Matthew 27c

 Only the Romans had the power to execute convicted prisoners, which is why the Jerusalem leadership took Jesus to Pilate for judgment. Pilate was backed into a corner by his failed ploy to offer the crowds a much more notorious prisoner, Barabbas. While Pilate did not think much of Barabbas, the crowds had been primed to shout for his release. Pilate had no choice, by Roman administrative logic, but to nip this emerging riot in the bud. He handed Jesus over to the guard for crucifixion. The Jerusalem leaders thought it better that one should die in the place of the whole nation, and, in an unexpected way, that was true. 

27: 27-31.  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor’s headquarters (or the praetorium), and they gathered the whole cohort around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” They spat on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. After mocking him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

 As I said before, Pilate did not live in Jerusalem. He carried out the functions of a Roman prefect from Caesarea Maritima (not Caesarea Philippi in Galilee), north on the coast where he lived in Herod the Great’s old palace. In Jerusalem, it is likely that he stayed in another of Herod the Great’s palaces rather than in the barracks with the soldiers. This was a spacious dwelling with courtyards on the outside. 

 The word translated ‘cohort’ here could mean a roster of 600 men, but it also could mean a smaller unit of about 300 men. Either way, it was likely that only the soldiers who were on duty joined in the harassment since the watches were divided and some would have been asleep. Still, there were enough to make trouble.  

 The soldiers mocked Jesus, but they were also mocking the Jews themselves. This cohort was probably recruited in Syria and elsewhere in the Middle East with a few Romans in charge. All of them would have had reason to disrespect the Jews, thus the jest about the king of the Jews has layers of meaning. It is a jab at Jesus, but it is also a jab at the Jews themselves. The sign implies that the Jews are a sorry lot indeed if this flogged and defenseless prisoner is their king. The soldiers stopped only when they grew tired of the sport.

27: 32.  As they went out, they came upon a man from Cyrene named Simon; they compelled this man to carry his cross. 

 ‘As they came out’ from where? It could be from the praetorium, but most likely it refers to the soldiers coming out of the city gate that was on the way to the place of crucifixion. There would be travellers there on the road, and the soldiers grab one of them to help Jesus carry the cross. Most likely, Jesus was just carrying the crossbar, which was heavy enough in itself. The Romans had regular sites of crucifixion where they had permanent standing up poles. The soldiers would nail the convicted man to the crossbar, then haul the crossbar and the man up the pole with a rope and pulley.

 Mark in his gospel names Simon’s two sons. By tradition Simon and his family became Christians and were part of the congregation that Mark was writing to. They are not members of the congregation to whom Matthew was writing, so Matthew does not mention the names of people his readers do not know. 

 Cyrene was an important city, founded by colonizing Greeks, but at that time part of a Roman province of Crete and Cyrenaica. The region had African, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, and Jewish influences and also inhabitants from those places. Tradition identifies Simon as an African who was a Jewish proselyte probably on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate Passover.

 This incident contributes to our understanding of Christianity as both expansive and inclusive from the beginning. In the next chapter, Jesus confirms this with instructions to “make disciples of all nations.” Then, 50 days later at Pentecost there is a preliminary list of nations that includes 14 named regions, including “parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene.” Was Simon present on the day of Pentecost? 

27: 33-37. And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. And when they had crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by casting lots (in order that what had been spoken through the prophet might be fulfilled, ‘They divided my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots’); then they sat down there and kept watch over him. Over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.”

  This place where the Romans carried out executions is appropriately named as all four gospel writers record that it is ‘the place of the skull’. Matthew says the drink was wine mixed with gall; Mark says it was wine mixed with myrrh; Luke and John just say ‘sour wine’. Either way, the mixture would numb the pain, and Jesus would not accept that. If he was supposed to experience suffering and death for the people, then he could not accept an anaesthetic. Matthew probably has Psalm 69 in mind, which says, in part: 

 “Answer me, O LORD, … do not hide your face from your servant, for I am in distress…. You know the insults I receive, and my shame and dishonor…. I looked for pity, but there was none; and for my comforters, but there was none. They gave me poison for food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar (gall) to drink” (Psalm 69: 16-21). 

  Dividing up Jesus’ clothes and tossing dice for the cloak also reminded Matthew of a Psalm, although the line in parentheses above does not appear in the oldest copies of the gospel. Perhaps they were imported from the other gospels which do mention the soldiers casting lots.  

 “...they divide my clothes among themselves, and for my clothing they cast lots” (Psalm 22: 18).  

 The sign over Jesus’ head, as I implied above, has several layers of meaning. It is as much a slam at the Jews as it is mocking Jesus. The soldiers are saying, ‘So you think that there is any other authority than Rome and the emperor? Look at this sad excuse for the king of the Jews!” 

 Of course, all stories have many levels of meaning. Today we would say, ‘Yes, he is king of the Jews, chosen and crowned by God himself. He fulfills the commission that was given to Abraham, that is, that his descendants would be a blessing to the nations (Genesis 12: 1-3). Now it is by Jesus’ dedication and sacrifice that the king of the Jews offers to all nations forgiveness of sins and restoration of the image of God in men and women who repent and follow him. 

 God has completed the circle from creation to fall, from captivity to sin to release, from distorted image to restored, from death to life in Jesus.