What does Matthew 27:2 mean?
The Sanhedrin, the Jewish religious ruling body, had found Jesus guilty of blasphemy for His claim to be the Messiah. Although the trial was entirely false (Matthew 26:57–68), and the verdict decided long before (John 11:53), they agreed on a sentence of death. Jewish law of the time, however, said such trials had to happen in openness and during the day. To wiggle around this requirement, a hasty repeat of the verdict is given after morning breaks (Matthew 27:1).Jesus' enemies have another problem. Under Roman law, they did not have the authority to put prisoners to death. Only the Romans could perform legal executions. To accomplish their death sentence, Jerusalem's religious leaders will need the Roman governor of their region to give the order. To that end, they send a captive Jesus to Pontius Pilate for yet another verdict and sentence.
Christ's predictions about these events continue to be fulfilled exactly as He said: "The Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death and deliver him over to the Gentiles" (Matthew 20:18–19). Jesus continues to offer no resistance to those who accuse, beat, and march Him from place to place. He knows He is exactly where His Father means for Him to be.
Pontius Pilate served as the governor of the region of Judea from 26 to 36 AD. Sources outside the Bible describe Pilate as cruel, unfavorable to the Jewish people, and sometimes insecure. His tenure was marked by acts of violence, and he was eventually replaced. In 1961, an inscription was discovered in Caesarea Maritima that mentioned Pilate as a prefect in the region. He apparently only came to Jerusalem during feasts or festivals or when there was likely to be trouble that required his attention.
