Matthew 27:37 | 1759
27:17 d ver 22 ; Mt 1:16
27:19 e Jn 19:13 f ver 24 g Ge 20:6 ; Nu 12:6 ;
1Ki 3:5 ; Job 33:14-16 ; Mt 1:20 ; 2:12 , 13 , 19 , 22
27:20 h Ac 3:14 27:22 i Mt 1:16
27:24 j Mt 26:5 k Ps 26:6 l Dt 21:6-8
m ver 4
27:25 n Jos 2:19 ; Ac 5:28
27:26 o Isa 53:5 ; Jn 19:1
27:27 p Jn 18:28 , 33 ; 19:9
27:28 q Jn 19:2
27:29 r Isa 53:3 ; Jn 19:2 , 3
27:30 s Mt 16:21 ; 26:67 27:31 t Isa 53:7
27:32 u Heb 13:12 v Ac 2:10 ; 6:9 ;
11:20 ; 13:1 w Mk 15:21 ;
Lk 23:26 27:33 x Jn 19:17
27:34 y ver 48 ; Ps 69:21
27:35 z Ps 22:18 27:36 a ver 54
17 So when the crowd had gath ered , Pi late asked them , “ Which one do you want me to release to you : Jesus Bar ab bas , or Jesus who is called the Mes siah ?” d 18 For he knew it was out of self-interest that they had handed Jesus over to him .
19 While Pi late was sit ting on the judge ’ s seat , e his wife sent him this mes sage : “ Don ’ t have any thing to do with that in no cent f man , for I have suf fered a great deal to day in a dream g be cause of him .” 20 But the chief priests and the el ders per suaded the crowd to ask for Bar ab bas and to have Jesus executed . h
21 “ Which of the two do you want me to re lease to you ?” asked the gov er nor . “ Barabbas ,” they answered . 22 “ What shall I do , then , with Jesus who is called the Mes siah ?” i Pilate asked . They all an swered , “ Cru cify him !” 23 “ Why ? What crime has he committed ?” asked Pilate . But they shouted all the louder , “ Cru cify him !” 24 When Pi late saw that he was get ting no where , but that in stead an up roar j was starting , he took wa ter and washed his hands k in front of the crowd . “ I am in no cent of this man ’ s blood ,” l he said . “ It is your responsibility !” m
25 All the peo ple an swered , “ His blood is on us and on our chil dren !” n
26 Then he re leased Bar ab bas to them . But he had Jesus flogged , o and handed him over to be crucified .
The Soldiers Mock Jesus
27:27-31pp — Mk 15:16-20
27 Then the gov er nor ’ s sol diers took Jesus into the Prae to rium p and gath ered the whole com pany of sol diers around him . 28 They stripped him and put a scar let robe on him , q 29 and then twisted to gether a crown of thorns and set it on his head . They put a staff in his right hand . Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him . “ Hail , king of the Jews !” they said . r 30 They spit on him , and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again . s
31 Af ter they had mocked him , they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him . Then they led him away to cru cify him . t
The Crucifixion of Jesus
27:33-44pp — Mk 15:22-32 ; Lk 23:33-43 ; Jn 19:17-24
32 As they were go ing out , u they met a man from Cy rene , v named Si mon , and they forced him to carry the cross . w 33 They came to a place called Gol go tha ( which means “ the place of the skull ”). x
34 There they of fered Jesus wine to drink , mixed with gall ; y but af ter tast ing it , he re fused to drink it . 35 When they had cru ci fied him , they di vided up his clothes by casting lots . z
36 And sit ting down , they kept watch a over him there . 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him : this is jesus , the king of the jews .
27:19 dream . Roman rulers often put significant stock in a dream as an omen . This explains why Pilate keeps trying to release Jesus , but to no avail . 27:22 – 24 The authorities may well have stirred up the crowd to call for Jesus ’ crucifixion , just as they persuaded the people to ask for Barabbas ’ s release . 27:22 Crucify . Usually meant to affix a person to a cross-shaped pair of wooden beams , either with ropes or nails through palms and ankles , with arms outstretched until the person was so fatigued that they could no longer lift their head off their chest enough to breathe . It was a standard but very cruel form of execution the Romans used for slaves and the worst of criminals . 27:24 I am innocent . . . your responsibility ! Pilate finally capitulates to the crowd ’ s request but symbolically and verbally distances himself from any responsibility in the matter . 27:25 His blood is on us and on our children ! Tragically , throughout church history this cry has too often been used to justify many forms of anti-Semitism . Yet only the individuals observing Pilate ’ s proceedings are condemning themselves . our children . Refers to the next generation of offspring . The destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 could well be the fulfillment of this self-curse . So this verse does not refer to all Jewish people of all time ; it does not even refer to all Jews in Jesus ’ day . 27:26 flogged . Beating a person ’ s back for however long the soldiers desired , with a whip embedded with bits of metal or bone on its end , tore the flesh and left searing wounds sufficient to kill some who were thus tortured , even without further punishment . Jesus would have been very weak after he was flogged . 27:27 – 31 The soldiers mock Jesus by dressing him as a pretend king , with a robe of royal color , a crown ( but of thorns to further torture him ), and a staff as a scepter . In a culture of honor and shame , the indignity of the mock allegiance to Jesus as king adds psychological torture to the physical abuse they continue to mete out . 27:27 the Praetorium . Housed Pilate ’ s palace and the Roman guard . 27:32 – 44 The torment and shame that Jesus has repeatedly predicted would befall him now ensue , culminating in his excruciating death by crucifixion .
27:32 man from Cyrene . The Synoptics all describe the commandeering of Simon of Cyrene ( in modern Libya ) for this task . It is easy to imagine Jesus , weakened from the flogging , not going very far without collapsing under the heavy weight and needing the help afforded here . cross . Typically , this would have meant the crossbeam . Jesus started out for the site of his crucifixion carrying his own cross ( John 19:17 ). 27:33 Golgotha ( which means “ the place of the skull ”). Probably called this because of the skull-like rock formations in the nearby hillside or the number of skulls of other victims that dotted the landscape . 27:34 wine . Functioned as a mild sedative and pain reliever , but Jesus refuses to alleviate the agony he has been called to endure . gall . Animal bile , but can refer to some bitter substance more generally . 27:35 divided up his clothes . The condemned were usually crucified naked , which heightened the shame . casting lots . Probably resembles modern dice-rolling . 27:37 The inscription on a cross advertised the crime for which someone was executed . Matthew draws attention to Jesus as king