Reading the Word

Matthew 27:27–31 (ESV)

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.

Parallel Texts: Mark 15:16-20; John 19:2-3

Understanding and Applying the Word

The soldiers mocked Jesus. The dressed him in makeshift attire to present him as a ridiculous and pathetic king. They put a crown made from thorns on his head. They put a reed as a scepter in his hand. They put a scarlet robe on him. And they bowed down before him, not to worship, but to laugh at and make fun of Jesus. They called out “Hail, King of the Jews” and then spit on him and hit him with the reed. When they were finished with their fun, the soldiers stripped him of his scarlet robe and put him back in his regular clothes before leading him off to be crucified.

This event fulfilled what Jesus had told his disciples in Matthew 20:19. None of this came as a surprise to Jesus. He knew that he would be rejected by all people, both Jew and Gentile. Jesus, the Messiah and Creator, visited mankind, but was rejected, mocked, and murdered. Little did the people realize what would soon take place. Jesus would rise victorious from the dead in a demonstration of his power and authority. And one day he will return as promised to this world and every knee will bow and tongue confess that Jesus is Lord. There will be no mocking on that day, only recognition of who Jesus is: the King of kings and Lord of lords.

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