From Gabbatha to the Garden – Matthew 26:36-50

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From Gabbatha to the Garden – Matthew 26:36-50

29 March, 2026

Series: Topical Series

Book: 1 Corinthians, John, Luke, Mark, Matthew

Pastor Simeon Western

Pastor Simeon Western

Notes Download

Scripture: Matthew 26:36-50, Mark 14-15, Luke 22-23, John 18-19

Gabbatha, Golgotha, the Garden

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This message follows in the footsteps of Christ from His scourging at Gabbatha to His crucifixion on Golgotha and His resurrection from the garden tomb. While not every event can be covered in detail (e.g. Judas’ betrayal and Peter’s denial), the aim is to present an overall picture of Christ’s journey to the cross through the eyes of the Gospel writers.

As we go through today’s message, have these words fixed in your heart and mind – “…Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures” (1 Cor. 15:3-4).

Let’s take a look at these three scenes and what Christ accomplished for us.

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Gabbatha – Christ Scourged for Our Sins

Christ was Arrested

Text: Matt. 26:36-56; Mk. 14:32-50; Lk. 22:39-53; Jn. 18:1-12

Sin started in a Garden, Christ was arrested in a garden, buried in a garden and rose again in a garden!

Christ was Tried

Text: Matt. 26:57-68; 27:1-2, 11-31; Mark 14:53-65; 15:1- 20; Luke 22:54-71; 23:1-25; John 18:12-24, 28-40, 19:1-16)

There were 6 trials conducted in this short period of time, leading up to Christ’s crucifixion. They represent the greatest miscarriage of justice the world has ever seen. Both Jewish and Roman law were broken to condemn the innocent Christ. The trials can be divided into two categories: 1. Ecclesiastical Trials, 2. Civil Trials

  1. The Ecclesiastical (Religious) Trials (during the night)
    1. A Preliminary audience with Annas (John 18:12-14)
    2. Tried before Caiaphas and Sanhedrin in an illegal night session (Matt. 26:57-68; Mark 14:53-65; Luke 22:54, 63-65; John 18:19- 24)
    3. Final trial before Sanhedrin in a brief meeting after dawn for formal sentencing (Matt. 27:1-2; Mark 15:1; Luke 22:66-71).
  2. The Civil (Political) Trials (early morning)
    1. The First trial before Pontius Pilate (Luke 23:1-5)
    2. The Trial before King Herod (Luke 23:6-12)
    3. The Final trial before Pilate (2nd time) (Matt. 27:11-26; Mark 1:1- 15; Luke 23:13-25, John 18:28-40)
  3. What the mistrial of Christ proved:
    1. The sinlessness of Christ – Christ was silent during the majority of this ordeal, a testament to His perfect innocence and surrender to the Father’s will. Christ’s innocence is confirmed repeatedly throughout these trials. He was totally pure and innocent.
      1. Pilate’s 5 acquittals – “I find in him no fault at all.”
      2. By Judas the betrayer – “I have betrayed the innocent blood”.
      3. Pilate’s wife’s statement – “Have thou nothing to do with that just man” (Matt. 27:19)
      4. Pilate expressed Herod’s verdict.
    2. The sinfulness of man – from the human perspective, it appeared that Christ was on trial before the religion and the Roman rulers. In reality, the wretchedness, darkness, vileness and wickedness of man’s depraved heart were exposed in the presence of the sinless Son of God.
    3. The falseness of man-made religion – the hypocrisy and corruption of works-based religion was exposed. The religious leaders were involved in the greatest crime in all of human history, and yet at the same time were careful to follow ceremonial laws to avoid being “defiled” (e.g., they would not enter the judgment hall, wanted bodies removed from crosses before the Sabbath).

