After the soldiers mock, they strip off the scarlet robe from Jesus ( ekduo ) and put His own garments back on Him ( enduo ). That’s a Day of Atonement link, but in the LXX the combination of these two verbs occurs also in Numbers 20:26, where the high priestly robes are stripped from . . . . Continue Reading »
Roman soldiers mock Jesus by conducting a coronation - with robe,m crown, scepter, and acclamation (Matthew 27:28-29). Then they strip it all off, beat Jesus, and send Him away to the cross. The scarlet chlamys is the robe of the Roman soldier. For the Romans, the irony is . . . . Continue Reading »
James Jordan has handled the problems surrounding Jesus’ “three days and three nights in the heart of the earth” (Matthew 12:40) not by pushing Jesus’ death back from Friday to mid-week but by reinterpreting what “heart of the earth” means. Earth often . . . . Continue Reading »
A few structural features of the crucifixion narrative in Matthew 27. First, there are a couple of fairly clear small chiasms. The scene of mockery in the Praetorium is a neat chiasm: A. Soldiers gather and strip Jesus, vv 27-28a B. Robe on Jesus, v 28b C. Crown of thorns on Jesus’ head, . . . . Continue Reading »
Scott Fairbanks writes to note parallels between the trial of Jesus and the murder of Abel. He says: Two brothers: Barabbas is the son of the father, while Jesus is the son of God. Each is an offering. One offering is willful, while the other is reluctant. Like Abel, Jesus says nothing, vs . . . . Continue Reading »
INTRODUCTION Modernity tells us that there is nothing wrong with the human race that a few adjustments can’t fix. The Bible tells us that the world is deeply disordered. At the center of human history is mangled, tortured and crucified body, the body of God. While gospel . . . . Continue Reading »
The exchange of prisoners in Matthew 27 is a Passover scene. One man goes to his death, the other goes free. Both are “sons of the Father,” so we can say that one son goes to death and the other goes free. In the original Passover, of course, Israel’s son is delivered, . . . . Continue Reading »
In a 2008 article in the Catholic Biblical Quarterly , Catherine Sider Hamilton appeals to the rabbinic legend of Zechariah’s unappeased blood, and from OT texts about the land polluted by blood, to the conclusion that the “traditional” interpretation connecting the blood of Jesus . . . . Continue Reading »
The conflict in the trial of Jesus is a conflict over the crowd. For a long time, Jesus has controlled the crowd, but in the trial the Jews take over the crowd. We might say that the conflict is a conflict of rival lovers: Who will become head of the bride, Israel? It fits, then, that . . . . Continue Reading »
Before Jesus goes to the cross, His last words answer Pilate’s question “Are you king of the Jews?” Jesus says, ” You say,” which means “Yes” with the nuance of “My kingship is being declared by the Roman governor.” . . . . Continue Reading »
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