The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 28

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO

MATTHEW 

CHAPTER 

28

I would like to start this chapter with a little humour. This joke has been forwarded to me by my friend Fumni Akinmade who is a follower of this blog.

There was a Pastor who during his sermon told his parishioners; " I have some bad news, some good news and some bad news."

" The bad news is that the roof of this place is leaking and needs to be repaired, the good news is that you have the money, the bad news is that it is still in your pockets".

1. After the sabbath, as the first day of the week was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the tomb, 2. And suddenly there was a great earthquake; for an angel of the Lord descending from heaven came and rolled back the stone and sat on it.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 verses 1 to 2)


Oh God my Father, I thank You for sending Your angels in order to intervene and play an active role. I also thank You for removing the tombstones that hinder us from growing in our spiritual, social and even psychological life Amen. I offer You those of us, at times even myself who are still experiencing such blockages. May we place our trust in You, that You are able to send Your angels at any time to roll away the blockages of our lives, even if it takes an earthquake a supernatural intervention to do the job as in the following link that I encourage You to click on Amen.

Saved by angels


3. His appearance was like lightning, and his clothing white as snow. 4. For fear of him the guards shook and became like dead men.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 verses 3 to 4)



If the guards became like dead men on seeing the angel, how much more would there surprise be on seeing You come out of the tomb and maybe even talk to them. I remember oh God my Father, how terrified I felt when You personally spoke to me for the first time in my life. I was on the verge of a heart attack, I sweated profusely and started trembling violently and I could hardly speak. I thank You for such peak moments oh God my Father and I crave for more of them Amen.



5. But the angel said to the women, "Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. 6.  He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay. 7. Then go quickly and tell his disciples, 'He has been raised from the dead, and indeed he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him.' This is my message for you."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 verses 5 to 7)


Oh, Jesus Son of God my Father may we all welcome the message of the 'Good News'. We believe in the risen God and not in a God, who remained bound under the clutches of death. You have risen and have opened for us the gate of heavens. The forces of evil have lost their battle against You until we meet again during the final moment when their defeat is officially confirmed during the final day of Judgement Amen.


In a spirit of praise and adoration, I invite you to join me in the following song called 'We believe in God the Father'


We believe in God the Father


8. So they left the tomb quickly with fear and great joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9. Suddenly Jesus met them and said, "Greetings!" And they came to him, took hold of his feet and worshipped him. 10. Then Jesus said to them, "Do not be afraid; go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 verses 8 to 10)


Oh, Jesus Son of God my Father You do not like it when we are afraid or in doubt, in order to strengthen the faith of the women, You appeared to them Yourselves and did not permit them to rely only on the message of the angel who appeared at the tomb. Amen. 


11. While they were going,  some of the guard went into the city and told the chief priests everything that had happened. 12. After the priests had assembled with the elders, they devised a plan to give a large sum of money to the soldiers, 13. telling them, "You must say, 'His disciples came by night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14. If this comes to the governor's ears, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble." 15. So they took the money and did as they were directed. And this story is still told among the Jews to this day.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 verses 11 to 15)


Oh God how cursed is the necessary evil. Some of us do their utmost to be in possession of more and more money, which results in more and more power and manipulation that can cause people becoming corrupt and false in their testimony as in the case of the guards and may others Amen.


16. Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. 17. When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. 18. And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19. God therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20. and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 28 verses 16 to 20)


Oh Jesus Son of God my Father I thank You for giving me a small portion of this ministry of spreading Your Word and the messages of prayer that You share with me every day, so that I can share them with others both on line and even offline when You send me occasions where I can do so. I pray that You will keep on giving me these prayers both for my spiritual and personal growth and even for that of others as is according to Your will Amen.


I would like to end this last chapter of the Gospel of Matthew with the following prayer:


I thank You Jesus for all Your support that You give me by means of Your Gospel and by means of others such as colleagues at work and even family by whom You never stop speaking to me and even help me in correcting me in my ways.  I would like to offer You all the students who are sitting for exams or practicals today especially for my friend Matthew who is sitting for a Physics practical examination. Amen May Your will be done for Matthew and for all the students who have either finished or still in the process of ending these important exams which will determine their future Amen.


In order to continue this meditation on the Word of God I invite you to click on the following link which takes you to the Gospel according to St. Mark


The Gospel according to St. Mark




 





 



 

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 26

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

26

1. When Jesus had finished saying all these things, he said to his disciples. 2. You know that after two days the Passover is coming, and the Son of Man will be handed over to be crucified."

(The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 1 to 2)

Oh, Jesus the cross and the moment of Your passion was always in Your mind. Although this would prove to be one of the most painful of trials, it would also mean the biggest and ever greatest act of love from You oh God, to us meaning humanity. However oh God every day in our lives may also be our last day when we leave this world and be reunited with You. Every moment of tribulation may be our processing before the Roman Authorities, in order to inquire if we are still believers. Every long period of testing, pain and anguish may be similar in words to the enacting of Your passion, although all our sufferings can never  match Your passion. 

