05/30/2026
THIS WEEK'S BIBLE LESSON
Matthew 27:27-31, 45-54
Our Savior
Let’s read Matthew 27:27-31
27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.
The praetorium was the official residence for a high-ranking Roman official. In this case it was the Governor Pontius Pilate. It was here that the whole company of soldiers gathered around Jesus. I read that 600 to 1,000 soldiers were assigned to serve the governor (Pilate), during his stay in Jerusalem. For day-to-day security and the enforcement of imperial law, his immediate bodyguard or palace guard detail would consist of a small detachment, typically numbering in low hundreds.
They put a scarlet robe on him, because of the location, it was more than likely a military cloak. I read that biblical experts estimate that the thorns on the crown placed on Jesus head were roughly two inches long. I read that by putting a staff in Jesus right hand, the soldiers were mimicking the scepter that a real king would hold as a symbol of sovereign power.
So, here Jesus standing alone among hundreds of Roman soldiers to be ridiculed, inflicted with pain and suffering. We read that they spit on him and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again.
However, by putting the scarlet robe on His back, a crown on His head, a staff in His right hand and kneeling in front of Jesus saying “Hail, king of the Jews” they were telling the truth even though they meant it to bring shame Him.
I ask you this………how many times have we spit in the face of Jesus, brought Him pain and suffering, or brought shame on His name when we have mocked Him with a sin?
Ephesians 4:30 And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with whom you were sealed for the day of redemption.
We grieve God’s Spirit, bringing pain and sorrow with our sins and worldly actions.
After that had inflicted more than enough pain and suffering on Jesus, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on Him and led Him away to be crucified.
Let’s read Matthew 27:45-50
45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). 47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.” 48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.” 50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.
Jesus had been placed on the cross at 9 am, three hours later, at noon, darkness came over the whole land, lasting till 3 pm.
What does it mean the whole land? Is that Jerusalem, the middle east, or something else? It means the entire world went dark. Why?
Read 1 John 2:2 He is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world.
During His darkest hour, Jesus cries out "Eli, eli, lama sabachthani?" that translates to "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
I read this, This cry is a fulfillment of (Psalm 22:1), one of many striking parallels between that Psalm and the specific events of the crucifixion. Christ at that moment was experiencing the abandonment and despair that resulted from the outpouring of divine wrath on Him as sin-bearer. You see, at one point of this crucifixion when Jesus took on the sin of the entire world, God turned His head. God cannot look upon sin that is not covered by the blood.
Psalm 22:1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me? Why are you so far from saving me, so far from my cries of anguish?
The physical and Spiritual pain of God’s wrath that should be poured out on you and me, were poured into the Son of God. The only person strong enough to have ever taken it.
I have had some people say that this is where we see a contradiction in God’s word.
Read Hebrews 13:5 Keep your lives free from the love of money and be content with what you have, because God has said, “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.”
How can God say on one hand “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” And on the other hand say, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
Because of what we read in John 10:30 “I and the Father are one.”
There is no contradiction in God’s word, only more proof that the only person God has ever forsaken was Himself when a big piece of Him, Jesus Christ, died on the cross for you and me.
After six hours on the cross Jesus takes some of the wine vinegar, why? I read this interesting reason.
Earlier on, Jesus was offered a drink that was mixed with gall as a kind of anesthetic. He will not bear it, He will not take it, but only after the sufferings, He will now have the drink in order to be able, to shout out with a loud voice, "It is finished.”
Jesus dismissed His spirit from His body and told it to go to the Father as we read in Luke 23:46 Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Father, into your hands I commit my spirit.” When he had said this, he breathed his last.
I read this……When Jesus said, "It is finished" (recorded in the Bible in John 19:30), He was translating the ancient Greek word tetelestai. In the culture of that time, this word carried three powerful meanings, none of which were words of defeat. Instead, it was a profound shout of victory.
I share this, The work Jesus came to earth to do was finished. He fulfilled all the ancient prophecies, met the demands of the Law, and provided the ultimate sacrifice for humanity. This permanently replaced the need for ongoing animal sacrifices, opening a direct path for people to have a relationship with God.
The people were waiting to see if Elijah comes to save him. But Jesus is telling them there is nothing left to do, and there is no one else to come.
Let’s read Matthew 27:51-54
51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people. 54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”
To close out this lesson will we share a short summary of these verses.
Matthew 27:51-54 details the miraculous events following Jesus' death on the cross: the tearing of the Temple curtain, an earthquake, the opening of tombs, and a Roman centurion's declaration of Jesus' divinity. Together, these signs symbolize the removal of barriers between God and humanity and the defeat of death.
Read Isaiah 53:4-5 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted. 5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.
God’s Holy Word proves Jesus Christ is “Our Savior”