Christ was Substituted

Text: Matt. 27:11-26; Mark 1:1-15; Luke 23:13- 25, John 18:28-40)

  1. We come now to the final trial before Pilate (2nd time). Pilate, hoping to have Christ released, offers them a choice between Barabbas, a robber and a murderer1, and Christ. “The governor answered and said unto them, Whether of the twain will ye that I release unto you? They said, Barabbas. Pilate saith unto them, What shall I do then with Jesus which is called Christ? They all say unto him, Let him be crucified.” (Matt. 27:21-22) Pilate, “willing to content the people”2 released Barabbas and after having Christ scourged, delivers Him for crucifixion.
  2. Samuel Crossman (1664): “They rise, and needs will have my dear Lord sent away; a murderer they save, the Prince of Life they slay. Yet willing he to suff’ring goes, that he his foes from thence might free.”
  3. What a picture of substitution! Jesus Christ took our place!

Christ Scourged

Text: Matt. 27:26; Mk. 15:15; John 19:1)

  1. “Then Pilate therefore took Jesus, and scourged him” (Jn. 19:1). We believe this took place in the Antonia Fortress that stood at the Northern end of the Temple Mount.
  2. “The scourge consisted of a handle to which several leather thongs were affixed. These were weighted on the ends with jagged pieces of bone and metal. This would help tear the flesh and make each blow more effective. The victim was stripped and usually tied to a post with his hands also bound so as not to be able to defend himself. The blows were normally applied to the back and loins, but sometimes to the whole body. According to Jewish law, a man could receive no more than forty stripes (Deut. 24:3). With the Romans, however, no such limitation was observed; it depended entirely upon the commander in charge. The implication of the text is that Jesus Christ received a Roman scourging, and it was by no means limited to 39 stripes.”3 Isaiah 52:14 “As many were astonied at thee; his visage was so marred more than any man, and his form more than the sons of men:”
  3. Isaiah 53:5 “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed.”

Christ was Mocked

Text: (Matt. 27:27-31; Mk. 15:16-20; Jn. 19:2-34

Read Matt. 27:27-31

  1. A mock coronation
    1. A mock robe.
    2. A mock crown (thorns) – Christ bore the curse of sin as his diadem (Gen. 3:17-18).
    3. A mock sceptre – a reed (something akin to a bamboo pole).
    4. Note: This is the third time Christ is mocked before He is crucified.
    5. Violence and contempt
      1. Spitting.
      2. Beating – smitten repeatedly with the reed (Vs. 30) and with the hands (John 19:3).
      3. Beard plucked out – Isaiah 50:6 “I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting.”

Christ was Rejected (Mk. 15:13-14; Lk. 23:21-23; Jn. 19:5-16)

Read John 19:1-16

  1. Isaiah 53:3 “He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
  2. Pilate brings Jesus out of the judgment hall where he has been scourged, crowned with thorns and viciously abused by the Roman soldiers.
  3. Pilate says to the crowd, “Behold the man!” They reply with “Crucify him, crucify him.”
  4. Christ was condemned to die right at the time the Passover was being prepared (Vs. 14). Little did the blinded religious leaders realize that before them stood the Lamb of God, the One to whom all the Passover lambs for hundreds of years had pointed.

Golgotha – Christ Crucified for Our Sins

Text: Matt. 27:31-54; Mark 15:16-39; Luke 23:26-49; John 19:16-37

The Pathway to the Crucifixion (Matt. 27:32-33)

  1. Christ bears His cross initially5 as “it was the practice to compel the one to be crucified to bear his own cross to the place of crucifixion”6, but soon it becomes too much for him to carry (the cross likely weighed around 30-50 kilograms) and Simon of Cyrene is compelled to assist. The path to the place of crucifixion from the Antonia Fortress was uphill. The crushing weight of the cross symbolised the weight of our sins. Isaiah 53:4 “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows:” Christ carried our sins and our sorrows up Calvary’s hill that day so that our broken hearts and lives could be healed from the disease of sin.
  2. There is an estimated distance of about 650 yards (590 meters) from the place of judgment to the place of crucifixion. The place was called “Golgotha”, meaning “the place of a skull”.7 A skull reminds us of death. Christ died to defeat death and bring new life (Rom. 6:23).

