Gospels (78) - Matthew 27:1-2, Mark 15:1, Luke 23:1-2 & John 18:28-32

Teacher: Rusty Kennedy
Series: Gospels

Rusty's Notes

Review
 - Jeremiah 7 & 19 – The Scribes purchased the exact land that had been cursed by Jeremiah.
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Matthew 27:2, 11-14
JESUS HANDED OVER TO PILATE
1 When daybreak came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people plotted against Jesus to put him to death. 2 After tying him up, they led him away and handed him over to Pilate, the governor.[1]

• Refer to John 18:28

 
JESUS FACES PILATE
Mark 15:1-5
1 As soon as it was morning, having held a meeting with the elders, scribes, and the whole Sanhedrin, the chief priests tied Jesus up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate.[2]
 
JESUS FACES PILATE
Luke 23:1-5
1 Then their whole assembly rose up and brought him before Pilate. 2 They began to accuse him, saying, “We found this man misleading our nation, opposing payment of taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is the Messiah, a king.”[3]
 
JESUS BEFORE PILATE
John 18:28-38
28 Then they led Jesus from Caiaphas to the governor’s headquarters (praetorium).
 - Probably previously built by Herod the Great in Jerusalem at the northwest corner of the city walls in the Upper City.
 - Pilate was Governor over the Jews from 26-36 AD.
 - Pilate hated the Jews.
 - Luke 13:1 - Now on the same occasion there were some present who reported to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices.[4]
It was early morning. They did not enter the headquarters themselves; otherwise they would be defiled and unable to eat the Passover.

• Jesus had previously eaten the Paschal meal with His disciple
• Feast of the Unleavened Bread is also referred to as the Passover.
• Luke 22:1 - Now the Feast of Unleavened Bread, which is called the Passover, was approaching.[5]
• Leviticus 23 – Rules for the 7/8 Feasts

1) Sabbath
2) Passover
3) Unleavened Bread
4) First Fruits
5) Pentecost
6) Atonement
7) Tabernacle (Booths)

• The Feast of the Unleavened Bread lasted 7 days.
• Passover was seven days.
• So when referred to in the Scripture it could be talking about anytime during the 7 days and it we have to fit the moment into a timeline that works.
• Jesus had already eaten the Pashcal meal with His Disciples on Thursday.
• This passage has to refer to the Chagigah Meal eaten on Friday at 9 AM.
• Deuteronomy 16:2-3 - 2 Sacrifice to the Lord your God a Passover animal from the herd or flock in the place where the Lord chooses to have his name dwell. 3 Do not eat leavened bread with it. For seven days you are to eat unleavened bread with it, the bread of hardship—because you left the land of Egypt in a hurry—so that you may remember for the rest of your life the day you left the land of Egypt.[6]
• “It” is in reference to the Chagigah sacrifice.
  
  

The Three Things (Edersheim)
We have already explained that according to the Rabbis, As specially applied to the Passover, This burnt-offering was to be taken only from ‘Cholin’ (or profane substance), that is, from such as did not otherwise belong to the Lord, either as tithes, firstlings, or things devoted, etc. might be twofold. The first Chagigah was offered on the 14th of Nisan, the day of the Paschal sacrifice, and formed afterwards part of the Paschal Supper. The second Chagigah was offered on the 15th of Nisan, or the first day of the feast of unleavened bread. It is this second Chagigah which the Jews were afraid they might be unable to eat, if they contracted defilement in the judgment-hall of Pilate. In reference to the first Chagigah, the Mishanah lays down the rule, that As in the case of all other peace-offerings, part of this Chagigah might be kept, though not for longer than one night and two days from its sacrifice. Being a voluntary offering, it was lawful to bring it from sacred things (such as tithes of the flock). But the Chagigah for the 15th of Nisan was obligatory, and had therefore to be brought from ‘Cholin.’ As stated in a previous chapter, all the twenty-four courses, into which the priests were arranged, ministered in the Temple on this, as on the other great festivals, and they distributed among themselves alike what fell to them of the festive sacrifices and the shewbread. But the course which, in its proper order, was on duty for the week, alone offered all votive, and voluntary, and the public sacrifices for the whole congregation, such as those of the morning and the evening.[7]
 

