Matthew 27:27-44

Matthew 27:27-31 The crown of thorns

A Roman cohort had six “centuries” of up to 80 soldiers each, so there were 480 soldiers in a full cohort.  Each century was headed by a centurion.  We don’t know whether Pilate had brought an entire cohort to Jerusalem when he came to make sure things stayed under control during the Passover feast, but he certainly would have had a large force in order to be ready to deal with the crowds that swelled the city during the feast.

What did the soldiers in Pilate’s cohort do?

What do you think they thought of Jesus?  How might they have viewed him?

What was the point of the crown of thorns?

Why do you think they mocked Jesus as “King of the Jews”?

Matthew 27:32-44 Jesus’s crucifixion and the people who interact with him during it

In this section, we will look at the crucifixion of Jesus through the perspective of the people who interacted with him during his final hours.  We will see in verse 55 that there were other people present, standing at a distance, but right now we will focus on the people who directly interacted with Jesus.

Simon from Cyrene: Verse 32

How does Simon end up in Jesus’s story?

Cyrene was the capital city of a Roman province called Cyrenaica on the north coast of Africa.  He had probably come to Jerusalem for the Passover feast.  He was pressed into service.  Roman soldiers had the right to demand that people in occupied territories perform services for them: for example, to carry a burden for up to a mile.  He was asked to carry Jesus’s cross.

What do you think Simon thought of Jesus?  How might he have viewed him?

Do you think his view of Jesus might have been affected by helping Jesus carry his cross?

Mark 15:21 says that Simon was “the father of Alexander and Rufus.”  This implies that Mark knew them, so they were probably Christians when Mark wrote his Gospel.  This leads to at least two possibilities:

(1) Simon may have already been a follower of Jesus, who was following Jesus on his path to his execution and was grabbed by the Roman soldiers and forced to help Jesus.  In this case, Simon’s sons must have been known to Mark’s community when Mark was writing. 

(2) Simon may not have had anything to do with Jesus before he was pressed into service by the Romans.  Luke 23:26 says that Simon was coming in from the country, so he was not following what was happening to Jesus.  In this case, although Simon may not have been a follower of Jesus when he was pressed into service, by the time Mark wrote, Simon’s sons must have become known among the believers.  In this case, Simon may have experienced a conversion after or as a result of helping Jesus carry his cross.

When you are given the opportunity to do something that “helps” Jesus – that helps make Jesus or the kingdom of God a little more real for someone – how does it make you feel?

In what ways are you being called to help carry Jesus’s cross in your life today?

Is there someone you know who is carrying a heavy cross right now, and you might be able to help lighten their load by helping them bear the burden?  What could you do to help them carry their cross?

The soldiers in the unit that crucified Jesus: Verses 33-37

The soldiers took Jesus to the site of his execution.  John tells us there were 4 soldiers directly involved in the crucifixion (John 19:23).

The Jews did not allow executions within the walls of God’s holy city of Jerusalem, and the Romans appear to have been honoring this practice.  Jesus is taken to Golgotha, a small hill that was, at that time, outside the city walls.  “Golgotha” was an Aramaic word for “skull.”  (“Calvary” is Latin for “skull,” which is why we know it as Calvary.)  The most common explanation for why it had this name is that it was shaped like a skull, but some scholars think the name arose because it was used for executions.

What did these soldiers do?  (They did a lot.  Look at verses 32, 34, 35a, 35b, 36, and 37.)

In verse 34, Jesus was offered wine mixed with gall, a painkilling drug intended to deaden the pain as they drove the nails through his hands and feet.  Matthew doesn’t mention it, but this is often seen as fulfilling Psalm 69:2, which reads: “They gave me poison for food, / and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink” (Psalm 69:21, NRSV).  Jesus refused the painkiller, choosing to fully experience the worst of it.

The Roman soldiers had a right to take a condemned man’s garments.  The dividing of the garments recalls Psalm 22:18 (NRSV; 22:19 in the NABRE).

What do you think these soldiers thought of Jesus?  How might they have viewed him?

How would the sign over Jesus’s head – “King of the Jews” (verse 37) – have been interpreted differently by the Romans and the Jews?

Crucifixion was an excruciating torture.  The victim had to lift his body to take every breath.  If he became too exhausted to lift himself, he would not be able to breathe and would begin to suffocate.  Meanwhile, flies and birds would be attacking his bleeding wounds, and he would be helpless to stop them.

Jesus submitted willingly to this torture – for us.  What does his crucifixion mean to you?