The Process of the Crucifixion (Matt. 27:34-37)

  1. Christ is offered vinegar, mingled with gall to drink. He tastes it but then refuses to drink it.8 Rabbinic writings indicate that the drink was provided as a charitable act by wealthy women in Jerusalem to deaden pain (like an ancient anaesthetic). Christ refused it, “determined to meet His suffering and death in the full possession of His faculties. It meant that in His self-giving, there was to be no self-sparing. He was determined to drink the bitter cup of His vicarious sufferings consciously to the very last.”9
  2. Christ was crucified at the 3rd hour (9am) (Mark 15:25).
  3. Four soldiers were assigned the task (John 19:23). No doubt the number was in part due to the expected struggle with the victim. But Christ laid down His life willingly. As the soldiers drove in the bitter, 7-inch (17cm) spikes into His hands and feet, they heard no cursing or uncontrolled shouts of terror. It was probably at this moment of inconceivable horror that the voice of the Son of Man was heard uplifted, not in a scream of natural agony at that fearful torture, but calmly praying in Divine compassion for His brutal and pitiless murderers – “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Think of those precious hands – strong hands, masculine hands, pure hands, loving hands, compassionate hands, healing hands, serving hands, the Son of God’s hands. Think of those precious feet – beautiful feet, serving feet, sinless feet, sacred feet. I see my hand gripping the mallet that day and my sins driving those awful spikes through Christ’s sinless hands and feet.
  4. Cross lifted into place: “When the cross was erected upright, there was tremendous strain put on the wrists, arms and shoulders, resulting in a dislocation of the shoulder and elbow joints. (Metherall) The arms, being held up and outward, held the rib cage in a fixed end inspiratory position, which made it extremely difficult to exhale, and impossible to take a full breath. The victim would only be able to take very shallow breaths. (This may explain why Jesus made very short statements while on the cross). As time passed, the muscles, from the loss of blood, lack of oxygen and the fixed position of the body, would undergo severe cramps and spasmodic contractions.” (David Terasaka, M.D.) Psalm 22:14 “I am poured out like water, and all my bones are out of joint: my heart is like wax; it is melted in the midst of my bowels.”

The Progression of the Crucifixion (Matt. 27:38-54)

  1. 3 hours of daylight – 9 am to 12 pm (3rd to 6th hour) (Mk. 15:25; Matt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk. 23:44)
    1. Christ was subjected to a fourth round of mockery by passers- by, the religious leaders, the two thieves crucified on either side of him and the soldiers. This is the fourth instance of Christ being mocked:
      1. Mocked before Caiaphas and Sanhedrin (Mk. 14:65).
      2. Mocked before Herod and his soldiers (Luke 23:11).
      3. Mocked before the soldiers of Pilate (Matt. 27:29).
      4. Mocked while upon the cross.
      5. Note: Unrepentant men still exhibit this same spirit of devilish mockery when confronted with the truth of Christ.
    2. Conversion of one repentant thief. Christ was a soul-winner until the very end! (Luke 23:39-43) What a picture of salvation by grace through faith alone (Eph. 2:8-9).
  2. 3 hours of darkness – 12 pm to 3 pm (6th to 9th hour) (Matt. 27:45; Mk. 15:33; Lk. 23:44)
    1. Started 6th hour (Vs. 45), which was midday (12 pm) when the sun is at its zenith. There was much activity around the cross in the first three hours, but now a silence falls over the scene. “It was during that time that He bore the indescribable curse of our sins. In those three hours were compressed the hell which we deserved, the wrath of God against all our transgressions. We see it only dimly; we simply cannot know what it meant for Him to satisfy all God’s righteous claims against sin. We only know that in those three hours He paid the price, settled the debt, and finished the work necessary for man’s redemption” (Believer’s BIble Commentary).
    2. 9th hour (3 pm)
      1. Christ’s rending cry of anguish – “And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” (Matt. 27:46; Psalm 22:1) Sin’s punishment is eternal separation from God (2. Thess. 1:9). Christ endured the wrath of God on our behalf and was forsaken by the Father at the cross. From all eternity past, the Father, Son and Spirit had enjoyed close and intimate communion (Jn. 1:18), but now Christ is left alone.
      2. Significantly, it was right around this time when Christ died that the Passover lambs were being slain just a short distance away at the temple. Little did they realize that the blood of the perfect Lamb of God “which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29) was being shed to provide a complete and full payment for sin at that very moment.
      3. Vinegar given to Christ in fulfilment of Psalm 69:21 “They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”
      4. Christ, in a loud voice, shouts “FINISHED” (Compare Matt. 27:50, Mk. 15:37, Luke 24:36 & John 19:30)
      5. “It is finished” = (Tetelestai). The word means “to be fully or entirely accomplished” (Logos). “Word was used in Greek commercial life. The term signified the completion of a transaction by the full payment of a price or the discharge of a debt by a completed payment.”10
      6. Christ paid my sin debt in full! We can add NOTHING to His perfect, complete sacrifice. (Eph. 2:8-9; Titus 3:3-7)
      7. Luke 23:46 “And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said, Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost.” Christ’s final words before he died. Rom. 5:8 & 1 Cor. 15:3 – Christ died for our sins!
      8. When Jesus died, two supernatural phenomena took place. The veil of the temple was rent in two, and there was an earthquake. In the words of Matthew’s Gospel, “Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; And the graves opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city and appeared unto many.” (Matt. 27:50-53)
      9. Shortly after Christ’s death, a spear was driven into His side. John 19:34 “But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water.” Christ died from a broken, ruptured heart.

