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25: It is important to understand a few things about this statement by the people. For one thing, it was likely instigated by the Jewish leaders. It seems doubtful that the entire mob would instantly make this statement as one man. They were led to it. Also, it had to do with Jewish law. By Jewish law, the blood of an innocent person would be upon the heads of those who condemned him, as well as on the heads of their descendants, for the rest of time.
Next, the result of this statement must be considered. In the course of human history, no race of people has suffered more terribly, or obviously, than have the Jews. But, finally, this does not lead to any justification for antisemitism. Though the Jews are guilty of his blood, Pilate’s hand washing made him no less a sinner than they. Indeed, all of mankind is guilty for necessitating this sacrifice. The wonderful thing is that it is this very blood which saves all of mankind from their sin.

Personal Journal Entry #12030
Prayer Journal Entry #12030
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 31:1-33:23

21: Pilate was here addressing the crowd, not the Jewish leaders. This second time Pilate asked for an answer. But, it was not the answer her was looking to receive.
22: Pilate had discovered that Jesus claimed to be the Son of God. Although he did not believe in the full implications of this; like his wife, he was very sensitive to his own sense of guilt and his superstition. He was trying earnestly to get them to let him release Christ as well.
23: It is such a glory to the plan of God to see that a Roman judge would find Jesus not guilty. And yet, like the rest, Pilate condemned Jesus as a matter of convenience. It was at this stage that the people, likely instigated by the Jewish leaders, began to accuse Pilate himself of disloyalty to Caesar.
Crucifixion was a common way for the Romans to execute someone like Barabbas. The Jews were putting Jesus into the same category with a hardened criminal. Besides this, they may have remembered Jesus’ own words about being crucified.
 24: The whole thing had reached riot proportions, a riot that Pilate would not want to be responsible for. Pilate condemned Christ to save his own skin. He was not unaccustomed to perverting justice.
The washing of hands was likely done as a sign to the Jews, instead of being a purely Roman practice. Pilate was familiar with the customs of the Jews, being their governor. It is interesting to see what those around Christ during all of this did to try and expiate their guilt. Judas threw down his money. Pilate washed his hands. The Jewish leaders claimed they would believe Christ if he came down from the cross. Everybody was after justifying themselves. But it didn’t work.

Personal Journal Entry #12029
Prayer Journal Entry #12029
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 29:1-30:38

19: Pilate was sitting on the judgement seat. He was preparing to make some sort of decision when his wife sent a messenger to him. The Romans were very superstitious. Dreams could mean much to them. It is unclear how Piltaes’s wife determined Jesus’ innocence. She had likely heard of him, but it is more likely that the dream itself made her confident of his righteousness. She suffered many things in that she was greatly concerned about the involvement of her husband in the matter. Though neither her nor her husband had any fear of the True God,  they were likely both very wary of what they would have seen as divine displeasure. For them, a bad dream could only be a bad omen for the future.
Many have speculated about the source of this dream. Was it sent from God, or was it from the devil, or neither? This is a complicated issue. However, the best answer is the most strait-forward one. Pilate’s wife was a superstitious unbeliever with a guilty conscience. The guilty conscience was from God, the manifestation of this guilt, or the way in which it afflicted her, was likely of the devil. There are other examples of this in scripture, such as king Saul. Her life was full of idolatry and devilish ways of thinking. These could not but produce a bad dream in connection with feelings of guilt associated with the conviction of the Spirit. In this way, a work of God can be closely associated with a work of the devil in the soul of an unbeliever.
20: It is, at first, amazing that the Jewish leaders were able to convince the crowd. However, two things must be remembered. First, it was God’s plan that Jesus be crucified. Second, the Jewish leaders were good at threatening people, and persuading people. Many in the multitudes, though they liked Jesus, did not love him. Their allegiance was fair weather only. Thus, this trial, combined with threats from the Jewish leaders against any who would support Christ, was more than enough to persuade them.

Personal Journal Entry #12028
Prayer Journal Entry #12028
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 27:1-28:43

17: The offer for release was made to the Jewish people who were gathered there. The leaders of the Jews were already assembled. Pilate assembled an assortment of the general Jewish population of Jerusalem for this question. Thus he surely thought that they, not being biased against Jesus like their leaders were, would ask for his release. It is for this reason that he presents Jesus as the one who is called Christ. This was to woo the common people to rally behind their Messiah. This was not because he himself believed, but so as to kill two birds with one stone. He would do the Jews a favor and get rid of this problem prisoner at the same time.
18: Pilate was more than aware of the facts of the case. He knew that Jesus was no menace to Rome. Had Jesus been against Rome, he could have made that abundantly clear early on in his ministry. Pilate knew that Jesus had great support among the people, and that the Jewish leaders hated him for it.

