October 28th, 2023

Some congregations will be celebrating this Sunday that it is the Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost (and the gospel text is Matthew 22:34-46). Other congregations, like the ones I am currently serving, will be celebrating Reformation this Sunday. For this type of celebration, the gospel text is from John 8:31-36 (with a second option of Matthew 11:12-19). 

In the writings of this website, we are continuing our walk through the Gospel according to Matthew. And we have been going in the order in which the entire text was laid out. Last week we looked at basically what happened to Judas. This week we will be looking at basically what happened to Jesus.

There are three historical presents in this section. (The term ‘historical present’ is used when something like the past tense verb is usually expected, but a present tense verb shows up.) Interestingly enough, two of them deal with questions, the first one with the accusations of the religious leaders, and the second regarding the sentence of death. These two critical steps combine to lead the reader or listener to what could be called the greatest highpoint of history.

What follows is an attempt at a somewhat-literal translation of what is typically called Matthew 27:11-32; it is the section right before the crucifixion:

Now the Jesus stood before the governor, and he questioned him, the governor, saying, “You, yourself, are the king of the Jews?”

Now the Jesus told, “You, yourself, have said.” And in the being accused, him, by the arch-priests and elders, nothing he answered. 

Then he says to him, the Pilate, “You hear, do you not, how many things, you, they witness against?” And not he answered him, to not even one word, so as to marvel, the governor, greatly. Now according to a feast, he was accustomed, the governor, to release one for the crowd, a prisoner whom they wanted. Now they had, then, a prisoner, outstanding, being called Jesus Barabbas. Therefore, having been assembled, they, he said to them, the Pilate, “Whom do you want I release to you, Jesus the Barabbas or Jesus, the one called Christ?” For he knew that because of envy they handed over him. 

Now sitting, he, upon the tribunal, she sent to him, the wife of him, saying, “Nothing with you and with the righteous one, that; for many things I suffered today in a dream because of him.”

Now the arch-priests and the elders persuaded the crowds that they ask, the Barabbas, now the Jesus, they destroy.

Now having answered, the governor said to them, “Which do you want, from the two, I release to you?” 

Now they said, “The Barabbas.”

He says to them, the Pilate, “Therefore, what I will do, Jesus, the one called Christ?” 

They say, all, “Let him be crucified.”

Now he told, “For what evil he did?”

Now the ones, more, were crying out, saying, “Let him be crucified.”

Now having seen, the Pilate, that nothing is gained, but on the contrary, rather an uproar is happening, having taken water, he washed the hands before the crowd, saying, “Innocent I am from the blood of this one; you yourselves will see.”

And having answered, all the people said, “The blood of him, upon us and upon the children of us.”
Then he released for them the Barabbas, now the Jesus, having scourged, he handed over, that he might be crucified.

Then the soldiers of the governor, having taken along the Jesus into the praetorium, they assembled against him the whole, the cohort. And having taken off him, a cloak, scarlet, they placed around him, and having woven a crown of thorns, they placed upon the head of him, and a reed in the right of him, and having knelt before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews.” And having spit into him, they took the reed, and they were hitting into the head of him. And when they mocked him, they took off, him, the cloak, and they put on him the clothes of him, and they led away him, into, to crucify. Now going out, they found a man, Cyrenian, by name Simon, this one they forced that he carry the cross of him.
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