Mat 27:27-55 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Matt 27:27-31: 27:27-31 In the Jewish trial Jesus was mocked as a prophet (26:67-68 ); here he is mocked as a king. 27:27 The governor’s soldiers were auxiliary troops recruited from non-Jewish residents of Palestine. • Their headquarters was located at the official residence of the governor in Jerusalem (the Antonia Fortress on the northwest corner of the Temple compound).

Summary for Matt 27:27-31: 27:27-31 ^a In the Jewish trial Jesus was mocked as a prophet (26:67-68 ^b); here he is mocked as a king. 27:27 ^c The governor’s soldiers were auxiliary troops recruited from non-Jewish residents of Palestine.

• Their headquarters was located at the official residence of the governor in Jerusalem (the Antonia Fortress on the northwest corner of the Temple compound).
Summary for Matt 27:28-29: 27:28-29 ^d The scarlet robe was probably the cloak of a soldier meant to emulate royal garb solely for the purpose of ridiculing Jesus.

• Weaving thorn branches into a crown was a mockery of Jesus as king.
Summary for Matt 27:32-44: 27:32-44 ^e Ironically, the taunts and ridicule of the crowd express the truth about Jesus: He is the Son of God and King of Israel, the Messiah. 27:32 ^f Normally, the victim carried his own cross. Only the crossbeam was carried; the vertical pole would be waiting at the crucifixion site. Simon might have been forced because Jesus was weak from the effects of scourging. The act of enlisting Simon might also have been a further mockery. Jesus was treated as one who deserved a servant even though he was being marched to his death.
27:34 ^g Giving Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall was probably intended for ridicule (see Ps 69:21 ^h). It was also a sedative—Jesus probably rejected it in order to suffer fully for our sins (see Isa 53:10 ⁱ).

• Gall, otherwise known as wormwood, is a bitter narcotic made from the oil of Artemisia (cp. Mark 15:23 ^j).
27:35 ^k they ... nailed him to the cross: Crucifixion, though not generally practiced by Jews, was a widespread Roman punishment for military and political offenders, particularly slaves, rebels, and insurrectionists. The sheer cruelty and the public spectacle of crucifixion worked as a powerful social deterrent. Victims were flogged and then crucified naked, adding to the humiliation. It was seen as the most painful of all possible deaths; it involved intense suffering, exposure to weather and insects, suffocation, and often a final violent thrust of a spear to end life. Further, since crucifixion was a curse from God (Deut 21:22-23 ^l), the act was particularly heinous to Jewish sensibilities. Paradoxically, what was so despicable among humans has become the instrument of our salvation. Jesus previously had instructed his disciples to take up their crosses and follow him (Matt 16:24 ^m).
27:37 ⁿ The official charge was fastened to the cross above the criminal’s head; Jesus was crucified for political sedition.
27:38 ^o Crucifying Jesus between two convicted revolutionaries added further humiliation and guilt by association.
27:40 ^p if you are the Son of God: This taunt recalls Jesus’ temptation at the very beginning of his public ministry (4:1-11 ^q), in which the devil appealed to Jesus’ privileged status in order to tempt him to avoid suffering (see also 16:21-23 ^r).
27:45 ^s Darkness symbolizes the judgment of God or, more specifically, the arrival of the day of the Lord (see Amos 5:18 ^t, 20 ^u; 8:9-10 ^v; also Jer 4:27-28 ^w; 13:16 ^x; 15:9 ^y).
27:46 ^z Eli, Eli: This cry means My God, my God, but the similarity in sound accounts for the people’s confusion (27:47 ^aa).

• My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? Jesus was experiencing God’s wrath for the sins of humanity.
27:47 ^ab It was widely believed that Elijah would return before the day of the Lord (11:14-15 ^ac; 17:10-13 ^ad; Mal 4:5 ^ae).
27:48 ^af The sour wine was vinegar. The drink was probably designed to mock Jesus (cp. Ps 69:21 ^ag with Matt 27:34 ^ah) by pretending to help assuage his thirst. Others have suggested that it was given as an act of genuine kindness.
27:50 ^ai Each of the four Gospels highlights different aspects of Jesus’ last moments.

• released his spirit: This emphasizes the sovereignty of Jesus in that he released himself to death (see also John 19:30 ^aj).

• shouted out again (see Matt 27:46 ^ak): This cry was Jesus’ final prayer (see Luke 23:46 ^al).
27:51 ^am The significance of the splitting of the curtain in the Temple is that the wall dividing people from God has been torn down by the death of Jesus Christ (see also Eph 2:11-22 ^an; Heb 6:19 ^ao; 9:1–10:25 ^ap).

• The earth shook, rocks split apart: These are portents of the arrival of judgment (see Exod 19:18 ^aq; Judg 5:4 ^ar; Ps 18:7 ^as; Joel 3:14-17 ^at; Amos 8:8-10 ^au). Josephus records the appearance about AD 30 of a star resembling a sword and a spontaneous opening of the gates of the Temple (Josephus, War 6.5.3-4).
Summary for Matt 27:52-53: 27:52-53 ^av tombs opened: Jesus’ climactic death inaugurated the Kingdom of God by breaking the powers of death and establishing the final resurrection (see Isa 26:19 ^aw; Dan 12:2 ^ax; 1 Cor 15:1-58 ^ay; Col 1:18 ^az; Heb 2:14-15 ^ba).

• These godly ones either did not enter the city until after Jesus’ resurrection or they were not raised until then, with Jesus as the firstfruits (see 1 Cor 15:20 ^bb, 23 ^bc; Col 1:18 ^bd). If that is the case, Matthew has included this episode to form a more powerful commentary on the impact of Jesus’ death.
27:54 ^be The Roman officer and the other soldiers were Gentiles.

• the Son of God: This may be an unqualified affirmation that Jesus is the unique Son of God (see 14:33 ^bf; 16:16 ^bg) or possibly a more general affirmation of Jesus’ innocence (see Luke 23:47 ^bh). They are responding to the earthquake and all that had happened as evidence of divine interest in this occasion.