Matthew 27

Judas felt remorse, but his remorse did not lead to repentance. The Greek word metamelomai describes regret or sorrow over consequences. It is not metanoia, the change of mind and direction that leads to salvation. Judas confessed his sin but did not turn to God. He despaired and took his own life. Peter also denied Jesus, but Peter wept bitterly and was restored. The difference is not the severity of the sin but the direction of the heart. Judas turned inward to despair; Peter turned to God in repentance.

Yes. Pilate had the authority to release Jesus. He knew Jesus was innocent. His wife warned him. He publicly declared his own innocence. But he was afraid of the crowd, and he delivered Jesus to be crucified. Washing his hands did not wash away his guilt. The chief priests and the crowd were also responsible. But ultimately, the cross was the plan of God. Acts 2:23 says Jesus was delivered up according to the definite plan and foreknowledge of God. Human guilt and divine sovereignty meet at the cross.

The crowd was accepting responsibility for Jesus' death. It was a self-pronounced curse. The generation that rejected Jesus bore the judgment of AD 70, when Jerusalem was destroyed. But this is not a perpetual curse on the Jewish people. Jesus wept over Jerusalem and longed to gather her children. Paul affirms that God has not rejected His people. The gospel remains for Israel, and there will be a future restoration. The verse has been tragically misused to justify anti-Semitism, which is a sin against God and against His chosen people.

Jesus was quoting Psalm 22:1, a lament that expresses the anguish of abandonment. On the cross, He experienced the separation from the Father that sin brings. This does not mean the Father stopped loving Him; it means that Jesus, bearing the sin of the world, experienced the relational distance that sin creates. It is the mystery of the atonement. The sinless One became sin for us, and in that moment, He felt the abandonment that we deserved.

The curtain separated the Holy Place from the Most Holy Place. Only the high priest could enter the Most Holy Place, and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. The tearing from top to bottom signifies that the barrier between God and humanity is removed. Through the death of Christ, all believers have access to the Father. The way is open. The direction of the tear shows that God did it, not human hands.

Matthew records that the tombs were opened and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised. After Jesus' resurrection, they came out of the tombs and appeared to many in the holy city. This is a foretaste of the general resurrection. It is a sign that the death of Christ has broken the power of the grave. The full harvest will come at the return of Christ, but the firstfruits are a promise that the dead in Christ will rise.

Yes. The Romans were experts at execution. They confirmed His death with a spear. Joseph of Arimathea received the body. He was wrapped in linen, placed in a tomb, and sealed with a stone. The women watched. The guard was posted. The burial is a historical fact. The death is certain. But so is the resurrection.