Matthew 27:27-54 - Peter Pett's Commentary on the Bible

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The Final Farewell (27:27-54).

In sober words Matthew now portrays what Jesus had to endure from the moment when He was handed over to His executioners to be mocked as ‘the King of the Jews' to the time when He breathes His last and His executioners testify that He is ‘the Son of God'.

Analysis.

a The mock adulation of the soldiers as they hail Him as ‘King of the Jews' (Matthew 27:27-31).

b The crucifixion of Jesus where He is numbered with two insurrectionists and displayed as ‘the King of the Jews'. He is mocked by the passers-by, the Chief Priests and the insurrectionists as He is hailed mockingly as ‘Son of God' and ‘King of Israel' (Matthew 27:32-44).

c Jesus' final hours in pitch darkness, both physical and spiritual (Matthew 27:45-50).

b God openly vindicates His Son - the veil of the Temple is torn in half, an earthquake rends the rocks, the Old Testament ‘saints' buried in Jerusalem are raised (after His resurrection) as their tombs are opened (Matthew 27:52-53).

a The centurion and his men bear witness that Jesus is the Son of God (Matthew 27:54).

Note how in ‘a' the soldiers mock Him, and in the parallel they worship Him. In ‘b' there are three witnesses to His downfall, and in the parallel there are three witnesses to His vindication. Centrally in ‘c' we have His final hours.

But this passage divides into two parts. In the first part we again have a typical Matthaean ‘sandwich'. The crucifixion of Jesus as the King of the Jews is sandwiched between the mockery of the Gentile soldiers and the mockery of the Jewish Chief Priests and people. Thus it may be analysed as follows:

a The mock adulation of the Gentile soldiers as they hail Him as ‘King of the Jews' (Matthew 27:27-31).

b The crucifixion of Jesus where He is humiliated and displayed as ‘the King of the Jews' (Matthew 27:32-37).

a He is hung between two insurrectionists and mocked by the Jewish passers-by, the Chief Priests and the Jewish insurrectionists as He is hailed mockingly as ‘Son of God' and ‘King of Israel' (Matthew 27:32-44).

Related Commentaries of Matthew 27:27

Matthew 27:27-54

27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall,b and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers.

28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe.

29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews!

30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him.

32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross.

33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull,

34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.

35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots.

36 And sitting down they watched him there;

37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left.

39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads,

40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.

41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said,

42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him.

43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth.

45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour.

46 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?

47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias.

48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink.

49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him.

50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.

51 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;

52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose,

53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.

54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God.