Matthew 27

Devotionals, Articles, and Bible Study Resources on Matthew 27

1When morning came, all the chief priests and elders of the people conspired against Jesus to put Him to death.
2They bound Him, led Him away, and handed Him over to Pilate the governor.
3When Judas, who had betrayed Him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was filled with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders.
4“I have sinned by betraying innocent blood,” he said. “What is that to us?” they replied. “You bear the responsibility.”
5So Judas threw the silver into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.
6The chief priests picked up the pieces of silver and said, “It is unlawful to put this into the treasury, since it is blood money.”
7After conferring together, they used the money to buy the potter’s field as a burial place for foreigners.
8That is why it has been called the Field of Blood to this day.
9Then what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled:
“They took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price set on Him by the people of Israel,
10and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord had commanded me.”
11Meanwhile Jesus stood before the governor, who questioned Him: “Are You the King of the Jews?” “You have said so,” Jesus replied.
12And when He was accused by the chief priests and elders, He gave no answer.
13Then Pilate asked Him, “Do You not hear how many charges they are bringing against You?”
14But Jesus gave no answer, not even to a single charge, much to the governor’s amazement.
15Now it was the governor’s custom at the feast to release to the crowd a prisoner of their choosing.
16At that time they were holding a notorious prisoner named Barabbas.
17So when the crowd had assembled, Pilate asked them, “Which one do you want me to release to you: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?”
18For he knew it was out of envy that they had handed Jesus over to him.
19While Pilate was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent him this message: “Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered terribly in a dream today because of Him.”
20But the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus put to death.
21“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they replied.
22“What then should I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify Him!”
23“Why?” asked Pilate. “What evil has He done?” But they shouted all the louder, “Crucify Him!”
24When Pilate saw that he was accomplishing nothing, but that instead a riot was breaking out, he took water and washed his hands before the crowd. “I am innocent of this man’s blood,” he said. “You bear the responsibility.”
25All the people answered, “His blood be on us and on our children!”
26So Pilate released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed Him over to be crucified.
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him.
28They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand and knelt down before Him to mock Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.
31After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.
32Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,
34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.
36And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right hand and the other on His left.
39And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
42“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.
45From the sixth hour until the ninth hour darkness came over all the land.
46About the ninth hour Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?”
47When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He is calling Elijah.”
48One of them quickly ran and brought a sponge. He filled it with sour wine, put it on a reed, and held it up for Jesus to drink.
49But the others said, “Leave Him alone. Let us see if Elijah comes to save Him.”
50When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit.
51At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split.
52The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised.
53After Jesus’ resurrection, when they had come out of the tombs, they entered the holy city and appeared to many people.
54When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified and said, “Truly this was the Son of God.”
55And many women were there, watching from a distance. They had followed Jesus from Galilee to minister to Him.
56Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of Zebedee’s sons.
57When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea named Joseph, who himself was a disciple of Jesus.
58He went to Pilate to ask for the body of Jesus, and Pilate ordered that it be given to him.
59So Joseph took the body, wrapped it in a clean linen cloth,
60and placed it in his own new tomb that he had cut into the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance to the tomb and went away.
61Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting there opposite the tomb.
62The next day, the one after Preparation Day, the chief priests and Pharisees assembled before Pilate.
63“Sir,” they said, “we remember that while He was alive that deceiver said, ‘After three days I will rise again.’
64So give the order that the tomb be secured until the third day. Otherwise, His disciples may come and steal Him away and tell the people He has risen from the dead. And this last deception would be worse than the first.”
65“You have a guard,” Pilate said. “Go, make the tomb as secure as you know how.”
66So they went and secured the tomb by sealing the stone and posting the guard.
— Matthew 27

Related Resources from Heartlight

Surely this is the Son of God
Illustration of Matthew 27:45-54

Inspirational illustration of Matthew 27:45-54 -- From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and

