Matthew 27:27-44

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Introduction

Jesus Is Mocked

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

The Crucifixion

32 pAs they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

Now, while today is Easter, and we’re remembering the resurrection of our Lord, I’m going to be preaching through the events that lead up to his death here in Matthew 27. I figured that since we’re only a few verses and a couple of sermons away from naturally reaching the account of his resurrection in chapter 28, that rather than preaching on his resurrection today, only to preach on it again in a few weeks, that we’d stick with where we’re at here in chapter 27, and focus in on Jesus’ resurrection here in a few weeks as we reach chapter 28 anyway. So, hopefully, that doesn’t disappoint you too much if you were hoping to hear a sermon specifically on the resurrection today, but if it does, then I encourage you to keep coming back over the next few weeks, and eventually you’ll get to hear one, because it won’t take long before I reach Matthew chapter 28.
Now, if you were here last week you should recall that we looked at part two of Jesus’ trial, Jesus’ trial before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate. The first part of his trial was before the Jewish Sanhedrin where he was condemned for blasphemy, whereas when he appeared before Pilate the Sanhedrin charged him with treason, that Jesus was claiming to be a king and thereby challenging Caesar’s authority. And at the end of Jesus’ trial Pilate condemns him to death, after being pressured by the Jews to do so, and more specifically, death by crucifixion. We read there in verse 26 that he,

released for them Barabbas, and having scourged Jesus, delivered him to be crucified.

Jesus scourged

So, we read there that Jesus is not only delivered over to be crucified, but Pilate had him scourged as well. Now, if you’re not familiar with that term, scourging someone simply consists of beating them severely. In the Roman Empire it was a judicial penalty that involved a severe beating with a multi-lashed whip containing embedded pieces of bone and metal. This was also intended to speed up the process of death for those who were going to be crucified. And this was what Jesus had been telling his disciples all along, that he would be flogged and crucified. Matthew 20:17-19 says,

17 And as Jesus was going up to Jerusalem, he took the twelve disciples aside, and on the way he said to them, 18 “See, we are going up to Jerusalem. And the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and scribes, and they will condemn him to death 19 and deliver him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.”

And so it’s at this point in the story that we pickup here in verse 27. Jesus’ trial has come to a conclusion and now his suffering and crucifixion are upon him. We read there in verse 27,

Jesus Is Mocked

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

So, not only is he flogged, but he’s mocked, he’s ridiculed. Pilate hands Jesus over to be crucified, and we’re told that his soldiers took him into the governor’s headquarters, and an entire battalion of them gathered around him (probably hundreds of soldiers), and they proceeded to mock him and strike him over and over again.

Jesus mocked

Now, we all know that Jesus was brutally beaten, and that he was marred even beyond human recognition. The prophet Isaiah predicted hundreds of years earlier that the Messiah would be mistreated in this way, in Isaiah 52:14 he wrote that,

his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance,

and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—

So, for most of us, it goes without saying that Jesus suffered greatly in his body, but I want you to see here that Matthew focuses less on the graphic details of Jesus’ physical suffering, and more on the content of the soldier’s mockery that’s aimed at him. Notice again what they say and what they do, starting there in verse 28,

28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

Notice the scarlet robe, notice the crown of thorns, and the reed they put in his right hand. These items are all intended to make a mockery of Jesus, and their mockery of Jesus is founded upon what these items symbolize. The soldiers have apparently been aware of Jesus’ judicial proceedings, they’re aware that the Jews have accused Jesus of calling himself a king. Yet, here he is, subject to the abusive whims of Pilate’s soldiers. What kind of king is this?
So, for sport, they dress him up like a king, they strip him naked and put on him one of their scarlet robes, one of their military cloaks to symbolize his supposed royalty, they twist together a wreath of thorns and they put it on his head like a crown, to symbolize his supposed authority, and they put in his right hand a reed (that is, a stick), like a scepter, symbolizing a king’s power.
They dress him up like a king with cheap substitutes in order to humiliate him, and they go so far as to mockingly bow down before him to pay homage, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” as though they were saying, “Hail, Caesar!” And if that wasn’t enough Matthew says they spit on him and struck him with the read that was in his hand. The whole sequence is a mock enthronement to make fun of Jesus.
But don’t fail to recognize the irony, while the soldiers made a mockery of Jesus, we ought to realize that the soldiers spoke more truthfully about him than they knew, and that’s what Matthew intends for us to see. That, while to them, Jesus seemed powerless, we know that he was the sort of man that even the winds and seas obeyed him. That, while to them, Jesus seemed like just an ordinary man, that he was the son of David, a King, conceived of the Holy Spirit, God in the flesh, very God of very God. That while they mockingly paid homage to him, that one day every knee would bow, and every tongue would confess that he is Lord.

Crucifixion

Then in verse 31 it says that,

when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.

