October 21st, 2023

If you are counting along with me, this Sunday is called the Twenty-First Sunday after Pentecost. And the Gospel text, like the numbering of Sunday’s title, continues on from where it was left last week (Matthew 22:15-22). And with the writings of this website, we are continuing our walk through the Gospel according to Matthew, and the whole time we have been going in the order in which the entire text was laid out.

Last week we left off with the bitter weeping of Peter. That was the very last part of what is known as the twenty-sixth chapter of the Gospel according to Matthew. And with this writing, we will begin what is usually called the twenty-seventh chapter. And it is a very interesting start to the penultimate chapter of this account.

There are a few things in the Gospel according to Matthew that are not in the other so-called ‘synoptic’ accounts. Up to this point, those unique things were usually part of a sermon. What follows is something slightly different; it is a part of history.

The next few words COULD have continued with some details about Peter. They could also go in the direction of Jesus’ trial, and that is briefly mentioned. The majority of the next few verses focuses on one of the last people you might expect—Judas.

Since the following section is so unique, we will only look at a few verses. What follows is a somewhat-literal translation of what is called Matthew 27:1-10:

Now morning, having happened, counsel they took, all the arch-priests and the elders of the people, against the Jesus, so that, to put to death, him; and having bound him, they led away, and they handed over to Pilate, to the governor.

Then having seen, Judas, the one handing over him, that he was condemned, having repented, he returned the thirty silvers to the arch-priests and elders, saying, “I sinned, having handed over blood, innocent.”

Now the ones said, “What toward us? You, yourself, will see to it yourself.” And having put down the silvers into the temple, he departed, and having gone away, he hanged himself.

Now the arch-priests, having taken the silvers, they said, “Not it is permitted to throw them into the temple treasury, since price of blood it is.” Now counsel, having taken, they bought with them the field of the potter into a burial place for the strangers. Thus, it was called, the field, that, Field of Blood, until the today.

Then it was fulfilled, the thing having been spoken through Jeremiah, the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty silvers, the price of the one having been valued, whom they valued from sons of Israel, and they gave them into the field of the potter, just as he directed me, Lord.”

Hopefully it is at least somewhat obvious that much could be said about such a unique text. It should be said that this is certainly a sad thing. But with such a strong focus for Judas on such a negative thing, one should only expect more negative things. But there is a hint of the LORD still having control of things, especially given the last part of the text, the fulfillment of a part of the Old Testament.

Perhaps there should also be a reminder at this time that there were no initial chapter or verse divisions within this text. But there were—and still remain—helpful hints in the text along the way to point out some divisions. And these significant points also lead to high and low points within the words of the text.

It may not be entirely clear that this text is somewhat of a high point within the account. To see such a high point, it will be helpful to review the structures that have been present within such a Hebrew-structured Greek account.

The start of this Gospel account, with the naming of Jesus, gives the importance of a midpoint and an endpoint (1:18-25). At the beginning of so-called ‘chapter two’ (2:1), there is a very similar start that closely compares with the start of the narrative after Jesus’ fifth and final sermon (26:6). The two verbs in the Greek language of ‘to be born’ and ‘to happen’ sound very similar as well (and the following translations are quite literal):

Now of the Jesus, having been born in Bethlehem….

Now of the Jesus, having happened in Bethany….

What is interesting is that within that ‘chapter two’, there are three fulfillments of scripture (2:15, 17, 23), with the middle one having the exact same introduction as there was in the last part of the text above, from Jeremiah. And it is also the longest of the three quotations.

What is also interesting is that the first fulfillment in chapter two starts with a word that means ‘in order that’. And the last of the three means ‘so that’. So there seems to be a little progression with these initial words.

The above fulfillment in Matthew 27(:9-10) is the only fulfillment passage of its kind in the last three chapters of this gospel account. That is VERY significant. And these three are very long chapters.

What has probably caused the greatest amount of ink to be spilled (and toner to be used) is that there is not a clear quote in Jeremiah which connects to the words given in the quotation above. One can see that in the cross-references that appear in many bibles. There is actually a closer connection to Zechariah 11. (You may wish to look at verses 11 through 13.)

As was said, a significant amount of effort has been made to look at the sources for such a quotation. And there could be multiple reasons for such a ‘distraction’.
I call it a ‘distraction’ because that is exactly what it could be for the person who is looking for the midpoints in various parts of this gospel account.

What is the midpoint of the last part of this gospel account? That is where things get quite interesting. I certainly do not expect you to count up the number of Greek syllables or words, but it is interesting that the number of verses from 26:6 to the end of the book is 156, and the number of verses between 26:6 and the ‘then’ in 27:9 is 78 and the number of verses from that ‘then’ to the end of the book is also 78. Certainly the length of a verse is quite a varied thing, but it does make one think about the possible intricacies of such a text, as well as the possible importance of such a midpoint.
​
Why would such an Old Testament fulfillment be so close to the middle of such a section of scripture? Perhaps to put forward the thought that there is a more important ‘midpoint’ to our history. It may be the importance of the God-man, Jesus, who is doing what his name says: He saves. It is one that is truly HIS STORY.