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Matthew 27 Bible study: Innocent blood
Judas said, "I betrayed innocent blood" (27:4), and Pilate said, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person" (27:24). In the Greek the WEB translates, innocent is the same word in both, and the New Testament has it nowhere else. Then the centurion and those with him said, "Truly this was the Son of God!" (27:54).
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“Now the centurion and those who were with him watching Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were done, were terrified, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!””
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“In Matthew 27:19, Pilate's wife sends him word about a dream.”
Is that in Matthew 27, or not? Make your call.
What's really going on
"Innocent blood"
Matthew turns from Jesus to Judas: "Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that Jesus was condemned, felt remorse, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.”" (27:3-4) (tap innocent). They answered, "What is that to us? You see to it." (27:4). In 27:5 he throws down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary and departs, and the rest of the verse tells of his death. The chief priests would not put the silver into the treasury, "since it is the price of blood" (27:6) (tap blood), and they "bought the potter’s field with them to bury strangers in" (27:7). "Therefore that field has been called “The Field of Blood” to this day" (27:8). Here is what almost everyone misses: words from this scene come again later in the chapter, from Pilate. He "washed his hands before the multitude, saying, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person. You see to it.”" (27:24). Judas speaks of "innocent blood" (27:4), and Pilate says he is "innocent of the blood" (27:24). In RP2018, the Greek the WEB translates, innocent is the same word in both verses, and the New Testament has it in no other. And in the WEB the words said to Judas, "You see to it" (27:4), are the words Pilate says to the multitude (27:24); in the Greek, the first are said to one man and the second to many.
Where the Old Testament leads here
My God, my God
Psalms 22:1leads toMatthew 27:46
The psalm begins, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from helping me, and from the words of my groaning?" (Psalm 22:1). At the cross there was darkness "from the sixth hour" (Matthew 27:45), and "About the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, “Eli, Eli, lima sabachthani?” That is, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”" (Matthew 27:46). In the WEB his words are the psalm's first line, word for word. Mark tells the same cry (Mark 15:34). Neither Gospel names the psalm or explains the cry.
Honest questions
Questions people ask about Matthew 27
That was a taste
The rest of Matthew 27 is waiting in Favor
- "That righteous man"
- "The Son of God" at the cross
- "Spoken through Jeremiah the prophet"
- Beside Mark's telling
- Notes and questions in other chapters
- 24 questions as you read
- 10 more Greek words
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The Greek word behind it
ἄθωοςathoossay ATH-o-os
Strong's: "not guilty". Thayer: "unpunished, innocent". Judas says, "I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood" (27:4), and Pilate, "I am innocent of the blood of this righteous person" (27:24). In RP2018, the Greek the WEB translates, the New Testament has this word in these two verses and no others. See the section Innocent blood.
For your group
Matthew 27 Bible study questions
- 1When Judas came back, they answered, "What is that to us? You see to it." (27:4). When someone comes to you carrying something heavy, what would it look like to answer differently?
- 2Joseph, "who himself was also Jesus’ disciple" (27:57), "went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body" (27:58), and laid it "in his own new tomb" (27:60). What is one way you could serve Jesus this week?
- 3"Many women were there watching from afar, who had followed Jesus from Galilee, serving him" (27:55). What helps you keep following Jesus when it is hard?
Leading a group? In Favor, everyone reads Matthew 27 during the week and answers these questions privately. Answers stay sealed until you meet, then appear together, and you can print the week's sheet.
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Questions
What is Favor?
Favor is a Bible study app that explains every chapter as you read: the Hebrew and Greek behind the words, the details most readers miss, and how each part of the Bible leads to Jesus. Read on your own, or start a Bible study with friends, family or your church.
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Scripture quotations are from the World English Bible, which is in the public domain. Hebrew and Greek words are checked against the original-language texts and public-domain lexicons. What we believe · Favor home