The Garden – Christ’s Burial & Triumphant Resurrection

Christ’s Burial in the Garden (Matt. 27:57-66; Mk. 15:42-47)

  1. The People overseeing the burial (Vs. 57-58; John 19:38-42)
    1. Joseph of Arimathaea
      1. A “rich man” = prophetic significance. Isaiah 53:9 “And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death;”
      2. A secret disciple
      3. A “good man, and a just” (Luke 23:50) Luke 23:51 “(The same had not consented to the counsel and deed of them;)”
    2.  Nicodemus
      1. A member of the Jewish Sanhedrin (John 7:50)
      2. A man who had sought Christ by night (John 3)
    3. The timid made bold for Christ!
  2. The Process of the burial (Vs. 59)
    1. The body was wrapped in cloth
    2. The body embalmed with spices (myrrh and aloes)
  3. The Place of the burial (Vs. 60)
    1. Belonged to Joseph (the generosity of Joseph is highlighted)
    2. Was near the place of crucifixion in a garden (John 19:41-42)

Christ’s Resurrection in the Garden

Text: Mark 16:1-14

Sin started in a garden, and sin was defeated in a garden! Observe 3 truths about the resurrection in these verses:

The Arrival of the Women (Vs. 1-5)

In all four Gospels, this is the first incident on resurrection morning. Luke adds the name of Joanna and “other women with them” (Lk. 24:10).

  1. Their coming to the tomb (Vs. 1-2). The time of their coming:
    1. After the Sabbath had passed.
    2. Very early in the morning.
    3. The first day of the week.
    4. At the rising of the sun.
  2. The purpose of their coming
    1. They had purchased sweet spices to anoint Christ’s body as an act of devotion and love.
    2. This was not the same as embalming. “The purpose apparently was to add externally their fragrant ointments as an expression of their love.” (Hiebert)
    3. Clearly, these dear ladies had forgotten Christ’s promise concerning His resurrection and were coming in the full expectation that He was still dead in the tomb. Luke 24:5- 6 “And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,”
  3. Their problem at the tomb (Vs. 3)
    1. The main point of discussion between these women was how they would roll the stone away from the door.
    2. Evidently, they were not aware of the sealing of the tomb and of the guards stationed there (Matt. 27:62-66).
  4. Their entry into the tomb (Vs. 4-5)
    1. They found the stone already rolled away! Matthew’s Gospel explains how the stone was removed.
    2. Matthew 28:1-4 “In the end of the sabbath, as it began to dawn toward the first day of the week, came Mary Magdalene and the other Mary to see the sepulchre. And, behold, there was a great earthquake: for the angel of the Lord descended from heaven, and came and rolled back the stone from the door, and sat upon it. His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow: And for fear of him the keepers did shake, and became as dead men.”

