The Chief Priests and Elders Seek To Have Jesus Sentenced To Death And Judas Returns The Blood Money and Hangs Himself (27:1-10).
The chapter commences with the Chief Priests and Elders seeking how they can have Jesus sentenced to death, followed by Judas coming to them and returning the blood money. They then try to repudiate their guilt, and finally act in such a way that they actually ‘fill to the full' a prophecy which points to God's coming vengeance on them for what they have done.
The account of Judas' remorse and change of heart is probably placed here in order to emphasise that in spite of Jesus' condemnation by the Sanhedrin He is totally innocent, in contrast with the blood guilt of the Chief Priests and Elders. In the same way Matthew will emphasise his total innocence before Pilate (Matthew 27:19; Matthew 27:24). Thus while the Chief Priests and Elders, and the Jerusalemites, pursue Him to His death, all others make clear that He is innocent. A further purpose is to bring out the prophecy concerning the ‘potter's field' which indicates a ray of hope ahead for a people whose Temple and capital city are soon to be destroyed (Jeremiah 32:14-15; Jeremiah 32:25; Jeremiah 32:29; Jeremiah 32:38-40).
Analysis of Matthew 27:1-10.
a Now when morning was 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 Pilate the governor (Matthew 27:1-2).
b Then Judas, who betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself, and brought back the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders (Matthew 27:3).
c Saying, “I have sinned in that I betrayed innocent blood.” But they said, “What is that to us? You see to it” (Matthew 27:4).
d And he cast down the pieces of silver into the sanctuary and departed (Matthew 27:5 a)
e And he went away and hanged himself (Matthew 27:5 b).
d And the chief priests took the pieces of silver (Matthew 27:6 a).
c And said, “It is not lawful to put them into the treasury, since it is the price of blood”, And they took counsel, and bought with them the potter's field, to bury strangers in, for which reason that field was called, the field of blood, to this day (Matthew 27:6-8).
b Then was fulfilled what was spoken through Jeremiah the prophet, saying, “And they took the thirty pieces of silver, the price of him who was priced, whom certain of the children of Israel did price” (Matthew 27:9).
a And they gave them for the potter's field, as the Lord appointed me (Matthew 27:10).
Note that in ‘a' the Chief Priests and Elders seek to deliver to Jesus to death, something which will result in God's deliverance, but also in the destruction of Jerusalem, and in the parallel the potter's field is bought, which in Jeremiah 32:6-29 indicates both God's deliverance (Jeremiah 32:15) and the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Jeremiah 32:29). In ‘b' Judas brings back the thirty pieces of silver which would be used to buy a field, and in the parallel Matthew includes the prophecy of the thirty pieces of silver which will be cast to the potter (Zechariah 13:11). In ‘c' Judas declares that he has betrayed innocent blood, and in the parallel the money is used to buy a field which is called the Field of Blood. In ‘d' Judas casts down the silver into the sanctuary, and in the parallel the Chief Priests take up the pieces of silver which he has delivered to them. Centrally in ‘e' Judas departs and hangs himself.