The Motley Crew

August 10, 2011

Matthew 27:27-44

The Questions

Read Matthew 27:27-31

1. Because of the sequence of John 19:1-6, some have said that Pilate ordered this horrible display of which we just read as a last attempt to set Jesus free. What do you think?

2. And to think all of this happened while our Savior was stripped of everything but the cloth they placed around Him. Can you imagine the humility and the pain?

Read Matthew 27:32-44

3. Does Jesus know what He is asking when He says, “Take up your cross and follow me?”

4. Roman law reserved crucifixion for the worst criminals and the lowest classes of citizens. What does this mean for us?

5. TRUE or FALSE? A Roman citizen could not be crucified without an edict from Caesar?

6. Do you know why the place of the crucifixion was named as it was?

7. Why would they need to guard Jesus at this point?

8. Would you say that posting by Pilate was vindication? See John 19:19-22.

9. What does Isaiah 53:12 say about the two thieves – and us?

10. Why didn't He just come down and show His power?

11. Which of the robbers joined in the insulting? See Luke 23:39-43.

12. Why is there so little reported in all the Gospels about crucifixion?

All citations from the Holy Bible are from the New International Version, used with permission.

The Motley Crew

August 10, 2011

Matthew 27:27-44

Some Suggested Answers

We opened with prayer.

One of our members pointed out that the name of Barabbas means “son of the father” (bar + abba). Thus, this one was exchanged for the Real One.

Read Matthew 27:27-31

The Soldiers Mock Jesus

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together 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. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

1. Because of the sequence of John 19:1-6, some have said that Pilate ordered this horrible display of which we just read as a last attempt to set Jesus free. What do you think?

John 19:1-6. Jesus Sentenced to Be Crucified

1 Then Pilate took Jesus and had him flogged. 2 The soldiers twisted together a crown of thorns and put it on his head. They clothed him in a purple robe 3 and went up to him again and again, saying, “Hail, king of the Jews!” And they slapped him in the face.

4 Once more Pilate came out and said to the Jews gathered there, “Look, I am bringing him out to you to let you know that I find no basis for a charge against him.” 5 When Jesus came out wearing the crown of thorns and the purple robe, Pilate said to them, “Here is the man!”

6 As soon as the chief priests and their officials saw him, they shouted, “Crucify! Crucify!”

But Pilate answered, “You take him and crucify him. As for me, I find no basis for a charge against him.”

Alfred Edersheim, in The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah wrote:

… Pilate had hoped, when, at his bidding, Jesus came forth from the Prætorium, arrayed as a mock-king, and the Governor presented Him to the populace in words which the Church has ever since treasured: 'Behold the Man!' But, so far from appeasing, the sight only incited to fury the 'chief priests' and their subordinates. This Man before them was the occasion, that on this Paschal Day a heathen dared in Jerusalem itself insult their deepest feeling, mock their most cherished Messianic hopes! 'Crucify!' 'Crucify!' resounded from all sides. Edersheim, Book II, Chapter 14, “The Morning of Good Friday.”

Dr. Lenski, trying to get into Pilate's head, suggests that if Pilate showed them a pathetic King, that surely they would relent and say no to the demand to crucify Him. I don't really think so, but we know what they did.

When Pilate's scheme with regard to Barabbas failed, he did not give up. From Luke 23:16 we learn that at the beginning of the trial he had offered the compromise to scourge Jesus and to let him go. He now reverts to this idea and has Jesus scourged. … The object Pilate had in mind in scourging (and also in mocking) Jesus was to show these Jews what this insignificant man really was about whom they were making such a violent demonstration: a joke of a king; let them look for themselves. Crucify him? Act as though this harmless, helpless dreamer amounted to so much? The very idea was ridiculous. But this attempt on the part of Pilate to have the Jews content themselves with less than the actual death of Jesus also failed, and Matthew and Mark thus at once add the Pilate ordered Jesus to be crucified. Lenski, p. 1098-1099.

It was pointed out that scrounging always preceded crucifixion. The Roman orator Cicero called it the “Intermediate Death.” The immediate result was a substantial blood loss and shock.

Beth quoted Rev. Alfred Edersheim (1825 – 1889), when, after Pilate attempted to wash his hands of the responsibility for Jesus' death,

here, in answer to Pilate's words, came back that deep, hoarse cry: 'His Blood be upon us,' and - God help us! - 'on our children!' Some thirty years later, and on that very spot, was judgment pronounced against some of the best in Jerusalem; and among the 3,600 victims of the Governor's fury, of whom not a few were scourged and crucified right over against the Prætorium, were many of the noblest of the citizens of Jerusalem.⁵⁶ A few years more, and hundreds of crosses bore Jewish mangled bodies within sight of Jerusalem. And still have these wanderers seemed to bear, from century to century, and from land to land, that burden of blood; and still does it seem to weigh 'on us and our children.' Edersheim, Book II, Chapter 14, “The Morning of Good Friday.”

