Matthew 27:40, commentary and pictures

As He hung nailed between two thieves at Calvary, passersby wagged their heads and threw back at Him His saying about the temple, daring Him to save Himself and come down from the cross if He was the Son of God. The charge twisted His words, for He had spoken not of the Jerusalem temple but of His own body that He would raise in three days, and they made escape from the cross the condition for believing Him. That demand, If Thou be the Son of God, repeated Satan's wilderness temptations, and Satan with his angels was present cooperating with priests, rulers and mob in united abuse. Though He heard every word and had power to summon angels and come down, He remained silent and submissive, because delivering Himself would have broken the plan of salvation. By refusing to save Himself He died as the sinless substitute under the curse of the law, so that sinners have hope of pardon and His patient endurance hushes all murmuring and calls followers to bear their cross after Him.

Setting at the Cross

The words were spoken while Jesus hung crucified, reviled by those passing by who wagged their heads at Him. They threw back at Him His saying about destroying the temple and building it in three days, taunting Him with it and challenging Him to save Himself. They made escape from the cross the proof of His claim, demanding that He come down from the cross if He was the Son of God. Those revilers were not the abandoned class nor ignorant heathen who knew not God, but chief priests with scribes and elders and rulers, professing religious people who claimed to know the Scriptures. With them were joined hardened soldiers, the vile thief, the base multitude and a stirred mob, with mockings and jeerings mingled with coarse oaths of blasphemy and vulgar jests and insulting derision passed from lip to lip in united abuse. They pressed the same demand that He save Himself, the priests and rulers, the soldiers offering Him vinegar, and one of the hanged malefactors, so that He hung as if He were the chief of sinners and an object of detestation.

He hung nailed through hands and feet, suspended between the heavens and the earth between two thieves, criminals and malefactors, companions of Barabbas. His appearance was marred more than the sons of men, crowned with thorns and treated with derision and insult and mockery as a malefactor in the hands of a cruel mob. A vast multitude of bitter enemies and unfeeling spectators thronged Him about the cross, while His sorrowing disciples followed at a distance with bursting hearts. Even under that mockery one of the two criminals hung beside Him joined it while the other rebuked him, declaring their own guilt and Christ's innocence, asking to be remembered when He came in His kingdom, and receiving the dying promise that today he would be with Him in Paradise.

The scene belongs to the crucifixion at Calvary, where Christ suffered outside Jerusalem as humanity's substitute where criminals were executed. A multitude from Jerusalem and the surrounding region followed Him from the judgment hall to Calvary. The cross laid upon Him was the one prepared for Barabbas, while two companions of Barabbas carried their own crosses to die at the same time with Him. He was too weak to bear it, having taken neither food nor drink since the Passover supper, having agonized in the garden of Gethsemane, having endured betrayal and seen His disciples forsake Him and flee. He had been taken to Annas then to Caiaphas then to Pilate then to Herod then again to Pilate, had suffered insult upon insult and mockery upon mockery and had been twice tortured by the scourge, yet had spoken no word but what tended to glorify God and had borne Himself with firmness and dignity through the trial until human nature could bear no more and He fell fainting twice beneath the burden. The crowd that followed saw His weak and staggering steps and showed no compassion but taunted and reviled Him because He could not carry the heavy cross, and neither the Jews, who feared defilement that would prevent them from keeping the Passover, nor any of the mob would stoop to bear the humiliating load.

The verse belongs to the history of professedly pious Jews told in Matthew 27 and 28. That history is to be read as one, with the mockery at the cross held together with what follows. It is to be read together with Christ's commission to His disciples in Matthew 28.

Temple Taunt Twisted

The taunt on the cross misstated His words, for He had said, Destroy this temple and I will build it again in three days. He was not speaking of the Jerusalem temple but of His body, which He would raise in three days. Their false repetition gave publicity to the statement, and their mockery made its fulfillment more impressive.

They threw that saying back at Him to taunt Him and dared Him to prove it by saving Himself. They made escape from the cross the condition for believing, promising they would believe on Him if He would come down. The temple charge was joined to ridicule of His claim to divine sonship and kingship, that He saved others but could not save Himself, and that God should deliver Him if He was favored. The priests and rulers nodded their heads as they spoke, while He hung with nails through hands and feet and appearance marred more than the sons of men, suffering silently to ransom His people and meet the just claims of God's law.