Presently we may be facing one of the greatest crisis of our lives, but we are not alone. Our God and Father is with us. He has already been there, betrayed and accused of accusations that He did not commit, and even sentenced to a death that he surely did not merit as the Son of God. However for our own good and because You love us so much You chose the nails and the cross as the offering altar in order to atone for our sins. This is the meaning of the word 'Love'.




3. Then the chief priests and the elders of the people gathered in the palace of the high priest, who was called Caiaphas, 4. and they conspired to arrest Jesus by stealth and kill him. 5. But they said, "Not during the festival, or there may be a riot among the people."


(The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 3 to 5)


Oh God as much as You are working all the time in our lives, the forces of evil also never stop working in their never ending struggle to cause us to sin and win over our souls in order to perish in hell forever. Throughout the planning process, the chief priests and elders took into consideration thus attempting to cover all angles in order not to cause unnecessary disruption or disturbance in the people which could stimulate the violence of the Roman Empire to which they were subjects. When we carry out our plans in a better sense, meaning with a good intention, we are also to consider all the factors, especially if our plans can have either positive or negative effects on the life of others involved directly or indirectly in our plans.




6. Now while Jesus was at Bethany in the house of Simon the leper, a woman came to him with an alabaster jar of very costly ointment, and she poured it on his head as he sat at the table. 8. But when the disciples saw it, they were angry and said, "Why this waste? 9. For this ointment could have been sold for a large sum, and the money given to the poor."10. But Jesus, aware of this, said to them, "Why do you trouble the woman? She has performed a good service for me.


(The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 6 to 10)


Oh, Jesus, our values are not Your values. Indeed, we both view the world and what takes place in it from a different perspective. One might consider as being a great waste a successful person who decides to resign in order to embrace holy orders by living as a nun or a priest! Although it seems to be a pity that the life of a celebrity has come to an end, a better life has just started for that person who has dedicated one's life in service to You. Amen.




11. For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me.


(The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 11)


Oh, Jesus, it would be a pity if those living in poverty will do so forever. It's a greater pity if among material poverty we are also spiritually famished, for the loss would be greater Amen.




12. By pouring this ointment on my body she has prepared me for burial. 13. Truly I tell you, wherever this good news is proclaimed in the whole world, what she has done will be told in remembrance of her."




(The Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 12 to 13)


There are many people who are many people who have been renown for their acts of bravery, however, there are also those such as maybe you and I who are not as popular, according to the standards of the world, however, You oh Jesus appreciates even the smallest act of kindness. I thank You for appreciating all we do Amen.




14. Then one of the twelve, who was called Judas Iscariot, went to the chief priests 15 and said, "What will you give me if I betray him to you?" They paid him thirty pieces of silver. 16. And from that moment he began to look for an opportunity to betray him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 14 to 16)


Among the group of twelve Apostles, there was a weak link, an open door from which the devil could enter. This was Judas Iscariot. When we are not faithful in our relationship with You oh Jesus, that apostles name can easily change to Vince. When leisure time takes the place of pray or work time this is also a betrayal, that we must be accountable for when the time comes.




17. On the first day of Unleavened Bread the disciples came to Jesus, saying, "Where do you want us to make the preparations for you to eat the Passover?"



(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 17)


Today You are asking us where and when You can spend some time with us in fellowship. Jesus wants to book an appointment with us. Is our agenda full? Do we have a slot in which we can meet with Him and spend the time to grow together? We might have plans where to spend easter Sunday this year, but have we made time to spend with Jesus who is the main focus of the celebrations. Do we prefer to spend time with the understudy of the play instead of with the celebrity, the main actor? If we do not have time for You, my God and Father but have time reserved for other situations or appointments it is time to evaluate our choices or preferences and book a session with You oh Jesus!



18. He said, "Go into the city to a certain man and say to him, 'The Teacher says, My time is near; I will keep the Passover at your house with my disciples." 19. So the disciples did as Jesus had directed them and they prepared the Passover meal.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 18 to 19)


Oh, Jesus of the many things that give You pleasure, one of the most important is our obedience to Your Will and to Your Word. When we take You at Your word as in the case of all parents You experience great pleasure, for You always aimed at obeying the will of the Father Amen.




20. When it was evening, he took his place with the twelve; 21 and while they were eating, he said, "Truly I tell you, one of you will betray me." 22. And they became greatly distressed and began to say to him one after another, "Surely not I, Lord?"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26  verses 20 to 22)



Oh God during intimate moments of fellowship You drop the bombshell. You reveal to us secrets or revelations that are not always to our liking as in the case of the Apostles. You make us aware of our true self and of our weaknesses and also the relative consequences if we do not change our ways. We can only imagine people such as Judas Iscariot who had previously sold You to Your enemies. We can only think or imagine what he was experiencing on being aware of what he had done, however, his guilt was still not deep enough to remedy the situation by admitting his guilt. Even though in this case it was the unveiling of God's plan for our salvation, in similar situations it is best to follow the truth and sincerity which is the best policy and not the ways of the world.




23. He answered, "The one who has dipped his hand into the bowl with me will betray me.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26  verse 23)



Oh, Jesus, one of those who were of Your inner circles was persuaded to betray You, oh dear Father. I pray for all of us because we are all prone to go against Your will and do actions that are not according to Your will, even though we may be familiar with Your teachings and proclaim that we love You. Amen




24. The Son of Man goes as it is written of him, but woe to that one by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been better for that one not to have been born." 25. Judas, who betrayed him, said, "Surely not I Rabbi?"He replied, "You have said so".


