Matthew 27:28-29
Scarlet robe …
crown of
thorns …
staff. The Roman soldiers used the parts of a king's wardrobe to mock Jesus for claiming to be a king.
Matthew 27:32
Carry his cross. A condemned prisoner was often forced to carry his own crucifixion pole as final punishment and shame. Jesus was apparently too wounded from his beatings to do so and so the Roman soldiers forced a man from the crowd to carry it on behalf of Jesus.
Matthew 27:33
Golgotha. Golgotha means "skull" in Aramaic. It was the name of hill just outside of the Jerusalem gates that resembled a skull. On this hill the Romans crucified prisoners in a public way as a warning to any who would rebel against them.
Matthew 27:34
Wine to
drink mixed with
gall. As a final act of mercy, crucified prisoners were sometimes given a drink that had a narcotic effect, usually a wine mixed with some sort of herb or poppy. When he had tasted it, Jesus refused the drink, as he told his disciples he would not drink wine until he did so again when he brings the kingdom from heaven to earth (Matt. 26:29).
Jesus' Crucifixion - Matthew 27:35-44
Matthew particularly highlights the mocking, insults, and false accusations that Jesus endured during his last night and his crucifixion. Ironically, Jesus' enemies unintentionally said many true things about Jesus in their mocking — that he is the Son of God, that he saved others, that is the King of Israel, and that he trusts in God.
Matthew 27:35-37
Crucified…
King of the
Jews. The Roman method of punishment for revolutionaries was crucifixion — the hanging of a person on a pole until they suffocated or bled to death. This form of punishment for Jesus corresponded to Jesus' claim to be a king, which was the charge placed above his head for all people to see.
Matthew 27:45
Sixth hour darkness …
ninth hour. According to the Roman method of time keeping, the sixth hour was 12 noon and the ninth hour was 3 in the afternoon. During this brightest time of the day darkness fell over the land of the Jews, possibly caused by an eclipse.
Matthew 27:46
"Eli,
Eli,
lama sabachthani". Jesus spoke in Aramaic and was here quoting from Psalm 22:1. This lament shows the depth of the pain that Jesus took upon himself to bear the wrath of God as a ransom for his people (Matt. 20:28). See
WCF 8.4;
WLC 49;
WSC 27;
BC 21.
Matthew 27:50
gave up his
spirit. This is a poetic way of saying that Jesus breathed out his last breath and died.
Matthew 27:51
Curtain of the
temple was split in two. Inside the temple there was a curtain that separated everyone from the inner place where God's presence was manifested, called the Holy of Holies. The tearing of the temple curtain at Jesus' death symbolizes both judgment on faithless Israel and especially, the replacement of the temple with Jesus himself as the place of access to God (John 4:21-24; Heb. 10:19-22), with Jesus as the presence of God now on earth (Matt. 1:23; 28:20). The Saints Raised – Matthew 27:52-53
Many miracles accompanied Jesus' death and resurrection — darkness, an earthquake, the tearing of the temple curtain, and the resurrection from the dead of several faithful believers from earlier days. Matthew does not give us any more information than this, but the point of these signs is to indicate the importance of Jesus' death and resurrection. The raising of dead people is particularly important because of Jesus' own resurrection that changes human history.
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