Monday, February 9, 2015

Matthew 27:27-34

Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 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!” And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 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. As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 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. 


The scarlet robe, crown and reed (vs 28-29) were to mock His claims to be a king.

Praetorium (the word some translations use in vs 27, but probably better translated "governor's headquarters") - "Pilate's residence in Jerusalem.  This was probably in the Castle of Antonia, near the Temple, though it may have been located near Herod's palace." (Ryrie)

whole battalion - "One-tenth of a legion, about 300-600 men." (Ryrie)

struck Him on the head - As many were astonished at you—his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind—(Isaiah 52:14).

to crucify him - "A painful and slow means of execution that the Romans adopted from the Phoenicians.  The victim usually died after two or three days.  The process of dying included thirst, exhaustion, exposure, and, finally asphyxiation.  The hands were often nailed to the crossbeam, which was then hoisted up and affixed to the up-right, to which the feet were then nailed.  A peg, astride which the victim sat, supported the main weight of the body.  Death was sometimes hastened by breaking the legs, but not in Christ's case (John 19:33)." (Ryrie)

Cyrene - A Roman province in North Africa, the capital of Cyrenaica; home to many Jews.

to carry his cross - "The crossbeam was carried to the place of execution usually by the victim, but Jesus was too weakened by the tortures that had already been inflicted on Him." (Ryrie)

Golgotha - "Aramaic for 'skull,' indicating either that the place of crucifixion looked like a skull or that it was a place of execution where skulls accumulated.  Its location is uncertain." (Ryrie)

It was probably about two-and-a-half hours from when Jesus first appeared before Pilate until He arrived at Golgotha (6:30 am to 9:00 am).

wine...mixed with gall - prophesied in Psalm 69:21 — given to prisoners as an anesthetic to reduce suffering. Jesus refused it.

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