So, finally, after they’ve grown tired of their fun they strip him of the scarlet robe and put on his own clothes, and lead him away to be crucified. Now, Matthew doesn’t spend much time (nor do any of the other Gospel writers) detailing what it meant, or looked like, for a person to suffer crucifixion, probably because they didn’t have to, because everyone understood what crucifixion entailed. That crucifixion was one of the most grotesque and humiliating ways to die. NT scholar, D.A. Carson, writes that, “Crucifixion was unspeakably painful and degrading. Whether tied or nailed to the cross, the victim endured countless [convulsions] as he pulled with his arms and pushed with his legs to keep his chest cavity open for breathing and then collapsed in exhaustion until the demand for oxygen demanded renewed [convulsions]. The scourging, the loss of blood, the shock from the pain, all produced agony that could go on for days, ending at last by suffocation, cardiac arrest, or loss of blood.” In fact, Carson goes on to point out that, “In Roman law it was reserved only for the worst criminals and lowest classes. No Roman citizen could be crucified without a direct edict from Caesar.” (D. A. Carson, “Matthew,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, 574)
Not only that, but “among Jews the horror of the cross was greater still because of Deuteronomy 21:23: “Anyone who is hanged on a tree is under God’s curse.” [So], in Israelite law this meant the corpse of a judicially executed criminal was hung up for public exposure that branded him as cursed by God.” (D.A. Carson) And we know that later on in the NT the Apostle Paul, in his letter to the Galatians, would pick up on this idea and write that,

13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us—for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who is hanged on a tree”

In other words, while we deserve to be under a curse, Jesus did not deserve to be under a curse, yet, Paul tells us that he became a curse for us, and thereby redeemed us from the curse. He bore the penalty of the curse in himself that we might be redeemed from it. And the truth is, we could spend many hours plumbing the depths of this imagery and the significance of Jesus’ crucifixion, but for now I’ll leave it at that.
But, again, the Jews would have been very familiar with this type of capital punishment, in large part, because of the public nature of it. Those who were crucified were hung on crosses purposefully in view of the public, in fact, the Romans would hang criminals up high and along highly trafficked areas in order to send a message to those walking by, to deter others who might otherwise challenge the Roman Empire.

Simon of Cyrene

As a matter of fact, it’s probably why we encounter Simon of Cyrene there in verse 32,

32 pAs they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross.

Now, 1) it was typical, and Rome’s prerogative, to commandeer anyone for local labor, and 2) we’re told that “as they were going out,” that is, out of the city, “they found a man of Cyrene, [called] Simon.” Now, Cyrene was an old Greek settlement along the Mediterranean Sea on the northern coast of Africa, and in the Gospel of Mark it says that Simon was coming “from the country” (Mark 15:21), in other words, the picture here is that of Simon traveling into the city of Jerusalem from the countryside, probably to observe the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread, and as he’s entering the city they’re taking Jesus out of the city to crucify him, so it appears that they commandeer Simon because he happens to be entering the city while they’re leaving. And Jesus is going to be crucified in view of travelers like Simon as they enter the city of Jerusalem.
Now, we don’t know why they needed him to do this but most scholars assume that it was because Jesus had been beaten so badly that he was no longer able to carry his own cross. We also don’t know for sure why Matthew mentions Simon of Cyrene at all, however, because of Mark’s parallel account (where he also mentions Simon’s two sons) we get the impression that Simon and his family may have later become followers of Christ within the first century church, and so for anyone reading Matthew’s Gospel they may have recognized Simon in the story.

Outside the city

Then we read there in verses 33-34,

33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it.

So as they leave the city Matthew tells us that they take Jesus to a place called Golgotha, outside the city. Now, first it’s important to pause and note that Jesus is taken outside the city. This is where criminals are taken, outside the city walls, which also symbolized further rejection. This concept of being taken outside the city walls carried with it the idea of excommunication, excommunication from God’s people and away from God’s presence. The writer of Hebrews described it like this in Hebrews 13:12-13,

12 So Jesus also suffered outside the gate in order to sanctify the people through his own blood. 13 Therefore let us go to him outside the camp and bear the reproach he endured.

So, Jesus, in his crucifixion, sets for us an example to follow as he endures the reproach of Jerusalem, so we’re called to endure the reproach of the world. We must always remember that when we choose to follow Christ, that we put ourselves at odds with the world, and that we shouldn’t expect that following Jesus will curry any favor with the world.

Golgotha

Now, verse 33 also tells us that Jesus is taken to a place called Golgotha which literally means Place of a Skull. We often refer to this place as Calvary, which comes from the Latin word calva, which simply means “a skull”. This would have been a high place outside the city, in the countryside where travelers like Simon would have seen it on their way into Jerusalem, a high place that was intended to display criminals who were being crucified.

Bitter wine

And it says there in verse 34 that when they got there that the soldiers offered Jesus wine to drink, but that it was mixed with gall, and so after he tasted it he refused to drink it. Some have argued that the wine may have been given to him out of mercy, to dull the pain, but given the mockery that we saw earlier from the soldiers I suspect the idea here is that the wine was spiked with gall in order to make the wine bitter, and to add insult to injury. Matthew says that after Jesus tasted it he refused to drink it.
The word ‘gall’ refers to bitterness, it’s the same word used to describe the small organ near our stomach, called the gall bladder. The gall bladder stores stomach bile, and it’s a fluid produced by the liver that helps break down fatty foods, it’s very acidic. And in this case the soldiers have probably mixed a bitter herb with the wine. Mark says that they offered Jesus wine mingled with myrrh, which in large does would have made the wine undrinkable.
This has also reminded many in history of David’s lament in Psalm 69:19 when he said,

19  You know my reproach,

and my shame and my dishonor;

my foes are all known to you.