Personal Journal Entry #12027
Prayer Journal Entry #12027
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 24:1-26:37

14: Pilate continued to try to get Jesus to say something, and possibly made accusations of his own to solicit a response. However, Jesus kept silent.
Pilate was quite amazed by this silence, likely for several reasons. For one thing, as has been stated, he knew Jesus could speak, and speak well. Jesus had not been known as one to keep his mouth shut, but as a powerful orator. It seemed strange that he would now choose to remain silent. Also, Pilate was unsure as to why Jesus would say nothing to answer the charges. Surely Jesus took the situation seriously. Surely he understood that his very life was in danger. What would make him fail to defend himself? Then, finally, Pilate marveled at the self-control that Jesus exercised in this. It would not be easy for anyone to stand by while their character was defamed so vociferously.
15: This was a custom, not a law. Pilate could have opted out. However, he had made the Jews very upset in the past. Evidently, being confused by Jesus’ failure to defend himself, Pilate sought to turn this thing to his own political advantage. This releasing of a prisoner also included a full pardon.
16: Barabbas was evidently quite a scoundrel. He was a murderer and had committed treason. Pilate chose to offer him on purpose, hoping to solve the whole dilemma in this way.

Personal Journal Entry #12026
Prayer Journal Entry #12026
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 21:1-23:33

11: Pilate had been informed, of course, by the lying Jewish leadership. With him they focused upon the political threat that Jesus might pose. They surely told Pilate that Jesus claimed to be the king of the Jews. This was intended to cause Pilate to treat Jesus as a political threat and examine him as such.
Jesus’ answer to this question might at first be confusing. He affirms that he is the king of the Jews. Surely this would automatically cause Pilate to judge him as a threat to the order Rome had set up in the region. However, we know that Jesus explained the nature of his kingdom to Pilate. He explained that his disciples had not fought for his kingdom at that time because his kingdom was not then of the world.
The kingdom of Christ is at this time in men’s hearts. It cannot be furthered by force. It is, at this time, a spiritual kingdom. However, the day is coming soon when, Jesus’ kingdom will be of this world. He will come in power and glory to set up his earthly kingdom. He will be not only the King of the Jews, but the King of Kings of the whole world.
12: Now that they were in a Roman court, the Jewish leaders were free to testify themselves. But, it seems plain by the language used here that their testimony was no more coherent or accurate than that which they had procured the night before. Regardless of the poor job by the Jews, Jesus did not answer their charges. He kept to his purpose, and the fulfillment of prophecy.
13: Pilate knew that Jesus could hear. He was not truly concerned that Jesus had gone deaf. Instead, he was speaking in this way to incite Jesus to some kind of response. Pilate, understanding how the Jews were, saw Jesus as no threat to Rome. He knew the Jewish leaders themselves were the biggest threat. He knew that their pretended concern for Roman political matters was only to get Jesus out of their way. He knew the wickedness of these men, and how Jesus had driven them almost to lunacy. He was hoping for a good show from Christ, a man whom he knew had more than enough to say. He knew that Jesus could answer the charges quite well. He wanted to see Jesus give them a challenge. He enjoyed their consternation.

Personal Journal Entry #12025
Prayer Journal Entry #12025
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 17:1-20:26

9: There has been much debate over the quote here made by Matthew. He says that this prophecy was made by Jeremiah. However, though Jeremiah does state things similar to it, it is plainly manifest that this is a quote from Zechariah. There are two good possibilities for reconciling this, which may even be taken together. First, the book of Jeremiah was, in the Jewish scriptures which Matthew would have used, the first in a grouping of books that included Zechariah. Often the minor prophets were then referred to by the name of the major prophet at the beginning of the grouping. Secondly, inasmuch as Mathew says specifically that Jeremiah said it, it cannot be denied that he did. Though it is not found in the book of Jeremiah, it is altogether possible that Zechariah was quoting from Jeremiah’s words, if not his book, in his own writings. The specifics of all this would have been well known to Mathew, though not so well to us two thousand years later.
10: The thirty pieces would be the common price for a slave, not as great an amount as one might expect to be paid for Christ’s betrayal. Of course, the Jewish leaders were very thrifty, and Judas was very greedy. It is an amazing testimony to the veracity of prophecy that this amount, as is here mentioned by the prophet, was able to purchase a field. Even more specifically, we have here the fact that it was the potter’s field.