The two criminals crucified with Jesus: Verses 38, 44

The two criminals who were crucified with Jesus are variously called bandits, revolutionaries, criminals, thieves, robbers, rebels, or outlaws, depending on the translation.  The word’s root originally carried a meaning that involved plunder, but it is unclear what kind of criminals these men were.

What do the criminals who were crucified with Jesus do?

What do you think they thought of Jesus?  How might they have viewed him?

Note: Luke tells us that one of the two criminals crucified with Jesus (now often called the “Good Thief”) had a change of heart and Jesus said told him he would be with Jesus in Paradise (Luke 23:39-43), but Matthew does not have that story.

The passersby: Verses 39-40

What do the passersby do?

What do they specifically mock Jesus for?

What do you think they thought of Jesus?  How might they have viewed him?

The chief priests, scribes, and elders: Verses 41-43

What do the chief priests and elders do?

What do you think they thought of Jesus?  How might they have viewed him?

What do they specifically mock him for, in verse 42?  in verse 43?

Why are they focused on the claim that he is “the King of Israel”?

Note: “King of the Jews” is how a foreigner such as Pilate would say it.  The chief priests wouldn’t say “King of the Jews” any more than an American would refer to the “President of the Americans.”  Jews would use the proper name for their nation: “King of Israel,” just as Americans would say “President of the United States.”  “King of the Jews” is a foreigner’s way of referring to him.

Why are they also focused on his claim to be the “Son of God”?

What evidence would they offer in support of their claim that he was not the Son of God?

How does Jesus’s refusal to “come down from the cross” show that Jesus’s claims are true?

William Booth, the English Methodist preacher who with his wife Catherine founded the Salvation Army, is quoted as saying, “It is precisely because he would not come down that we believe in him” (quoted in many places, including William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Volume 2, p. 405).

Why is the cross part of God’s plan and evidence that Jesus is God’s Son??

Almost every group of people present at the crucifixion mocked Jesus: the chief priests and elders, the passersby, and the two men crucified with him.  How do you think Jesus felt as he faced all this mocking?

The mocking seems to fulfill the statement in Psalm 22: “All who see me mock me…” (Psalm 22:7-8; 22:8-9 in the NABRE).  Jesus will quote from the beginning of that psalm before he dies.

It is interesting to note that the soldiers who were directly responsible for carrying out the crucifixion are not listed among those who mocked Jesus.  Why do you think that is?

Here are some of the possibilities:

(1) Perhaps they did mock him, but Matthew has already told us that the whole cohort mocked him early and didn’t feel the need to reiterate it. 

(2) Perhaps in their mind they were just doing their jobs and weren’t personally invested in it. 

(3) Perhaps since Jesus didn’t resist or make their job difficult, they did not want to rile up a compliant captive.  Or:

(4) Perhaps they were impressed by him in some way.

What might have impressed the soldiers about Jesus?

If you had been there watching all of these people who interacted with Jesus, whose reactions to Jesus would have most intrigued or troubled you, or impressed or appalled you, and why?

Why do you think Jesus put up with all this abuse and humiliation without responding?

Have you ever been mocked or humiliated?  How does Jesus’s example offer guidance to you if you should suffer such abuse in the future?

What difference does it make to your faith, that Jesus endured all of this?

Take a step back and consider this:

Jesus is showing us in his Passion what he taught us in the Sermon on the Mount.  In those teachings, way back at the beginning of his ministry, he said: Don’t be angry (Matt. 5:22).  Turn the other cheek (5:39).  Love your enemies (5:44).  Pray to the Father, “Thy will be done” (6:9-10).  Seek first the kingdom (6:33).  Enter through the narrow gate (7:13).

We are not all called to give up our lives literally as Jesus did, but we are all called to let go of ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him (Matt. 16:24), embracing his way of life.  He teaches how to live as children of our Father in heaven, and he models that life for us.  The life he taught and lived is “the road that leads to life” (7:14).  Even when it doesn’t look like it, it is the way to life now and forever with Jesus.

How can we embrace the sacrificial attitude Jesus modeled on the cross and taught in the Sermon on the Mount?

When it seems hard to embrace Jesus’s way, you might consider talking with a mature believer and gaining their perspective.  And talk it over honestly with God.  You don’t need to hide anything from him (actually, you can’t).  He wants you to share your struggles, not just your successes.  He wants to be there with you when you doubt, not just when you are confident in your faith.  Talk to Him.  What would you like to ask his help with, right now?

And if God’s grace has helped you to embrace the life that comes with giving up your life for Christ, are there people you could come alongside and be an encouragement to them when God seems distant?  How can you shine the light you have been given, to be a blessing to others who feel like they are surrounded by the dark?