Even under that derision two criminals hung beside Him, one joining the mockery and the other rebuking him, confessing their own guilt and Christ's innocence, asking to be remembered when He came in His kingdom, and receiving the dying promise of Paradise that day, showing belief and comfort in the midst of mockery. He did not come down but carried His death through for the world He was dying for, bearing the sins of every sinner so all might have opportunity to be saved. His coming again will not be as a babe in Bethlehem, nor as riding into Jerusalem with garments cast before Him, nor on trial in the judgment hall, nor mocked on the cross. Their mockery demanding He come down will be remembered by the impenitent at the final judgment when they face the love and compassion they rejected, and the earthquake and darkness that hid His final suffering, with opened graves and saints appearing in Jerusalem as a testimony, belong to that same hour.

The demand that He come down as proof that He was the Son of God exemplifies refusal to believe despite clear evidence and insistence on a miracle as a condition for faith. It was spoken in the face of clear evidence to find excuse for rejecting heaven's light. The same spirit still speaks when those refusing the message God sends seek pegs on which to hang doubts and demand that messengers heal the sick as proof of truth, and brethren with Christ's history before them must not utter such taunts, for when men close their eyes to the light God sends they reject the most evident truth and believe the most foolish errors.

Satan Echoing Temptation

The words If thou be the Son of God hurled at the dying Saviour were no new invention but the repetition on the cross of Satan's wilderness demands to turn stones to bread and to cast Himself down from the temple. The same challenge that had met Him in the desert was now spoken again as He hung mocked, demanding He prove Sonship by coming down, echoing also Herod's demand for a sign.

Satan with his angels in human form was present at the cross cooperating with the priests and rulers against Christ. Those rulers had stirred an ignorant mob that had never seen Jesus to condemn Him, and joined with them in the taunting. The taunts came from men who claimed religious knowledge yet acted under Satan's influence against the innocent Son of God, giving themselves to the control of the one cast out of heaven for rebellion. Satan stood in full control of his servants from chief priests filled with religious frenzy down to the most vile, with fallen angels assembled around the cross casting the shadow of unbelief, confederated with evil men in corrupt harmony to make Christ appear the chief of sinners.

The taunt was spoken through people influenced by Satan and expressed religious deception, cruelty and rebellion against God's law. The revilers were not ignorant heathen or the abandoned class but chief priests, scribes, elders and professing religious people who claimed to know and serve God and the Scriptures. Their outward piety and love for God and knowledge of Scripture and profession to explain prophecy did not make them sons of God nor faithful to God nor representative of His character, as was shown also in their choice of Barabbas and their yoking with Satan.

In repeating the very words inspiration had foretold for that occasion, the mockers were fulfilling prophecy without recognizing it. Those who uttered the temple charge and the demand to save Himself and come down professed to be expounders of prophecy, yet in blindness did not perceive that they were fulfilling it.

Why He Stayed

At that hour heaven was silent, though the Father's voice had proclaimed Him Son at the baptism and at the transfiguration and again just before the betrayal, and alone on the cross He heard every word of priests and rulers and scribes and the mob demanding that He prove Sonship by coming down. He had power to come down, to call for angels and to overcome His tormentors, yet He refused to save Himself. The angels were indignant at the mockery and wished to rescue Him, but they could not, because His mission was not yet complete, though almost accomplished. The demand that He work a miracle to escape was an effort to provoke Him to disrupt the plan of salvation, but He endured the insults and abuse with meekness and patience and did not use His power to deliver Himself, and so preserved His fitness as the Lamb of God.

He would not bring with Him the cloud of angels nor surround Himself with legions of angels to prove He was ruler over angels in the heavenly courts, nor would He let the watching host break ranks to disperse His persecutors. He had laid off His royal robe and royal crown and stepped down from His magisterial throne as Majesty of heaven and King of Glory, clothing divinity with humanity to stand at the head of humanity as Son of humanity so that humanity might touch humanity. He had to stand as humanity stands, to bear the afflictions humanity bore and to be tempted in all points as humanity is tempted, and He understands human affliction. God did not send the angels to rescue the divine sufferer hanging in shame and agony, though the forces of evil sought to destroy Him and cut off communication between the world and heaven.

