Matthew 27:32-56

About the Text

(32) Where is Golgotha? Is was a place just outside the walls of Jerusalem - not far. The shame of a crucifixion made it unthinkable and improper to hold inside city walls. Christ endured such shame for our salvation.

(32) Where is " Cyrene" ? Cyrene was a city on the north coast of Africa near the nation of Libya today. In Jesus' time, a settlement of Greek-speaking Jews was located there.

(34) What is " gall" ? Gall is an extremely bitter herb, likely to be used in Biblical times as a poison. In Jer. 8:14, 9:15, and Deut. 29:18, it was so used. In the New Testament, there is evidence that the gall in this verse is the same or very similar herb as the gall of the Hebrew Old Testament. In Acts 8:23, gall is a bitter herb, as it is in the Old Testament. Moreover, this passage seems to be a fulfillment of Psalm 69:21, which has gall as a bitter poison. Because this herb was used as a poison in the Old Testament, it is possible that gall was given to Jesus to hasten His death on the cross, with the purpose of shortening His suffering. The soldiers mixed it with wine perhaps to make it more palatable. Some scholars believe that gall was used as an anesthetic to numb the pain. Either way, Jesus refused the potion, in order to bear the full suffering for our sin and no less.

(45) What does the " sixth" hour and " ninth" hour mean? Ancient Jews counted the hours of the day beginning at sunrise, 6:00am our time. Therefore, darkness came over the land from noon to 3:00pm, indicating a supernatural phenomenon.

(46) What language was Jesus' cry? Aramaic, the common language of the Jews in Jesus' day.

(46) Why did Jesus say that His Father had " forsaken" Him? For several reasons. First, it was an indication of extreme suffering and pain. Second, it was a fulfillment of Ps. 22:1, where the psalmist lamented out such agony, that it seems as if he were forgotten by God. Third, it was for Jesus to stand in our place as sinners separated from a holy God. Perhaps this is why Jesus addresses Him as " God," not " Father" as He usually does.

(48) Why the wine vinegar? It was cheap, sour wine given to Jesus probably as a gesture of compassion rather than mockery. Verse 49 indicates that those who mocked Him requested the giver to stop offering the wine.

(51) What was the " curtain" of the temple, and why was it torn in two? There was a curtain that separated the Most Holy Place from the Holy Place, according to the specifications God gave to Moses in Exodus 26:33. The temple of God was to be a symbolic representation of heaven, with the Most Holy Place (a small room towards the back of the temple) containing sculptures of angels and the actual Ark of Covenant (the container for the tablets of the Ten Commandments), which symbolized the throne of God. Only the high priest could enter through the curtain and into the Most Holy Place only once a year, to perform a bloody ritual that symbolized the suffering of the Messiah to come. Jesus is that Messiah. Through His suffering, the debt of sin has been completely paid for. Thus, the " curtain" that separates God and man, as well as the symbolic curtain in the temple, was supernaturally torn in two. Christ is our ultimate high priest who sacrificed Himself to pay the penalty for our sin, thereby removing the offense that stood between God and Man. In simple terms, we don't need religious rituals and traditions to work our way to God. Christ has done it completely for us by dying on the cross. We who believe can thus be sure of their peace with God.

(52) How could people be raised to life when 1 Cor. 15:20 and Col. 1:18 says that Christ must be raised first? They were raised to give a glimpse to the world of the blessings of the new life to come. However, they probably did not experience a full resurrection to a glorified body as Christ did. Their entire resurrection would take place together with us Christians in the end when Christ returns.

Insights

• Jesus Christ took upon Himself not only the suffering we deserved, but also the separation from God, so we believers wouldn't have to experience such tragedy.
Christ's death is a source of enormous blessing to us who believe.

The Bottom Line

If you believe in Christ, you can be absolutely sure of your relationship with God, even when you don't " feel" close to Him. For our relationship with God depends not upon how hard we pray (though God likes us to do that), or how much we give, or even how much we read the Bible. It is not even measured by how intense or intimate our religious feelings are. Rather, it is measured by how complete Christ's work is. Do you " feel" far from God sometimes? Does it ever seem that no matter how hard you try, you still feel God is far away? Then stop trying, and start believing that Christ completely paid for your relationship with God with His own life, and with every feature of His suffering.