Matthew 27:28-31

Matthew 27:28-31

[28] And  they stripped  him,  and put on  him  a scarlet  robe.  [29] And  when they had platted  a crown  of  thorns,  they put  it upon  his  head,  and  a reed  in  his  right hand:  and  they bowed the knee  before  him,  and mocked  him,  saying,  Hail,  King  of the Jews!  [30] And  they spit  upon  him,  and took  the reed,  and  smote  him  on  the head.  [31] And  after  that they had mocked  him,  the robe  off  from him,  and  his own  raiment  on  him,  and  him  away  to  crucify 

What does Matthew 27:28-31 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

The Sanhedrin and or its servants had abused Jesus as a false Messiah ( Matthew 26:67-68). Now Pilate"s soldiers abused Him as a false king. Ironically Jesus was all they charged Him with being. The scarlet robe (Gr. chlamys) they put on Jesus ( Matthew 27:28) was probably the reddish purple cloak that Roman military and civil officials wore. Perhaps the thorny spikes that the soldiers wove into a circle to resemble the one on Tiberius Caesar"s head on Roman coins consisted of palm branches. The imperfect tense of the Greek verb translated "beat" means they beat Jesus on the head repeatedly (cf. Isaiah 52:14). Typically four soldiers plus a centurion accompanied a condemned prisoner to his crucifixion. The criminal normally carried the crosspiece to which the soldiers would later nail his hands (cf. John 19:17; John 19:23). [1]
This pericope shows sinners at their worst mocking and brutalizing the very person who was laying His life down as a sacrifice for their sins (cf. Matthew 20:19).
"Few incidents in history more clearly illustrate the brutality in the desperately wicked heart of man than that which was inflicted on Jesus the Son of God." [2]
"The ultimate explanation of the cross is neither Jewish hostility nor Roman injustice, but the declared purpose of God." [3]