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“Christ  On  Trial”  Matthew  27:1-­‐14  

   Message  by  Michael  J.  Barnard                                                                                                                            October  18,  2015      Teaching  Aim:    To   explore   the   circumstances   surrounding   the   trials   of   Jesus   and   the   suicide   of   Judas  Iscariot.     To   realize   Judas   did   not   truly   repent,   he   felt   remorse   and   deep   depression   because   things  didn’t  go  his  way.    To  see  the  hypocrisy  of  the  religious   leaders  as  they   lied  about  Jesus,  even  Pontius  Pilate  could  see  through  their  false  charges  and  later  called  them  on  it.    To  realize  we  don’t  always  have  to  defend  ourselves  when  people  lie  about  us,  God  Himself  will  take  care  of  it!  

DIGGING  DEEPER  INTO  GOD’S  WORD  (BIBLE  STUDY)  Part  I:    Judas  feels  remorse  but  does  not  truly  repent  (Matt.  27:1-­‐10)  1. What  had  happened  at  the  homes  of  Annus  and  Caiaphas  just  a  few  hours  earlier  (See  Matt.  26:57-­‐

68;  John  18:12-­‐23)  Why  was  it  so  important  for  the  Sanhedrin  to  have  an  official  meeting  after  the  break  of  dawn   (vs.  1)?  According   to  Mark  15:1a,  who  was   involved   in   this  meeting?    Why  do  you  think  Nicodemus  and  Joseph  of  Arimathea  were  not  mentioned?    

         2.  What   was   the   ultimate   purpose   of   this   specially   called   meeting   (vs.   1)?     Why   do   you   think   the  

religious   leaders  were   so   intent   on   killing   Jesus?   Jesus   voluntarily  went  with   the   religious   leaders  when  they  came  to  arrest  Him.    Why  do  you  think  they  felt  it  necessary  to  bind  Jesus  now  (vs.  2)?      

           3. Who   was   Jesus   sent   to   according   to   verse   2?     What   regions   did   this   individual   govern?     (See  

Commentaries)            4. According  to  verse  3,  did  Judas  truly  repent  of  his  sin?      Why  or  why  not?    How  does  the  KJV  interpret  

verse  3?    How  do  more  modern  translations  interpret  verse  3?    Why  do  you  think  David  and  Simon  Peter  were  forgiven  and  Judas  wasn’t?    (See  Psa.  51:3-­‐4;  John  17:12)    Is  there  any  area  of  your  life  that  you  need  to  get  right  with  God?  

         5. What   truth  does   Judas  acknowledge   in  verse  4?    How  did   the  priests   respond   to   the   request   from  

Judas  to  turn  the  money  back   in?    From  your  knowledge  of  scripture,  what   is   the  role  of  a  priest?    How  should  they  have  responded  when  Judas  went  to  them?    What  can  we  learn  about  the  spiritual  state  of  the  priests  from  their  actions?    

   

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         6. How  does  Judas  respond  to  the  refusal  of  the  priest  to  help  him  (vs.  5)?        Why  do  you  think  Judas  left  

the  scene,  went  out  and  committed  suicide?    What  should      Judas  have  done  here?    Have  you  ever  felt   like   committing   suicide?    Why   should   no   human   being   commit   suicide?     (See  Gen.   1:26-­‐27)  (Note:    if  you  are  wrestling  with  suicide,  be  sure  to  talk  to  your  pastor  or  a  close  friend.)  

               7. How  is  Matthew’s  account  of  Judas’  suicide  in  verse  5  different  from  Luke’s  account  in  Acts  1:18-­‐19?    

Is  this  a  contradiction  in  scripture,  or  do  the  two  verses  actually  complement  one  another  and  paint  a  fuller  picture?    If  so,  how?  

8. Suddenly  the  chief  priests  (the  same  chief  priests  who  were  plotting  the  death  of  Jesus)  decide  they  

are   required   to  be   spiritual,  what  do   they   refuse   to  do   (vs.  6)?    Why?     (See  Deut.  23:18)    Whose  blood  money  were  they  too  “holy”  to  touch?    Who  were  they  trying  to  kill?    How  did  Jesus  view  this  kind  of  hypocrisy  according  to  scripture?    (See  Matt.  23:13)  

             9. What   is   a   potter’s   field   (vs.   7)?     Why   was   this   considered   a   good   place   to   bury   foreigners   and  

Gentiles?    Church  tradition  places  this  field  in  “the  Valley  of  Hinnom”,  where  is  the  Valley  of  Hinnom  located?    (Hint:    Google  it!)      According  to  verse  8,  what  was  this  field  called?    Why?  

             10. Verse   9   can   be   difficult.    Who   is   given   credit   as   the   author   of   the   verse  mentioned   from   the  Old  

Testament?     In  actuality  verse  9   is  a  quote  from  Zech.  11:12-­‐13  and  perhaps  has  reference  to  Jer.  19:1-­‐11.     In   light  of   the  way   the  Hebrews  grouped   their   scrolls   together,  why   is  Matthew   right   in  attributing   this  passage   to   Jeremiah?     (Note:     For  a   similar  use  of   scripture   see  Mark  1:2  as  Mark  combines   Isa.   40:3   and   Mal.   3:1.     According   to   some   translations   (NU)   Mark   attributes   both  passages  to  Isaiah.)  

