A Journey Through Matthew's Gospel

Book 5 (13-16 April 2017)

West Hamilton Community Church

Thursday 13 April Matthew 27.11-31 The governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?”

The Jewish authorities have accused Jesus of blasphemy and found him guilty (26.65f.). While that is sufficient cause for them to condemn him to death, it is doubtful that they had the authority under Roman law to carry out the sentence (see Jn 18.31). However, the Romans had made considerable concessions to the Jewish religious leaders, in the interest of minimising trouble in Palestine. It seems that the Jews could get away with stoning blasphemers so long as it didn’t cause a public disturbance (cf. Acts 7.54-60). The problem they face here is that Jesus has far too much public support; if they try to stone him a riot will certainly ensue, provoking a brutal Roman military response and greater restrictions on their religious freedoms. So they need to trump up a political charge which will guarantee a Roman execution. This they must have done when they took counsel (27.1f.). We now learn what it is: Jesus has claimed to be the King of the Jews (11). Jesus has never overtly made such a claim, and refuses to do so at his trial. It is of course true that he is the King of the Jews, but not in the sense the Jews claim - and Pilate is given to believe. Jesus’ response to Pilate’s question brilliantly avoids admitting to a crime of which he is not guilty, while not denying that the statement is true. “You have said so” is the same response he gave to Judas (26.25) and Caiaphas (26.64). All three statements are true, but none come from Jesus’ lips.

In fulfilment of Isa 53.7, Jesus refuses to answer any of the charges brought against him by the chief priests and elders. He is not answerable to any human court, and he will not be tempted to make the cup pass from him which he knows the Father wills him to drink (26.39).

Pilate correctly discerns that the Jewish leaders’ real motive for seeking Jesus’ life is neither political nor truly religious, but born out of envy. Jesus is a threat to their power and authority, not to his or to Rome’s. His discernment is confirmed by his wife’s dream. So he takes a different tack, offering to release Jesus instead of the notorious Barabbas. Once he realises that the Jews will settle for only one outcome, Jesus’ crucifixion, and that a riot might reflect badly on his own ability to rule, he seeks to absolve himself of guilt (and his wife’s blame?) by washing his hands of Jesus’ blood. With the same words that the chief priests and the elders used to abrogate to Judas their responsibility, Pilate accedes to the Jews’ demands (24, cf.27.4). Matthew, however, makes it clear that Pilate’s act of self-absolution won’t wash. Pilate delivers Jesus to his own soldiers, and it is into his headquarters that Jesus is taken to be stripped, mocked and beaten. The serious matter of justice has given way to the cruelty of blood sport. A de facto, unholy alliance has been entered into between the Jews and the Romans; both must bear responsibility for the injustices of Jesus’ trial and crucifixion.

To ponder

Is there anything you are wrestling with your conscience over, or trying to wash your hands of?

To pray Almighty God, you are my Lord and my judge. I pray that I may never presume to sit in judgment over you, questioning your wisdom or your goodness. Help me always to bear responsibility for my actions, not blaming others but holding myself to account. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen.

Reflections (extra pages for reflections at the end of the booklet)

Friday 14 April Matthew 27.32-56 “Truly this was the Son of God!”

In contrast to most movies, paintings - and even church portrayals - of Christ’s crucifixion, the Gospel writers place virtually no emphasis on the physical horrors involved. There is no graphic description of the harrowing journey to Golgotha, or nails being driven into Jesus’ flesh. Matthew has nothing at all to say about these matters. Rather, what he reports are the actions of the soldiers, the bystanders, the chief priests, the scribes, the elders, and the robbers crucified with him; and of Jesus himself; and the impact on the surrounding environs (daylight, temple, earth and tombs).

Details of Jesus’ actions are few. He does not carry his own patibulum (cross-bar). In the pointed absence of his disciples, Simon of Cyrene is co-opted for that task. He refuses the first drink offered him, intended to diminish his pain (34), presumably because of his commitment to taking on the full pain of humanity; yet he accepts the last (48). His only words are addressed to his Father – “My God…”. It is inconceivable that God has forsaken him, so most commentators agree that this is an expression of the deep spiritual alienation he experiences as he takes upon himself the sin of the world (cf. Ps 22; Isa 53.3ff.). It is sin that separates us from God’s holy presence (cf. Gen 3.8-10); it is Christ’s atonement for our sin which opens the way back into it (cf. Eph 2.11-13; Heb 10.19-22). Jesus’ final cry reaffirms the fact that he has surrendered his life on his own terms, in obedience to his Father.