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26  verses 24 to 25)



Oh God even before it happened You are already showing us the negative consequences that Judas would experience as a penalty for having betrayed You. Even though this was part of the script leading to the unfolding of Your plan for our Salvation betrayal will always be negative in itself. What is astounding is that Judas still questioned the issue of who was to betray You even though he was aware of what he had done! Oh God, I pray that we accept the responsibility for our sins and never deny them, for denying them is as worse as committing them and both are not approved by You. For if we keep on denying our sins we can never seek forgiveness.

26. While they were eating, Jesus took a loaf of bread, and after blessing it he broke it, gave it to the disciples, and said, "Take, eat; this is my body,"27. Then he took a cup, and after giving thanks he gave it to them, saying, "Drink from it, all of you; 28. for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins. 29. I tell you, I will never again drink of this fruit of the vine until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom." 30. When they had sung the hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26  verses 26 to 30)




Oh, Jesus up to the very end of Your life on earth You never stopped giving us of Your self. You gave us all that You had, the very skin on Your body and the very drops of blood in Your veins. This was so important for our salvation that You wanted us to keep on commemorating this grand event in our lives as Roman Catholics and Christians.




31. Then Jesus said to them, "You will all become deserters because of me this night for it is written, 'I will strike the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock will be scattered.'



(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 31)


Oh, Jesus, it is true that if the shepherd is stricken we will all be scattered, however, we have the best Shepherd that is yourself therefore, we will never be scattered, the only reason that can cause us to be scattered is if we do not keep on following Your ways. I pray though that you keep on sending us Shepherds in the persons of Bishops who will keep on leading us in Your ways Amen.




32. But after I am raised up, I will go ahead of you to Galilee."



(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 32)


Oh, Jesus when addressing Your apostles even though you kept on reminding them of what was to happen which in itself they may have considered  as  being a negative event, You also gave them the positive news that involved not only Your death but even Your resurrection and that You would, later on, meet with them at Galilee. Oh, Jesus, I pray that I become more like You a positive person, who even in the most negative of situations, succeeds to find the positive aspects. Amen.




33.  Peter said to him, "Though all become deserters because of you, I will never desert you." 34. Jesus said to him, "Truly I tell you, this very night, before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." 35. Peter said to him, "Even though I must die with you, I will not deny you."And so said all the disciples.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 33 to 35)


Oh God my Father even though I have often uttered brave declarations and promises to You that I will never sin in a particular way, and that I really love You, I have often as in the case of Peter gone against my word. Oh God, my spirit sincerely wishes to obey Your will, but my flesh and carnal desires often get the better of me and I end up sinning in the same way I had promised not to. I pray that You give me strength to overcome my sinful self especially during moments of temptation which are often when am meditating on Your Gospel.




36. Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane; and he said to his disciples, "Sit here while I go over there and pray".


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 36)


Oh God and Your Son Jesus, You do not ask of us to do things that are out of this world. During such critical moments, You asked them to sit and wait while You went to seek consolation and empowerment in prayer.While You pray on our behalf You tell us to stay put and wait to be delivered for  You are at work in our situation carrying out the bulk of the work. Amen.




37. He took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be grieved and agitated. 38. Then he said to them, "I am deeply grieved, even to death; remain here, and stay awake with me." 39. And going a little farther, he threw himself on the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me; yet not what I want but what you want."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 37 to 39)


Oh, Jesus, God my Father, the passion that You were going to undertake on my behalf, and that of the world was so cruel that even on picturing all the pain and brutality that You were going to experience was enough to make You feel highly stressed and anxious, However as was the case throughout all Your life on earth, You always sought to obey the will of God the Father and not that of Your own. Oh God my Father that, we also imitate You in this blind obedience and always aim at seeking Your will in all that we do and say Amen.




40. Then he came to the disciples and found them sleeping; and he said to Peter, "So, could you not stay awake with me one hour? 41. Stay awake and pray that you may not come into the time of trial; the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 40 to 41)



Indeed oh God my Father and his Son Jesus the spirit wishes to follow You and Your messages, but the flesh causes me many troubles in doing so. At every moment of my life it opposes and grumbles to the wishes of the spirit and at times is even stronger. I pray oh Jesus, that You renew my Spirit in the power of Your Holy Spirit so that I will be strong enough to overcome my feelings and carnal desires Amen. I pray that You will give me a docile spirit that does not know stress, anxiety or anger, that at times gets the better of me. Give me words of empathy and consolation instead of criticism and negativity Amen.




42. Again he went away for the second time and prayed,"My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 42)


Oh Jesus Son of the Living God and my Father, Your prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane is also my prayer if my situation cannot change please help me to accept it as being Your will. If You do not want to take my soul to be reunited with You in heaven please give me the strength to endure all the onslaughts that I am receiving especially from my own family Amen. Each passing day I realize that I have nobody but You. Amen.




