Matt 27:27-44 THE REASON FOR HIS COMING
We’ve just read a very painful text in the Bible, of an innocent man being mocked and crucified.
• It was not supposed to be because Jesus did nothing wrong. He was sinless and righteous but He has chosen not to defend Himself.
• We have the sinless being judged by the sinful.
Jesus was sentenced to death not because they had a just cause but because He had chosen this path AND FOR A REASON.
• Jesus suffered and died for a PURPOSE and many of us here know WHY. It is the PLAN of God.
• We are going to celebrate Christmas. It’s a celebration not just because a child has been born, which is why we celebrate birthdays…
• But more so for this day because THIS CHILD WAS BORN FOR US. Prophet Isaiah puts it directly, “For to us a child is born, to us a son is given…” (Isaiah 9:6)
• Matt 1:21 Matthew wrote, “You shall call His name Jesus, for He will save His people from their sins.”
That’s the reason Jesus has to suffer and die. He came to be punished on our behalf, to pay the penalty for our sins.
• He came with the cross in mind and hence the painful ordeal we read this morning.
• Jesus suffered NOT for His crime but ours, not for His sin but ours. Not just our immorality but our rejection of God.
• He paid that price so that we can be forgiven and be reconciled with God.
Let us appreciate what Jesus did for us. Matthew wants us to see…
JESUS CHOSE NOT TO DEFEND HIMSELF.
If we combine all four Gospels, we would see that Jesus was rushed from trial to trial right after His arrest in the Garden of Gethsemane:
1. Before Annas (former high priest, FIL of Caiaphas) - John 18.
2. Before Caiaphas (high priest) and the Sanhedrin (Jewish Council) – Matt 26b
3. Before Pontius Pilate (Roman governor of Judea) early morning 6 am – Matt 27
4. Before Herod Antipas (Ruler of Galilee, visiting Jerusalem) – Luke 23:6-12.
5. Returned to Pilate again (not willing to condemn Jesus; gave choice to release notorious criminal Barabbas) – Matt 27b
Surprised that they chose to free Barabbas – they chose the sinner over the righteous.
• Forced by the circumstances, Pilate finally sentenced Jesus to be crucified.
The remarkable thing in these trials was that Jesus chose to be silent.
• When charges were read, we kept reading: “He gave no answer, not a word.”
• There was no pushback. Jesus did not defend Himself. He could have, being the righteous and innocent one.
• He did not because He has a higher purpose – because of our salvation!
Only TWO TIMES Jesus spoke and that was to AFFIRM HIS IDENTITY:
BEFORE THE SANHEDRIN
• Matt 26:63-64 63But Jesus remained silent. And the high priest said to him, “I adjure you by the living God, tell us if you are the Christ, the Son of God.”
• 64Jesus said to him, “You have said so. But I tell you, from now on you will see the Son of Man seated at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.”
Jesus knows His future. They were judging Him now but one day, He will return to judge them.
BEFORE PILATE
• Matt 27:11-14 11Now Jesus stood before the governor, and the governor asked him, “Are you the King of the Jews?” Jesus said, “You have said so.”
• 12But when he was accused by the chief priests and elders, he gave no answer.
• 13Then Pilate said to him, “Do you not hear how many things they testify against you?” 14But he gave him no answer, not even to a single charge, so that the governor was greatly amazed.
His silence was the fulfilment of Isaiah’s prophesy:
Isaiah 53:7 “He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter, and like a sheep that before its shearers is silent, so he opened not his mouth.”
Jesus spoke to AFFIRM His identity. It is important we know WHO He is.
He is no ordinary man. He is the Son of God who has come to save us from sin.
• He is God… Phil 2:6-8 “…6who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, 7but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. 8And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
Jesus was not concerned about the charges raised. He did no wrong and the allegations were false. Jesus knew they were out to frame Him from day one.
• Even if the charges were shown to be false, they could create new ones.
• It’s not about the charges, it’s their UNBELIEF.
Jesus knew He would be crucified, and that’s the will of God.
• He has come for this purpose - to die for the sins of the world.
• He is not here to fight His innocence but to fulfil the plan of God for the salvation of the world.
• Jesus was obedient to God to the point of dying on the cross to save us from sin.
Matthew wants us to see…
JESUS ENDURED THE MOCKERY OF MEN.
Nothing came as a surprise. This was the plan of God and Jesus expected it.
• He said (Luke 9:22) "The Son of Man must suffer many things and be rejected by the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and on the third day be raised."
AFTER THE SENTENCING, from Matt 27:27 onwards we see the mocking of sinful men, all the way to the place of the cross, and even while He was hanging on it.
• Matthew wants us to see that men did not stop persecuting Jesus.
At the start, the whole battalion of guards stood by and mocked Him. 27:27
• Since He claimed to be the KING OF THE JEWS, they dressed Him like a King - put a scarlet robe on Him, made a crown of thorns on His head and put a reed as a sceptre in His right hand.
• The soldiers kneeled before Him and cried out, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 27:29.
• They were playing games with Jesus.
They led Him to Golgotha, the “place of the skull” 27:33. Jesus was nailed to the cross, but the mocking continued.
• The people passing by mocked Him 27:39.
