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Matthew 27:1. When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people had a meeting concerning Jesus to put Him to death: Matthew 27:2. and, having bound Him, they took Him away and handed Him over to Pontius Pilate, the governor. See how the devil took possession of them all, inclining them to murder on days on which they should have made many sacrifices and offerings for the sins of others - on days of purity and purity. They bind and take Christ to the ruler Pilate, who was from Pontus, but a Roman subject, and was sent by the ruler of Judea. They handed the Lord over to Pilate, as a man truly rebellious and plotting against the king. Matthew 27:3. Then Judas, who had betrayed Him, seeing that He was condemned and repenting, returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, Matthew 27:4. saying: I have sinned by betraying innocent blood. They said to him: What is that to us? see for yourself. Matthew 27:5. And, throwing away the pieces of silver in the church, he went out, went and hanged himself. Judas is delayed in thinking; repents, but not for good. Confessing is good, but hanging yourself is a devilish thing. Unable to bear dishonor in the future, he takes his own life, when he should have cried and begged the Devotee. Some say, however, that Judas, being a lover of money, thought that he would also acquire silver by selling Christ, and that Christ would not be killed, but would avoid the Jews, as he often avoided. Now, seeing that He was condemned and sentenced to death, He repented, because the matter did not turn out as he had expected. For this reason, he supposedly hanged himself in order to precede Jesus in hell and, having begged Him, receive salvation. Know also that Judas put a noose around his neck while hanging himself on some tree, but since the tree leaned over, he remained alive, for God wanted to save him either for repentance, or for ridicule and reproach. For they say that he fell into a water sickness, so that where the chariot passed freely, he could not pass, and subsequently, falling on his face, he burst, or “greyed out,” as Luke says in Acts (Acts 1:18). Matthew 27:6. The high priests, taking the pieces of silver, said: it is not permissible to put them in the church treasury, because this is the price of blood. Matthew 27:7. Having held a meeting, they bought a potter's land with them for the burial of strangers; Matthew 27:8. That’s why that land is called “land of blood” to this day; Matthew 27:9. Then what was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah was fulfilled, saying: And they took thirty pieces of silver, the price of the One who was valued, whom the children of Israel valued, Matthew 27:10. and they gave them for the potter's land, as the Lord said to me. The church treasury was the name given to the church mug in which gifts brought to God were placed. See how God makes them foolish, so that their bloodthirsty thoughts are revealed. “Until this day,” he says, that field is called the field of blood, so that everyone is reminded that they killed the Lord. Note also that the Jews were also concerned about homosexuality, so they also bought a certain field for a cemetery for pilgrims. Let us be ashamed, who consider ourselves people of the most perfect life, and despise strangers. “The Price of the Valuable” refers, of course, to the price of Christ: He was priceless, but was valued by the sons of Israel, that is, the sons of Israel set His price, agreeing to give Judah thirty pieces of silver. Matthew 27:11. Jesus stood before the governor. And the ruler asked Him: Are you the King of the Jews? Jesus said to him: You speak. Matthew 27:12. And when the chief priests and elders accused Him, He answered nothing. Matthew 27:13. Then Pilate said to Him: Do you not hear how many testify against You? Matthew 27:14. And he did not answer a single word, so the ruler was very surprised. As accused of civil crimes, he is taken to Pilate. Hence he asks Him if He made or attempted to reign over the Jews? Jesus answered him: “You say,” giving the most wise answer, for he said neither “yes” nor “no,” but something in between, like: “You say.” But this can be understood both in such a way that: “yes, exactly as you say,” and in such a way that: “I don’t say this, but you say it.” He didn’t answer anything else, because he saw that the trial was not going according to the rules. Pilate marveled at the Lord, on the one hand, as one who despised death, and on the other, at how He, being so eloquent and having thousands of justifications to present, answered nothing and did not pay attention to the accusers. Let us also learn from here, so that if we find ourselves before an unjust court, we should say nothing, so as not to stir up a big fuss and become guilty of great condemnation when our excuses are not listened to. Matthew 27:15. On Easter, the ruler had the custom of releasing to the people one prisoner they wanted. Matthew 27:16. At that time they had a famous prisoner named Barabbas; Matthew 27:17. So, when they had gathered, Pilate said to them: whom do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus, who is called Christ? Matthew 27:18. for he knew that they had betrayed Him out of envy. Pilate tried to free Christ, although not as firmly as he should have: for he had to stand firmly for the truth. First he asked the Lord: “Do you not hear that they testify against You?” He