ death and that this earthquake resulted in the resurrection of many holy people.

We can speculate that the holy people who were raised were many of the Old Testament prophets, but really the text doesn’t give us any clue. All we know is that those raised were holy, or righteous, people who had died.

All this brings to focus an amazing truth: Jesus’ death brings life. Jesus’ death on the cross opens the way for all those who have died believing in and trusting Jesus to be raised to life when He returns.

However, this isn’t the only thing we can see that is amazing during the moment Jesus died. Matthew describes how an army officer, along with others present, were terrified during the earthquake, and at the resurrection of these people, this officer proclaimed that, “Certainly, this was the Son of God!” (v. 54)

Luke’s gospel describes this officer praising God and declaring that Jesus was indeed innocent. This is also powerful, given that this officer would have been present for plenty of deaths, crucifixions included, and nothing like this had happened before.

It’s also interesting to think that both thieves were still alive when Jesus died, so they would have experienced the earthquake as well and perhaps even seen some of those who were resurrected.

In this passage, we discover that the temple curtain that separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place was split in two, specifically from top to bottom. While this would have occurred at the same time as the earthquake, I wonder if both were connected in any way beyond simply being two things that happened at the exact moment Jesus died.

We’ve already seen how the earthquake was connected with the holy people who were resurrected, but the temple curtain tearing is included in other gospels without the earthquake or the resurrections. Both Mark and Luke include the detail that the curtain was split in two and they do this without connecting this detail to an earthquake – which might mean that the curtain tearing from top to bottom was more significant than a group of dead people returning to life.

So then, what is so significant about this curtain split?

In the temple, there was a space where only one person, the High Priest, could go, and he could only go there one time a year. In this space, which is called the Most Holy Place, was the Ark of the Covenant, and formed into the lid of the ark was a special place called the mercy seat. The mercy seat represented God’s throne and the place where He sits in judgment. It’s worth noting that the place God sits in judgment is characterized and described with the term mercy.

A thick curtain separated the Most Holy Place and God’s presence from the rest of the temple because God’s Holiness consumes and destroys sin, and as sinners, we would be consumed because of our sins. The entire temple on earth shows us God’s desire to live among His people while also protecting them from His presence.

However, when Jesus died, the temple curtain tearing in two symbolized the end of the separation. The curtain now open symbolized that sinners can come before God and ask for forgiveness because Jesus’ sacrifice covers their sins. God’s justice and justness has not changed; God simply took the punishment we deserved and handed it to Jesus, who was able and willing to accept it.

The curtain ripping in the temple is one of the biggest literal and symbolic events that prove Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted by God. If the temple curtain had not split, Jesus’ sacrifice would not have been enough to end the separation between God and His people, and the hope we have in Jesus’ sacrifice allowing us to come before God would be in vain.

At the darkest point in history, while Jesus is dead, the curtain that split in two marks an accepted sacrifice and an accepted sacrifice is a hope and promise we can hold on to when we face dark places in our lives. Even if our faith is weak and people want to discount Jesus’ life, His death, and His resurrection, remember that God validated it all by ripping the temple curtain into two pieces, from top to bottom, which is something no human could do.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Always seek God first and place Him first in your life. If you stumble and feel as though you have failed God, remember that God accepted Jesus’ sacrifice on your behalf, and that He is more than willing to forgive you and accept you back when you come and ask. Because the temple curtain was torn in two, we know Jesus’ sacrifice was accepted, and because Jesus’ death caused holy people to live again, we can know that His death assures us of life – and it makes our promise of eternal life a reality we can count on!

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to learn, grow, and be challenged by the Holy Spirit personally. While other people can give you ideas to think about, never let your relationship with God depend on someone else. Intentionally keep your connection with God strong through continual prayer and regular Bible study.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, chicken out of, or drift away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

As we continue looking at Matthew’s gospel, we also continue looking at what happened when He was arrested and placed on trial. This passage also continues the theme that we have been looking at over the past couple of episodes that emphasized Jesus choosing the cross.

