Preached July 26, 2009
from
Matthew 27:33-37

Theme: The Bible teaches us to adore Jesus—the crucified King—by pointing our attention to the things that were going on around His cross.

(Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture references are taken from The Holy Bible, New King James Version; copyright 1982, Thomas Nelson, Inc.)

Throughout our study of the Gospel of Matthew, we’ve seen that the emphasis has been on Jesus Christ as King of the Jews. Matthew writes primarily for Jewish readers; and in all that he writes, he seeks to present Jesus to them as their divinely promised, long-awaited King.

And with this morning’s passage, we come to a key point in the story. It’s something that Mathew knew would have been scandalous to the Jewish mind—something that would have been a “stumbling block” for many of his intended readers. And even by many of his gentile readers, it would have been scoffed at as “foolishness”. And yet, to those of his readers who are called by God for salvation, it is “the power of God and the wisdom of God” (1 Corinthians 1:23-24).

We come this morning, in our study of Matthew’s Gospel, to the crucifixion of Jesus. In Matthew 27:33-37, we read;

And when they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him sour wine mingled with gall to drink. But when He had tasted it, He would not drink. Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

“They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots.”

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there. And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS (Matthew 27:33-37).

* * * * * * * * * *

This is a key moment in Matthew’s Gospel. It is, in fact, to be the key note of the church’s message to the world. We preach the theme that the world does not welcome, but that it most needs to hear: “Christ crucified” (1 Corinthians 1:23). The great apostle Paul himself determined that he would know nothing among those to whom he ministered in this world “except Jesus Christ and Him crucified” (1 Corinthians 2:2). And we need to remember that the faithful preaching of this one, single key note is the most effective, life-changing, world-transforming thing we as Christians can do. We have our Lord’s own promise on it. As He Himself has said, “And I, if I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all peoples to Myself” (John 12:32).

But I wonder if you noticed something truly remarkable about this great theme as I read this morning’s passage to you. We are told the greatest, most earth-shaking fact of history—that Jesus Christ, the Son of God in human flesh, was crucified on a Roman cross—and yet, we’re told nothing at all about the actual act of crucifixion itself.

We’re given nothing in the way of the details that we’re so used to seeing in Christian art or reading in Christian literature. We’re not given any of the gory details about His bloodied and battered body being stretched out on the cross, or of the nails being painfully driven through his hands and feet. In fact—without, I hope, getting to detailed about the grammar of the text—the fact of the crucifixion is given in verse 35 in the form of a participle in a subordinate position in the sentence. It literally says, “And crucifying Him . . .”—almost as if mentioning it in passing.

I believe there’s an important spiritual lesson for us in this. In our humanness, we would easily be distracted by the details of the actual crucifixion. We would naturally focus our attention on the horrible suffering that Jesus underwent as He was being nailed to the cross. In fact, many sermons have been preached on those very details—drawing them not so much from anything in Scripture but rather from archeology and imagination. Many preachers have been able to move people deeply with the pain Jesus must have experienced in being crucified. But our Lord’s pain in being crucified is clearly not something that the Holy Spirit wanted us to focus on. Otherwise, He would have given us more details about it.

Instead, our focus isn’t to be so much on the fact that He suffered pain on the cross, as on the fact that He actually died in our place! No one is saved by knowing something of Jesus’ pain and suffering—as important as that is. Rather, we are saved by putting our faith in His death as our God-given Substitute! We’re saved by believing that God “made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21).

And for that reason, the Bible draws our attention to the things that were going on around King Jesus as He was being placed on the cross—things that help us appreciate and understand the significance of the sacrifice He made for us there as our divine Substitute.

Let’s focus our thoughts on these ‘surrounding’ details this morning. That, it seems to me, is where the Spirit of God is wanting to draw our attention. And as we do, may our hearts be moved to worship and adore the King on the cross—and to trust fully in the atoning sacrifice He made for us there.

* * * * * * * * * * *

First, consider what this passage tells us about . . .