43. Again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44. So leaving them again he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 43 to 44)




For those of us who have issues regarding what to pray and when to pray, Jesus gives us a typical example. In his deepest moments of trials and stress, He did not revert to any fancy prayers but kept on repeating the same request. Therefore, as humans, we are also never to become tired of repeating the same prayer over and over again such as Rosary or even a  request for change ir healing among others. God is neither deaf to our prayers nor does he become rebellious or impatient to hearing the same old prayer. During the forty years of wandering in the desert You oh God never refused the many requests and prayers of Your people, therefore, You will surely never refuse ours. Amen.




45.  Then he came to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and taking your rest? See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46. Get up, let us be going. See, my betrayer is at hand."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 45 to 46)


Oh, Jesus, we may have been asleep for a very long time. Our sleep time may not be physical but spiritual. We have been wasting valuable time in keeping silent about our faith in You as Roman Catholics while others such as Protestants and Jehovah witnesses have become hoarse in proclaiming Your name especially the protestants. During such times of misleading values and ideologies, it is the perfect time to start raising our voices and proclaiming Your name.




47. While he was still speaking, Judas, one of the twelve, arrived; with him was a large crowd with swords an clubs, from the chief priests and the elders of the people.



(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 47)


Oh, Jesus what a sorrowful hour had come upon You, the evil forces of Satan embodied in the persons of the crowd and the betrayer was ready to make their move. However nothing is beyond Your control for You had already foretold the Apostles that this hour would arrive. I thank You oh Jesus for such moments of crisis, for even though they appear to be negative You use each event in our lives for our good if not material welfare You use it for our spiritual welfare. Thank You for being always there for us even during such moments of trial and tribulation Amen.




48. Now the betrayer had given them a sign, saying, "The one I will kiss is the man; arrest him."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 48)




Oh God once we give up our souls to sinful acts we lose our human dignity. As found in verse 48 Judas is no longer referred to by name but by means of the title of the 'betrayer'. Oh Jesus Son of God, may we always be worthy to be considered as being Your sons and daughters Amen.




49. At once he came up to Jesus and said, "Greetings, Rabbi! and kissed him. 50. "Friend, do what you are here to do." Then they came and laid hands on Jesus and arrested him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 49 to 50)


Oh, Jesus indeed there is nobody who is like You. Even though Judas came in order to betray You into the hands of such merciless people, You still addressed him as being Your friend. I thank You for loving us so much. Oh, Jesus, You were aware that Judas was acting the role assigned to him according to the plan of our salvation and that he had been born for that very hour which would lead to our salvation.



51. Suddenly, one of those with Jesus put his hand on his sword, drew it, and struck the slave of the high priest, cutting off his ear. 52. Then Jesus said to him, "Put your sword back into its place; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. 53. Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? 54. But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 51 to 54)


Oh Jesus and God my Father how just are Your ways. Even though You appeared to be the innocent victim of the situation in truth You were totally in control. If You wanted at any point You could have turned the situation in Your favour and miraculously put and end to the whole affair and rise up there and then to heaven, however this was not the will of the Father, and because You remained faithful and obedient to His will that You permitted the passion to take place in order to claim a victorious victory over the forces of evil and achieve our salvation.




Oh , Jesus as You always sought to obey the will of Your Father, I pray that You also engrave in my heart and mind the will to always obey You and Your will even though, I may not understand the reasons why certain situations are taking place in my life. I pray that You help me to always remember that You are in control of all the situations that happen to me and everybody else and that when the proper time arrives You will deliver us out of all our situations and crisis. Amen.




55. At that hour Jesus said to the crowds, "Have you come out with swords and clubs to arrest me as though I were a bandit? Day after day I sat in the temple teaching, and you did not arrest me. 56. But all this has taken place, so that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 55 to 56)


Oh, Jesus my Father I understand what you must have felt in this situation, for many times I had share intimate knowledge about myself to my superiors when I was working as social worker, but although it was a cry for help it was used against me and I was booted out of he agency for good. Those people who could have helped me served as my betrayers, however even in such circumstances You did not stab me in the back but gave me the much needed support and helped me in finding another job. Amen




57. Those who had arrested Jesus took him to Caiaphas the high priest, in whose house the scribes and the elders had gathered.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 57)



Oh Jesus the elders and the high priests arrested to You and took You to the house of Caiphas, how I also wish to welcome You in my house forever for a good purpose and not for a bad purpose as in the case of the elders and Pharisees. Amen.




58. But Peter was following him at a distance, as far as the courtyard of the high priest; and going inside, he sat with the guards in order to see how this would end.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 58)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, what type of followers are we, those who follow you from a distance or are we those of Your inner circles. This is a question that we are to ask ourselves. If we are of Your inner circles we then need to continue to place our trust in You and empower others to follow in our ways, however, if we are distant followers we need to stop and in a spirit of prayer and meditation on Your Bible, pray for discernment in order for us to be shown which blockages such as fear, distrust are keeping us at a distance from You my God and Father Amen.