             

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11. According  to  verse  10,  who  ultimately  directed  the  30  pieces  of  silver  be  used  for  the  purchase  of  a  potter’s  field  just  outside  of  Jerusalem?    (See  Zech.  11:12-­‐13)    Jesus  was  betrayed  for  30  pieces  of  silver,  what  was  the  price  of  a  common  slave  in  the  Old  Testament?    (See  Exod.  21:32)    What  can  we  learn  about  the  value  the  religious  leaders  placed  on  their  Messiah  from  this?      How  much  value  do  you  place  on  Christ  in  your  life?    Is  there  enough  evidence  to  convict  you  of  being  a  Christian?  

               Part  II:    The  first  trial  before  Pontius  Pilate  (Matt.  27:11-­‐14)  1. What  was  Pontius  Pilate’s   position   in   Judea   (vs.   11)?    What  other   territories  did  he  oversee?     (See  

Commentaries)     Why   was   Pilate   in   a   particularly   tough   spot   when   the   Jewish   religious   leaders  brought  Jesus  before  him  during  the  Passover  Festival?  

             2. What  can  we  learn  about  the  motive  of  the  Jewish  religious  leaders  from  John  18:29-­‐32?    According  

to  Luke  23:1-­‐2,  what  charges  did  they  bring  to  Pilate  against  Jesus?    Were  they  true?    How  did  Jesus  respond  to  the  third  charge  (vs.  11)?    According  to  John  18:34-­‐38a,  what  kind  of  kingdom  was  Jesus  talking  about?    How  did  Pilate  respond  to  the  comments  from  Jesus?    (See  John  18:38)  

               3. How  did  Jesus  react  to  the  continual  bombardment  of  lying  accusations  from  the  Jewish  chief  priests  

and  elders  (vs.  12)?    How  do  you  respond  when  people  lie  about  you  or  someone  you  love?    Why  do  you  think  Jesus  said  nothing?    (See   Isa.  53:7)    What  was  Pilate’s  reaction  to  the  silence  from  Jesus  (vv.  13  &  14)?      

Part  III:    The  trial  of  Jesus  before  Herod  Antipas  (Luke  23:8-­‐12)  1. According   to  Luke  23:5-­‐7,   as   the   religious   leaders  became  more  vocal   they  mentioned  one  word   in  

particular   that   caught  Pilate’s  ear,  what  was   it?    Why  did  he   see   this  as  a  possible  out   so   that  he  wouldn’t  have  to  judge  Jesus?  

           

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2. How  did  Herod  Antipas  respond  to  the  opportunity  to  meet  Jesus  (vs.  8)?    How  long  had  he  wanted  to  meet  Him?    What  was  he  hoping  to  see?  

         3. According  to  verse  9,  what  did  Herod  do  when  He  finally  met  Jesus?    How  did  Jesus  respond  to  this  

questioning?    How  do  you  think  Jesus  must  have  felt  towards  Herod  Antipas  in  light  of  their  history?    (See  Mark  6:14-­‐29;  Luke  13:31-­‐32)  

             4. Did  the  chief  priests  and  scribes  back  off  on  their  accusations  when  the  trial  moved  to  Herod  Antipas  

(vs.  10)?    How  did  Herod  and  his  troops  respond  to  the  vicious  accusations  from  the  Jews  and  the  silence   of   Jesus   (vs.   11)?     What   can   we   learn   about   the   character   of   Herod   Antipas   from   these  passages?  

           5. According  to  verse  12b,  Pontius  Pilate  and  Herod  Antipas  had  been  at  odds  for  some  time,  perhaps  

because  of  what  Luke  described  in  Luke  13:1.    Who  was  governing  the  people  of  Galilee  during  the  time   the   events   mentioned   in   Luke   13:1   took   place?     According   to   verse   12a,   how   did   Herod  respond  to  Pilate  giving  him  the  opportunity  to  meet  and  question  Jesus?      

             6. It  is  obvious  that  the  Jewish  leaders  rejected  Jesus  Christ  as  Messiah;  they  will  be  accountable  for  that  

choice.    How  do  you  view  Jesus  today?    Have  you  received  Him  to  be  your  Savior  and  Lord?    If  not,  why  not  confess  your  sins  and  receive  Him  in  prayer  right  now?    

       MINER’S  CORNER  ~  Manna  to  live  by!  • The  overnight  religious  trials  conducted  by  Annus,  Caiaphas  and  the  Sanhedrin  were  done  illegally,  not  

even  following  the  Sanhedrin’s  own  code  of  conduct.  • The  Sanhedrin  scheduled  a  rubber  stamp  meeting  at  daybreak  to  give  the  appearance  of  conducting  a  

legal  trial.  • A  charge  of  blasphemy  meant  nothing  to  Pilate;  instead  the  Jews  had  to  falsely    accuse  Jesus  of  crimes  

against  the  Roman  Empire  that  would  warrant  death.  • Only  execution  by  the  Romans  (in  the  form  of  crucifixion)  would  fulfill  many  of  the  Biblical  prophecies  

about  the  Messiah.  • Judas  never  really  repented,  instead  he  was  remorseful  things  didn’t  go  his  way.  • Jesus  truthfully  answered  Pilate,  yes  He  was  and    is  “the  King  of  the  Jews”.  • Contrary  to  the  way  we  so  often  respond  today,  Jesus  refused  to  defend  himself  against  the  lies  of  the  

people,  instead  He  left  it  in  the  hands  of  God  the  Father.  

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