Matthew 27:58

27:58 He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. ¹  Then Pilate ordered that it be given to him.

Matthew 27:2

27:2 They ²  tied him up, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate ³  the governor. ⁴ 

Matthew 27:13

27:13 Then Pilate said to him, “Don’t you hear how many charges they are bringing against you?”

Matthew 27:65

27:65 Pilate said to them, “Take ⁵  a guard of soldiers. Go and make it as secure as you can.”

Matthew 27:22

27:22 Pilate said to them, “Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Christ?” ⁶  They all said, “Crucify him!” ⁷ 

Matthew 27:62

The Guard at the Tomb

27:62 The ⁸  next day (which is after the day of preparation) the chief priests and the Pharisees ⁹  assembled before Pilate

Matthew 27:17

27:17 So after they had assembled, Pilate said to them, “Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus ¹⁰  Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Christ?” ¹¹ 

Matthew 27:24

Jesus is Condemned and Mocked

27:24 When ¹²  Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but that instead a riot was starting, he took some water, washed his hands before the crowd and said, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. You take care of it yourselves!” ¹³ 

[27:58]  ¹ sn Asking for the body of Jesus was indeed a bold move on the part of Joseph of Arimathea, for it clearly and openly identified him with a man who had just been condemned and executed, namely, Jesus. His faith is exemplary, especially for someone who was a member of the council that handed Jesus over for crucifixion (cf. Mark 15:43, Luke 23:51). He did this because he sought to give Jesus an honorable burial.

[27:2]  ² tn Here καί (kai) has not been translated.

[27:2]  ³ tc Most mss (A C W Θ 0250 Ë^1,13 Ï latt) have Ποντίῳ (Pontiw, “Pontius”) before Πιλάτῳ (Pilatw, “Pilate”), but there seems to be no reason for omitting the tribal name, either intentionally or unintentionally. Adding “Pontius,” however, is a natural expansion on the text, and is in keeping with several other NT and patristic references to the Roman governor (cf. Luke 3:1; Acts 4:27; 1 Tim 6:13; Ign. Magn. 11.1; Ign. Trall. 9.1; Ign. Smyrn. 1.2; Justin Martyr, passim). The shorter reading, supported by א B L 0281 33 pc co, is thus strongly preferred.

[27:2]  ⁴ sn The Jews most assuredly wanted to put Jesus to death, but they lacked the authority to do so. For this reason they handed him over to Pilate in hopes of securing a death sentence. The Romans kept close control of the death penalty in conquered territories to prevent it from being used to execute Roman sympathizers.

[27:65]  ³ tn Grk “You have a guard.”

[27:22]  ⁴ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[27:22]  ⁵ tn Grk “Him – be crucified!” The third person imperative is difficult to translate because English has no corresponding third person form for the imperative. The traditional translation “Let him be crucified” sounds as if the crowd is giving consent or permission. “He must be crucified” is closer, but it is more natural in English to convert the passive to active and simply say “Crucify him.”

[27:62]  ⁵ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:62]  ⁶ sn See the note on Pharisees in 3:7.

[27:17]  ⁶ tc Again, as in v. 16, the name “Jesus” is supplied before “Barabbas” in Θ Ë¹ 700* pc sy^s Or^mss (Θ 700* lack the article τόν [ton] before Βαραββᾶν [Barabban]). The same argument for accepting the inclusion of “Jesus” as original in the previous verse applies here as well.

[27:17]  ⁷ tn Or “Messiah”; both “Christ” (Greek) and “Messiah” (Hebrew and Aramaic) mean “one who has been anointed.”

[27:24]  ⁷ tn Here δέ (de) has not been translated.

[27:24]  ⁸ sn You take care of it yourselves! Compare the response of the chief priests and elders to Judas in 27:4. The expression is identical except that in 27:4 it is singular and here it is plural.