• The chief priests, the scribes and the elders came to mock Him27:41 as if they had not done enough. They have no reason to be there, only to mock Him.
• The criminals next to Jesus mocked Him (one repented later) 27:44
The Jewish leaders, the Roman governors, the soldiers, the bystanders and the criminals all mocked Jesus.
• Matthew wants us to see that EVERYONE - from all facets of society, laughed at Jesus and ridiculed Him.
Imagine this, with all this mockery as a backdrop, Jesus could cry out on the cross: “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” (Luke 23:34)
• UNBELIEVABLE, right?
• Despite all the foolishness, ignorance, stubbornness and mockery of sinners, the longing heart of Jesus remained unchanged - “Father, forgive them!”
• Rom 5:8 “But God shows His love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” There is nothing for us to boast. We ought to feel shameful.
• God showed His love through the cross. Treasure that.
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This whole section of the Scripture is filled with ironies. Think about this.
• The high priest asked, “Are you the Christ, the Son of God?” 26:63 Jesus: “You have said so.” The truth is, HE IS but they rejected Him.
• Pilate asked, “Are you the King of the Jews?” 27:11 Jesus: “You have said so.” HE IS but they denied Him.
• The soldiers dressed Him like a king, which is correct, HE IS.
• They made fun of Him by putting a sign on the cross that said: “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 27:37 They did not put “This man claimed to be…”
• But it turned out to be true - HE IS THEIR KING.
• Not King of an earthly kingdom but a spiritual one. Jesus would liberate them and lead them into victory, like a King, over sin and death.
• And one day, Revelation tells us, we shall all see Him seated on the throne, with His royal robe and ruling with His sceptre, a rod of iron and not of reed. (cf. Rev 19:15)
The mocking did not stop even with Jesus on the cross …
• The bystanders said, “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 27:40 and HE IS, that’s why He DID NOT come down from the cross.
• The chief priests, scribes and elders mocked Him saying, “He is the King of Israel; let Him come down now from the cross.” 27:42
• The robbers joined in also in mocking Jesus.
“If He comes down, He will not be the Messiah who will free His people from their sins! It is precisely because He is the Son of God, that’s why He is not coming down.”
In recounting all these mocking lines, the author MATTHEW seems to be telling us silently - “But they are all true! Every one of them is true!”
• Matthew ended with this most climactic cry in 27:54 – from the mouth of the Centurion – the only cry not out of mockery: “Truly this was the Son of God!” 27:54
JESUS PAID THE PRICE FOR OUR SINS.
Isaiah 53:5 5But He was pierced for our transgressions, He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.
All this has to happen because of our sins. It was the plan of God.
• They said, “He saved others; He cannot save Himself.” 27:42
But Jesus saved others precisely because He chose not to save Himself.
• If He saved Himself, we will all be dead in our sins. He chose NOT to come down precisely because He wanted to save us.
• Someone said it correctly, “It was His love for us that kept Him there, not the nails.” His love for us sent Him to the cross, not Pilate, not the soldiers.
John 10:18 JESUS:
“No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have authority to lay it down, and I have authority to take it up again. This charge I have received from my Father.”
• Jesus did this in obedience to God. He did this because He loves you.
• He died in our place, on our behalf and satisfied the righteous demand of God.
Jesus accomplished the PURPOSE for which He came and fulfilled the PLAN of God.
• The suffering and the crucifixion was not an accident. He was not the victim of the circumstances. Jesus accomplished what He came to do.
• Everything that we see in Matthew 27 was foreseen by God and prophesied in His Word. God is sovereign over everything that has happened.
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WHAT CAN WE LEARN
1. God Is Sovereign Even In Our Sufferings.
God is sovereign over all things, including our suffering.
• Our pain is not an accident and it is not in vain.
• God works out His will and purposes even through our sufferings.
• He meets us with His grace and He gives us the strength to endure.
In the face of injustice, persecution and mockery, Jesus knew He was living in the will of God.
• When in hardship, remember that God is in control and He is good.
• Jesus prepares His disciples in John 15:20 “Remember the word that I said to you: ‘A servant is not greater than His master.’ If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you. If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.”
2. Jesus Is Our Only Hope of Salvation
John 14:6 JESUS says, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.”
Only Jesus paid the price for our forgiveness. He alone reconciles us with God.
Dear FRIENDS, look at the cross in front of you and remember this:
“Everything was done so that you and I can return to God
– cleansed and forgiven, and restored in our relationship with Him!”
Jesus made it possible. We can put our trust in Jesus, the Son of God, our Saviour.
• If Jesus has already carried the weight of sin for us, then we do not need to carry that guilt today.
• Let Him take the burden of sin from you and receive the gift of a new life.
PRAYER:
Dear Jesus, the text today is hard to read but true. You, the Son of God, suffered and died for us. You took our place and saved us from being condemned for our sins and eternally separated from God. Open our eyes to see and understand Your love for us and appreciate You for all that You’ve done.
May our hearts be filled with love and gratitude for you. Let us tell this story with renewed enthusiasm and excitement, especially in the coming days as we celebrate Christmas. May the Gospel be proclaimed and Your Name made known. This we pray in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