59. Now the chief priests and the whole council were looking for false testimony against Jesus so that they might put him to death, 60. but they found none, though many false witnesses came forward. At last two came forward 61. and said, "This fellow said, 'I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days,"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 59 to 61)


Oh Jesus Son of God and my Father, even when it came to find a false accusation by which to condemn You your enemies found difficulty, because the truth was not in them, They were in control of the forces of evil and therefore they did not want to see or accept or believe in the truth even though in their hearts they knew that they were condemning an innocent person. At times oh Jesus we may also look for reasons to believe in You from only a worldly rationalistic perspective and end up finding nothing to satisfy our logic, others may believe because that is what they were taught to believe and therefore have no solid foundations to their faith while others have all the reason to believe for they have experienced You in their lives and is an active presence. Amen.


62. The high priest stood up and said, "Have you no answer? What is it that they testify against you?" 63. But Jesus was silent. Then the high priest said to him, "I put you under oath before the living God, tell us if you are the Messiah, the Son of God."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 62 to 63)


OH God my Father if You wanted You could have given a true answer and shut up Your accusers but before You stood the promise that You had made to Your Father to redeem us. Before You stood the long list of my sins and your sins and those of the rest of the world which persuaded You to hold Your silence, however when forced to speak under an oath You could not but continue to declare the truth that You are the Son of God incarnate in the human presence of the Son of Man in the person of Jesus..




64. Jesus said to him, "You have said so. But I tell you, From now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verse 64)


Oh Jesus my God and Father even though You said the truth, this was the cherry on the cake, the card in the hands of the High Priest to use against You, but funnily, enough all the time during the drama of our lives You are in control. At that moment, You pressed the 'continue' button so that the drama of Your passion could continue because You really and truly love us! Oh what a great love, that the world can never understand!




65. Then the high priest tore his clothes and said, "He has blasphemed! Why do we still need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy. 66. What is your verdict?" They answered, "He deserves death." 67. Then they spat in his face and struck him; and some slapped him, 68. saying, "Prophesy to us, Messiah! Who is it that struck you?"




(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 65 to 68)


Oh Jesus Son of the only Living God and my Father, the person who judged You as having blasphemed did the same thing himself. When tearing his sacred robes, he violated the will of God, that prohibited the High  Priest from doing such a thing to the sacred clothing given to him particularly as according to Your will. For more details in relation to this offence please click on the following link:-




The tearing of sacred robes




69. Now Peter was sitting outside in the courtyard. A servant-girl came to him and said, "You also were with Jesus the Galilean. 70. But he denied it before all of them, saying, "I do not know what you are talking about." 71. When he went out to the porch, another servant-girl saw him, and she said to the bystanders, "This man was with Jesus of Nazareth." 72. Again he denied it with an oath, "I do not know the man." 73. After a while the bystanders came up and said to Peter, "Certainly you are also one of them, for your accent betrays you." 74. Then he began to curse, and he swore an oath, "I do not know the man! At that moment the cock crowed. 75. Then Peter remembered what Jesus had said: "Before the cock crows, you will deny me three times." And he went out and wept bitterly.




(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 26 verses 69 to 75)




Oh Jesus Son of God, I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer. I pray that as one of Your followers I will be never a bystander but a close follower or disciple, one of the persons who is in Your intimate circles. I pray that when put to the test, by means of the circumstances by which You wish to test me I will prove to be faithful and reliable. Amen.

The Gospel according to Matthew Chapter 27

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING 

TO MATTHEW

 CHAPTER

27

1. When morning came, all the chief priests and the elders of the people conferred together against Jesus in order to bring about his death. 2. They bound him, led him away, and handed him over to Pilate the governor.

(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 1 to 2)

Oh Jesus son of God my Father, only You can tell what it must have felt like to be punched bruised spat on and battered by the forces of evil and left bound by heavy chains for a whole night while the elders spent the night and following, day planning Your death. How lonely it must have been, although while the evil ones were, gathered together You were  surely in contact with Your Father and my Father who for a second would not have left You rejected, forsaken and alone.  Oh God I also pray for those moments of loneliness in our lives, especially for those of us who have been sentenced to prison and may also experience this horrid feeling of loneliness. I also pray for the parents and relatives of such people, whom we call prisoners or criminals so that You will give them all consolation, love and care Amen.



3. When Judas, his betrayer, saw that Jesus' was condemned, he repented and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. 4. He said, " I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." But they said, "What is that to us? See to it yourself." 5. Throwing down the pieces of silver in the temple, he departed; and he went and hanged himself.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 3 to 5)



Oh Jesus, this is the trap of the evil one, first he leads us to sin, and then he does not give us a way out to repent and go back to our good ways and patterns. One our reward system in the brain is stimulated in order to possess that thing or that drug which gives us pleasure there is a high chance that we are overcome by this reward system. However as in the case of Judas who, may have thought that at the last minute You could have made a miracle and escaped the priests and the elders, felt deeply guilty and tried to seek repentance. However, the forces of evil leave no space for repentance but pave the way for desperation and death! However if the world quits on us, we have a merciful kind and loving Father who really loves and forgives us and bears with our misgivings Amen.



6. But the chief priests, taking the pieces of silver, said, "It is not lawful to put them into the treasury since they are blood money." 7. After conferring together, they used them to buy the potter's field as a place to bury foreigners. 8. For this reason that field has been called the Field of Blood to this day.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 6 to 8)



Oh God my Father this is a typical case of money laundering, that has become commonly practised even during our times. The income of Your sale which was the fruit of sin and wickedness were cleansed by being used in a legitimate transaction in the purchase of the field of the potter.



