Palm Sunday
Matthew 27:1-54
Golgotha
The passage from Matthew 27 is a long one. It describes the drama of the cross – the people involved, the actions they took. The events seem haphazard, yet nearly every aspect was a fulfillment of prophecy. You can find passages in the Old Testament that point to almost every incident in Christ’s passion. On Palm Sunday the Church calls us to follow the steps of our Savior leading to Golgatha. Let’s review a few of the characters in the drama and draw from them lessons we can learn.
A. First let us note Judas. Matthew 27:3-5. [Read them.]
We see Judas going to the temple to speak to the chief priests and elders. He is suffering remorse for his betrayal of Jesus. The elders gave him a lot of silver to help them locate and arrest Jesus. He wants to return the money But the chief priests rejected the return payment. “What is that to us? You see to it!” Not a good response! The priests’ job was to help people turn from sin and find forgiveness. Rather than help Judas, the chief priests blocked forgiveness.
In reaction Judas threw down the moneybag of coins, the clang echoed through the temple precincts. The very money that Judas had greedily grabbed in order to betray Jesus he now abhorred, it burned in his hands. However, this remorse that Judas felt was not the kind that leads to saving faith. Rather, it was the shame that leads to further rebellion. In one last act of wickedness Judas hanged himself.
Judas could have acquired forgivenss from Jesus, but he didn’t try. He confessed to the wrong people. Why didn’t he confess to Christ, or to the other disciples? They would have been the proper people to confess to. He had harmed them. But he wouldn’t do it. Judas failed to give his life back to God. The man who refuses to repent is one of the most tragic things in life. There is little hope for the person who disdains repentance to the Heavenly Father. Such pride leads to destruction.
B. What about Pilate? Our Gospel passage reveals a weak man. The enemies of Jesus claimed that Jesus was a wild-eyed revolutionary guilty of insurrection, trying to overthrow the empire. This was clearly preposterous, and Pilate knew it. He was loathe to condemn Jesus. But he was a vacillator. Why such moral weakness that he couldn’t defend an innocent person? Let’s explore one possible factor. The Emperor Tiberius had appointed Pilate governor of Judea, and the Empire centered in distant Rome gave Pilate only a small army to keep the Jewish nationalists from taking up arms and revolting. Uprisings were an ongoing threat in Judea, especially when the masses were gathered in Jerusalem for a feast like Passover. Any riot or turmoil at this moment, and the word would get back to his superiors in Rome. Pilate would get the blame, and he could forget about ever getting a pay-raise, or advancement. “The last thing Pilate needed was a revolt.” [Comments from Application Bible Commentary, pp. 545.]
Could Herod help? Pilate sent Jesus to Herod Antipas, who was also in town for the Passover. Maybe Pilate was hoping that Herod would have a solution concerning what to do with Jesus. But Herod only mocked the serene man and returned him to Pilate (Luke 23:6-12). [p. 548.]
Pilate was obviously impressed by the noble bearing, self-control, and courage of Jesus (Mt. 27:22-23). He declared, “I find no basis for a charge against this man” (Luke 23:14, 22). Moreover, the conviction of Pilate about the innocence of Jesus was reinforced by the message from his wife. Tradition tells us her name was Claudia Procula. Claudia, Mrs. Pilate, told her husband, “Don’t have anything to do with that innocent man, for I have suffered a great deal today in a dream because of him” (Mt. 27:22-23). People of these times placed a great deal of importance on dreams. Greeks and Romans particularly took them as oracles from the gods. Frequently, the Lord Almighty used dreams to give messages to people. Examples abound in the Bible. Joseph had his dreams in the Old Testament. Joseph, the husband of Mary, had a dream concerning his marriage to the Virgin Mary. These are two examples among many others. In the case of Claudia, God sent a warning to Pilate through his wife, but he didn’t heed it.
Next, Pilate publicly washed his hands. The hand washing was a Jewish custom. There is an obscure law in Deuteronomy 21:1-9 about it. According to that law, if a dead body was found in the country, and it was not known who the killer was, the elders of the nearest town or village had to do two things: first, sacrifice a heifer, and second, wash their hands to symbolically rid themselves of the guilt. The hand-washing ritual became a custom in Judaism that even the Romans came to know and practice. Pilate decided he would let the mob crucify Jesus, a shameful capitulation, so he washed his hands in an attempt to shift the blame away from himself to others. His fear of the Jews’ anger caused him to make a bad decision, that is, to allow the crucifixion. He went against what he knew was right and he chose to do wrong. We share a common humanity with Pilate. At times we know the right, and yet, we choose the wrong.” [p. 552.] The Christian man who clicks the mouse on the porn site knows what is right and chooses what is wrong. The same goes for the teen who cheats on a test. The child who lies to His parents. The parent who exasperates his child. Too many times in a week we know what is right and we choose to do what is wrong. These are the sins we must fight and resist with every fiber of our being.
