By John Richardson
SCRIPTURE
Matthew 27:27–31
[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.
OBSERVATION
Historically the church has called the week preceding Easter “Passion Week.” I would recommend finding time to read through the whole crucifixion by yourself and with your family/friends. Isaiah 53:5 says, “But He was pierced for our transgressions; He was crushed for our iniquities; upon Him was the chastisement that brought us peace, and with His wounds we are healed” … a prophetic image of Jesus coming to the earth and dying on the cross for the sins of the world—every hit, pierce, and pull of His beard was for the salvation of the world.
- This is the scene of what unfolded at the governor’s headquarters. This location would have been a large structure with a huge open courtyard that would function as a meeting space and a place for troops to drill. Later this would be the same governor’s headquarters where Paul would be held before Felix. The palatial building would have been on the southwest side of the city on a high hill often called Zion, close to the very space of David’s tower (v. 27). Jesus was the only Jew there because of the restrictions of Passover; Jews could not enter the home of a Gentile. Jesus endured all alone under the power of the local authorities.
- A battalion consisted of 500-600 troops. To think rightly about the number, think about gathering with a full service at Harmony Hill, which is about 500-600. Jesus was not mocked by a handful of soldiers; He was mocked and beaten by hundreds—not that every person hit Him, but the audience is huge. Jesus was stripped and clothed with scarlet to begin the process of mocking Him as king, which He was charged for saying. Soldiers fashioned a crown of thorns to press down into His skull. The entire battalion said, “Hail, king of the Jews.” Jesus the true King endured their mockery for the forgiveness of those who would be gathered as His church (vv. 28-29).
- After mocking Jesus, the soldiers stripped Him of the crimson robe and put clothes back on Him. The next step forward was to the cross but let us not forget that the Jews had also beaten Jesus. Matthew 16:65-68 shows Jesus beaten and mocked before the Sanhedrin (Jewish religious counsel). Both Jews and Gentiles struck Jesus prior to crucifying Him on the cross. Every stripe was endured with salvation in mind. All of the humility and shame was carried to cover our shame. Jesus died to save sinners; do you believe that? Jesus died to have a relationship with you; do you believe that?
OBEDIENCE
Believers wince at the thought of Jesus getting physical beatings from so many people. The gut-wrenching events move everyone to consider, why did this have to happen? The answer is more than feelings of heartbreak—it was to save people from sin. Remorse is not the response; repentance is.
- Knowing that paying the sin-debt of people cost so much should move every believer to praise Jesus for His work. This week is about praising Jesus for removing our sins. Spend time each day praising Him.
- Sin is costly, not just in the lives of believers, but the life of Christ. Spend time in prayer this week considering the sin that is in your life. Repent/turn from that sin and ask God to forgive you. Jesus endured so that you would be set free of sin.
- People need to hear the passion story this week. Seek a way to share the gospel with others, recounting the crucifixion of Jesus.
- Study the events leading up to the crucifixion. Spend time looking at the details of each event, asking God to reveal things that have been overlooked.
PRAYER
Thank Jesus for dying on the cross for your sin. If you are not a believer, ask Jesus to forgive you of your sin and commit to follow Him. Ask God to help you turn from sin and allow Jesus to reign in your life.
