by Marcus

Created on: July 02, 2008

Matthew 27 shows the prophetic nature of Jesus' ministry as his mortal life comes to dramatic close. This section is a chorus of Prophets voices that echoes with us today. Chapter 27 opens with an image from Zechariah 11. Although most translations have a textual reference to Jeremiah we should be mindful that it was Jeremiah who openly challenged the priest and the lying scribes. These two prophetic images, Zechariah and Jeremiah, mixed with Jesus' rapidly closing ministry show that Jesus was making a stand against false and greedy religious leaders. Matthew's Gospel shows us quite clearly that Jesus was not a threat to the Roman Empire but to the Roman appointed priesthood.

When Jesus does stand before Emperor Tiberius' representative in Jerusalem, Pontius Pilate, he says, "You say so," and then he remains silent. In this section, Jesus is seen as the fulfillment of Isaiah's prophecy like a lamb that remains silent before the shearers and did not open his mouth. Jesus speaks briefly to Pilate but to his real accusers he remains silent and does make intersession for his transgressors.
Taking a new look at this text and purposely distancing myself away from Good Friday. I get the impression that Matthew wants to conjure, and I use that word in the best sense, prophetic images for us to see Jesus' anointing not as a priest or king, but as a prophet. I still fully believe that understanding Matthew's Gospel is to see The Sermon on the Mount at the heart and thrust of it. Jesus teaches, yes, he is a Rabbi, but he uses poetic images to teach in the same manner that the prophets of old acted out God's word in their actions.
Jesus acted out God' prophecies and in doing so, shows us that his anointing was not just as a Prophet who acts out God's undying and transcendent Word.
His death occurs at 3pm, the hour of prayer that was very important to the early Christians. He calls out Psalm 22 to remind all those who hear those words to think of the poetic and prophetic images of that Psalm. It ends in hopeful and victorious language:

From you comes my praise in the great congregation;
my vows I will pay before those who fear him.
The poor shall eat and be satisfied;
those who seek him shall praise the LORD.
May your hearts live forever!

All the ends of the earth shall remember
and turn to the LORD;
and all the families of the nations
shall worship before him.
For dominion belongs to the LORD,
and he rules over the nations.

To him, indeed, shall all who sleep in the earth bow down;
before him shall bow all who go down to the dust,
and I shall live for him.
Posterity will serve him;
future generations will be told about the Lord,
and proclaim his deliverance to a people yet unborn,
saying that he has done it.
As Jesus dies, there is a great earthquake. Jesus certainly did shake up the world. The saints who died left their tombs and appeared to many. I believe in my heart that this is an image of the prophets of old whose words came alive again through Jesus.

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