Day 27, Matthew 27 -
Good day today — Saturday a Day of Preparation!
I am so fired up that tomorrow will be the final chapter in the Gospel According to Matthew and we can celebrate because it will be Sunday and during Lent every Sunday is not part of the penitential season — ie every Sunday is Resurrection Sunday united to the ONE Easter Sunday! You must love the mystery of our faith and the Church!
So even though we are not to be celebrating during Lent -
- we can celebrate-
- in addition to Jesus resurection on Sunday -
- the glorious fact that with God’s grace we finished the first milestone – (not millstone) of our Gospel Marathon and Journey!
So here we are and today see Jesus meet Pilate(meet sounds nice doesn’t it) - Jesus sentenced to death – the Way of the Cross – the Crucifixion – and the Burial of Jesus.
Another action chapter —- Matthew really moves fast and we can see that this Gospel calls for all these things of the triduum – to happen in three chapters – just like the –Good Friday -Holy Saturday -Resurrection Sunday!
I find three crowns in this chapter:
- The Death Sentence
- The Cross
- The Ground Breaking – Burial
1- The Death Sentence- This chapter kicks off first thing in the morning — and we are off to meet Pilate, the governor -
Meanwhile we see the first death sentence – Judas!
He is now called the betrayer – and once Judas sees that Jesus had been condemned ….
—he deeply regretted what he had done
— oh shoot!
— he returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders saying,
“I have sinned in betraying innocent blood”
OK so here, in case we have never seen this… Judas confesses to sin — problem is… look who he is confessing to!!!!
Not God but to those who the enemy was working with! Interesting!
It’s like he wants to get out of the sin by pretending it never happened!
It’s like the man who commits adultery and then when he feels guilty enough tells the mistress that he wants out — and she tells him — it’s too late — and I’m keeping all the stuff I got out of this — the house, the car, the fur coat!
the damage has already been done — of course this analogy falls short — but telling the mistress that you have sinned is not telling God and asking for forgiveness but it is simply sweeping the sin under the table…
Why tell the one you are sinning with that you have sinned, and then not turn back to God and tell the one you really offended?
So the chief priests say… “What is that to us? Look to it yourself.”
Now the truth is we read this and forget for a minute that these were the holy men of God — I guess the ones you would come to to confess your sins –
And YES —so weird because they were the preists — so under normal circumstances Judas could have gone to the priests to repent — although he might have gotten stoned for this one!
Isn’t everything just way out of order now? Who’s on first? Who’s on second? and What is that to us?
What? Uh… I don’t know… weren’t you supposed to be the shepherds in the flock of Jerusalem and the people of God — your sheep?
Sounds like a big WOE and MILLSTONE club all in the same sentence!
I shared this in yesterday’s blog — but if you could all please look up the prophet Zechariah chapter 11 verses 10 - 13 — but really read all of chapter 11. It will blow your mind! This whole scene was staged and directed by the Lord God Himself — and He tells Zechariah to act it out for Him — it was the rehearsal for the real thing –
Why? So that this would be a sign to them when it happened that they were wrong the way they were acting — and did they get it? NO!
The coins being thrown — “flinging” the coins into the temple – is key here!
Here are a few words from the prophecy –
- “And they counted my wages, thirty pieces of silver. But the Lord said to me, “Throw it in the treasury , the handsome price at which they valued me” So I took the thirty pieces of silver and threw them into the treasury in the house of the Lord.”
And then he departed and hanged himself -
- you know when someone kills themselves — there are always mixed emotions for those left behind.
I remember a really good childhood friend of mine who’s sister took her life — and it was a mix of emotions —the family was sad, angry, confused, bitter, guilt — I mean you feel all these things toward the person —
and you know we can’t help but feel the same way with Judas -a brother of the LORD (as his disciple)– he betrayed our LORD — but he was one of the twelve —he had to be replaced -
-He was close to Jesus!
I mean — I always think Judas — why did you do it?
Why didn’t you turn around instead of taking your life — why didn’t you ask for help from one of the twelve — they were called to forgive — it was such a shame –
there is so much we can think and feel and say here… you can comment below — key is that it was part of the plan that Judas would be the one to “hand him over” and Jesus knew that — did you know Hand him over in Greek means the saving power and movement of God!
And you will notice — THERE ARE MANY HANDING HIM OVER!!!
this is really key in understanding salvation!!! There are many handing him over — but ONE SAVING ACTION — they are all ONE!
Pretty cool!
So Judas writes his own death sentence — and it is not good!
On the other hand we have Jesus being condemned to death!