C. Now let us consider Barabbas. Word of the proceedings against Jesus spread like wildfire, and the crowd grew larger. This throng was most likely a group loyal to the Jewish leaders or very nationalistic and they already applauded Barabbas as their hero. But where were the disciples and the crowds who days earlier had shouted, “Hosanna in the highest” (21:9)? Where were the Palm Sunday multitudes that adored the Lord? They had vanished. How? There are two possibilities. Either they were afraid of the Jewish leaders and had gone into hiding. Or, they had changed from love for Jesus to hatred. In other words, the Palm Sunday parade had turned against Jesus when they saw that He was not going to be an earthly conqueror or their deliverer from Rome. The same people who had sang, “Hosanna, blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!” were now crying out, “Let Him be crucified!” There was a custom of releasing a prisoner on Passover. Barabbas was supposed to die with his other two fellow thieves, but Pilate set him free. Hence, Jesus took the place of Barabbas as the condemned to die.
Barabbas had a unique perspective on Good Friday. Of all the people present who watched the crucifixion, he was the first to realize that Jesus had died in his place. Barabbas witnessed three men expiring on three crosses, two thieves with Jesus in the middle. The thought was inescapable: “Jesus died for me.” If we understand the atonement, how God reconciles us to Himself through the sacrifice of His Son, then every believer views the cross like Barabbas did on that day. Jesus suffered the punishment the elect should have experienced for their sins. Substitutionary atonement signifies that Jesus was your substitute. Eternal life is yours, reconciliation with God is possible when you surrender your life to Him in faith and repentance.
D. A last detail worth exploring is the wine mixed with gall. Reading Matthew 27:33-34. [Read them.]
It was customary to offer the condemned person a sedative drink. Doctors and dentists give us sedatives. Matthew calls it “sour wine mingled with gall.” No doubt Jesus felt parched, His body depleted, the pain excruciating. This narcotic was offered for the purpose of deadening the pain. Jesus refused the potion. He would not drink it. As soon as He tasted it He realized what it was and spat it out. Why did He reject the anesthetic? Several reasons.
First, He had earlier told His disciples that the next time He tasted wine would be with them in glory. On Maundy Thursday Jesus declared: “I will not drink of this fruit of the vine from now on until that day when I drink it new with you in My Father’s kingdom.” At the last day wine will flow at the Marriage Supper of the Lamb. For Jesus to drink wine on Golgotha would have cancelled out this promise. Consequently, Jesus refused the anesthetic. He will only lift His chalice at that future celebration when He toasts the victory of God over the world, the flesh and the Devil. That will be the toast of all toasts. Our Eucharistic celebrations are foretastes of that festive day to come. [p. 556.]
Second, Jesus possibly recognized this drink could corrupt His sacrifice. His destiny was to experience the unmitigated wrath of a holy God against sin, and throughout the ordeal suffer pain and anguish in order to be our substitute. What did Jesus endure? According to Roman custom, flogging must precede crucifixion. Scourging was administered to weaken the prisoner so that he would die more quickly on the cross, although the agony of the scourging was horrible in itself. If you saw the movie, “The Passion,” you remember the damage the whip could do to one’s bare back. Fastened to the leather thongs at the end of the whip were pieces of bone and metal. After the scourging the victim was forced to carry his cross along the longest possible route to the crucifixion site. This would be a warning to bystanders that they better not rebel against Roman rule. The crossbeam to be carried was about 100 pounds. Jesus was too weak to carry His, so the soldiers assigned an African man named Simon to help Jesus transport His cross to Golgotha, the place of crucifixion. Once arrived, the soldiers drove in the nails. Golgotha was the Hebrew word for the “place of the skull.” In Latin the word is Calvary. Jesus was crucified naked. The Romans knew how to humiliate. They had pushed a crown of thorns on His head too. Some people suppose that a crucified person would die of bleeding, or hunger. Not true. Death usually came by suffocation as the person would lose strength and the weight of the body would make breathing more and more difficult.
In order to take our place, it was necessary that Jesus identify with us completely in His humanity. Sedated, avoiding the hardest part, He would have escaped some of the pain and humiliation in His humanity. So it was proper that Jesus passed on the wine mixed with gall. He spurned it so He could become that “full, perfect, and sufficient sacrifice, oblation, and satisfaction for the sins of the world.”
There is a third reason why it was necessary for Jesus to reject the anesthetic. Doped up to a semi-comatose condition Jesus would never have uttered the seven sayings from the cross. Remember the seven last words of Jesus? The Lord’s mind was clear enough for Him to utter precious words from the cross. What were the seven sayings?
1. “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing.” Luke 23:34
2. “I tell you the truth, today you will be with me in paradise.” Luke 23:43
3. Speaking to John and Mary, “Dear woman, here is you son… Here is your mother.” John 19:26-27.
4. “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” Matthew 27:46; Mark 15:34
5. “I am thirsty.” John 19:28
6. “It is finished.” John 19:30
7. “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” Luke 23:46
If Jesus had accepted the wine mixed with gall, it might have put Him out. In that case He would have lacked the clear-headedness to speak these phrases that have blessed believers through the ages.
On this Holy Week the Church calls you to consider the cross of Jesus. Christ willingly took your place and suffered the pain and punishment your sin deserved. He received the crown of thorns, so that you could receive the crown of life. He endured the wrath of your Holy Father, so that you could experience the joy of Heaven. He repudiated the cup of gall, so you could delight in the cup of salvation. Come now to the Lord’s Table. Receive the benefits of Christ’s Body and Blood. Survey the cross. The love of Jesus to unworthy sinners is wonderful. Reflect on what Jesus suffered for your salvation.
Let us pray.
