Mat 27:32-44 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Matt 27:32-44: 27:32-44 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 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.

a27:32-44►

b27:32►

c27:34►

dPs 69:21►

eIsa 53:10►

fMark 15:23►

g27:35►

hDeut 21:22-23►

iMatt 16:24►

j27:37►

k27:38►

l27:40►

m4:1-11►

n16:21-23►

‏ Matthew 27:32-44

Summary for Matt 27:32-44: 27:32-44 ^a 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 ^b 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 ^c Giving Jesus wine mixed with bitter gall was probably intended for ridicule (see Ps 69:21 ^d). It was also a sedative—Jesus probably rejected it in order to suffer fully for our sins (see Isa 53:10 ^e).

• Gall, otherwise known as wormwood, is a bitter narcotic made from the oil of Artemisia (cp. Mark 15:23 ^f).
27:35 ^g 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 ^h), 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 ⁱ).
27:37 ^j The official charge was fastened to the cross above the criminal’s head; Jesus was crucified for political sedition.
27:38 ^k Crucifying Jesus between two convicted revolutionaries added further humiliation and guilt by association.
27:40 ^l if you are the Son of God: This taunt recalls Jesus’ temptation at the very beginning of his public ministry (4:1-11 ^m), in which the devil appealed to Jesus’ privileged status in order to tempt him to avoid suffering (see also 16:21-23 ⁿ).