Podcast Summary: The Bible Recap – Day 316 (Matthew 27, Mark 15) - Year 7

Host: Tara-Leigh Cobble
Date: November 12, 2025

Episode Overview

In this pivotal episode of The Bible Recap, Tara-Leigh Cobble guides listeners through the first half of the crucifixion narrative, focusing on the trials of Jesus as described in Matthew 27 and Mark 15. With an emphasis on slowing down and deeply considering these familiar passages, Cobble unpacks the religious and civil trials, Pontius Pilate’s dilemma, the crowd’s choice of Barabbas, Judas’s fate, and the underlying significance of these events within God’s sovereign plan.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Trials of Jesus

• Religious vs. Civil Trials (00:30–03:00)

  • Jesus undergoes three religious trials, where Jewish leaders declare him guilty.
  • He’s then presented to Pontius Pilate, the Roman governor, since only Romans can administer the death penalty.
  • Accusations focus on Jesus’s claim to be king—a political threat to Rome.
  • In Luke’s account, the charge also includes forbidding taxes to Caesar, which Tara-Leigh clarifies is a lie (cf. Luke 20).

• Pilate & Herod’s Interactions (03:00–04:30)

  • Pilate questions Jesus about being king; Jesus explains his kingdom is not of this world.
  • Pilate’s famous question: “What is truth?”
  • Pilate tries to avoid judgment by sending Jesus to King Herod.
  • Jesus is mocked (purple robe, crown of thorns) before being sent back to Pilate.

Pilate's Struggle & Barabbas’s Release

• Pilate’s Wife’s Dream (04:30–05:30)

  • Pilate’s wife has a troubling dream about Jesus and warns him to leave Jesus alone.
  • Tara-Leigh considers whether this dream originates with God (to add to Pilate’s guilt) or from Satan (to thwart the crucifixion).

• The Custom of Prisoner Release (05:31–07:00)

  • Pilate offers the crowd a choice between Jesus and Barabbas, a criminal guilty of robbery, insurrection, and murder.
  • The people choose to free Barabbas.

  Notable Quote:

  “We are Barabbas, set free because Christ was kept as the sin offering.”
  — Tara-Leigh Cobble (06:50)

• Old Testament Parallel (07:00–08:00)

  • Reference to Leviticus 16’s scapegoat: one sacrificed, one set free. Tara-Leigh draws a parallel to Jesus and Barabbas.

The Crowds, Pilate’s Hand-Washing, and True Innocence

• Pilate symbolically washes his hands, attempting to absolve himself of guilt.

• Tara-Leigh emphasizes,

  “Passivity doesn’t equal innocence.” (08:15)

• Powerful Irony in Matthew 27:25

  “His blood be on us and on our children.”
  Tara-Leigh notes this tragic statement is, in fact, humanity’s only hope—Jesus’s sacrificial blood covers our sins.

God’s Sovereignty in the Trials

• “God is sovereign over every trial Jesus encounters and every ruler who hands down a verdict.” (09:00)
• Christ’s death was the plan from before the world was formed (Revelation 13:8).

The Question of the Seventh Trial

• Tara-Leigh’s Theological Curiosity (09:30–11:00)
  • Noting six trials (three religious, three civil), she wonders why not seven—the biblical number of completeness.
  • Shares her theory (clearly marked as speculation):

    “The seventh and final verdict is actually the one handed out by God the Father, affirming and approving of the finished work of Christ on the cross, his beloved Son, in whom he is well pleased. The perfect, complete verdict handed down by the one righteous Judge. But maybe not.” (10:45)

The Fate of Judas

• Judas, overwhelmed by guilt, tries to return the silver and then dies by suicide.
• Tara-Leigh explains the difference between “worldly sorrow” and “godly sorrow” (see 2 Corinthians 7:10):

  “Worldly sorrow has no hope. And that’s where Judas found himself.” (12:10)

Memorable Moments & Quotes

• On the crowd’s demand for crucifixion:

  “They didn’t realize it, but that is the only hope for any of us, that the blood of his sacrifice would cover our sins.” (08:30)

• On Jesus’s humility:

  “The humility Jesus displays as he submits to the Father’s plans, as he receives the false accusations and the mocking and the rejection of the people he loves so much...I ache with him in this moment, knowing I’ve done this to him. As much as Judas, just as much as Pilate, just as much as the crowds.” (13:00)

• Closing reflection:

  “And still he covers me with the blood of his sacrifice. Still he brings me the peace and hope that he promised his followers right before this all started happening less than 24 hours ago. And still and always, he's where the joy is.” (13:30)

Important Timestamps

• 00:02 – Introduction and overview
• 00:30 – The religious and civil trials of Jesus
• 03:00 – Pilate’s questioning and Herod’s mocking
• 05:31 – Pilate’s dilemma and the freeing of Barabbas
• 08:15 – Pilate washes his hands, crowd’s response
• 09:00 – God’s sovereignty amid injustice
• 09:30 – Speculation on the seventh trial
• 12:00 – Judas’s remorse and fate
• 13:00 – Cobble’s “God shot” and closing reflection

Conclusion

This episode encourages listeners not to rush through well-known Scriptures, but to sit with them, acknowledge their emotional and theological weight, and reflect on their relevance. Tara-Leigh Cobble’s compassionate, insightful tone highlights the depth of Jesus’s sacrifice and the surprising hope embedded even in the darkest of moments. The call to humility and gratitude runs throughout, reminding every listener that “He’s where the joy is.”