the plot of jesus: what can WE learn

​·Matthew 27:1-10
·The Plot
·What Can We Learn

Very early in the morning the leading priests and the elders of the people met again to lay plans for putting Jesus to death. Then they bound him, led him away, and took him to Pilate, the Roman governor. When Judas, who had betrayed him, realized that Jesus had been condemned to die, he was filled with remorse. So he took the thirty pieces of silver back to the leading priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he declared, “for I have betrayed an innocent man.” “What do we care?” they retorted. “That’s your problem.” Then Judas threw the silver coins down in the Temple and went out and hanged himself. The leading priests picked up the coins. “It wouldn’t be right to put this money in the Temple treasury,” they said, “since it was payment for murder.” After some discussion they finally decided to buy the potter’s field, and they made it into a cemetery for foreigners. That is why the field is still called the Field of Blood. This fulfilled the prophecy of Jeremiah that says,

​“They took the thirty pieces of silver--
 the price at which he was valued by the people of Israel,
and purchased the potter’s field,
as the Lord directed.” (Matthew 27:1-10, NLT). 

​Okay, we have read Matthew 27:1–10. Let’s analyze what took place during this plot and determine what we can learn from it.
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THE PLOT

In verse 1, the chief priests and elders of the people plotted to have Jesus murdered. They sketched out an entire calculated plan.

Step 1: They had Jesus arrested and placed before the Roman governor, Pilate. This was necessary because the Jewish leaders could not legally execute anyone; Rome had removed their right to enforce capital punishment. Only Pilate could issue a death sentence.

Step 2: They needed a patsy to help set Jesus up. That patsy was Judas Iscariot (Matthew 26:14–16).

Step 3: Judas selected the best opportunity to betray Jesus and handed him over to the multitude of men sent by the chief priests and elders (Matthew 26:47–56).
Once Jesus was taken into custody, he was presented before Caiaphas, the high priest, along with the scribes and elders (Matthew 26:57–58). While in custody, this council sought false testimony against Jesus so they could legally put him to death, but none was found (Matthew 26:59–60).

Step 4: They put Jesus through a preliminary trial to determine how they could legally charge him with a crime deserving death (Matthew 26:60–68). After holding the preliminary trial, the next day Caiaphas, along with the chief priests and elders, bound Jesus and led him to Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:1–2).

Step 5: The official trial began (Matthew 27:11–13). In verses 15–25, an interesting exchange took place between the people, the chief priests, the elders, and Pilate. Pilate presented Jesus—an innocent man accused of insurrection and blasphemy—next to Barabbas, an actual insurrectionist. Pilate asked the crowd, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas, or Jesus…” (Matthew 27:15–17). Pilate knew the chief priests and elders were envious of Jesus (Matthew 27:18). Their envy fueled their plot to murder an innocent man.

Then Pilate’s wife interrupted the hearing to warn him. She had a dream concerning Jesus and realized He was innocent. She understood the religious leaders were trying to take the life of a righteous man. She told her husband, “Have nothing to do with this man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him” (Matthew 27:19).

Step 6: In the final stage of the trial, to ensure Jesus was convicted, the chief priests and elders persuaded the crowd to free Barabbas and sentence Jesus to death (Matthew 27:20–22). Pilate asked the crowd why Jesus should be crucified and what evil He had done. Neither the chief priests, the elders, nor the crowd could provide any proof of guilt. Yet the multitudes continued to cry out, “Let Him be crucified!” (Matthew 27:22–23).

Pilate was pressured into sentencing an innocent man to death. As he pronounced judgment, he took a bowl of water and washed his hands, declaring, “I am innocent of the blood of this just person…” (Matthew 27:24).

What the people of God said next is shocking. They declared upon themselves and their children, “His blood be on us and on our children.” They clearly did not understand what they had done or the consequences they were placing upon themselves and their descendants. They did not grasp how foolish it was to accept responsibility before God for demanding Jesus’ crucifixion.
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​SIDEBAR: Their agreement with the chief priests and elders concerning Jesus’ murder would later destroy the nation of Israel. History shows that shortly after the crowd declared, “His blood be on us and on our children,” Rome came and annihilated the nation. Jerusalem was destroyed, and the Temple was demolished and burned (Matthew 21:44; 23:38; 24:1–2). 

This was major. The people, the chief priests, and the elders called for the execution of a sinless man—the Son of God—and then placed judgment upon themselves and their children for their role in His death.
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Note: The crowd did not have to be the ones who physically executed Jesus, like Pilate, the chief priests, or the elders. The fact that they agreed with His conviction made them partakers of God’s judgment. They placed themselves and their children under a curse (compare Matthew 27:25).

WHAT CAN WE LEARn

This article could conclude in many directions, but I want to focus on the outcome of the people whom the chief priests and elders persuaded to free Barabbas—the guilty criminal—and crucify Jesus—the innocent, sinless man. How their bad decision serves as both an example and a warning for us today.

This is what the Apostle Paul explained in 1 Corinthians 10:11: “These things happened to them as examples for us. They were written down to warn us who live at the end of the age” (NLT). In other words, when we repeat the same behaviors as those in the past, we will reap the same results. King Solomon expressed it this way: history merely repeats itself; what has been done before will be done again, and nothing under the sun is truly new.
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We must be careful about declaring a person guilty of a crime—even when officials provide so‑called evidence. As Americans, we know our government is compromised and corrupt, just as the chief priests and elders were in Jesus’ day. As corrupt and envious men, they were determined to take the life of an innocent man. To achieve this, they had to convince the people to believe, support, and agree with their lies. They used their judicial system and governmental officials to distribute and promote deception. Once Jesus was arrested and processed through the Roman legal system, it became easier to convince the people that He was guilty of insurrection and blasphemy. 
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THE LESSON FOR TODAY

We must be very careful and wise about declaring whether a person is guilty. If we make the wrong decision about a soul, we can come under God’s judgment for taking the life of an innocent person.

Let’s revisit Matthew and read what the people said after agreeing with the chief priests and elders to have Jesus killed:
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​Pilate saw that he wasn’t getting anywhere and that a riot was developing. So he sent for a bowl of water and washed his hands before the crowd, saying, “I am innocent of this man’s blood. The responsibility is yours!”

And all the people yelled back, “We will take responsibility for his death—we and our children! (Matthew 27:24-25)
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Ask yourself: Is this what you want? Judgment on yourself and your children for declaring an innocent man guilty of a crime he did not commit.
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