He bore that mocking together with rejection and shame and the crown of thorns and scourging and crucifixion, without any word of complaint escaping His lips and without any word of blame against His persecutors. Oppressed and afflicted He opened not His mouth, but remained composed and submitted to abuse in silence, suffering to ransom His people and to meet the just claims of God's law. He could have used divine power to escape His persecutors, but delivering Himself would have disrupted the plan of salvation and His fitness as the Lamb of God.

Because He would not save Himself, sinners have hope of pardon and favor with God. By dying He made provision to save humanity, suffering the death penalty in our place so that we may receive life measured by the life of God. In that endurance He obtained the right to confer eternal righteousness upon as many as would believe on Him. There in humiliation and apparent defeat He vindicated His right and power to pardon transgression and sin and to save to the uttermost, bearing the sins of every sinner so all could have opportunity to be saved, and there He gave mercy even to His murderers in forgiveness.

The question why He did not free Himself reflects failure to understand that His willingness to suffer did not disprove His divine identity. The crowd asked why He did not use divine power to deliver Himself, yet He submitted to His enemies rather than deliver Himself. The same challenge to prove He was God's Son by freeing Himself from His enemies was repeated in the judgment hall.

The cursing and reviling was stopped in the midst of half-uttered sentences by complete supernatural darkness at midday, deep as midnight, lasting three full hours with grave-like silence and occasional lightning revealing the cross and the crucified Redeemer. Nameless terror took possession of all collected about the cross, and priests and rulers and scribes and executioners and the mob all thought their time of retribution had come. Men and women and children prostrated themselves on the earth. After a while some whispered to others that He would now come down from the cross, and some attempted to grope their way back to the city beating their breasts and wailing in fear. The earthquake and darkness hid His final suffering from those watching, graves were opened, and some saints appeared in Jerusalem as a testimony.

Divine Substitute Suffering

The One to whom the challenge was spoken on the cross was the innocent and sinless Son of God, the Commander of all heaven, come from heaven to save a perishing world with zeal for right and justice and for the glory of God as His highest object. In Him divinity was enthroned in humanity, and His humanity could not be separated from His divinity as He bore the sin of the world so that by His death man might be granted another trial. His humiliation and suffering in death was greater than any human being could bear, shown as those passing by reviled Him and shook their heads, throwing back at Him His saying about destroying the temple and building it in three days and challenging Him to save Himself and come down if He was the Son of God.

That humiliation and suffering had a depth and breadth no one else can ever suffer or understand, for He went through every phase of temptation and every phase of suffering. He bore it so that no person on earth can say He never suffered as they suffered and does not know how to suffer and pity them. This shame and mockery was part of the bitter cup of agony that threatened to separate Him for a time from His Father, which He could have refused but endured to save sinners.

He suffered outside Jerusalem where criminals were executed as humanity's substitute, becoming a curse for humanity to redeem people from the curse of the law and to ransom His people and meet the just claims of God's law. The cross stands before believers as the place where mercy and truth meet and righteousness and peace embrace. He had laid off His royal robe and royal crown and stepped down from His magisterial throne as the Majesty of heaven and King of Glory, clothing His divinity with humanity to stand at the head of humanity as the Son of humanity so that humanity might touch humanity, encircling the human race with His long human arm while with His divine arm He grasps the throne of the Infinite. The death He bore makes it possible for humans to be partakers of the divine nature because He was partaker of human nature, and all judgment is given into His hand.

His suffering on Calvary, together with His trials in the wilderness and Gethsemane, was endured on our account to show the way and bring the divine help needed for salvation. On the cross He stands as an example of trust in God's word enduring the power of the world, even while Jewish priests and rulers opposed Him and pressed the Roman governor to carry out their will. His death and passage through the tomb brighten the grave and give joy and hope in the face of death, with confidence of meeting again those who rest in Jesus. Those who lay their loved ones to rest in Jesus can look forward to meeting them again because He passed through the tomb to bring light and hope to death, unlike a death surrounded by sympathizing friends.

