Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents

26:57-58 The headquarters of Caiaphas the high priest was likely a palatial mansion, probably on the eastern slope of the "upper city" of Jerusalem overlooking the temple area (see note on John 18:24).

26:59-60 The Sanhedrin tried to find false witnesses who would credibly testify that Jesus had violated the law, so that they could find him guilty as quickly as possible.

26:59 The whole Council ("Sanhedrin") need not denote all 70 members but may just indicate those hastily assembled in the middle of the night (23 members made a quorum). "Sanhedrin" (Gk. synedrion) could refer either to a local Jewish tribunal (e.g., "council," 5:22; "courts," 10:17) or, as here, to the supreme ecclesiastical court ("Council") of the Jews, centered in Jerusalem. The Romans were ultimately in control of all judicial proceedings but allowed their subjects some freedom to try their own cases.

26:61-62 I am able to destroy the temple of God. This saying, misquoted and taken out of context (cf. John 2:19-21), was easily distorted by Jesus' opponents.

26:63 silent. Jesus' silence fulfills Isa. 53:7 and places the responsibility for his death squarely on his accusers. tell us if you are the Christ. Caiaphas wants Jesus to admit to this charge so that he can be accused of insurrection against Rome and tried before Pilate for treason.

26:64 You have said so. See note on v. 25. Jesus declares that he is not only the human Messiah anticipated by the Jews but also the divine Son of Man (see Dan. 7:13-14; note on Matt. 8:20) who sits at the right hand of God (Ps. 110:1-2) and who will come on the clouds in power to reign over the earth.

26:65 tore his robes. Normally prohibited for the high priest (Lev. 10:6; 21:10), but this astounding claim by Jesus evokes a vehement response. blasphemy. Jesus' assertion of his divine status as the Son of Man.

26:66 If Jesus is lying by claiming to be divine, then indeed he deserves death from the standpoint of the Jewish law (see Lev. 24:10-23). The irony is that he will be executed for telling the truth.

26:67-68 The Jewish leaders' physical abuse of Jesus and their mocking question, "Who is it that struck you?" demonstrates their disbelief in his prophetic gifts and thus their scorn for his claims to divinity (v. 64).

26:69-70 Peter was sitting outside. Peter demonstrates courage by his presence in that hostile environment, but it fails him when his own personal safety is threatened.

26:71-72 An oath was not profanity but calling upon something sacred (e.g., God's name) to guarantee that what one said was true. Jesus warned against making such oaths, as they called into question one's ordinary truthfulness and integrity (cf. 5:33-37).

26:73 accent. Jesus' disciples (except Judas) were from Galilee, and Judeans in Jerusalem looked down on Galileans for their regional pronunciations.

26:74 curse . . . swear. Most likely calling upon God's wrath to strike him if he is lying.

27:1 When morning came on Friday, all the chief priests and the elders of the people assembled with a quorum so that they could give a more formal (with the appearance of a more legal) ratification of the earlier pronouncements against Jesus during the early morning hours (26:57-68).

27:2 delivered him over to Pilate. The governor of Judea and Roman prefect under Emperor Tiberius. To maintain ultimate control, the Romans kept the death penalty under their own jurisdiction and reserved the right to intervene in any case. The Roman historian Tacitus records Christ's execution "in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus" (Annals 15.44, published a.d. 115-120; cf. note on Luke 3:1).

27:3-4 Judas's feelings of remorse and his attempt to return the blood money are recorded only by Matthew. changed his mind (Gk. metamelomai). Judas experienced feelings of regret and remorse, but this is less than "repentance" (Gk. metanoia), which means a change of heart.

27:5 Showing no sign of repentance, Judas hanged himself rather than face his crushing guilt. The account in Acts 1:18-19 is complementary, not contradictory; see note on Acts 1:18.

27:6 blood money. Based on precepts found in Deut. 23:18.

27:7-8 The name Field of Blood arose from its association with the violent death of Judas (cf. Acts 1:18-19) and perhaps also with the "blood money" (Matt. 27:6) paid for his betrayal of Jesus. Most church traditions from at least the fourth century place this in the Hinnom Valley south of Jerusalem (cf. note on 18:6-9), although it is difficult to confirm the precise location.

27:9-10 the prophet Jeremiah. While drawing on a combination of words from Jeremiah (Jer. 19:1-13) and Zechariah (Zech. 11:11-13), Matthew attributes the prophecy to Jeremiah as the more prominent prophet. In the same way, Mark combines quotations from Isaiah and Malachi but cites only Isaiah as the more prominent prophet (see Mark 1:2; cf. Isa. 40:3; Mal. 3:1).