Matthew, in the way he narrates the events of Jesus’ trial before the Sanhedrin and particularly before the crowd, clearly wants to highlight how these events served to make the people’s choice very clear. Matthew writes his Gospel for a Jewish readership and he wants to highlight the fact that Jesus was condemned to death by his own people, the people of Israel. This passage has been wrongly used to condemn the Jews, but this was not Matthew’s intention. In the spirit of Jesus, Matthew is highlighting their bad choice so that they may be delivered from it. It is recorded here that they might find grace. What did Jesus say when his people mocked him on the cross? “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Matthew wants them to realise what they did so that they can acknowledge Jesus as their Messiah and receive this forgiveness. It is very often the case that we make choices without really being conscious of the choices we are making. God wants us to be conscious of these choices and so he will often arrange circumstances so that they become very clear. This is what happens here in this famous scenario of Jesus before the Jewish leaders and then before the crowd. They chose a murderer over the prince of peace. The situation brought out their true spiritual stage. God will likewise arrange circumstances to help us see our true spiritual state. The purpose is not to condemn us, but to alarm us and lead us to repentance. Watch yourself carefully so you don’t miss what your responses reveal about you.
What choices are you making?
Read Matthew 27:11-26