Personal Journal Entry #12024
Prayer Journal Entry #12024
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 14:1-16:35

6: It is amazing how God can work things out like he wants them. These men had scruples about anything that might be questioned from a good works standpoint, but cared nothing for matters of the heart. They would never have dreamed to throw the money away, as Judas did. This shows the condition of their heart was no better than his.
The law forbade the putting of ‘tainted’ money into the general treasury. Of course, the law forbade many other things that they had ignored before, such as injustice and dishonesty. Just as Judas, they sought to justify themselves, and expiate their guilt by human means. They saw themselves as greatly righteous persons for having caught this potential breaking of the law.
7: In Judas’ name, as if they had the right to do so, they bought a field to be used for the burying of non-Jewish persons who, on occasion, might die in Jerusalem. These persons, not being in their natural place, might have no burial arrangements made. Thus, this was meant to be a charity operation.
The field was likely a place where some potter had dug clay from the ground for his creations. It would be full of holes and slime-pits. This explains how they were to secure it so cheaply. Apparently, like many, they were all to happy to devote to charity that which cost them little.
8: This name of the field surely developed over time. The Jewish leaders would not likely have coined it. The common people, knowing how it was purchased, probably began to employ this moniker gradually. Thus, it is named after the blood that was betrayed for its price, the blood of Christ.

Personal Journal Entry #12023
Prayer Journal Entry #12023
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 11:1-13:22

4: It must be said that there can be confessions without repentance. Confessing one’s feeling of guilt does little but to salve one’s conscience. Many have admitted to their guilt, but have failed to confess it to God and repent. Judas hoped to repair his mistake, not to be forgiven for his sin. He knew that only God can forgive sin, yet he went to man to confess. The Jewish leaders, however, were more shrewd than this thief. They realized the full weight of his sin, and left him to it.
5: Under the weight of guilt, Judas cast down the money. This always happens with sin. The slave to sin develops a hate for that which they love most. Judas still loved money more than God after he cast it down, but he was mad about what it had done to him. This is quite common. We love sin, and hate the consequences.
That the money was cast into the temple was a fulfillment of prophecy. Of course, Judas was in no state of mind to think of this. Instead, he now turned his mind to the solution to his problem.
Unfortunately, he came to the wrong conclusion about that. Suicide is often the means mankind will use to solve the problem of sin. Animals do not commit suicide out of guilt. Man, made in the image of God, is born with a sense of right and wrong, which, if not guided by God’s Word, can bring one to a place of lunacy.
There has been some debate over the exact mode of Judas’ death. However, it seems best to say that he hanged himself outdoors in an area where the landscape, as is common in Israel, was treacherous. Thus, either before or after he hung, he fell (the rope must have been weak) and burst upon the rocks of the place.

Personal Journal Entry #12022
Prayer Journal Entry #12022
Daily Bible Reading: Exodus 8:1-10:29

1: It is likely that a portion of the Sanhedrin was not present for the middle of the night meetings. Besides, the Jewish leaders wanted to make things look as legal as possible. So, in the most rushed official trial they could put together, Jesus was officially condemned that morning.
2: Jesus had to be judged before the Roman authorities now because of the sentence of death passed upon him. The Jews could not lawfully carry out the death penalty. The Romans had to approve.
3: As soon as Judas, who presumably slept well that evening, realized that the Jews had condemned Jesus to death, he changed his plans. In order to understand his bringing of the money back to the chief priests, one must understand a couple of things.
First, the word for ‘repent’ here is not the normal one. It simply indicates that Judas felt remorse or regretted his actions. He realized that things had not gone as he planned. What he planned exactly remains a mystery. Most likely, misunderstanding Christ as the other disciples, like Peter, did, he had thought Jesus would set up his earthly kingdom by force. In this way, Judas may have planned to force Jesus’ hand and get some money from the Jewish authorities at the same time. Or, he may have expected Jesus to escape, as he had at other times. Either is a likely scenario for a thief like Judas. He cared not what happened as long as it was to his benefit.
Secondly, having expected Jesus to remain unhurt, was overcome with guilt. Unlike Jesus, he did not know the final outcome of all this. If Jesus was found innocent before Pilate, Judas could be in trouble. If Jesus was indeed put to death, those who knew Christ might hunt Judas down to kill him. It was blood-guiltiness and all of its attendant dangers that troubled Judas, not true sorrow.

Personal Journal Entry #12021
Prayer Journal Entry #12021
Daily Bible Reading: Genesis 5:1-7:25