The darkness over the land and the dramatic, miraculous events which immediately follow Jesus’ death, witness to Jesus’ divine sonship (54) and signify that his death has cosmic significance. Although Matthew

does not use John’s terminology, Jesus is the light of the world; as he suffers on the cross the world is plunged into darkness. When he dies, the earth shakes and rocks are split. In the OT, such events accompany God’s manifest presence on earth (e.g.Pss 18.6ff.; 68.8; 114.7), and herald the Day of the LORD (Joel 2). The tearing of the curtain in the temple signifies that Christ has opened the way back into God’s presence (as above), while the resurrection of the saints foreshadows Jesus’ resurrection and his victory over death.

The world’s darkness and the depths of human sinfulness reach their apotheosis in the taunts Jesus endures from those for whom he sacrifices his life (cf. Isa 53.3-6). But each mocking jibe is absolutely true. Jesus is the King of the Jews; he will rebuild the temple in three days (cf. Jn 2.21); he could save himself because he is the Son of God, the King of Israel – but chooses not to in order to save others; God will deliver him – through the cross; and people will believe in him when he overcomes death, rising again. In Jesus’ earlier words, “wisdom is justified by her deeds” (11.19). Those who wait in silent anguish, looking on from a distance, will be the first to know this; then all who love him.

To ponder Read Ps 22 and Isa 52.13-53.12 and reflect on Jesus’ role as the Suffering Servant.

To pray Lord Jesus, I marvel at what you endured for my sake – out of your great love for the world. Thank you that through your death on the cross you have opened the way for all who trust in you to be restored to perfect communion with yourself, the Father and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Reflections

Saturday 15 April Matthew 27.57-66 They went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone and setting a guard.

The Romans normally left criminals’ bodies to rot, especially those crucified for treason, as Jesus had been. Under Jewish law, however, the body of a criminal who had been hanged could not be left over night (Deut 21.22-23). The need for burial in Jesus’ case was especially pressing as sunset would mark the beginning of the Sabbath (around 6pm), just three hours after his death. The Romans tended to allow Jews to observe their religious rites, rather than have to deal with the fallout if they did not, so it is no surprise Pilate granted Joseph’s request.

It has already been noted that association with a criminal, particularly someone condemned as a revolutionary, could place one’s life in danger as a potential co-conspirator. This is why the disciples fled (Peter doing so after his denials) and there are only women at the cross (though cf. Jn 19.26). What Joseph of Arimathea does, therefore, is extremely courageous. On the one hand it may be that – because he was both wealthy and a member of the Sanhedrin – he was less vulnerable than the disciples. On the other hand, his social prominence may have made him more vulnerable, he being seen as a more serious threat - to both Jewish and Roman authority - than the eleven.

Matthew notes that Joseph was already a follower of Jesus, so his willingness to put himself at risk by asking for Jesus’ body and burying him must be attributed to his devotion to Jesus. He not only buries him but does so with the same honour he would afford to a member of his own family, wrapping him in a linen shroud and placing him in his own tomb. Under rabbinic law, a tomb which housed a criminal could not

then be used again, so criminals were buried in a common grave reserved for that purpose. If this rule is applied here, Joseph is surrendering his whole family tomb, newly cut out of the rock, for Jesus’ use alone. He exemplifies how a rich man can pass through the eye of a needle, by being prepared to lose everything for Jesus’ sake. He also fulfils the prophecy in Isa 53.9, “They made his grave with the wicked, and with a rich man in his death.”

The actions of the chief priests and Pharisees are consistent with their hypocrisy: they call a meeting with Pilate and perform the work of securing the tomb on the Sabbath! They justify their request for a guard on the basis that they want to preclude any more fraudulent claims by Jesus’ followers. Yet it is their claims which were fraudulent at Jesus’ trial, and it will be their claims which will be fraudulent after the resurrection (28.11-15). Many religious leaders are little different today, claiming - with no textual evidence - that these verses were made up at a later date to support Jesus’ resurrection. For those who love Jesus and respect the authority of the Scriptures, these may be dismissed as the fraudulent claims of false shepherds. Trust Matthew: Jesus’ tomb was secured and guarded, leaving no doubt that he was raised by God. Neither death nor man could hold him.

To ponder Is there someone Jesus is calling you to show practical devotion to, in his name?

To pray Loving Father, I praise you for the example of devotion of Joseph of Arimathea and the women who attended your Son’s burial. I pray that I likewise might seize whatever opportunities you give me to show my fearless devotion to you. I ask it in Jesus name. Amen.