1. THE PLACE (v. 33).

The soldiers had taken Jesus from the Praetorium—where they had mocked and beaten Him—to lead Him away to His execution. And because of His weakened physical condition, they grabbed-hold of a passer-by named Simon of Cyrene; and they made him carry Jesus’ cross as they led Him up the hill. Then, Matthew tells us that “they had come to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull . . .” And it was there that they crucified Him.

Golgotha is the Hebrew name of the place. It is taken from the Hebrew word for “a skull”. The name that the Romans would have given to it is “Calvary”, which would have been taken from “calvaria” (the Latin word for “skull”). It was a place where there was, apparently, a hill that could have been easily seen from the city of Jerusalem (see John 19:20); which would have made it a convenient place—just outside the city—for the Roman government to crucify its criminals for maximum impact upon the public.

That was possibly why it got its name—the Place of the Skull. It may be that many executions were performed there. But it may have also gotten that name because of its appearance. One of the possible sites—Gordon’s Calvary—is a hill that actually looks like a skull. It has a round top with what appear to be two eye sockets and a toothy grin. It must have become—after time—a rather creepy place to look upon by the people of nearby Jerusalem. And it was here that our Lord—the King of the Jews—was led up to be crucified.

There’s a spiritual lesson for us in the fact that Jesus—our divinely provided Substitute—was led up to this place. In the Old Testament times, after the priest had applied the blood of the bull that had been given as a sin offering upon the altar, he was to take the body of that sin offering and burn it upon wood “outside the camp” (Leviticus 4:11-12). And similarly, the body of Jesus—our offering for sin—was also offered on wood, “outside the camp” of Jerusalem.

And what’s more, we are to identify ourselves with Jesus “outside the camp”. We’re to live as people who are separated from this world’s values and priorities and be distinctively devoted to Him. As Hebrews 13:11-14 says;

For the bodies of those animals, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned outside the camp. Therefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore let us go forth to Him, outside the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no continuing city, but we seek the one to come (Hebrews 13:11-14).

* * * * * * * * * *

Another thing that Matthew shines the spotlight on is . . .

2. THE WINE (v. 34).

He writes that, when our Lord was brought by the soldiers to Golgotha, “they gave Him sour wine [or as other manuscripts of the Greek text have it, simply "wine"] mingled with gall to drink.”

Where did this wine come from? It doesn’t seem likely that it would have originally been offered to Him by the soldiers. They had no sympathy from Him. The Gospel of Luke tells us that “a great multitude of people followed Him, and women who mourned and lamented Him” (Luke 23:27); and it may be that some of them offered the soldiers wine to be given to Him. It may have been that they were thinking of what it says in Proverbs 31:6-7; where it says, “Give strong drink to him who is perishing, and wine to those who are bitter of heart. Let him drink and forget his poverty, and remember his misery no more.”

But somehow, before it got to Him, it had been mixed with gall—which would have made it bitter to the taste and no longer refreshing. Luke tells us that the soldiers “also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine” (Luke 23:36). Perhaps they sought to add to His suffering by making Him quench His thirst with this nasty-tasting wine; so they could laugh at the faces He made as He tasted it. And thus, they would have fulfilled the prophecy concerning Jesus found in Psalm 69:21; which says, “They also gave me gall for my food, and for my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.”

Now; as awful to the taste as that wine mixed with gall might have been, a dying man might nevertheless have been willing to drink it. It was a mixture that had a stupefying effect; and Roman soldiers often gave it to criminals who were about to be crucified in order to dull their minds to the horrors of the cross. But we’re told that, “when He had tasted it, He would not drink.”

And here again, I suggest that we see another spiritual lesson about our Savior’s sacrifice for us. Before a holy God, we truly deserve the death penalty for our sins. And if you or I were to experience the just wrath of God for our sins, it would be utterly unjust for us to be relieved of any aspect of it, or to be dulled to its pain. It would only be right that we experience the pain of God’s wrath to the full. And so, we’re presented with a picture of our divine Substitute on the cross that conforms to that principle of justice.

