Now
when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor.
Matthew 27:1-2
Matthew 26 [74.] Then he began to curse and to swear, “I don’t know the man!”
Immediately the rooster crowed. Peter remembered the word which Jesus had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” He went out and wept bitterly.
Matthew 27 [1.] Now when morning had come, all the chief priests and the elders of the people took counsel against Jesus to put him to death: and they bound him, and led him away, and delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor. 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.”
But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it.”
Matthew 27 [5.] He threw down the pieces of silver in the sanctuary, and departed. He went away and hanged himself. The chief priests took the pieces of silver, and said, “It’s not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood.” They took counsel, and bought the potter’s field with them, to bury strangers in. Therefore that field was called “The Field of Blood” to this day. Then that which was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet was fulfilled, saying,
“They took the thirty pieces of silver,
the price of him upon whom a price had been set,
whom some of the children of Israel priced,
and they gave them for the potter’s field,
as the Lord commanded me.”
Meaning:
During the night Jesus had been questioned before the high priest Caiaphas and the council. When he declared that they would see “the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power”, the high priest called it blasphemy, and they answered, “He is worthy of death!” (Matthew 26:64; Matthew 26:65-66). At dawn the leaders met again to decide how to carry out their verdict. Mark records the same morning meeting: “Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus” (Mark 15:1).
- “Now when morning had come”
The council had already reached its decision in the dark, while Peter was denying his Lord in the courtyard outside. A meeting at daybreak gave the decision a more formal and public appearance. Later Jewish tradition held that capital cases should not be decided at night, and the leaders may have wanted their action to look lawful. Luke also places a council meeting “As soon as it was day” before Jesus was taken to Pilate (Luke 22:66). Matthew has already told us that the chief priests and elders “took counsel together that they might take Jesus by deceit, and kill him” (Matthew 26:1-5).
- “took counsel against Jesus to put him to death”
The leaders had a problem. Judea was under direct Roman rule, and the power to execute was kept by the Roman governor. In John’s Gospel they say plainly to Pilate, “It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death” (John 18:31). Their verdict of blasphemy would mean little to a Roman official, so they had to present Jesus as a political threat. Luke shows how the charge was reshaped: “We found this man perverting the nation, forbidding paying taxes to Caesar, and saying that he himself is Christ, a king” (Luke 23:2). That is why Pilate’s first question to Jesus will be, “Are you the King of the Jews?”
- “they bound him, and led him away”
Jesus had been arrested in Gethsemane, and now he was bound like a dangerous criminal. Yet the one who calmed the sea and raised the dead allowed himself to be tied and led. Isaiah had described the suffering Servant in the same way: “As a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and as a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he didn’t open his mouth” (Isaiah 53:7). Jesus had also said exactly what would happen: “the Son of Man will be delivered up to be crucified” (Matthew 26:2). The leaders thought they were in control, but they were carrying out what Jesus had foretold.
- “delivered him up to Pontius Pilate, the governor”
Pontius Pilate governed Judea for Rome from about AD 26 to 36. He normally lived in Caesarea on the coast but came to Jerusalem at the great feasts, when the city was crowded and unrest was likely. Ancient writers describe him as stubborn and harsh, and Luke mentions Galileans “whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices” (Luke 13:1). The words “delivered up” echo through the passion story. Judas delivered Jesus to the priests, the priests delivered him to Pilate, and Pilate would deliver him to be crucified. Peter later told the people of Jerusalem that they had “delivered up, and denied” Jesus “in the presence of Pilate” (Acts 3:13).
The Significance of Matthew 27:1-2
- When power is used against the truth
The leaders had already decided what they wanted and then looked for a way to make it look legal. Human courts and councils can be used to cover injustice with proper procedure. God sees past the procedure to the heart, and Christians are called to seek justice honestly and not to hide wrong behind rules.
- Jesus walked willingly toward the cross
Jesus was bound and handed over, but he was not a helpless victim. He had foretold every step and chose to go through with it for the sake of others. The one who stood bound before Pilate is the one who will come “on the clouds of the sky” (Matthew 26:64). His willingness to be delivered up shows the depth of his love.
Cross-References:
Mark 15:1: "Immediately in the morning the chief priests, with the elders and scribes, and the whole council, held a consultation, and bound Jesus, and carried him away, and delivered him up to Pilate." Mark’s parallel account.
John 18:31: "It is not lawful for us to put anyone to death," Why the council needed Pilate.
Isaiah 53:7: "As a lamb that is led to the slaughter," The Servant who did not resist.
Acts 3:13: "whom you delivered up, and denied in the presence of Pilate," Peter’s later words to Jerusalem.
Conclusion: At daybreak the council confirmed its night verdict, bound Jesus and handed him over to Pontius Pilate, because only the Roman governor could order an execution. The leaders thought they were in control, yet Jesus was walking the path he had foretold, the silent Lamb led to the slaughter for the sake of the world.
PIB Scriptures are derived from the World English Bible