27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers. |
28 And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. |
29 And when they had platted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand: and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! |
30 And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. |
31 And after that they had mocked him, they took the robe off from him, and put his own raiment on him, and led him away to crucify him. |
32 And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name: him they compelled to bear his cross. |
33 And when they were come unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull, |
34 They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink. |
35 And they crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, They parted my garments among them, and upon my vesture did they cast lots. |
36 And sitting down they watched him there; |
37 And set up over his head his accusation written, THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS. |
38 Then were there two thieves crucified with him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. |
39 And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads, |
40 And saying, Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross. |
41 Likewise also the chief priests mocking him, with the scribes and elders, said, |
42 He saved others; himself he cannot save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross, and we will believe him. |
43 He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. |
44 The thieves also, which were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. |
45 Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. |
46 And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? |
47 Some of them that stood there, when they heard that, said, This man calleth for Elias. |
48 And straightway one of them ran, and took a spunge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave him to drink. |
49 The rest said, Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save him. |
50 Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. |
51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; |
52 And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, |
53 And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. |
54 Now when the centurion, and they that were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying, Truly this was the Son of God. |
55 And many women were there beholding afar off, which followed Jesus from Galilee, ministering unto him: |
56 Among which was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joses, and the mother of Zebedee's children. |
57 When the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph, who also himself was Jesus' disciple: |
58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of Jesus. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. |
59 And when Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, |
60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. |
61 And there was Mary Magdalene, and the other Mary, sitting over against the sepulchre. |
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate, |
63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. |
64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. |
65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. |
66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch. |
27
27:27 The whole troop - or cohort. This was a body of foot commanded by the governor, which was appointed to prevent disorders and tumults, especially on solemn occasions. Mar 15:16 Joh 19:2, .
27:28 They put on him a scarlet robe - Such as kings and generals wore; probably an old tattered one.
27:32 Him they compelled to bear his cross - He bore it himself, till he sunk under it, Joh 19:17.
27:33 A place called Golgotha, that is, the place of a skull - Golgotha in Syriac signifies a skull or head: it was probablycalled so from this time; being an eminence upon Mount Calvary, not far from the king's gardens. Mar 15:22; Luk 23:33; Joh 19:17
27:34 They gave him vinegar mingled with gall - Out of derision: which, however nauseous, he received and tasted of. St. Mark mentions also a different mixture which was given him, Wine mingled with myrrh: such as it was customary to give to dying criminals, to make them less sensible of their sufferings: but this our Lord refused to taste, determining to bear the full force of his pains.
27:35 They parted his garments - This was the custom of the Romans.The soldiers performed the office of executioners, and divided among them the spoils of the criminals. My vesture - That is, my inner garment. Psa 22:18.
27:38 Mar 15:27; Luk 23:32.
27:44 Mar 15:32; Luk 23:33.
27:45 From the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the earth unto the ninth hour - Insomuch, that even a heathen philosopher seeing it, and knowing it could not be a natural eclipse, because it was at the time of the full moon, and continued three hours together, cried out, "Either the God of nature suffers, or the frame of the world is dissolved." By this darkness God testified his abhorrence of the wickednesswhich was then committing. It likewise intimated Christ's sore conflicts with the Divine justice, and with all the powers of darkness.
27:46 About the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice - Our Lord's great agony probably continued these three whole hours, at the conclusion of which be thus cried out, while he suffered from God himself what was unutterable. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? - Our Lord hereby at once expresses his trust in God, and a most distressing sense of his letting loose the powers of darkness upon him, withdrawing the comfortable discoveries of his presence, and filling his soul with a terrible sense of the wrath due to the sins which he was bearing. Psa 22:1.
27:48 One taking a sponge, filled it with vinegar - Vinegar and water was the usual drink of the Roman soldiers. It does not appear, that this was given him in derision, but rather with a friendly design, that he might not die before Elijah came. Joh 19:28.
27:50 After he had cried with a loud voice - To show that his life was still whole in him. He dismissed his spirit - So the original expression may be literally translated: an expression admirably suited to our Lord's words, Joh 10:18: No man taketh my life from me, but I lay it down of myself.He died by a voluntary act of his own, and in a way peculiar to himself. He alone of all men that ever were, could have continued alive even in the greatest tortures, as long as he pleased, or have retired from the body whenever he had thought fit. And how does it illustrate that love which he manifested in his death? Insomuch as he did not use his power to quit his body, as soon as it was fastened to the cross, leaving only an insensible corpse, to the cruelty of his murderers: but continued his abode in it, with a steady resolution, as long as it was proper. He then retired from it, with a majesty and dignity never known or to be known in any other death: dying, if one may so express it, like the Prince of life.
27:51 Immediately upon his death, while the sun was still darkened, the veil of the temple, which separated the holy of holies from the court of the priests, though made of the richest and strongest tapestry, was rent in two from the top to the bottom: so that while the priest was ministering at the golden altar (it being the time of the sacrifice) the sacred oracle, by an invisible power was laid open to full view: God thereby signifying the speedy removal of the veil of the Jewish ceremonies the casting down the partition wall, so that the Jews and Gentiles were now admitted to equal privileges, and the opening a way through the veil of his flesh for all believers into the most holy place.And the earth was shaken - There was a general earthquake through the whole globe, though chiefly near Jerusalem: God testifying thereby his wrath against the Jewish nation, for the horrid impiety they were committing.
27:52 Some of the tombs were shattered and laid open by the earthquake, and while they continued unclosed (and they must have stood open all the Sabbath, seeing the law would not allow any attempt to close them) many bodies of holy men were raised, (perhaps Simeon, Zacharias, John the Baptist, and others who had believed in Christ, and were known to many in Jerusalem,) And coming out of the tombs after his resurrection, went into the holy city (Jerusalem) and appeared to many - Who had probably known them before: God hereby signifying, that Christ had conquered death, and would raise all his saints in due season.
27:54 The centurion - The officer who commanded the guard; and they that were with him feared, saying, Truly this was the Son of God - Referring to the words of the chief priests and scribes, Mat 27:43: He said, I am the Son of God.
27:56 James - The less: he was so called, to distinguish him from the other James, the brother of John; probably because he was less in stature.
27:57 When the evening was come - That is, after three o'clock; the time from three to six they termed the evening. Mar 15:42; Luk 23:50; Joh 19:38.
27:62 On the morrow, the day that followed the day of the preparation - The day of preparation was the day before the Sabbath, whereon they were to prepare for the celebration of it.The next day then was the Sabbath according to the Jews.But the evangelist seems to express it by this circumlocution, to show the Jewish Sabbath was then abolished.
27:63 That impostor said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again - We do not find that he had ever said this to them, unless when he spoke of the temple of his body, Joh 2:19, Joh 2:21. And if they here refer to what he then said,how perverse and iniquitous was their construction on these words, when he was on his trial before the council? Mat 26:61. Then they seemed not to understand them!
27:65 Ye have a guard - Of your own, in the tower of Antonia, which was stationed there for the service of the temple.
27:66 They went and secured the sepulchre, sealing the stone, and setting a guard - They set Pilate's signet, or the public seal of the sanhedrim upon a fastening which they had put on the stone.And all this uncommon caution was overruled by the providence of God, to give the strongest proofs of Christ's ensuing resurrection; since there could be no room for the least suspicion of deceit, when it should be found, that his body was raised out of a new tomb, where there was no other corpse, and this tomb hewn out of a rock, the mouth of which was secured by a great stone, under a seal, and a guard of soldiers.