The crowd was given the choice to release one of the two prisoners —
It says Pilate — knowing that it was out of ENVY that they had
“handed Jesus over” said to the crowd — which one do you want me to let go? He said Barabbas or Jesus called Messiah?
Calling Jesus Messiah killed them and got them even more angry!
Now the Chief priests and elders were persuading the crowds to ask for Barabbas but to destroy Jesus!
Despite Pilate’s wife’s attempt to warn him to have nothing to do with this Jesus — because of her dream — DONT you wonder what she saw in that dream — hey that is a good thing to contemplate this lent in silence — and ask God — what did she see? Pilate still blew her off!
But he washes His hands — with water — and says that he is innocent of Jesus’ blood and
to look to it themselves!
hmmmm that is what the Chief priests and elders just said to Judas when he wanted to give them their money back!!!!
Here was the people’s response -
- it says the WHOLE PEOPLE SAID IN REPLY:
“HIS BLOOD BE UPON US AND UPON OUR CHILDREN”
They had no idea that that would be a beautiful prayer some day!
Oh Lord cover us and our children with your precious blood –
This is what we want — to live out our death sentence — find out where are those places in your life that God wants you to be dead to sin…
but alive in HIM!
2- The CROSS - There is so much here in this chapter to consume and digest but I feel drawn today to go right to the cross where the two revolutionaries were crucified with him, one on his right and the other on his left –
and I want to focus on “THOSE PASSING BY” and how they
”REVILED HIM”
do you know what revile means? TO ABUSE — to BERATE!
Do you know anyone who has been abused ? Verbally? Physically? Well you know — verbal abuse can be more harmful than physical abuse!
After all Jesus had been through — betrayal –abandonment — and all from his closed friends –then the physical abuse - and now one last crowd
PASSING BY and SHAKING THEIR HEADS… and saying…
“YOU WHO WOULD DESTROY THE TEMPLE AND REBUILD IT IN THREE DAYS, SAVE YOURSELF AND COME DOWN FROM THE CROSS!”
all this being said while he is in his final moments… dying physically…
You know I think for us …of those times when you are waiting on the Lord and you know that you could probably make some decisions and make things happen for yourself quickly so you wouldn’t have to suffer — so life would be easier – so that things would be more comfortable for you…
and if you do chose to wait on the Lord — you might look kind of foolish — and then what happens -
- those closest to you — family and friends— what do they do? –
- well they care about you and they don’t want to see you do what? SUFFER!!!!!!
So they say things like this –
- take yourself down from that cross — oh it is sooo sad — why should you have to go through this?… you are so smart and talented — oh such a good person… why you? Just take yourself down off of that cross this instant —
“OH it is just too hard for you — so come down off that cross — you won’t be able to handle it” —
YOU KNOW what is funny — I don’t see the blessed mother there saying to Jesus to come down from the cross — and she knows that He really could take Himself down!!
NO she was praying — she was routing for Jesus and backing Him up in prayer! She walked Calvary with Him and she co operated with Him in the work of redemption the same way that we co operate with Jesus and work with Him in the mission of redemption –
- Our Lady was the example for us and how we are to be!
A true friend will look at your situation with spiritual eyes and back you up and encourage you to seek God’s will for your life!
They will En Courage you — and not Dis Courage you!
They won’t Dis you!
You must have fellow brothers and sisters in Christ surrounding you in community and backing you up in prayer at all times!
Then the Chief Priests with the scribes and elders, mocked him and said,
“HE SAVED OTHERS; HE CANNOT SAVE HIMSELF.
SO he is the KING OF ISRAEL! Let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe in him.
He trusted in God; let him deliver him now if he wants him.
For he said,
‘I am the Son of God’”
OK so this was bad enough right — he was abused by the “crowd passing by” …then by His priests –
but now what is this???
it reads
“The revolutionaries who were crucified with Him also kept abusing him in the same way” 44
OK so the SINNERS —- the one’s Jesus said He came to save! OUCH!
That must have hurt the most!
You remember Jesus saying earlier in the chapters… I didn’t come to call the righteous but SINNERS!
and here they are too — abusing Him and they kept at it over and over —
you know it just doesn’t sound human –to be so absolutely inhumane — and so incredibly angry-
– it almost sounds like the person who has gotten so angry that you just look at them thinking — you are totally out of control!
Like it is beyond what they should be angry about — it is out of control —- you just know that the enemy has a stronghold on the person for that time that they are like that!!!
Again we only see Mary — initiating, supporting God’s will IN HIS LIFE!
We are to follow her faith as model — always looking at everything with spiritual eyes!!! And only wanting for those we know and love — and even for those we don’t know —GOD”S WILL! CONVERSION!
3- The Ground Breaking – Burial – You can see here right away that from noon on to three o’clock Jesus hung on the cross!