asked so that, if Christ was justified, he would have a reason for His release. When the Lord did not want to justify himself, knowing full well that he would not be released even if he were justified, then Pilate turns to another path and finally resorts to custom, as if to say: if you do not release Jesus as innocent, then, although convicted, please Him for the holiday. For how could Pilate imagine that they would seek to have the innocent Jesus crucified and release the guilty thief? So, knowing that Christ is innocent, but that they envy Him, for this reason he asks them; hence he shows himself to be a weak man, for he even had to suffer for a good deed. Therefore, he is worthy of condemnation as having hidden the truth. “Barabbas” is interpreted as “son of the father,” for Var is a son, and Abba is a father. So, the Jews asked for their father’s son, the devil, and crucified Jesus. However, to this day they cleave to their father’s son, the Antichrist, and deny Christ. Matthew 27:19. While he was sitting in the judgment seat, his wife sent him to say: Do not do anything to the Righteous One, because now in a dream I have suffered a lot for Him. Matthew 27:20. But the chief priests and elders stirred up the people to ask Barabbas and to destroy Jesus. Matthew 27:21. Then the governor asked them: which of the two do you want me to release to you? They said: Barabbas. Matthew 27:22. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do to Jesus, who is called Christ? Everyone tells him: let him be crucified. Matthew 27:23. The ruler said: what evil has He done? But they shouted even more loudly: let him be crucified. Matthew 27:24. Pilate, seeing that nothing helped, but the confusion was increasing, took water and washed his hands before the people, and said: I am innocent of the blood of this Righteous One; look you. Matthew 27:25. And all the people answered and said, “His blood be on us and on our children.” Matthew 27:26. Then he released Barabbas to them, and beat Jesus and handed him over to be crucified. Marvelous! The one who was judged by Pilate intimidated his wife! It is not he who sees the dream, but his wife: either because he himself was not worthy; or because they would not believe him himself, but would think that he was saying this out of passion for Jesus; and perhaps he would have kept silent even if he had seen it, since he was a judge. Sleep is a matter of Industry; but it happened not so that Christ would be freed, but so that the wife would be saved. Why didn’t he free Christ? Because it was not safe for him, that is, Pilate, to release Him as someone accused of being king. But he should have demanded testimony: whether Christ was gathering soldiers around Him, or preparing weapons. Now, as frivolous and weak, Pilate deviates to the side; for this reason he is inexcusable: for when they asked the notorious villain, he gave it, and about Christ he asked: what to do with Jesus? - thus making the Jews the leaders of the court. Being a ruler, he could snatch Him from them, like Paul's commander (Acts 21:31). “Let him be crucified,” said the Jews, intending not only to kill Him, but also to throw villainous guilt on Him, for the cross was prescribed as a punishment for villains. He washes himself, showing that he is clean of hatred. He thinks badly, for while calling Jesus righteous, he at the same time handed Him over to the murderers! And those who take retribution for killing Him take upon themselves; which retribution befell them when the Romans exterminated them and their children. However, even to this day the Jews, being the children of those who killed the Lord, have His blood on them, for they are persecuted by everyone for their lack of faith in the Lord, and when they are persecuted, there is no mercy for them. Pilate beat Jesus, that is, scourged him, showing that he too condemned Him and that the Jews would no longer crucify an innocent man, but a disgraced one. And so it was fulfilled: “I gave My shoulders to be wounded” (Is. 50:6). Matthew 27:27. Then the ruler’s soldiers, taking Jesus to the praetorium *************, gathered the entire regiment against Him Matthew 27:28. and having undressed Him, they put purple robe on Him; Matthew 27:29. and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed it on His head and gave Him a reed in His right hand; and, kneeling before Him, they mocked Him, saying: Hail, King of the Jews! Matthew 27:30. and they spat on Him and, taking a reed, beat Him on the head. Here the word of David was fulfilled: “He gave Me to be reproached by the fool” (Psalm 38:9). For the soldiers did to Him what was worthy of them, being crazy people: they dressed Him in a robe instead of purple, as if they were a king; a crown instead of a diadem; and, mocking Him, they honored Him, for kneeling is a symbol of showing honor. Look how they went through every kind of reproach: the face of shame through spitting, the head through a crown, the hands through a cane, the rest of the body through a robe, the ears through blasphemous words. Although everything they did, they did in reproach to Christ, yet at the same time you understand that all this was done by Jesus Himself in a more mysterious sense: for the scarlet robe signified our nature, which, while it was stained with blood and prone to murder, He accepted and sanctified, putting on it; the crown of thorns meant sins arising from worldly cares - sins that Christ consumes with His Divinity - for the Divinity is signified through His head; the reed is the image of our weak and corporeal flesh, which the Lord took on, just as David says: “The right hand of the Lord has exalted me” (Psalm 117:16); By accepting blasphemy into His ears, the Lord delivered us from the whispering of the serpent that entered through the ears of Eve. Matthew 27:31. And when they mocked Him, they took off His scarlet robe, and dressed Him in His own garments, and led Him away to be crucified. Matthew 27:32. As they went out, they met one Cyrene man named Simon; this one was forced to bear His cross. The first three say that Simon carried the cross of Jesus, and John - that the Lord Himself carried it. Therefore, it was probably both: first Jesus Himself carried the cross, and then, having found Simon on the way, they laid the cross on him. You should also note that Simon means obedience: therefore, he who has obedience bears the cross of Christ. Cyrene, being the city of Pentapolis, means the five senses that must bear the cross. Matthew 27:33. And, having come to a place called Golgotha, which means: Place of Execution, Matthew 27:34. They gave Him vinegar mixed with gall to drink; and, having tasted it, did not want to drink. Matthew 27:35. Those who crucified Him divided His garments, casting lots; Matthew 27:36. and, sitting, they guarded Him there; Matthew 27:37. and they placed an inscription over His head, signifying His guilt: This is Jesus, the King of the Jews. The place was called frontal because, as the tradition of the fathers says, Adam was buried here: just as we all died in Adam, so it must be that we come to life in Christ. Do not be embarrassed when you hear the evangelists when this one says that vinegar with gall was brought to the Lord; Mark - that wine with myrrh was brought; and John - vinegar with gall and hyssop. Many did a lot, as happens in a disorderly crowd when everyone does something different: therefore one must think that one brought wine, and another brought vinegar with gall. Many births of death. But Christ dies through the cross in order to sanctify the tree through which we were cursed, and to bless everything: the heavenly, which is designated by the upper part of the cross, and the underground, which is designated by the foot, and the limits of the earth, both eastern and western, which is designated by the transverse parts of the cross; and at the same time he dies through the cross, so that, with outstretched hands, he can call and gather the scattered children of God. The soldiers divide His clothes, like a poor man who has nothing else. What another evangelist called a title, Matthew calls “guilt,” for they wrote, for the sake of which he was crucified: crucified as the King of the Jews and the innovator of innovations. They inscribed the word “king” for the sake of slander; however, this testimony is true, although presented from enemies, for the Lord is the King who came for this very purpose to save the Jews. When the carnal Jews did not want Him to reign over them, He became the King of the spiritual Jews, that is, those who confess, for “Jew” means “one who confesses.” Matthew 27:38. Then two thieves were crucified with Him: one on the right side, and the other on the left. Matthew 27:39–40. Those passing by slandered Him, nodding their heads and saying: He who destroys the church and builds it in three days! Save Yourself; if you are the Son of God, come down from the cross. Matthew 27:41. Likewise the high priests, with the scribes and elders and Pharisees, mockingly said: Matthew 27:42. he saved others, but he cannot save himself; if He is the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him; Matthew 27:43. He trusted in God, let him now deliver Him, if He pleases Him. For He said: I am the Son of God. Matthew 27:44. Likewise, the thieves who were crucified with Him reviled Him. To slander Christ, they crucify two thieves with Him, so that He too would be recognized as the same lawless person as them. But they were the image of two peoples - Jewish and pagan, for both were equally lawless and reviled Christ, just as the robbers at first reviled both. Then one, having come to know Him, confessed Him as the King, for which reason he said: “Remember me, Lord, in Your Kingdom.” So the pagan people confessed Christ. The other thief, the Jewish people, continued to blaspheme. The devil forced those who said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross,” with the goal that Christ, being irritated, would come down from the cross and would disrupt the work of saving everyone through the cross. But Christ is the Son of God and did not listen to the enemy, so that you too would learn that you should not listen to the tricks of the devil, but do good, even if people have a bad opinion about you. Matthew 27:45. From the sixth hour there was darkness over all the earth until the ninth hour; Matthew 27:46. and about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: Either, or! lama sabachthani? that is: My God, My God! Why have you forsaken me? Matthew 27:47. Some of those standing there, hearing this, said: He is calling Elijah. Matthew 27:48. And immediately one of them ran, took a sponge, filled it with vinegar and, putting it on a reed, gave Him to drink; Matthew 27:49. And others said: wait; Let's see if Elijah will come to save Him. The darkness that occurred did not occur according to a natural order, as it happens naturally due to, for