56. Josephus. War 14. 8. 9.

But whether or not Pilate had this intention, the mob – under the instigation of the chief priests – demanded the crucifixion.

2. And to think all of this happened while our Savior was stripped of everything but the cloth they placed around Him. Can you imagine the humility and the pain?

Horrible. Unimaginable.

Read Matthew 27:32-44.

The Crucifixion of Jesus

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s 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 rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

3. Does Jesus know what He is asking when He says, “Take up your cross and follow me?”

Luke 9:23

Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me.

Of course. He carried His cross to the Golgotha and in incredible pain. By this time, He had been deprived of sleep, food, and water, and because of the scrounging, He had lost a good deal of blood, and thus might have been in the first stages of shock.

4. Roman law reserved crucifixion for the worst criminals and the lowest classes of citizens. What does this mean for us?

Jesus died for the least and the worst.

It was asked why Jesus had to suffer crucifixion, rather than another form of execution (strangulation, beheading, burning, stoning), or, for that matter, why God didn't just pardon the human race and leave it at that?

God had used the sacrifice of blood from the very beginning. See Genesis 15, God's Covenant With Abram. This crucifixion was for the absolute worst of humanity – which includes us – and this was the death that Jesus suffered in lieu of the worst of us.

Yes, He could have chosen other forms of death or even forgiveness, but this was the choice that the Triune God made. God did it the way He did it because in His judgment, that's the way it had to be done.

We talked about God's relationship with Adam and Eve after the fall. In Genesis 3:21, we read that “The LORD God made garments of skin for Adam and his wife and clothed them.” When we look at the Hebrew, we find that this was the skin of a lamb. We see John the Baptist, standing in the Jordan river, proclaiming “Behold the Lamb of God.” This Skin Clothing shows us His continuing love and care for Adam and Eve, although they had both just disobeyed God. From the beginning, we see that although God hates the sin, He continues to love the sinners – you, me, Adam & Eve – even giving the most profound of sacrifices, His own Son.

5. TRUE or FALSE? A Roman citizen could not be crucified without an edict from Caesar?

True.

6. Do you know why the place of the crucifixion was named as it was?

Matthew 27:33. They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”).

Because the hill evidently had the shape of a cranium (κρανιον, kranion), the round top of a skull. Lenski, p. 1105. Others have suggested that the many deaths that occurred on Calvary also suggests the skull as a symbol.

Of course, there weren't a lot of skulls laying around, since that would create a health hazard. As Rev. Edersheim observed:

Not only the location, but even the name of that which appeals so strongly to every Christian heart, is matter of controversy. The name cannot have been derived from the skulls which lay about, since such exposure would have been unlawful, and hence must have been due to the skull-like shape and appearance of the place. Accordingly, the name is commonly explained as the Greek form of the Aramæan Gulgalta, or the Hebrew Gulgoleth, which means a skull. Edersheim, Book II, Chapter 15, “Crucified, Dead, and Buried.”

In addition, the commentator Barclay observed that the Sanhedrin had the responsibility to keep the place of executions “policed up.”

7. Why would they need to guard Jesus at this point?

To guard against interference. Evidently some men had been taken off the cross and lived.

Dr. Lenski noted that after the soldiers had divided up the clothing of the three men, “by casting lot,”

All that remained to be done was to guard the cross against interference. In addition to the four executioners, this guard included a detachment of Roman soldiers under a centurion that would be strong enough to copy with any situation that might arise. Lenski, p. 1108.

Rev. Edersheim observed that there were four soldiers detailed to each person to be crucified. Thus a total of 12 Roman soldiers would have been in this procession, which also included additional Roman guards, the Centurion, Jesus, and the two thieves, plus any mourners following behind.

Four soldiers would be detailed for each Cross, the whole being under the command of a centurion. As always, the Cross was borne to the execution by Him Who was to suffer on it - perhaps His Arms bound to it with cords. … Ordinarily, the procession was headed by the centurion, or rather, preceded by one who proclaimed the nature of the crime, and carried a white, wooden board, on which it was written. Commonly, also, it took the longest road to the place of execution, and through the most crowded streets, so as to attract most public attention. Edersheim, Book II, Chapter 15, “Crucified, Dead, and Buried.”

Because this was a feast day, all the shops along the way would have been closed, which would limit the number of people who would have otherwise observed the procession.

8. Would you say that posting by Pilate was vindication? See John 19:19-22.

John 19:19-22

19 Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: JESUS OF NAZARETH, THE KING OF THE JEWS. 20 Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. 21 The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.”

22 Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

Vindication? Could be... Certainly Dr. Lenski thinks so:

So Pilate has his revenge on these Jews. They shall have Jesus on the cross, but only as a king, only as their king. Let all the world read: “The King of the Jews”! By adding nothing further Pilate really proclaims the innocence of Jesus even here on the cross. … So this accusation was at the same time a vindication. Lenski, p. 1109.