20  Reproaches have broken my heart,

so that I am in despair.

I looked for pity, but there was none,

and for comforters, but I found none.

21  They gave me poison for food,

and for my thirst they gave me sour wine to drink.

Divided his garments

Then we read there in verse 35,

35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots.

To the poor clothing was among their valuables. In fact, some ancient Jewish marriage certificates included a listing of the few items of clothing a woman brought into a marriage. And the soldiers may have also valued Jesus’ garments because of how John describes them in John 19:23-24, as his tunic being seamless, woven in one piece from top to bottom, and rather than tearing it they cast lots for it.
And, of course, we’re reminded of Psalm 22, a psalm of lament, where the psalmist writes starting in verse 16,

16  For dogs encompass me;

a company of evildoers encircles me;

they have pierced my hands and feet—

17  I can count all my bones—

they stare and gloat over me;

18  they divide my garments among them,

and for my clothing they cast lots.

King of the Jews

Then Matthew goes on in verse 36 saying,

36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

Now, if you remember, before Pilate, the Jews had charged Jesus with treason, claiming that he had challenged Caesar’s authority by claiming to be a king, and that the Jews had used this charge to force Pilate’s hand to condemn Jesus to death, but Pilate became aware of this and so he attempted to leverage the crowd to push back against the Sanhedrin’s schemes. However, in the end, his efforts failed, and after seeing that he wasn’t getting anywhere he delivered Jesus over to be crucified.
But Pilate, in spite of having his hand forced by the Jewish Council, had his soldiers put a sign over Jesus’ head that read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Now, it was customary to attach a sign above the criminal’s head to indicate their crime, but we get the impression that Pilate purposefully phrased the words on the sign to irritate the Jews. Since he knew they were jealous of Jesus, and that the last thing they wanted was to give anyone the impression that Jesus really was the Messiah, he made the sign read as though this was who Jesus was, saying, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”
And in John 19:21 we get the impression that he was successful in irritating the chief priests, we read,

the chief priests of the Jews said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but rather, ‘This man said, I am King of the Jews.’ ” 22 Pilate answered, “What I have written I have written.”

The irony, of course, is that Jesus was indeed the King of the Jews, in fact, he had been given all authority in heaven and on earth. And as we walk through the remainder of this text don’t miss Matthew’s point again, just like he did at the outset, when the soldiers mocked Jesus and dressed him up like a king, those who will mock him again will speak more truthfully about him than they realize. And Matthew means for us to see the irony in their own mockery.

Jesus mocked again

Let’s look at those last verses together, starting in verse 38,

38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’ ” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.

So Jesus is mocked, yet again, just like he had been at the beginning when they dressed him up like a king, but this time the mocking comes from those who are passing by, and by the chief priests, scribes and elders, and even the bandits who were being crucified along with him.
And just like before notice the content of their mockery. Those who pass by saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself!” They, of course, thought that Jesus was talking about the temple in Jerusalem, whereas he was referring to himself, that he would be crucified and raised three days later, but nonetheless “something greater than the temple had come” and despite his crucifixion he would be raised from the dead. He would rebuild his temple in three days!
They also say to him, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” However, it’s precisely because he’s the Son of God that he will not come down from the cross.
And then in verses 41-42 it says that the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, said, “He saved others; [yet] he cannot save himself.” In other words, as the Messiah, he claimed to be able to save others, yet it appeared as though he couldn’t even save himself. Yet, the irony is that in order to save others He will not save himself. Jesus said in John 10 that no one takes my life from me, but rather I lay it down of my own accord, and I lay it down for the sheep.
They also say to him, “He is the King of Israel; [therefore] let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe him.” In other words, if he really is the King of the Jews, as the sign above him reads, then let him come down from the cross, and then we’ll believe him. As though it were Jesus’ fault that they hadn’t believed him already, as though Jesus hadn’t done enough to convince them, or performed enough signs and wonders. How many times have you heard someone say, “If only God would do this or that, then I would believe.”?

Conclusion

You see, man’s problem isn’t whether there’s enough proof, it’s that man loves his sin. Men will always have excuses, and quite sophisticated ones at that. Had Jesus come down from that cross the entire plan of redemption would have gone out the window, and all for what? There would be no forgiveness of sin, no ransom, no salvation, no gospel to the nations, no fulfillment of Scripture. (Commentary: Matthew, D.A. Carson) It wasn’t that the Jesus didn’t give them enough evidence that he was the King of Israel, rather their problem was that they wanted a Messiah of their own making, made in their own image, therefore no sign would convince them otherwise.

Prayer

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