His apparent defeat did not mean He lacked power to save or forgive. His mother and disciples hoped He would use His mighty power to silence His revilers by coming down from the shameful cross, but He did not come down and remained in humiliation and apparent defeat, and there vindicated His right and power to pardon transgression and sin and to save to the uttermost. The disciples had expected Him to reign as king on David's throne, so seeing their beloved Teacher condemned, mocked, and lifted up on the cross as a criminal brought bitter disappointment and broke their hopes and courage and gave them cause to mourn and fast and left affliction and anguish. His resurrection restored their hope, and He remained true to His promises and gave consolation to His people.

He did not come down but carried His death through for the world He was dying for, bearing the sins of every sinner so all could have opportunity to be saved if they would. His coming again will not be as a babe in Bethlehem, or as riding into Jerusalem with garments cast before Him, or as on trial in the judgment hall by those on Satan's side, or as mocked on the cross. Those who derided His claim to be the Son of God and demanded He come down will behold Him in His glory sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven and are speechless before Him. Unable to endure His piercing gaze and overpowering glory they seek to flee from His presence, and those who drove the nails and pierced His side behold those marks with terror and remorse, remembering in the final judgment the love and compassion they rejected.

Call to Believe

His silent endurance on the cross under the taunt to prove Himself by coming down hushes all murmuring and complaint and calls for thanksgiving when suffering for Him, for He bore that mocking with all His other suffering — rejection, shame, the crown of thorns, scourging, and crucifixion — without any word of complaint escaping His lips and without any word of blame against His persecutors. He endured it in order to obtain the right to confer eternal righteousness upon as many as would believe on Him. That endurance calls for sympathy and love that imitates His character, as He suffered in order to place a crown of glory on His followers and open the gates of the city of God for all who keep the truth to enter in. His humiliation and suffering for humanity had a depth and breadth no one else can ever suffer or understand, for He went through every phase of temptation and every phase of suffering, so that no person on earth can say He never suffered as they suffered and does not know how to suffer and pity them. This shame and mockery was part of the bitter cup of agony that threatened to separate Him for a time from His Father, which He could have refused but endured to save sinners and become a propitiation for the sins of a lost world, strengthened by God, and His endurance rebukes self-pity in trial and calls believers to Christlike suffering and labor.

His suffering under mockery and false reports is the example for believers, who will have just such experiences. Christ bore that mockery on the cross, carrying it out for you and me, and His endurance under insult and reproach heaped on Him while He hung helpless calls every believer to awake from stupidity and backsliding and to bear their own cross as a living witness for Christ. His suffering shows the cost of His sacrifice and puts the self-denial required of His followers in perspective. Believers must keep their eyes fastened on Him, walk in humility of mind in perfect harmony, help, strengthen, and pray with one another, refuse to stop their work to listen to reports made concerning them, and not give up to discouragement, looking to Christ to uphold and sustain them at every step as they press on to win heaven, even with nails driven through His hands and feet while the Pharisees mocked and derided Him as Redeemer and Lamb who gave His own life that people might be saved. With His conflict in the wilderness of temptation, His life of self-sacrificing love, His soul agony in Gethsemane, His agony upon the cross under mocking and suffering, and the cruelty of the judgment hall, it teaches self-sacrifice, patience under affliction, solemn consecration to God, and fitting preparation for holy work, with every other consideration made secondary to that sacred work.

The taunting demand that He prove Himself by coming down was spoken in the face of clear evidence to find an excuse for rejecting the light of heaven. The same spirit speaks when those who refuse the message God sends seek pegs on which to hang doubts and demand that the messengers heal the sick as proof of truth. Brethren who have the history of Christ before them must not open their lips to utter such taunts. When men close their eyes to the light God sends, they reject the most evident truth and believe the most foolish errors.

The demand that He come down from the cross is still made by those who want to follow Him only on their own terms. It means wanting Him to lay aside humiliation and suffering and appear with riches and pleasure and splendor and the character and authority of the world's great men. Many would receive Him gladly and crown Him Lord on those terms, and would accept a discipleship that lets a man please himself and enjoy the world. Jesus comes in no other character than the meek and lowly crucified One, in the form of a servant to seek and save that which was lost, despised and rejected by the great men of earth though He would have received honor from them in worldly greatness. Following Him therefore requires partaking of His self-denial and suffering here in order to take the crown hereafter. Even those who mocked and abused Him and added to His anguish by challenging Him as the Son of God to come down could have been forgiven if they had repented, as Saul was, for He answers with forgiveness, proclaiming mercy even to His murderers.