Crucify Him!
Illustration of Matthew 27:15-22 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:15-22 NLT -- Every year at the Passover time the governor would free one person from the prison. This was always a person that the people wanted to be made free. At that time there was a man in prison who was known to be very bad. His name was Barabbas. All the people gathered at Pilate's house. Pilate asked the people, "I will free one man for you. Which man do you want me to free: Barabbas, or Jesus who is called the Christ ?" Pilate knew that the people gave Jesus to him because the people were jealous. Pilate said these things while he was sitting in the place for judging. While he was sitting there, his wife sent a message to him. The message said, "Don't do anything with that man (Jesus). He is not guilty. And today I had a dream about him, and it troubled me very much." But the leading priests and older Jewish leaders told the people to ask for Barabbas to be made free and for Jesus to be killed. Pilate said, "I have Barabbas and Jesus. Which do you want me to make free for you?" The people answered, "Barabbas!" Pilate asked, "So what should I do with Jesus, the one called the Christ?" All the people answered, "Kill him on a cross!"

So Close and Yet So Far Away
Illustration of Matthew 27:3-10 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:3-10 NLT -- Judas saw that they had decided to kill Jesus. Judas was the one that gave Jesus {to his enemies}. When Judas saw what happened, he was very sorry for what he did. So he took the 30 silver coins back to the priests and the leaders. Judas said, "I sinned. I gave you an innocent man to be killed." The Jewish leaders answered, "We don't care! That's a problem for you, not us." So Judas threw the money into the temple. Then Judas left that place and hanged himself. The leading priests picked up the silver coins in the temple. They said, "Our law does not allow us to keep this money with the temple money, because this money has paid for a man's death." So they decided to use the money to buy a field called Potter's Field. This field would be a place to bury people that died while visiting {in Jerusalem}. That is why that field is still called the Field of Blood. So the thing happened that Jeremiah the prophet said: "They took 30 silver coins. That was how much the Jewish people decided to pay for his life. They used those 30 silver coins to buy the potter's field, like the Lord commanded me."

He Died Alone
Illustration of Matthew 27:45-50 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:45-50 NLT -- At noon the whole country became dark. This darkness continued for three hours. At about three o'clock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" This means, "My God, my God, why have you left me alone?" Some of the people standing there heard this. The people said, "He is calling Elijah." Quickly one of the people ran and got a sponge. That person filled the sponge with vinegar and tied the sponge to a stick. Then he used the stick to give the sponge to Jesus to drink from it. But the other people said, "Don't bother him (Jesus). We want to see if Elijah will come to save him." Again Jesus cried with a loud voice. Then he died.

The Emotional Truth
Illustration of Matthew 27:27-31 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:27-31 NLT -- Then Pilate's soldiers brought Jesus into the governor's palace. All the soldiers gathered around Jesus. The soldiers took off Jesus' clothes and put a red robe on him. Then the soldiers used thorny branches to make a crown. They put this crown of thorns on Jesus' head, and they put a stick in his right hand. Then the soldiers bowed before Jesus and teased him. They said, "Hello, king of the Jews!" The soldiers spit on Jesus. Then they took his stick and hit him on the head many times. After they finished teasing Jesus, the soldiers took off the robe and put his own clothes on him again. Then they led Jesus away to be killed on a cross.

Verified by No Lie
Illustration of Matthew 27:62-66 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:62-66 NLT -- That day was the day called Preparation day. The next day, the leading priests and the Pharisees went to Pilate. They said, "Sir, we remember that while that liar was still alive he said, 'After three days I will rise from death.' So give the order for the tomb to be guarded well until after three days. His followers might come and try to steal the body. Then they could tell the people that he has risen from death. That lie will be even worse than what they said about him before." Pilate said, "Take some soldiers and go guard the tomb the best way you know." So they all went to the tomb and made it safe from thieves. They did this by sealing the stone in the entrance and putting soldiers there to guard it.

With God, Anything Is Possible!
Illustration of Matthew 27:57-61 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:57-61 NLT -- That evening a rich man named Joseph came to Jerusalem. Joseph was a follower of Jesus from the town of Arimathea. Joseph went to Pilate and asked to have Jesus' body. Pilate gave orders for the soldiers to give Jesus' body to Joseph. Then Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a new linen cloth. Joseph put Jesus' body in a new tomb (grave) that Joseph had dug in a wall of rock. Then he closed the tomb by rolling a very large stone to cover the entrance. After he did these things, Joseph went away. Mary Magdalene and the other woman named Mary were sitting near the tomb.

