Matthew 27:27-44
Mocked and Crucified
Read the passage
27Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company around Him.
28They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.
29And they twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand, knelt down before Him, and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!”
30Then they spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head repeatedly.
31After they had mocked Him, they removed the robe and put His own clothes back on Him. Then they led Him away to crucify Him.
32Along the way they found a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross of Jesus.
33And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means The Place of the Skull,
34they offered Him wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, He refused to drink it.
35When they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments by casting lots.
36And sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.
37Above His head they posted the written charge against Him: THIS IS JESUS, THE KING OF THE JEWS.
38Two robbers were crucified with Him, one on His right and the other on His left.
39And those who passed by heaped abuse on Him, shaking their heads
40and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
41In the same way, the chief priests, scribes, and elders mocked Him, saying,
42“He saved others, but He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel! Let Him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in Him.
43He trusts in God. Let God deliver Him now if He wants Him. For He said, ‘I am the Son of God.’”
44In the same way, even the robbers who were crucified with Him berated Him.
Berean Standard Bible
Read aloud
The Roman soldiers strip Jesus, dress him in a scarlet robe, press a crown of thorns onto his head, and mock him as “King of the Jews.” They spit on him, strike him, and lead him away to be crucified. Simon of Cyrene is compelled to carry the cross as they go toward Golgotha.
At the place called Golgotha, the soldiers offer Jesus wine mixed with gall, but he refuses it. They crucify him and divide his garments by casting lots. Jesus is placed between two criminals, and the charge above him identifies him as the King of the Jews.
Passersby challenge Jesus to save Himself and come down if He is the Son of God. The chief priests, scribes and elders mock Him: “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.” They demand that He come down and that God rescue Him; even the robbers crucified beside Him join the abuse. Their words sound like a test of power, but they misunderstand the kind of salvation Jesus has come to accomplish.
Matthew lets the mockers speak the truth in a distorted way. Jesus really is the King, the Son of God, and the Savior. He does not come down because his mission is not to preserve himself from the cross; he gives himself there for his people. The passage does not make the violence less real, and it does not turn suffering into a virtue that victims must quietly accept.
The irony is painful and holy: the one who saves others refuses the path of self-preservation. The leaders think the cross disproves Jesus' identity, while Matthew shows the cross as the place where his identity and saving purpose are most clearly displayed. A household can grieve the cruelty, reject the mockers' logic, and trust the King who saves through sacrificial obedience.
How We Know
Psalm 22 describes onlookers shaking their heads, mocking trust in God and dividing the sufferer’s clothing by lot. Matthew records those details at the cross. Isaiah’s suffering servant bears others’ iniquity, helping us understand why the Son remains under suffering rather than accepting the mockers’ demand to escape.
Questions
1 What do the soldiers and passersby do to Jesus?
AnswerThe soldiers mock, spit on, strike, and crucify Jesus, while Simon carries the cross and the crowd watches or taunts. Matthew keeps the human cruelty visible instead of allowing the cross to become an abstract symbol.
2 How does the mocking expose the world's idea of power?
AnswerThe mockers call Jesus “King of the Jews” and say, “He saved others, but He cannot save Himself.” Their words expose a worldly definition of power that treats self-preservation as proof of kingship.
3 Why does Jesus remain on the cross instead of saving Himself?
AnswerJesus does not come down from the cross, not because he lacks power, but because he is accomplishing the Father's saving purpose. The mockers misunderstand that the true King is giving himself for sinners rather than rescuing himself from the appointed suffering.
4 How can our household recognize cruelty and protect the vulnerable?
AnswerOur household can reject the idea that power means protecting ourselves at any cost. We can name one way to resist mockery or protect a vulnerable person, while giving thanks that Jesus willingly endured the cross to save his people.
What This Means for Us
The mockers assume that a true king must always save himself. Matthew shows the opposite: Jesus' kingship is revealed through obedience to the point of death. He is not trapped by a lack of power; he remains on the cross to accomplish salvation for sinners.
That truth must never be used to romanticize abuse. Jesus' suffering is unique and saving, while human cruelty remains evil. The passage teaches us to honor Christ's willing sacrifice and to oppose the kind of mockery, dehumanization, and abuse that treats another person's pain as entertainment.
Ask the household where power is being used to protect the strong rather than serve the vulnerable. Then pray for the courage to tell the truth, refuse cruel speech, and receive the mercy of the King who did not save himself because he came to save his people.
Prayer
Lord Jesus, we grieve the cruelty you endured and trust your victory over it. Keep us from mocking the vulnerable, give us courage to resist injustice, and make our compassion practical. Amen.