Reflections

Sunday 16 April Matthew 28.1-20 He is not here, he has been raised as he said.

Three times Jesus had told the disciples that he would be killed and then raised on the third day (16.21; 1722f.; 20.17ff.). They may have gained some appreciation of what he said (20.21), but they didn’t anticipate a bodily resurrection after his crucifixion. Twice he had told the scribes and Pharisees that they would see the sign of Jonah, who was delivered by God after three days in the belly of a great fish, repeated in the Son of Man (cf. 12.39-41; 16.4). This, along with anything Judas may have told them about Jesus foretelling his death and resurrection, gave them cause to secure and guard the tomb – not because they thought Jesus might rise, but because they wanted to preclude any chance of his body being stolen and such claims being made. In spite of Jesus’ multiple predictions, no one expected him to rise bodily.

The testimony of all four Gospels is that he did. Forget all the fraudulent theological claims of a “spiritual resurrection”, or a “reawakening of faith” in the eleven which developed into resurrection narratives. Such claims are the product of the sceptical machinations of modern minds; they have no empirical support whatsoever. If Jesus didn’t rise bodily he cannot be said to have been raised at all, and “then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain” (1 Cor 15.14).

Matthew’s testimony is that an angel rolled back the stone of the already empty tomb so that the two Marys (cf. 27.56) could go in and see that Jesus had been raised. The women see and are filled “with fear and great joy” – as one would expect. As instructed, they go to tell Jesus’ disciples, but they meet the risen Christ on the way. They worship him. He tells them not to be afraid (not to tone down their rejoicing!) and to tell the disciples to go to Galilee to meet him there.

The report of the guards is again precisely what one would expect in the circumstances. They have failed at their task and therefore have double reason to be afraid. The chief priests and elders collude with them to spread the lie that Jesus’ body has been stolen. Ironically, their story would have had credibility had they not guarded the tomb.

The risen Jesus then meets with the eleven in Galilee. The doubt of some is presumably upon first sight of him (17), before he comes to them (18, cf. 14.26) and gives them the Great Commission. That commission has four elements. Firstly, they must “go”. As Ron Taylor used to say, “No ‘go’, no ‘lo’ (cf. 20)”. Secondly, they are to make disciples, baptizing them. This is an intentional process which includes the third element – teaching those they baptize to observe all Jesus has taught them. Finally, if they do these things, Jesus himself will be with them - always. This is the promise of the Holy Spirit who will meet and fill them back in Jerusalem. He is the Spirit of the ascended Christ.

To ponder Why is our faith in vain apart from Jesus’ resurrection?

To pray Risen Lord, I praise you for your death, resurrection and ascension; and for sending your Spirit into my life. Grant me faithfulness to your Great Commission, that I may be prepared to go wherever, and to whomsoever you send me, faithfully proclaiming your name, in which I pray. Amen.

Reflections

Reflections

Reflections

Getting the most out of this booklet

Give God your best time. For each person this will be different but, as much as we may not like to admit it, for most of us that time is before the day’s other activities begin. It was for Jesus (Mark 1.35-39). A good 10 minutes beats a poor 60 minutes.

Put away all distractions (mobile phone, email, diary etc.), focus, and commit the time to God in prayer. You might to use a prayer like this one: Heavenly Father, help me to give you all my thoughts and attention now. Open my ears to your Word and my spirit to your Holy Spirit. Guard me from everything that is not from you, and draw me closer to yourself. I ask this in Jesus name. Amen.

Read the passage set down from Matthew’s Gospel (top right hand corner of each page). Some of it is printed out, but most days you will need to go to your own Bible for the full text. Then read the comments about the passage that follow.

Spend a few minutes pondering the question(s) and record in a journal (or space provided) what God says to you. If you haven’t done this before, simply ask God to lead your thoughts and to speak into your mind. He will. You will know if thoughts come which aren’t from him, or you can check them with someone else you trust.

Pray. Each day there is a suggested prayer, but pray as you feel led by God’s Spirit.

NB. This booklet is for personal use, but with the intention that you will take your journal/thoughts to your Home Group (if you belong to one) and, if appropriate (i.e. not too personal), share them with others for their inspiration and encouragement. Sunday sermons will also be linked to Matthew’s Gospel and this booklet, and the hope is that each Sunday one or more individuals will be willing to share an insight or testimony from the previous week. Please don’t hesitate to volunteer to your home group leader or directly to Michael.