Matthew 27:36-38

Matthew 27:36-38

And while sitting down, they were keeping watch over him.  And they laid His accusation over His head that said, “This is Jesus, the king of the Jews.”  At that time, therefore, two robbers are being crucified by Him – one on His right hand and one on His left hand.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Verse 36 is often thought of as a throw-away verse.  After, what’s the big deal about the guards sitting down and watching over Jesus?  But this verse actually tells us a number of things about the context.  First of all, it shows us that this incident was of interest to the guards.  They didn’t want the body of Jesus stolen by His followers.  They didn’t want there to be any question about whether or not He actually died.  They wanted to make sure that they performed their duty accurately and thoroughly.  This verse is important because it establishes the thoroughness of the Roman soldiers.  They did their job.  Jesus was not brought down off the cross prematurely.  They understood the political and religious tension surrounding Jesus and they made sure that they did their job correctly.  We can have confidence that Jesus did not merely swoon upon the cross only to be revived later, but He was actually dead and then was resurrected by the Father.  But now I am getting ahead of myself.  The thoroughness of the Roman guards is an important witness to the dramatic power over death held by the Father.

Why is it important to you to be able to know that Jesus was actually dead upon the cross?  Would it change anything if there was doubt as to whether or not He actually died?

Second Thought:

Jesus was crucified with thieves.  He was crucified with sinners.  I find this extraordinarily powerful.  On one level, of course it makes sense that Jesus would be crucified with thieves.  He came to die for sinners, why wouldn’t He be crucified with them?  But that leads us to an incredibly deeper point.  Galatians 2:20 tells me that “I have been crucified with Christ.  Therefore it is not longer I who live but Christ who lives in me.”  Christ’s very crucifixion is an invitation for me to be crucified with Him.  Yes, He was crucified for our sins.  But He wasn’t just crucified for our sins.  He was crucified for our sins and besides sinners as a demonstration that we who are sinners can join Him.  He is not beyond us; He invites us to meet him in crucifixion!  Even at the moment of crucifixion Jesus is among sinners inviting them to become more like Him and to imitate them.

Do you think that it is neat that Jesus is crucified with sinners?  How does this actually make the story more deeply spiritual?

Third Thought:

Finally, let’s look at another sign of God being in complete control over the context of the crucifixion.  The sign hung above Jesus says, “This is Jesus, King of the Jews.”  Of course, we know that this sign was put up in a manner to mock Jesus.  It is put up to mock the Jewish leaders and drive them into a rage over the insult to their political power – a move that worked, by the way.  But the thing is that the sign is actual truth.  It was put up in a mocking manner to irritate people and not meant in any way to be true, but that doesn’t change its truth value!  Jesus is the King of the Jews – and King of the Gentiles, too!  God is in control.  As we would expect when God is in control, what is said is exactly what needs to be said.

Have you ever seen the sign over Jesus’ head as a sign of God’s ultimate control?  What does it say about God that He can even use people’s sarcasm to bring forth truth?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 27:39-40