It was for our sins that He was crucified. It was in our place that He—the sinless Son of God—suffered the agonies of the wrath of God that was poured out on the cross for our transgressions. And out of love for us, He didn’t spare Himself a single aspect of the penalty of our sin. As the writer of Hebrews says;

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone (Hebrews 2:9).

* * * * * * * * * *

Now; another thing Matthew focuses in on was . . .

3. THE GARMENTS (v. 35).

We’re told that, crucifying Him, the soldiers “divided His garments, casting lots . . .”

It may not seem like something that would particularly appeal to you or me; but one of the benefits of being one of the soldiers that executed a criminal was that you got to keep the victim’s clothing. If it was one piece of clothing, and (as was often the case) there was a squad of four soldiers overseeing the execution, then the one piece would have to be torn into four parts. That way, each soldier had a patch of cloth that could be taken home and used for something else.

Now; John, in his Gospel account, gives us a bit more of the details. He says that when the soldiers crucified Jesus, they “took His garments [which probably referred to His outer garments] and made four parts, to each soldier a part, and also the tunic [which was probably an inner garment]. Now the tunic was without seam, woven from the top in one piece [that is, it was a nice, quality piece of clothing]. They said therefore among themselves, ‘Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, whose it shall be’” (John 19:23-24).

What a horrible picture this is! How demeaning it was to our Savior—soldiers dividing and casting lots for His clothing while He hung on a cross! And yet, this is something that was promised would happen in Psalm 22. I don’t know if you have ever read that psalm, but it would be startling to you if you did so. It prophetically describes the crucifixion of our Savior over a thousand years before it occurred. It details many of the very things that we read happened to Him in the Gospels. And in particular, in Psalm 22:18, it says, “They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.” How remarkably thorough God is in keeping every promise of His word!

Isn’t it amazing that they didn’t tear all of His garments? There was one garment of great value that they left whole. This means that our Savior’s sacrifice on the cross resulted in someone walking away clothed in something that belonged to Jesus. And again, I’d like to suggest a spiritual lesson that this teaches us.

Before Jesus died on the cross, you and I would have had no hope of standing before God in anything but in our own righteousness. And we could never dare to stand before a holy God in those filthy rags and hope to receive anything but His just wrath. But because the sinless Son of God died in our place, we will never need to stand before God in the rags of our own righteousness. We can be like what the apostle Paul said of himself;

. . . and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith . . . (Philippians 3:9).

The righteousness of Jesus Himself—fully acceptable to the Father! It’s not of human origin! It’s not divided! It’s woven from the top, and in one piece! What a fine garment Jesus’ death on the cross has made available to you and me!

Are you in that garment by faith, by the way?

* * * * * * * * * *

Matthew further draws our attention to . . .

4. THE WATCH (v. 36).

He says, “Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.” The tense of the verb used suggests that the soldiers sat and kept watch over Him for some time—throughout the time that He was on the cross and was dying.

Why would they keep watch over Him? Certainly, it would have been to prevent anyone in the crowds that had followed along with Him from attempting to rescue Him from the cross, or from taking Him down before He had died. And certainly, it would have been to make sure that the execution was “successful”, and that He truly did die. They had been commissioned with the task of His crucifixion; and they were not going to leave until they were sure that the task had been completed.

But I can’t help thinking of all the things that they would have then seen—in addition to all the things they may already have known about Jesus. They certainly would have heard the ‘accidental’ testimonies of the angry crowds, the chief priests, the elders of the Jews and the scribes; who would have borne witness of Him by saying things like, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (v. 40); or “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, ‘I am the Son of God’” vv. 42-43). What would these soldiers have thought of such things being said of Him?

What would they have thought of the conversation Jesus had with the two thieves who were crucified with Him? Both thieves began joining in with the crowds that mocked Him. But as Luke tells us, one of them began to be convicted in his heart—affirming that he and the other had deserved to die; but that Jesus had done nothing wrong. The soldiers would have heard that repentant thief say to Jesus, “Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom”; and would have heard Jesus say to him, “Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise” (Luke 23:39-43). What would these soldiers think about such words?