The Announcement of the Angel (Vs. 6-8)

  1. His Declaration (Vs. 6)
    1. “he is risen; he is not here” = what glorious words of victory! Luke’s account expresses it this way, “Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them. And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre. And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments: And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? He is not here, but is risen…” (Lk. 24:1-6)
    2. “behold the place where they laid him” = the place where Christ was laid was on the right side of the tomb (Vs. 5). All that was left was the graveclothes and the napkin lying there as a silent witness to the truth that Christ had risen (John 20:5-7).
  2. His Instruction (Vs. 7-8)
    1. The instruction was to “go” and “tell”.
    2. Our mission is the same. We are to testify to the truth of the resurrection of Christ.
    3. The preaching of the resurrection was a central theme in the early church (see the Book of Acts). Acts 4:33 “And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus:”

The Appearances of the Lord (Vs. 9-14)

Three of the post-resurrection appearances are documented here. Acts 1:3 says, “To whom also he shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God:” A key theme is the initial response of unbelief on the part of the disciples.

  1. The Appearance to Mary Magdalene (Vs. 9-11)
    1. A woman was the first in the world to sin, but it is of interest to note that women were the first to see the empty tomb and that Mary Magdalene was the first to see the risen Christ.
    2. Mary goes to the disciples who were “mourning and weeping” and told them she had seen Christ but they “believed not”. Luke 24:9-11 “And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest. It was Mary Magdalene, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles. And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.”
    3. Unbelief was the first heart response of the disciples to the truth of the resurrection. This is the natural tendency of the human heart. Thankfully, for the disciples, their issue was one of doubt, not a stubborn, unrepentant unbelief like that of the unsaved. They would soon be convinced of the truth of the resurrection and would proclaim it with great power to others.
  2. The Appearance to the two disciples (Vs. 12-13). This appearance of Christ is documented at length in Luke’s Gospel (Lk. 24:13-35). Sadly, the disciples’ response to these two witnesses was also one of unbelief.
  3. The Appearance to the eleven (Vs. 14) Christ rebukes the disciples sternly for not believing the eyewitness accounts. The eyewitness accounts verified what Christ promised He would do all along.

Do you believe in the resurrection?

  1. The truth of the resurrection is essential for salvation (Rom. 4:25; 10:9-10).
    1. Rom. 4:25 “Who was delivered for our offences, and was raised again for our justification.”
    2. Rom. 10:9 “That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.”
  2. The Apostle Paul confronts the implications of no resurrection head-on in 1 Corinthians 15:12-20.
    1. No resurrection means Christ is dead! (Vs. 13, 16).
    2. No resurrection means Apostolic preaching is empty (Vs. 14a).
    3. No resurrection means our faith is empty (14b).
    4. No resurrection makes the Apostles liars (Vs. 15).
    5. No resurrection means we are still in our sins (Vs. 16-17).
    6. No resurrection means departed Christians have perished (Vs. 18).
    7. No resurrection means a life of misery and hopelessness (Vs. 19).
    8. Paul forces us to stare this dreadful idea in the face that we might see it in all its blackness. Then he deals it a fateful blow with a powerful assertion of the truth. (Vs. 20)

Conclusion

  1. To the lost: Are you saved? Hebrews 2:3 “How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation…”
  2. To the saved: Are you surrendered? Thou didst that for me, what can I do for Thee?! 1 Cor. 6:20 “For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body, and in your spirit, which are God’s.”

References

  1. Luke 23:25; John 18:40
  2. Mark 15:15
  3. 3 John W. Lawrence
  4. Took place in “the common hall” (Matt. 27:27) called ‘Praetorium’ (Mk. 15:16) which was likely the fortress Antonia (Hiebert)
  5. John 19:17
  6. Hiebert
  7. Matthew 27:33; Mark 15:22; John 19:17
  8. Matthew 27:34
  9. Hiebert
  10. Pentecost

Sermon Audio Id: 328261121443704