#1325 Matthew 27 Part 3 Hail, King of the Jews

 

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 As 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. Matthew 27: 27-44 ESV

Matthew 27: 27-44

Then the soldiers of the governor - These were Roman soldiers because they were part of the Roman kingdom, not because they were from Italy. They were probably Syrians so they were able to speak the local language, especially Aramaic. These men were trained not only in fighting but in execution, and as you will see, they enjoy what they do. Jesus Himself held that the government does not bare the sword in vane, but it is there to deal with the evil doer, to establish justice and peace. When we don't live according to God's way we should expect rulers who are unjust, who abuse power, and here we see these men take great delight in their ignorance of Who they treating this way. I have known men who were Corrections Officers, and they took far too much pleasure in force. They were so use to posturing and intimidation that they tried to carry this same approach to the work place, where it was unacceptable, and I would contend, should have been unacceptable in the jail. 

…3For rulers are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Do you want to be unafraid of the one in authority? Then do what is right, and you will have his approval. 4For he is God’s servant for your good. But if you do wrong, be afraid, for he does not carry the sword in vain. He is God’s servant, an agent of retribution to the wrongdoer. 5Therefore it is necessary to submit to authority, not only to avoid punishment, but also as a matter of conscience.… Romans 13: 3-5

1First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgiving be offered for everyone— 2for kings and all those in authority— so that we may lead tranquil and quiet lives in all godliness and dignity. 3This is good and pleasing in the sight of God our Savior,… 1 Timothy 2: 1-3

They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him - They pick on Him as a pack of boys would pick on a mentally ill person. He is a Jew so they first humiliate Him by stripping Him, then they provide a scarlet robe, the closest thing they can find to the color of royalty. 

…7All who see me mock me; they sneer and shake their heads: 8“He trusts in the LORD, let the LORD deliver him; let the LORD rescue him, since He delights in him.” 9Yet You brought me forth from the womb; You made me secure at my mother’s breast.… Psalm 22: 7-9

Crown of thorns...reed - It is a comedy for them, it's like watching my daughter's cat play with a lizard, the Son of God has become a way to pass time for these men, a joke for them. "You said you were a king, so here is a robe, a crown and a scepter." C. S. Lewis said of Christ that He is either a liar, a lunatic or Lord, and these soldiers are certain it is the first two, insanity won't make something true, though the insane may be deeply convinced of what they believe. 

“Take heed of sinning in a crowd. Young man, abandon the idea that you may sin in a crowd. Beware of the notion that, because many do it, it is less a guilt to any one of them.” (Spurgeon)

Hail, King of the Jews - This is the single most bazaar treatment of anyone, calling Him unknowingly Who Matthew has skillfully demonstrated Him to be, first by lineage, the Son of David, and by His deeds, the Son of God. Jesus is actually getting punished for claiming to be Who He is, but as He has made clear to Pilate also, He is being punished by the will of the Father.

…17The reason the Father loves Me is that I lay down My life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from My Father.” 19Again there was division among the Jews because of Jesus’ message.… John 10: 17-19

…10So Pilate said to Him, “Do You refuse to speak to me? Do You not know that I have authority to release You and authority to crucify You?” 11Jesus answered, “You would have no authority over Me if it were not given to you from above. Therefore the one who handed Me over to you is guilty of greater sin.” 12From then on, Pilate tried to release Him, but the Jews kept shouting, “If you release this man, you are no friend of Caesar. Anyone who declares himself a king is defying Caesar.”… John 19: 10-12

Spit on Him and took the reed and struck Him on the head - Recall that spitting is the highest sign of disrespect, of disdain, your life means so little to me that I spit on it. They try to show Him to not be king by giving him a mock scepter and then showing how easy it is to take the Lordship of this insane Man and hit Him in the face with it. What a spectacle to the reader who knows Who He is, I could not take this much disrespect.

iv. It is possible for us to mock Jesus today by the way we live. “You have mocked him by a feigned worship, and thus you have put the purple robe upon him. For that purple robe meant that they made him a nominal king, a king who was not in truth a king, but a mere show. Your Sunday religion, which has been forgotten in the week, has been a scepter of reed, a powerless ensign, a mere sham. You have mocked and insulted him even in your hymns and prayers, for your religion is a pretense, with no heart in it; you brought him an adoration that was no adoration, a confession that was no confession, and a prayer that was no prayer. Is it not so?” (Spurgeon)

v. Spurgeon wondered how Matthew heard of this crown of thorns and the mocking that went along with it. He wonders if it was not one of the soldiers that was later converted and came to faith in Jesus. “Our Lord’s marred but patient visage preached such a sermon that one at least who gazed upon it felt its mysterious power, felt that such patience was more than human, and accepted the thorn-crowned Savior as henceforth his Lord and his King.” - E Word

Man of Cyrene, Simon by name - A man from N. Africa, undoubtedly there for the Passover, is given the honor of bearing Jesus' Cross, I wonder if he understood? It says, "they compelled him," marvelously it was not his choice or desire.

i. Wonderfully, we have reason to believe that Simon came to know what it really meant to take up one’s cross and follow Jesus. There is some evidence to suggest that his sons became leaders among the early Christians (Mark 15:21 and Romans 16:13). - E Word

ii. “How easy it would have been to carry the cross had he known Jesus as he came to know Him afterwards!” (Meyer)

22“The Son of Man must suffer many things,” He said. “He must be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and He must be killed and on the third day be raised to life.” 23Then Jesus said to all of them, “If anyone wants to come after Me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow Me. 24For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for My sake will save it.… Luke 9: 22-24

Mixed with gall - Most think this was a narcotic with a sort of tranquilizing effect, but Jesus refused. I would have begged for much stronger, an epidural,  morphine, and I would have fought to force them to take my life more quickly. Jesus was not oblivious to what the cross looked like, and most would cringe at the thought of it for themselves, but He has chosen to walk this way, this was the reason He came. He chose to keep His wits about Him, I can't imagine, I have gone to great lengths to avoid much less.

…20Insults have broken my heart, and I am in despair. I looked for sympathy, but there was none, for comforters, but I found no one. 21They poisoned my food with gall and gave me vinegar to quench my thirst. 22May their table become a snare; may it be a retribution and a trap.… Psalm 69: 20-22

They divided His garments by casting lots - As to the prophecy. 

…17I can count all my bones; they stare and gloat over me. 18They divide my garments among them and cast lots for my clothing. 19But You, O LORD, be not far off; O my Strength, come quickly to help me.… Psalm 22: 17-19

This is Jesus, King of the Jews - Criminals had a placard with them that showed their crime, so all that pass by would know this as a warning not to steal or commit other acts which lead here. Jesus' charge was chosen by Pilate for spite against the Jewish leaders, yet it tells the reality which they did not want to accept.

…9Judah is a young lion—my son, you return from the prey. Like a lion he crouches and lies down; like a lioness, who dares to rouse him? 10The scepter will not depart from Judah, nor the staff from between his feet, until Shiloh comes and the allegiance of the nations is his. 11He ties his donkey to the vine, his colt to the choicest branch. He washes his garments in wine, his robes in the blood of grapes.… Genesis 49: 9-11

If You are the Son of God come down from the cross - They regard only the power to avoid this, to stop this, not comprehending the power it would take to go through this, to set His face like a flint, to endure hell's fury, human depravity and the wrath of almighty God. 

Let Him come down now from the cross and we will believe in Him - Always on their terms, but all would have been lost if He stepped down. So blind, they would not believe regardless, He has to die and we have to be born again to believe on Him.