• They had already been cleansed for the Paschal sacrifice the night before.
• Now they are concerned about being cleansed for another sacrifice… the Chagigah sacrifice.
• Mishnah – “Dwelling places of gentiles [in the Land of Israel] are unclean.”[8]
• Leviticus 22:6 - 6 the man who touches any of these will remain unclean until evening and is not to eat from the holy offerings unless he has bathed his body with water.[9]
• Mishnah - 6:3       A. When does one [also] bring a [free will] festal offering with it [over and above the Passover offering]?
•    B. When [the Passover offering] is offered on an ordinary day, [with most people] in a state of cleanness, and [meat of the Passover offering] is not sufficient [for all registered for it].
•    C. But when it is offered on the Sabbath, and [meat] is abundant, and [most people are] in a state of uncleanness,
•    D. they do not bring with it a [free will] festal offering.[10]
• From a Jewish perspective, they had to remain cleansed for the next sacrificial offering that was to take place at 9 AM on Friday.
• It is the only way we can reconcile John 18:28

 
29 So Pilate came out to them and said, “What charge do you bring against this man?”

• Roman law demanded that a formal charge be brought before trial.
• Judas was dead.
• The charge during the “religious trial” was blasphemy.

30 They answered him, “If this man weren’t a criminal, we wouldn’t have handed him over to you.”

• They didn’t have a civil charge against Jesus.

31 Pilate told them, “You take him and judge him according to your law.”

• Pilate didn’t care for the Jews.

“It’s not legal for us to put anyone to death,” the Jews declared. 32 They said this so that Jesus’ words might be fulfilled indicating what kind of death he was going to die.

• Galatians – 3:13 -  13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, because it is written, Cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree. (Deuteronomy 21:23) [11]
• Babylonian Talmud -     If we should proposed that it is R. Yohanan ben Zakkai, did he ever sit in a sanhedrin [that tried a murder case]? And has it not been taught on Tannaite authority: The lifetime of R. Yohanan ben Zakkai was a hundred and twenty years. For forty years he engaged in trade, for forty years he studied [Torah], and for forty years he taught. And it has been taught on Tannaite authority: Forty years before the destruction of the Temple the sanhedrin went into exile and conducted its sessions in Hanut. And said R. Isaac bar Abodimi, “That is to say that the sanhedrin did not judge cases involving penalties.”[12]
• What about the fact that to fulfill the prophecy that Jesus was to be crucified, God took away the ability for the Jewish Sanhedrin to try capital cases?
• The exact same year that Jesus was to die.
• If the Jews would have tried and convicted Jesus, He would have been stoned.
• The only way he could be crucified on the cross was if the Romans convicted Him because that is how they put their criminals to death.[13]

[1] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mt 27:1–2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[2] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Mk 15:1). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[3] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Lk 23:1–2). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[4] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Lk 13:1–2). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[5] New American Standard Bible: 1995 update. (1995). (Lk 22:1). La Habra, CA: The Lockman Foundation.
[6] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Dt 16:2–3). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[7] Edersheim, A. (1959). The Temple, its ministry and services as they were at the time of Jesus Christ. (pp. 218–219). London: James Clarke & Co.
[8] Neusner, J. (1988). The Mishnah : A new translation (p. 980). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
[9] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Le 22:6). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[10] Neusner, J. (1988). The Mishnah : A new translation (p. 240). New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
[11] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Ga 3:13). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.
[12] Neusner, J. (2011). The Babylonian Talmud: A Translation and Commentary (Vol. 16, p. 207). Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers.
[13] Christian Standard Bible. (2017). (Jn 18:28–32). Nashville, TN: Holman Bible Publishers.