Matthew 27:30 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head.

NIV: They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.

NASB: And they spit on Him, and took the reed and beat Him on the head.

CSB: Then they spat on him, took the staff, and kept hitting him on the head.

NLT: And they spit on him and grabbed the stick and struck him on the head with it.

KJV: And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head.

NKJV: Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.

The abuse of Jesus by a battalion of Roman soldiers was not complete even after they had sarcastically hailed Him as King of the Jews (Matthew 27:27–29). After torturing Jesus (John 19:1), they laughed at Him. They piled on more and more mockery. And then they gave Jesus one last beating, hitting the Lord with the reed they'd made Him hold as a mock scepter and spitting on Him. All of this corresponds to Jesus' predictions (Mark 10:34; Luke 18:32).

John's account places this moment ahead of Pilate's final decision to have Jesus crucified. Matthew is, again, grouping his gospel by theme rather than by time. Pilate brings Jesus out before the crowds dressed as a mock-king and presents Him to the people with the words, "Behold the man!" (John 19:4–5). It's likely Pilate hoped that when the people saw a ragged, mutilated, shamed figure, they would decide further cruelty was unneeded. Instead, it only seemed to increase their blood lust (John 19:6).

Matthew 27:27–31 describes Roman soldiers abusing Jesus inside the governor's headquarters. Most of this mistreatment occurred before His final sentencing, but Matthew continues to group events by theme more than by time. The soldiers strip off Jesus' clothes and dress Him as a mock king. They place a robe on Him, along with a crown made of thorns, and a reed for a scepter. Then the soldiers kneel before Jesus and sarcastically praise Him as the "King of Jews!" Finally, they spit on Jesus and hit Him with the reed before putting His own clothes back on His tattered body and leading Him off to be crucified. Further details are found in John 19:1–6.

When Judas learns Jesus has been condemned, he regrets betraying the Lord. He throws down his ill-gotten money and hangs himself. Jesus is taken to Pilate, who finds nothing to charge Him with. Given the choice, the people shout for the release of a convicted murderer and insist on Jesus' death. Jesus is mocked by a battalion of soldiers and then taken to be crucified. On the cross, He is mocked for not being able to save Himself. After three hours of darkness, Jesus dies. He is buried by a rich follower in a new tomb. This location is tightly guarded to prevent anyone from stealing the body.

Matthew 27 begins with an official meeting of the Jewish ruling council. They affirm Jesus' condemnation from the previous night, described in chapter 26. Judas confesses his betrayal and hangs himself. Pilate tries to release Jesus, but the mob shouts for Jesus to be crucified. Jesus is humiliated by Roman soldiers and marched to be executed. On the cross, He is mocked by Jewish religious leaders and others. He dies and is buried in a never-used tomb. Extensive efforts to secure His body from being stolen only serve to prove the miraculous nature of His resurrection, which is detailed in chapter 28.

The Gospel of Matthew clearly shows the influence of its writer's background, and his effort to reach a specific audience. Matthew was one of Jesus' twelve disciples, a Jewish man, and a former tax collector. This profession would have required literacy, and Matthew may have transcribed some of Jesus' words as they were spoken. This book is filled with references to the Old Testament, demonstrating to Israel that Jesus is the Promised One. Matthew also includes many references to coins, likely due to his former profession. Matthew records extensive accounts of Jesus' teaching, more than the other three Gospels.

Accessed 4/28/2024 10:49:41 PM