It was also noted that the Jews did not enter the Praetorium that morning because to do so would defile them and thus prevent them from further participation in the religious ceremonies of the eight-day festival (Passover, followed the next day by the beginning of the 7-day Feast of the Unleavened Bread, Ex 23:15). The first day of this Feast was marked by the requirement that Jewish men “appear before the Lord” at the Temple, which was Friday. However, when the Sanhedrin found out what Pilate had written on the placard that would be nailed above Jesus' head:

It seems probable, that the Sanhedrists had heard from some one, who had watched the procession on its way to Golgotha, of the inscription which Pilate had written on the 'titulus' - partly to avenge himself on, and partly to deride, the Jews. ... We suppose that, after the condemnation of Jesus, the Sanhedrists had gone from the Prætorium into the Temple, to take part in its services. When informed of the offensive tablet, they hastened once more to the Prætorium, to induce Pilate not to allow it to be put up. ... We imagine, that the Sanhedrists had originally no intention of doing anything so un-Jewish as not only to gaze at the sufferings of the Crucified, but to even deride Him in His Agony - that, in fact, they had not intended going to Golgotha at all. But when they found that Pilate would not yield to their remonstrances, some of them hastened to the place of Crucifixion, and, mingling with the crowd, sought to incite their jeers, so as to prevent any deeper impression which the significant words of the inscription might have produced. Edersheim, Book II, Chapter 15, “Crucified, Dead and Buried.”

Mention was made of Deut. 21:22-23:

22 If someone guilty of a capital offense is put to death and their body is exposed on a pole, 23 you must not leave the body hanging on the pole overnight. Be sure to bury it that same day, because anyone who is hung on a pole is under God’s curse.

9. What does Isaiah 53:12 say about the two thieves – and us?

Isaiah 53:12

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[a]
and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[b]
because he poured out his life unto death,
and was numbered with the transgressors.
For he bore the sin of many,
and made intercession for the transgressors.

Footnotes:

1. Isaiah 53:12 Or many

2. Isaiah 53:12 Or numerous

He was numbered with the transgressors, although He was without sin. In His death, He made intercession for these two thieves – and us! This love saved us from the strict requirements of the Law that required that a sacrifice of blood be made by us in order to reconcile us with God.

10. Why didn't He just come down and show His power?

As a kid, I thought that He should have, but now I am so glad He didn't. Without His death on the cross, there was

• No ransom.

• No salvation.

• No scripture fulfilled.

We had to have the Crucifixion in order to get to the Resurrection, the paying of the ransom that preceded the freeing of the slaves into eternal life.

11. Which of the robbers joined in the insulting? See Luke 23:39-43.

Matt. 27:44. In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

Matthew and Mark report that both of the robbers joined in the insulting. However, in Luke's Gospel we learn of one who stood up for Jesus, and who asked to join Jesus when He comes into His Kingdom.

Luke 23:39-43

39 One of the criminals who hung there hurled insults at him: “Aren’t you the Messiah? Save yourself and us!”

40 But the other criminal rebuked him. “Don’t you fear God,” he said, “since you are under the same sentence? 41 We are punished justly, for we are getting what our deeds deserve. But this man has done nothing wrong.”

42 Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.[a]”

43 Jesus answered him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise.”

Footnotes:

1. Luke 23:42 Some manuscripts come with your kingly power

12. Why is there so little reported in all the Gospels about crucifixion?

The facts, not the details, are what they saw as important. Also, their original readers knew the details. Most of our information comes from doctors and historians.

The intent of the Gospel writers, then, was to focus more on the spiritual than the physical.

We closed with prayer.

Parallel Verses

Cited & Consulted Sources:

Lenski, R.C.H., The Interpretation of St. Matthew's Gospel (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1943)

The Lutheran Study Bible (St. Louis: Concordia Publishing House, 2009).

Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus the Messiah (1883).

William D. Edwards, MD, Wesley J. Gabel, Mdiv, and Floyd E. Hosmer, MS, AMI , “Study on the Physical Death of Jesus Christ.” Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 55, pp. 1455-1463 (1986)

Dr. Richard P. Bucher, “Crucifixion in the Ancient World,” Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Lexington, KY, accessed August 134, 2011. <http://www.orlutheran.com/html/crucify.html>

Marcus Tullius Cicero, Secondary Orations Against Verres. Book 5, Paragraph LXVI. http://www.uah.edu/student_life/organizations/SAL/texts/latin/classical/cicero/inverrems5e.html

For Additional Study:

The Prayer And Study Resources web page has a listing of some research web sites that I use. In addition, Additional Research Resources is a page with a more complete list of Bible and Lutheran resources, plus there is the Research Resources Checklist, which is the web page I use when I first begin a Bible study. Both of these last two web pages are always growing, and please let me know if you are aware of other great sites.