And as He hung and was dying the sky was turning black — probably from all the sin — or soot that Jesus was carrying — We will never be able to comprehend this scene — although I thank God all the time for the Passion of the Christ Movie –
I am a visual learner and person — so I love having a clear picture in my mind and I always have the Passion movie — thanks be to God and a constant prayer for our brother in Christ — Mel Gibson!!! That the Lord will bless Him and that Jesus would cover he and his family with HIS BLOOD – which Mel so perfectly showed us like never before!
This is a great time and season if you have not seen the Movie Passion of the Christ to watch it — I always watch it on Good Friday with the kids — and try to watch it a couple of other times — Fridays are good — timing has to be right!!!
Anyway I digress…
OK I know that there is just way too much here and you may have some questions that I don’t cover so ask them below —but what I want to cover is what happened immediately after Jesus cried out again in a loud voice and gave up his spirit…
And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom.
OK by the way this was a huge veil — curtain that was heavy and that there is no way anyone could even reach on their own to rip it!
In other words this was not humanly impossible on your own without a lot of assistance — and again from what I know this was a huge veil – a wall —
and so to have it be torn — signified the covenant relationship being torn as a new one is being fulfilled!
The veil separated the Holy of Holies in the temple — the Holiest inner court which was not accessible to the average person –
the veil was a sign upon entering into the place where God dwells and is first seen with Moses who had to wear a veil when speaking to the people after he conversed with God because His face was so radiant the people couldnt’ take it!!!
Moses prefigures Jesus so this is why he is veiled or hidden — so that the glory of God is contained — the people couldn’t handle it —
this is why there was a veil separating the people from God’s presence — so that now being torn — signified a new covenant and church being founded –
and
this is why the tabernacles in the Catholic churches all have the veil around the opening where the real presence of Jesus resides –
…and even why a bride wears a veil – and covers her face so that when the bridegroom removes the veil they are then ready to become one —
same thing here –
Jesus tears down the separation so that you and I can be ONE with Him through His body!
I also want to call attention right away to the
The earth quaked, rocks were split, tombs were opened, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised!
OK get fired up because this is so amazing!!!!
Remember the signs of the kingdom of God — the deaf can hear the blind can see, the lame walk, the dead are alive!
And so here we have that same tone — the earth quakes –rocks are split — tombs open — I just have to say it again…there we have it again the earth being shaken with the mighty move of God –
Jesus going into the heart of the earth — opening things up — making straight the way to the Lord –
and check this out — my favorite here is that –
many saints who had fallen asleep were raised!
That’s for you people — snap out of it! WAKE UP! Jesus this LENT wants to wake you up and raise you up to the saint you are called to be!!!
Some of us have been asleep — but Jesus will raise you up from the dead and so now is the time!!!
At the Burial — shortly after… what a coincidence that the man’s name is JOSEPH of Arimathea — but JOSEPH — His adopted Father’s name — it says here that JOSEPH —
asks Pilate for the body of Jesus…
And PILATE ordered the body to be “HANDED OVER” remember that this means in Greek the saving action and movement of God —–
So the body of Jesus returns to the name of the man — who is His father on earth… representing His father in heaven!
and now like at birth…. it says -check this out…
- Taking the body,
Joseph wrapped it in CLEAN LINEN and Laid it in his NEW TOMB that he had hewn in the rock!
HOW COOL IS THAT — just like at birth — but this time we see JOSEPH!
AND OH MY GOODNESS — doesn’t this sound exactly like the birth in Bethlehem — go back and look it is exactly the same –
- wrapped the baby in swaddling clothes and laid Him in a manger -
– and now it is Joseph of A – standing in for Joseph the foster father — and while the other Joseph was a carpenter of WOOD –
- this Joseph is a carpenter of STONE –
and Jesus is the CORNERSTONE — which the buiders rejected — and He
builds his church on rock – and this gets more exciting by the minute!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Joseph rolled a huge stone stone across the entrance of the tomb and departed —- now Joseph the protector — still taking care of things — I am alluding to his name — we know this Joesph is an image of the other one!!
But all I think about when I hear the stone was rolled over front –
- is Jesus -the cornerstone -living in His Church — built on the ROCK!!!
Jesus is and always has been in charge and leading the Church!!!
He is in control!!! He is our priest, prophet and king!
He leaves not one stone unturned -
- that would be you and me!!
Thanks be to God — He doens’t leave us where we are — and if you think you are good to go — think again!
There is always more — there is always a deeper love and relationship with Jesus waiting for you! He is calling you to!
It is up to us to TURN TO HIM!
There is no time like this LENTEN SEASON!
what do you think?