9. Then was fulfilled what had been spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, "And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of the one on whom a price had been set, on whom some of the people of Israel had set a price, 10. and they gave them for the potter's field as the Lord commanded me."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 9 to 10)



Oh God my Father, Judas and the High Priest agreed on the price of thirteen silver pieces as a price for the transaction to take place thus leading to Your betrayal. As Christians and Roman Catholics, it would be interesting to know how much we would value You my God and Father on a scale of 1 to 10. Amen.



11. Now Jesus stood before the governor; and the governor asked him,"Are you the King of the Jews" Jesus said, "You say so"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 11)



Oh Jesus, battered and bruised, tired eyes from having a rough and sleepless night You stood before the governor. Likewise oh Jesus we also stand before You as sinners, however in our situations, You are the one who is going to ask the questions. The question that was addressed to You by the governor of the world may be easily addressed to us. You may ask us "Am I Your God?. When confronted by this question all of us may have a different response to the given question. Amen. Oh Jesus I pray that You will stand before us before Your Father in heaven and advocate for me and others that even though my ways were not always according to Your will I truly love You. Amen.




12. But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he did not answer. 13. Then Pilate said to him, "Do you not hear how many accusations they make against you? 14. But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 12 to 14)



Oh Jesus son of God my Father when confronted by Your enemies for my sake and that of the world You remained silent. If You wanted one argument would have been enough to clear You of all the arguments brought against You but Your primary interest was my salvation and not Your own salvation from the passion that awaited You. Although at times we are placed on the receiving end and others gather false evidence against us we are to stick to the truth and let God's will be done, even if this holding our silence, because if we hold our silence You oh God can intervene if we try to defend ourselves it might be the case that we mess up by letting our emotions get the better of us.   


15. Now at the festival the governor was accustomed to release a prisoner for the crowd, anyone whom they wanted. 16. At that time they had a notorious prisoner called Jesus Barabbas. 17. So after they had gathered, Pilate said to them, "Whom do you want me to release for you, Jesus Barabbas or Jesus who is called the Messiah?"18. For he realized that it was out of jealousy that they handed him over.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 15 to 18)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, during moments of crisis we try and compromise with reality, by trying to fool ourselves that we are going to make a good decision by comparing like with like, according to our human criteria instead of according to Your teaching and will. Both outcomes may appear good, as both prisoners were called Jesus, however only one Jesus could save us, and this was surely not Jesus Barabbas the Jesus of the World.




19. While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent word to him, "Have nothing to do with that innocent man, for today I have suffered a great deal because of a dream  about him." 20. Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowds to ask for Barabbas and to have Jesus killed. 21. The governor again said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release for you?" And they said "Barabbas." 22. Pilate said to them, "Then what should I do with Jesus who is called the Messiah?" All of them said, "Let him be crucified! 23. Then he asked, "Why, what evil has he done?" But they shouted all the more, "Let him be crucified!"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 19 to 23)



Oh, Jesus Son of God My Father. Pilate was facing one of the biggest dilemmas of his life. He was trapped in satisfying the wishes of his wife, over the demands of his work represented by the demands of the people and above all by the reality that before him stood an innocent man who was brought before him as a consequence of the elders and high priest's jealousy.



At times oh Jesus we also face the same dilemmas. It is not easy to strike a balance between the demands of work and the demand of family, moreover, it is also not easy for the businessman to strike a balance between making an honest living by sticking to laws and standards that at times may place him at a disadvantage over ones' competitors to becoming corrupt in order to survive the stress of the competition and remain competitive.  Even though oh Jesus was on stress ,management without Your help and support I would not be able to cope with the daily work, and home stressors.



With reference to God and how we are to cope with stress please click on the following link:-



God the stress remover



24. So when Pilate saw that he could do nothing, but rather that a riot was beginning, he took some water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, "I am innocent of this man's blood; see to it yourselves." 25. Then the people as a whole answered, "His blood on us and on our children! 26. So he released Barabbas for them; and after flogging Jesus, he handed him over to be crucified. 


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 24 to 26)


Instead of solving the dilemma by being assertive even though his job as governor was at stake Pilate claimed to be not responsible for Your death. Oh Jesus Son of God my Father may we be responsible for our sins and never shirk the blame or responsibility on others. When claiming that Your blood was on them and on their children the people were not aware, that by the shedding of Your blood You would bring their salvation, even though they were not aware of what they were doing . Amen.



27. Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole cohort around him. 28. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29. and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!" 30. They spat on him, and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 27 to 31)



Oh God indeed we do not know what we do, had the Roman Soldiers been aware of whom they were spitting on and scourging with whips they would surely have refused carrying out such a cruel task. The scourging was so harsh and cruel that it could have made a man go crazy in pain. However for my sake my God and Father You did not turn Your back away from the whip that tore apart pieces of flesh from Your back and caused You great agony. With reference to the whip used by the Romans please click on the following link it was unimaginable:-



The Roman Whip or flagrum


The whipping process of 40 lashes




32. As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 32)


Oh God my Father as much as You never abandon us during times of trouble and stress and provide us the much-needed love care and support, Your loving Father did not deny You of the needed support in such a situation. We are never alone oh God my Father for You are our supporter from Cyrene who stays with us to the very end until we have drunk the last drop of our chalice of wine that You give us to be tried by and disciplined in Your school of love Amen.

33. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34. they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 33 to 34)



Oh God my Father the world offers us many quick fix solutions such as alcohol and drugs as a means to help us cope with our situations, however, these offers create more problems than ever and are of no help at all, for You are the only one who can give us comfort. I thank You oh Jesus for wanting to make the offering of Your self, complete by enduring without any means of relief every second of Your passion. Amen. 


35. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots; 36. then they sat down there and kept watch over him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 35 to 36)



Oh Jesus Son of God and my Father, You love us so much that You deny us of nothing that is good for us. Yo u gave us even the c;lothes that You were wearing and later on You even gave us Your mother in order to be our mother. Instead of giving adoration the soldiers kept watch over You as if You were going to go against the will of the Father and get down from the cross. I pray that we follow You with certainty and not with doubt in order to test if You are truly, as genuine as You say You are, by making one request after each other.


37. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, "This is Jesus, the King of the Jews."


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 37)



Oh God my Father the charge that they put upon Your head was in truth a declaration of truth and not one of condemnation, for in truth You are the god of all and not only the Jews. I can only imagine oh God the charge that would be placed upon my head if I were to be crucified. I pray for forgiveness, for even though I do my best not to commit my gravest of sins, I still end up doing the same sins. I still feel weak in front of the sinful situation. I pray for help on this issue my God and Father. I know that one day I will be completely healed of my desires and feelings. I believe in You my God and Father, I pray that You continue helping me to carry my cross up to Golgotha, for during sacred moments of prayer I am greatly tempted to sin by the evil one. I become harassed by negative thoughts. Amen.


38. Then two bandits were crucified with him. one on his right and one on his left.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 38)


Oh God my Father in life we are also crucified between our two selves, one is our natural self, which is our human nature, and the other is our spiritual self, which is the presence of the Holy Spirit who dwells within us. Both realities have voices which direct us to behave in different ways, of which one is totally good according to Your will and the other which is broken and limited by sin and the conditions of time and space and also to the limited abilities of our brains. At times we end up ' harassed ' by the two realities and at times end up siding with our natural reality with all its negative traits and inclinations, however on the other hand at other times we crucify our natural self and let ourselves be directed by the presence of Your holy Spirit who dwells within us. Amen.



39. Those who passed by derided him, shaking their heads 40. and saying, "You who would destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross." 41. In the same way the chief priests also along with the scribes and elders, were mocking him, saying, 42. "He saved others;  he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down from the cross now, and we will believe him. 43. He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he wants to; for he said, 'I am God's Son.'" 44. The bandits who were crucified with him also taunted him in the same way.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 39 to 44)



Oh God, my Father I can just imagine how sad You must have felt when experiencing such taunting. I know how much You love Your Father, and how cruel it is to experience such emotional abuse. I think this was worse than the Roman Flagrum that ripped Your body to pieces making damage that could not be repaired. I have also experienced such abuse therefore in a way I can understand my experiences but not as much as You can understand mine. As a human, I can empathise with You meaning experience understanding of how You may have felt in that particular situation for every situation is unique in itself. I thank You for understanding me and my situations and feeling compassion for me Amen.


45. From noon on, darkness came over the whole land until three in the afternoon. 46. And about three o'cklock Jesus cried with a loud voice, "Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?" that is, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 45 to 46)


At three o'clock the harshest of battles was at its peak, that is that between the forces of evil represented by the darkness that came over the whole land as if to conquer it and make of it a reign of darkness and the reign of light which found its origin in You oh God my Father. Your human nature reacted to the seemingly feeling of loneliness, however even though the heavens where, blotted out by the darkness You still placed Your trust in Your Father and raised a prayer to Him knowing well that He would never forsake or abandon You. Up to the last second of agony on the cross, Your eyes never left the heavens which show, how convinced You were that You were not alone and that soon You would be again reunited with Your Father in heaven. Amen.


Oh God, You teach us a wonderful lesson in faith and perseverance. Even though a situation may be difficult, even though storms may be raging, causing one tragic moment that is followed by another and another, accident claiming the death of a loved one, followed by a terminal illness, that claims the life of another, our eyes are to remain fixed on You from where our love and support is always flowing to our aid. Amen.


47. When some of the bystanders  heard it, they said, "This man is calling for Elijah. " 48. At once one of them ran and got a sponge, filled it with sour wine, put it on a stick, and gave it to him to drink.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 47 to 48)



Oh GOD my Father during trials You send us people or friends or provide us with professionals in order to help us however it is only You who can give us comfort and healing Amen. For anyone who feels afflicted in some way or other I invite you to join me in the following prayer by clicking on the following link



I am the GOD that heals you



49. But the others said, "Wait let us see whether Elijah will come to save him." 50. Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. 51. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. 52. The tombs also were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised.53. After his resurrection they came out of the tombs and entered the holy city and appeared to many,


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 49 to 53)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, up to the very end of Your physical life on earth You remained in contact with Your heavenly Father in a spirit of love and Faith. You let out a cry coming from a heart that knows the true meaning of love so much that in response to this great love You were given a reply instantly for the curtain of the temple was ripped apart, the earth shook as in an earthquake and rocks were split. Oh God my Father it was indeed heartbreaking to see Your only Son in such a state. As in the film the 'Passion of the Christ' Your heart, was so stimulated with compassion that a tear fell on the earth. I thank You for loving us so much oh God my Father, You who experienced such love for Your Son can never deny us Your children of that same love that was so powerful that it shook the earth from its foundations.