They would have seen the foreboding darkness that was over all the land for three hours as He hung on the cross (Matthew 27:46). They would have heard Him cry out, “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani!”; that is, “My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?” (v. 46). They would have heard Him cry out with a loud voice, “Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit” (Luke 23:46)—and then saw Him die. They had seen many people die; but they’d never seen anyone die like that! And they then would have then felt the earthquake that followed His giving up His spirit (Matthew 27:51). It may even bee that they heard of how the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom (v. 51); and how the graves were opened and that many bodies of the saints were raised and went into the Jerusalem alive (vv. 52-53).

They saw these things as they kept watch. And Matthew tells us in verse 54 that, “when the centurion and those with him, who were guarding Jesus, saw the earthquake and the things that had happened, they feared greatly, saying, “Truly this was the Son of God!” This is why it’s so important for us to look at all the details of what happened all around our Lord as He was dying, and that we—as it where—”keep watch” with the soldiers at the foot of the cross.

If we kept watch over Jesus as intensely as they did, we would come to the conclusion about Him that they came to—that truly, this Man who died in our place was the Son of God!

* * * * * * * * * *

Matthew has taken our attention away from the act of crucifixion itself, and has—instead—turned our attention to what was going on all around as the Lord was crucified. He has told us about the place it occurred, the wine that was given, the garments that were divided, and the watch that was kept. And each of these things has something vital to teach us about Jesus.

Finally—and perhaps, most clearly—Matthew draws our attention to . . .

5. THE INSCRIPTION (v. 37).

He tells us, “And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him . . .” Luke, in His Gospel account, tells us that it was written in three languages—Greek, Latin, and Hebrew (Luke 23:38)—so that all could read it. It was high on a hill—in plain sight to all. And it said, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”.

This was the inscription as it was ordered by the Roman governor Pilate; and the Jews strongly objected to it. John tells us that their chief priest said to Pilate, “Do not write, ‘The King of the Jews,’ but, ‘He said, “I am the King of the Jews”‘” (John 19:21). They rightly recognized that Pilate was throwing them an insult—as if to say, “Here’s your king—you Jews! Quite a sight, isn’t He?” But he wouldn’t relent. “What I have written,” he told them, “I have written” (v. 22). The words, “THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS”, would stand as is.

And what a testimony! What truth Pilate presented to the world—without realizing that he did so! Do you remember how—at the very beginning of the Gospel of Matthew—we’re told what that name ‘Jesus’ means? Do you remember how, when Joseph learned that his virgin bride-to-be Mary was pregnant, the angel came to him and said that the child was of the Holy Spirit? And do you remember how the angel instructed him, “and you are to give him the name Jesus [which means "Savior"] because he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21)? So here was Jesus, dying on the cross—being put on display to all the world by Pilate—whom God the Father declared to be “Savior”. What a picture!

And what’s more; Pilate not only called Him “Jesus”, but also “The King of the Jews”. Does this remind you of what Jesus Himself said to the chief priests and elders of the people before they handed Him over to Pilate? They pressed Him to say whether or not He was the Son of God; and He said, “It is as you said, Nevertheless, I say to you, hereafter you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of the Power, and coming on the clouds of heaven” (Matthew 26:64). He was the Savior—right then dying on the cross for our sins. And one day, He will return to this earth as King of kings and Lord of lords!

What words of eternal truth they were that the witless governor Pilate wrote on that inscription for all to see!

* * * * * * * * * *

These are the things that ought to have our attention when we look at the cross of King Jesus. Our focus shouldn’t be on the details of the actual act of the crucifixion itself—sobering as those details may be. Rather, our attention should be drawn to all that was going on as He was crucified—because it’s those things that testified to who He is, and what He accomplished in dying on the cross.

It’s by keeping those things ever before us—through the eyes of faith—that we are saved!