While Jesus was already arrested, and while the religious leaders had already judged Jesus as worthy of death in their minds, they still lacked a piece of concrete evidence that would justify Jesus being executed.

Because they needed this piece of evidence and a public judgment making Jesus worthy of death, the religious leaders hold a trial.

However, far from being a fair trial, they hold this trial in the middle of the night, and with a hastily gathered group of questionable individuals to bring Jesus to justice. We know this was all put together at the last minute because the religious leaders had previously decided to wait until after the festival to look for a way to arrest Jesus, and after Judas Iscariot came to them with an opportunity, they were waiting for Judas Iscariot to present them with the time for the arrest. While there could have been some preplanning the religious leaders could have done, they were rushed on the timing because they wanted this over with before pausing to celebrate Passover.

However, in this rushed, last-minute trial, when everything is about to fall apart, Someone steps in to help keep things progressing smoothly. Let’s read and discover what happened.

Our passage is found in Matthew’s gospel, chapter 26, and we will read it from the New Century Version. Starting in verse 57, Matthew tells us that:

⁵⁷ Those people who arrested Jesus led him to the house of Caiaphas, the high priest, where the teachers of the law and the elders were gathered. ⁵⁸ Peter followed far behind to the courtyard of the high priest’s house, and he sat down with the guards to see what would happen to Jesus.

⁵⁹ The leading priests and the whole Jewish council tried to find something false against Jesus so they could kill him. ⁶⁰ Many people came and told lies about him, but the council could find no real reason to kill him. Then two people came and said, ⁶¹ “This man said, ‘I can destroy the Temple of God and build it again in three days.’”

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus said nothing.

­­­­Let’s pause reading for a moment because at this point in this trial, things are beginning to fall apart. All the false witnesses were contradicting one another, and none of the lies added up to anything worthy of death – or anything that would even be remotely valid in a court setting.

While Jesus said nothing, the trial descended into chaos.

In an interesting parallel, when people reject God in their hearts, societies descend into chaos. Also, when people reject God, we shouldn’t be surprised if God chooses to stay silent.

However, divine providence determined for this to be the time Jesus would die, so in a desperate attempt to find something worthy of judgment, the high priest then turns his attention towards Jesus. Jumping back into the passage at this point, let’s look at what happened. Backtracking briefly and rereading from verse 62:

⁶² Then the high priest stood up and said to Jesus, “Aren’t you going to answer? Don’t you have something to say about their charges against you?” ⁶³ But Jesus said nothing.

Again the high priest said to Jesus, “I command you by the power of the living God: Tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”

⁶⁴ Jesus answered, “Those are your words. But I tell you, in the future you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of God, the Powerful One, and coming on clouds in the sky.”

Let’s pause briefly again, because what Jesus has said is too significant and easy to miss. The high priest knows that this fake trial to judge Jesus as guilty is falling apart. The case these leaders have against Jesus is falling apart. Nothing in this trial is turning up anything that would judge Jesus as worthy of death.

So the high priest commands Jesus by God’s power to answer one question: Is Jesus the Christ, or in other words God’s Messiah and God’s Son?

The religious leaders had already rejected Jesus, and while I think about the possible responses Jesus could have given, if Jesus had simply said yes to this question, there still would not have been a case against Him. Instead, a simple yes would simply implicate Jesus as being against Rome and the religious leaders would have had a political case against Him. With the religious leaders’ rejection of Jesus, they had firmly allied themselves with Rome and they tried to play both sides of this issue. By rejecting Jesus, they ultimately reject God in favor of Rome, while they subtly opposed Roman opposition wanting a Messiah to free them from Roman rule.

Jesus wasn’t against Rome any more than He was against Greece or any of the earlier empires. Instead, Jesus focused on the individual and on helping those who were hurting and those who needed to feel God’s love. A simple yes answer would have brought with it all the baggage and preconceived ideas these religious leaders had placed on the role of the Messiah.