In order to view such a moving experience of the immense love of God during such painful moments of anguish and sorrow please click on the following link:-



Passion of the Christ Tear drop of God



54. Now when the centurion and those with him, who were keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake  and what took place they were terrified and said, "Truly this man was God's Son!"


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verse 54)



Oh, Jesus Son of God my Father, on reflecting on this verse I feel really mad at the centurion and myself in general. Had You not been preaching and showing enough signs to convince us of Your true self? Did it have to be the signs that were mentioned to convince us that You are the Son of God?




Oh God, my Father I pray for all those who have witnessed such confessions at the point of death of their loved ones, that either was of empowerment or of terror. I pray for all those who at such delicate moments discovered that they were the son's and daughters of the person that they held to be a foreigner, or maybe even the disclosure that one may be the sister or brother of one's girlfriend or boyfriend or that one had been adopted into that family.




I pray for forgiveness for we are all weak and subject to sin. We all sin, therefore we are to let the person making one's last confession rest in peace and forgive amen.




55. Many women were also there, looking on from a distance; they had followed Jesus from Galilee and had provided for him. 56. Among them were Mary Magdalene and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 55 to 56)



Oh Jesus Son of God my Father many of us are claiming to be Your followers, however in different stages. There are those whom You have called to advance very closely to You such as saints and many holy people who have sacrificed their life for You and there are those like myself who are those who are claimed to be sinners who are still tagging behind the crowds of good people begging for Your love and mercy with the hope that one day we will make part of Your inner circle and join the rest of the crowds of good people Amen.




57. When it was evening, there came a rich man from Arimathea, named Joseph who was also a disciple of Jesus. 58. He went to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus; then Pilate ordered it to be given to him.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 57 to 58)



Oh God my Father usually tasks that are performed in the evening are dark and evil, the darkness is the cloak of all those who commit such negative acts, however in this case it served to protect Joseph of Arimathea from the Pharisees and elders so that he could perform this noble task.




Oh Jesus Son of God my Father, I pray that we bury the past, forgive and forget. I am aware that certain situations such as the death of a loved one may not easy to experience, for the consequences of grief may take time to heal, however with Your help anything is possible Amen.




59. So Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a clean linen cloth 60. and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn in the rock. He then rolled a great stone to the door of the tomb and went away. 61. Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were there, sitting opposite the tomb.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 59 to 61)



Oh, Jesus Son of God my Father as humans we may also be wrapped up in bandages without or being aware of them or maybe even as according to our free choice. Our bandages may be our bad habits and compulsions and maybe even our deadliest sins that keep us bound up tightly giving us no opportunity to be free of them. However as in the case of Joseph You love us so much as to help us remove one bandage after another and even heal the wounds and signs of infection by changing our linen cloth. I ask of You to keep on taking care of both body and soul, for they are both in need of  Your supervision and treatment for I am still weak in the face of temptation. Indeed, the victory is Yours, for every time I think that I am strong and coping well I end up putting my foot in it and ending up in square one again. I pray that You have mercy on my deficiency Amen.




62. The next day, that is, after the day of Preparation, the chief priests and the Pharisees gathered before Pilate 63. and said "Sir, we remember what that impostor said while he was still alive, 'After three days I will rise again.' 64. Therefore command the tomb to be made secure until the third day; otherwise his disciples may go and steal him away, and tell the people, 'He has been raised from the dead,' and the last deception would be worse than the first." 65. Pilate said to them, "You have a guard of soldiers; go, make it as secure as you can." 66. So they went and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone.


(Gospel of Matthew Chapter 27 verses 62 to 65)



Up to the point of Your, death oh Jesus Son of God my Father the hearts of the Pharisees and the elders was hardened. Although this seems to be a negative act, in itself this was also an important part of Your plan for our salvation being unfolded. If You had not made them so obstinate and determined they would not have thought of making the tomb guarded so securely. On the other hand at the point of Your resurrection, these soldiers would serve as witnesses of Your resurrection and also a means of eliminating the fact, that Your body could ever have been stolen as a means of treachery.




Therefore oh Son of God my Father out of what seems to be a negative situation, You can turn into a positive one, even if all the possibilities or expectations appear to be almost impossible. You can change the course of nature. Even if a person is medically diagnosed with terminal cancer, You can reverse both the cause and the symptoms and restore health back to that person.




Oh Jesus Son of God my Father I would like to end this chapter with the following prayer:




I pray oh Jesus that You give us an overflowing abundance of Your Holy Spirit so that our Faith in You will be as firm as the rocks, like the lampstand in the tent of the meeting that was to remain always burning in order to reflect Your presence that is with us at all times. Amen