example, an eclipse of the sun. For there is never an eclipse on the fourteenth day of the moon. A solar eclipse occurs only in the following case: when the moon is just emerging, then natural eclipses of the sun occur. But at the crucifixion of Christ it was undoubtedly the fourteenth day of the moon, for then Easter was celebrated: therefore, the darkness was unnatural. Moreover, this darkness was universal, and not partial, as, for example, in Egypt, so that it would be clear that creation sympathized with the suffering of the Creator and that the light had retreated from the Jews. Let the Jews who demand to see signs from heaven now see the sun darkened! Since man was created on the sixth day, and ate from the tree at the sixth hour - for this is the hour of eating - then the Lord, recreating man and healing the fall, is nailed to the tree on the sixth day and at the sixth hour. The prophetic “Either, or” is spoken in Hebrew dialect to show that He is not fighting with the Old Testament Scriptures. And “why have you forsaken me?” said in order to show that He became a true man, and not just in appearance, for man has a natural desire to live, being life-loving. Therefore, just as he grieved and yearned before the cross, showing the fear that is naturally characteristic of us, so now he says: “Why have you forsaken me,” revealing our characteristic love of life. For He was truly human and like us in everything except sin. However, some understood that the Savior, taking upon Himself the face of the Jews, said: “Why did You forsake the Jewish people, Father, so that they would commit such a sin and be given over to destruction?” As having descended from the Jews, Christ “why have you forsaken me” says instead: “why have you forsaken my kin, my people, that they have done such evil to themselves.” People from the common people, being ignorant and ignorant of the prophetic scriptures, not understanding this proclamation, thought that Christ was calling Elijah - for not all Jews knew the prophetic scriptures, just as now not all Christians know the Gospel. And they gave Him vinegar to drink so that He would die quickly before Elijah came to help Him. Hence the others said: “Wait; let's see if Elijah comes to save Him,” that is: do not let Him die; We will find out if Elijah will help Him. Matthew 27:50. Jesus cried out again with a loud voice and gave up the ghost. Matthew 27:51. And behold, the curtain of the church was torn in two, from top to bottom; and the earth shook; and the stones dissipated; Matthew 27:52. and the tombs were opened; and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were resurrected Matthew 27:53. and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection, they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Jesus cries out with a loud voice so that we understand that when He said: “I have authority to lay down My life,” it was true, for He lays down my soul with authority. What kind of appeal was this? “Father, into Your hands I commend My spirit,” for He gave up His spirit not under compulsion, but voluntarily. This shows: “I betray”; He also shows that He thinks to receive His soul again, for every pledge is again given back. Thanks be to the Lord that when He died and when His spirit was entrusted into the hands of the Father, from that time on the souls of the saints are placed in the hands of God, and not in the prisons of hell, as before, so that the death of Christ became our sanctification. This is why death is called with a loud voice, which would not dare to approach if it were not called. The church curtain consisted of a kind of canvas hung in the middle of the church and separating the inside from the outside, like a kind of wall. That it is being torn apart, through this God shows that the church, inaccessible and invisible, the interior of which was covered by a curtain, will be in such humiliation and contempt that it will be accessible to everyone and everyone can look at it. Others indicate other reasons for the irritation. The torn veil meant, they say, the abolition of the legal letter, as well as the fact that everything legal that was previously covered by the letter, like some kind of veil, will be revealed - and everything that was previously unclear and mysterious will now become clear, having been fulfilled in Christ. It can also be said that just as it was the custom of the Jews to tear their clothes in case of blasphemy, so now the church of God, as if grieving over the death of God, tore its clothes, the veil. And anyone could say something else, but this is enough. The elements then shook, both testifying that the Suffering One is the Creator, and at the same time showing that a change in affairs would come, for Scripture posits an earthquake as a sign of a change in affairs. This is how the transfer of God’s view from the Jews to the pagans took place. And the stones, that is, the stony hearts of the pagans, broke apart and accepted the seed of truth, and those killed by sins arose and entered the holy city, Jerusalem above, and appeared to many who walked the broad way; Having appeared to them, they became for them a prototype of a good life and conversion: for, seeing a man, first killed by passions, and then converted and entering the holy heavenly city, another imitates him in every possible way and is converted. However, this is thought up too elegantly. You know that the resurrection of the dead, which happened at the cross