If Jesus had stopped with the response, “Those are your words. [Period]” then the trial against Him would have fallen apart completely.

Instead, Jesus follows up with a response that says in essence, “I am God’s Son, but I am not the Messiah you think I came to be.”

How do the religious leaders respond?

Continuing in verse 65, Matthew tells us that:

⁶⁵ When the high priest heard this, he tore his clothes and said, “This man has said things that are against God! We don’t need any more witnesses; you all heard him say these things against God. ⁶⁶ What do you think?”

The people answered, “He should die.”

⁶⁷ Then the people there spat in Jesus’ face and beat him with their fists. Others slapped him. ⁶⁸ They said, “Prove to us that you are a prophet, you Christ! Tell us who hit you!”

In this trial, we discover that it would have fallen apart if Jesus hadn’t given these leaders something to clearly accuse Him of. And when we look at the details of what happened, nothing in Jesus’ testimony is worthy of death. In Jesus’ testimony, He shares that He is the One who had been prophesied about, and only those who were already closed-minded towards God missed seeing this huge truth. If God were to send His Son into the world, would we expect anyone less than Jesus?

Jesus came to show us God’s love, and while there are those who believe God is unloving or unlovable, Jesus came to challenge their belief by living out how much God loves us. Jesus chose the cross to show us God’s love, and through Jesus we can come to know the God who loves us so much that He gives Himself up to redeem us from the consequences of breaking His law!

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

As I always challenge you to do, intentionally seek God first in your life and place your faith, hope, trust, and belief in Jesus. Understand that Jesus chose the cross for you and for me not only to redeem us from sin and the penalty of death, but to show us how much God loves each of us. If death for our sins was Jesus’ only goal, there was no need to go to the cross. Jesus could have jumped off a boat in a storm or let the mob throw Him off a cliff like they wanted to at the beginning of His ministry. Instead, Jesus chose the cross to show us God’s love for us and how far God was willing to go to redeem us.

Also, as I always challenge you to do, continue praying and studying the Bible for yourself to learn and grow closer to God each and every day. Through the pages of the Bible, discover a God who loves you with all of His heart, and a God who wants to redeem you. While other people can tell you this, God’s truth only becomes personal when you personally learn it for yourself!

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or give up on where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!

For the past two episodes, we have focused in on Jesus’ time on the cross. First we looked at Mark’s gospel, which closely parallel’s Matthew’s gospel two episodes ago, and in our last episode, we spent some time looking at Luke’s gospel and what it shared. For this episode, let’s take the few minutes we have together and look at John’s gospel, and what we can learn from how it records this event.

Just as Luke’s gospel is similar while also different from both Matthew and Mark, John’s gospel is similar but unique from the other three gospels. Our passage for this episode is found in John’s gospel, chapter 19, and we will read it from the New International Version of the Bible. Starting in verse 18, John tells us that:

¹⁸ There they crucified him, and with him two others—one on each side and Jesus in the middle.

¹⁹ Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. ²⁰ Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. ²¹ The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

²² Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

Let’s pause for a moment because I want to highlight something fascinating I see in these first five verses. First, I find it interesting that this sign was written in Aramaic, Latin, and Greek. This is interesting because these likely were the common languages of the Roman Empire. It is also interesting because Hebrew was not one of the languages in the mix. Perhaps the Jews primarily spoke Aramaic during the first century, or perhaps Pilate intended this to be a subtle message for those traveling into Jerusalem at that time.

However, it’s also interesting that the chief priests disapprove of Pilate’s wording on this sign. While Jesus never claimed kingship towards the Jews or even towards anything on this earth, Pilate concluded from his conversation with Jesus that Jesus was not ordinary, and that Jesus probably did deserve the title of king. Pilate gives Jesus the title of king, which is what the religious leaders said was the charge against Jesus when they brought Him to Pilate. But the religious leaders want to distance themselves as far away from Jesus as they can, and Pilate can see this, but I believe Pilate also realizes that Jesus likely was the Messiah that they had been waiting for.