It's Our Responsibility
Illustration of Matthew 27:23-26 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:23-26 NLT -- Pilate asked, "Why do you want me to kill him? What wrong has he done?" But all the people shouted louder, "Kill him on a cross!" Pilate saw that he could do nothing to make the people change. And he saw that the people were becoming upset. So Pilate took some water and washed his hands so that all the people could see. Then Pilate said, "I am not guilty of this man's death. You are the ones that are doing it!" All the people answered, "We will be responsible for his death. We accept for ourselves and for our children any punishment for his death." Then Pilate freed Barabbas. Pilate told some soldiers to beat Jesus with whips. Then Pilate gave Jesus to the soldiers to be killed on a cross.

Silent, but in Control
Illustration of Matthew 27:11-14 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:11-14 NLT -- Jesus stood before Pilate the governor. Pilate asked him questions. He said, "Are you the king of the Jews?" Jesus answered, "Yes, I am." When the leading priests and the older Jewish leaders accused Jesus, he said nothing. So Pilate said to Jesus, "You hear these people accusing you of all these things. Why don't you answer?" But Jesus said nothing to answer Pilate. Pilate was very surprised at this.

When Everyone Rejects You
Illustration of Matthew 27:41-44 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:41-44 NLT -- The leading priests, the teachers of the law, and the older Jewish leaders were also there. These men teased Jesus the same as the other people. They said, "He saved other people. But he can't save himself! People say he is the king of Israel (the Jews). If he is the king, then he should come down now from the cross. Then we will believe in him. He trusted God. So let God save him now, if God really wants him. He himself said, 'I am the Son of God.'" And in the same way, the robbers that were being killed on crosses beside Jesus also said bad things to him.

My Salvation, Not His Own
Illustration of Matthew 27:38-40 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:38-40 NLT -- Two robbers were nailed to crosses beside Jesus. One robber was put beside Jesus on the right and the other was put on the left. People walked by and said bad things to Jesus. People shook their heads and said, "You said you could destroy the temple and build it again in three days. So save yourself! Come down from that cross, if you are really the Son of God!"

No Barriers Allowed
Illustration of Matthew 27:51-53 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:51-53 NLT -- When Jesus died, the curtain in the temple was torn into two pieces. The tear started at the top and tore all the way to the bottom. Also, the earth shook and rocks were broken. All the graves opened, and many of God's people that had died were raised from death. Those people came out of the graves. After Jesus was raised from death, those people went into the holy city (Jerusalem), and many people saw them.

The Gamble
Illustration of Matthew 27:35-37 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:35-37 NLT -- The soldiers nailed Jesus to a cross. Then the soldiers gambled with dice to decide who would get Jesus' clothes. The soldiers sat there and continued watching Jesus. The soldiers put a sign above Jesus' head with the charge against him written on it. The sign said: "THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS."

Who Will Carry His Cross?
Illustration of Matthew 27:32-34 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:32-34 NLT -- The soldiers were going out of the city with Jesus. The soldiers forced another man there to carry the cross for Jesus. This man's name was Simon from Cyrene. They came to the place called Golgotha. (Golgotha means "The Place of the Skull.") At Golgotha, the soldiers gave Jesus wine to drink. This wine was mixed with gall. Jesus tasted the wine but refused to drink it.

A Simple Little Execution
Illustration of Matthew 27:1-2 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:1-2 NLT -- Early the next morning, all the leading priests and older leaders of the people decided to kill Jesus. They tied Jesus with chains. Then they led him to Pilate the governor. They gave Jesus to Pilate.

On Guard
Illustration of Matthew 27:54-55 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:54-55 NLT -- The army officer and the soldiers guarding Jesus saw this earthquake and everything that happened. They were very afraid and said, "He really was the Son of God!" Many women were standing away from the cross, watching. These were the women that followed Jesus from Galilee to care for him.

Not by Herself
Illustration of Matthew 27:56 NLT

Illustration of Matthew 27:56 NLT -- Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of James and John were there.

Cross References for Matthew 27

Cross References Provided by Open Bible

The Berean Standard Bible

The Berean Standard Bible (BSB) is a modern, clear, and faithful translation based on the best available Greek and Hebrew manuscripts. Ideal for reading, study, and sharing, it entered the public domain in 2023. For more information, visit berean.bible.