of the Lord, made it known about the liberation of souls who were in hell. Those who were resurrected then appeared to many, so that what had happened would not seem like a dream; they were resurrected for the sake of a sign; and obviously they died again. However, some say that they were resurrected after the resurrection of Christ and did not die another time. I don't know if this should be accepted. Matthew 27:54. The centurion and those who were guarding Jesus with him, seeing the earthquake and everything that happened, were greatly afraid and said: Truly this was the Son of God. Matthew 27:55. There were also many women there, watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving Him; Matthew 27:56. among them was Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Josiah, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee. The pagan centurion, as a result of the signs, believes together with those who were with him; the Jews, who listened to the law and the prophets, remain unbelievers: such is wickedness! This centurion subsequently became a martyr for Christ. As for the women who looked at what had happened, this most compassionate of all and the condemned race enjoys the contemplation of goods above all others. And the disciples ran away, and the wives took courage. The Evangelist calls the Mother of God Mary, the mother of Jacob and Josiah, for Jacob and Josiah were Joseph’s children from his former wife. Since the Mother of God was called Joseph’s wife, the mother of his children was accordingly called, that is, stepmother. The mother of the sons of Zebedee was called Salome. They say that this one was the daughter of Joseph. Matthew 27:57. When evening came, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph, who also studied with Jesus; Matthew 27:58. He came to Pilate and asked for the Body of Jesus. Then Pilate ordered the Body to be given up. Matthew 27:59. And taking the Body, Joseph wrapped it in a clean shroud ************** Matthew 27:60. and he laid him in his new tomb, which he had carved out of the rock; and, having rolled a large stone to the door of the tomb, he left. Matthew 27:61. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb. Before, Joseph hid himself, but now he dares to do a great deed, laying down his soul for the Body of the Teacher and taking upon himself such a difficult struggle with all the Jews. As a great gift, Pilate gives him the Body. For the Body of Christ, as a rebel killed, had to be abandoned unburied. However, Joseph, being rich, may have given gold to Pilate. Having received the Body, Joseph honors it by placing it in a new tomb in which no one had ever been laid. And this was by the providence of God, so that after the resurrection of the Lord someone would not say that another dead man, buried there before Him, had risen in His place. For this reason, the tomb is new. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary, that is, the Mother of God, whom the evangelist above named the matter of James and Josiah, these two sat opposite the tomb, waiting so that when the rage of the enemies subsided, they would go and embrace the Body and anoint it with myrrh. Isaiah spoke about these women: “Women coming from the spectacle, come here: for this is a people without understanding” (Is. 27:11). He says that they “have no reason.” Obviously, this is about the Jewish people who crucified the Lord. And he calls on the wives to leave this foolish people, follow the apostles and tell them the good news of the resurrection. Matthew 27:62. On the next day, which followed Friday, the chief priests and Pharisees gathered to Pilate Matthew 27:63. and they said: Master! we remembered that the deceiver, while still alive, said: after three days I will rise again; Matthew 27:64. So give orders that the tomb be guarded until the third day, so that His disciples, coming at night, do not steal Him and say to the people: He has risen from the dead; and the last deception will be worse than the first. Matthew 27:65. Pilate said to them: You have a guard; go and protect it as best you can. Matthew 27:66. They went and placed a guard at the tomb and put a seal on the stone. He does not call Saturday Sabbath, because, judging by the wickedness of the Jews, it was not Sabbath. While the law commanded that on the Sabbath day no one should move from his place, the lawless Jews gather to the foreigner Pilate, instead of the lawful assembly. As a result of their malice, they are prompted to come to Pilate and confirm the tomb, but this was according to God's providence, so that the resurrection would take place in the presence of witnesses - the enemies - and when the tomb was sealed and guarded. It is worthy of study - how did the Jews know that he would rise on the third day? The Lord never said this clearly and directly. One might think that they learned this from the foreshadowing of Jonah, for Christ said that “as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days, ... and I was in the belly of the earth” (Matthew 12:40); or they learned from the following: “Destroy this church.” Previously, not understanding this, but thinking that He was talking about the Jewish church, they blamed Him for this. Now, having learned that He called His own Body a church, they fall into fear and call Him a deceiver, not leaving anger even after death. The Romans call a guard a custodia; hence the evangelist calls the warriors assigned for guard the custodia.