Pilate stood firm with his message declaring Jesus to be the king of the Jews, and with this declaration, comes the subtle jab towards the religious leaders that they were the ones who rejected the King God had promised and sent them.

Not only does John describe the religious leaders bickering with Pilate over the wording of the sign, John takes a few verses describing how pagan Roman soldiers fulfilled a prophecy they likely didn’t have any idea existed. Continuing in verse 23, John tells us that:

²³ When the soldiers crucified Jesus, they took his clothes, dividing them into four shares, one for each of them, with the undergarment remaining. This garment was seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom.

²⁴ “Let’s not tear it,” they said to one another. “Let’s decide by lot who will get it.”

This happened that the scripture might be fulfilled that said,

“They divided my clothes among them
    and cast lots for my garment.”

So this is what the soldiers did.

Pausing again, I am amazed that something like this could have been predicted centuries before Jesus walked the earth so amazingly accurately that it clearly is applicable for this event. Oddly enough, this scriptural prediction foreshadowed Jesus’ death more than a Jesus who would never die, because someone who is alive wouldn’t have their clothing divided or their undergarments gambled for. The first century Jews were looking for a Messiah who would last forever without tasting death; Jesus came as a Messiah who would face death, and ultimately defeat it.

But with all this emotional turmoil, John records a final request Jesus has before He takes His last breath. Picking back up in verse 25 and reading the rest of our passage, John concludes by telling us:

²⁵ Near the cross of Jesus stood his mother, his mother’s sister, Mary the wife of Clopas, and Mary Magdalene. ²⁶ When Jesus saw his mother there, and the disciple whom he loved standing nearby, he said to her, “Woman, here is your son,” ²⁷ and to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” From that time on, this disciple took her into his home.

While John’s gospel is one that names and identifies more disciples than not, there are several places where John intentionally avoids naming the disciple. The most notable times John does this are during the Last Supper, here at the cross, and again following Jesus’ resurrection. Tradition holds that this unnamed disciple is John himself, and I don’t have any reason to doubt this.

However, the last thing Jesus focuses on while He is hanging on the cross is the care of His mother. While bearing the weight of the sins of humanity, Jesus focuses on taking care of His mother. While I don’t know where any of the other siblings Jesus had were, or why none of them would have taken Mary in, John honors Jesus’ last request and takes Mary as his mother and cares for her like he would for his own mother. While Jesus wouldn’t stay dead, He also wasn’t staying present on earth either, so this request, while given during the darkest part of history, remained relevant through the triumph of the resurrection, ascension, and the expansion of the early church.

In John’s gospel, we discover that Pilate recognized Jesus in a way that the religious leaders were unwilling to see Jesus, we see an amazing prophecy predicted about the Messiah being fulfilled by a bunch of pagans who would have no idea the prophecy even existed, and we have Jesus remembering His mother during the darkest part of earth’s history. We can look at what John describes here and know that through the rejection, the darkness, and the pain, God has been there, and He will lead us through to the other side.

As we come to the end of another podcast episode, here are the challenges I will leave you with:

Be sure to always seek God first and put your faith in Him. Trust that God knows what will happen and that His goal is focused on saving you for eternity. While our world is filled with pain, trials, and rejection, we know that because Jesus triumphed over death, God will protect His people and save them for eternity.

Also, always pray and study the Bible for yourself to grow closer to God and to discover what God wants to teach you through His Word. While pastors, authors, speakers, or even podcasters can give you ideas to think about, filter everything you hear or read through the pages and truth in God’s Word.

And as I end every set of challenges by saying in one way or another, never stop short of, back away from, chicken out of, or fall away from where God wants to lead you to in your life with Him!