The Enthronement at Golgotha Text: Matthew 27:33-56
Introduction: The Central Point of All Time
Every story, every empire, every life, and every moment in human history either leads up to the cross of Jesus Christ or flows away from it. The cross is the central hinge of all time. It is the point on which the entire cosmos turns. And so we come to Golgotha, the Place of a Skull. This is not just a place of execution; it is the great battlefield where the long war between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent reaches its terrible and glorious climax. It is the place of coronation.
Our modern sensibilities, even our Christian ones, want to rush past this scene. We are embarrassed by the blood, the nakedness, the shame. We want a tidy, manageable, and respectable savior. But the world was not saved by a respectable savior. The world was saved by a man who was stripped, beaten, mocked, and nailed to a tree to die a criminal's death. The world sees this as the ultimate defeat, the tragic end of a good man with bad luck. But God shows us that this is the enthronement of the King. This is the moment of ultimate victory. All the powers of hell and all the rebellion of man are gathered at this one place to do their absolute worst, and in doing so, they accomplish the very plan of God from before the foundation of the world. They think they are killing a king; in reality, they are crowning Him.
What we are about to read is not a tragedy. In a true tragedy, a hero is undone by a fatal flaw. But here, a perfect man is undone by our fatal flaws. This is the gospel. And we must look at it squarely, without flinching, because here we see the wisdom of God, the power of God, and the love of God in its most potent and world altering display.
The Text
And when they came to a place called Golgotha, which means Place of a Skull, they gave Him wine to drink mixed with gall; and after tasting it, He did not want to drink. And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots. And sitting down, they began to keep watch over Him there. And above His head they put up the charge against Him which read, "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." At that time two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and one on the left. And those passing by were blaspheming Him, shaking their heads and saying, "You who are going to destroy the sanctuary and rebuild it in three days, save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." In the same way the chief priests also, along with the scribes and elders, were mocking Him and saying, "He saved others; He cannot save Himself. He is the King of Israel; let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him. HE TRUSTS IN GOD; LET GOD RESCUE Him now, IF HE DELIGHTS IN HIM; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' " And the robbers who had been crucified with Him were also insulting Him with the same words. Now from the sixth hour darkness fell upon all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, "ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?" that is, "MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?" And some of those who were standing there, when they heard it, began saying, "This man is calling for Elijah." And immediately one of them ran, and taking a sponge, he filled it with sour wine and put it on a reed, and gave Him a drink. But the rest of them were saying, "Let us see whether Elijah will come to save Him." And Jesus cried out again with a loud voice, and yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the sanctuary was torn in two from top to bottom; and the earth shook and the rocks were split. And the tombs were opened, and many bodies of the saints who had fallen asleep were raised; and coming out of the tombs after His resurrection they entered the holy city and appeared to many. Now the centurion, and those who were with him keeping guard over Jesus, when they saw the earthquake and the things that were happening, became very frightened and said, "Truly this was God's Son!" And many women were there looking on from a distance, who had followed Jesus from Galilee while ministering to Him. Among them was Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James and Joseph, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee.
(Matthew 27:33-56 LSB)
The Royal Humiliation (vv. 33-44)
The scene opens at Golgotha. He is offered a drugged wine, a primitive anesthetic to dull the pain. He tastes it, but refuses to drink it. Jesus will not shrink from the cup the Father has given Him. He will drink it to the dregs, fully conscious, fully aware of the wrath He is absorbing on our behalf. He will not take the easy way out, because the easy way out does not save anyone.
"And when they had crucified Him, they divided up His garments among themselves by casting lots." (Matthew 27:35)
The soldiers, completely oblivious to the cosmic significance of their actions, gamble for his clothes. They are fulfilling the prophecy of Psalm 22:18 with every roll of the dice. This is the sovereignty of God in minute detail. Men in their sin think they are exercising their free will, but they are simply tracing the lines God has already drawn. He is stripped naked, bearing the shame of Adam, so that we might be clothed in His righteousness.
Above His head, Pilate has placed the official charge, written in the languages of the world: "THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." Pilate intends it as a final insult to the Jewish leaders who strong armed him. But God intends it as the coronation announcement for the world. The accusation of His enemies is the declaration of His identity. He is not a king despite the cross; He is King because of the cross. This is His throne, and from this throne He will conquer the world.
And then the mockery begins. It comes from every direction. The passersby, the religious leaders, and even the criminals crucified with Him all join in the same satanic chorus. And what is their taunt? "Save Yourself! If You are the Son of God, come down from the cross." This is the primordial temptation from the wilderness, returning for one final assault. "Use your power for your own benefit. Choose the crown without the suffering." They set the conditions for their belief: "let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe in Him." But this is the lie of unbelief. A savior who saves himself cannot save anybody else. If He had come down from the cross, there would be nothing to believe in. His refusal to save Himself is the very act that accomplishes our salvation. Their mockery reveals the deep foolishness of the fallen human heart. They demand a king who fits their categories, a god who performs on command. But God is saving the world precisely by refusing to meet their demands.
The Divine Judgment and Victory (vv. 45-54)
At the sixth hour, high noon, a supernatural darkness covers the land for three hours. This is not an eclipse. This is a sign of judgment. The Father is turning His face away as the Son becomes sin for us. Creation itself groans and hides its face from the horror of its Creator bearing the filth of human rebellion. The light of the world is being extinguished, and the world is plunged into darkness.
"And about the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice, saying, 'ELI, ELI, LAMA SABACHTHANI?' that is, 'MY GOD, MY GOD, WHY HAVE YOU FORSAKEN ME?'" (Matthew 27:46 LSB)
This is the cry from the abyss. This is the center of the atonement. Jesus, the eternal Son, who had known nothing but perfect, unbroken fellowship with the Father, is now experiencing the full, undiluted wrath of God against our sin. He is bearing the hell that we deserve. This is not a cry of confusion or unbelief; He is quoting the first line of Psalm 22. He is praying Scripture from the cross. He is identifying Himself as the righteous sufferer of that Psalm, a Psalm that begins in the agony of dereliction but ends in the certainty of worldwide victory. In this moment of infinite pain, He is forsaken by God so that we, who trust in Him, would never be.
After this, He cries out again with a loud voice and "yielded up His spirit." Notice the language. His life is not taken from Him; He gives it. He is in sovereign control even in the moment of His death. He completes His work and lays down His life of His own accord. "It is finished."
And the moment He dies, the cosmos convulses. The veil of the temple, the massive curtain separating the Holy of Holies from the rest of the temple, is torn in two from top to bottom. This is not a man ripping it from below; this is God tearing it from above. The way into the presence of God, barred since the fall in Eden, is now thrown wide open through the broken body of Jesus Christ. The old system of priests and sacrifices is obsolete. Access is now direct. The earth shakes and the rocks split. The death of the Creator shakes the foundations of His creation. Tombs are opened, and after His resurrection, saints are raised, a down payment and promise of the great resurrection to come. His death brings life out of death.
And who is the first to understand? Not a priest, not a disciple, but a hardened Roman centurion. Overwhelmed by the darkness, the earthquake, and the manner of Christ's death, he makes the first great confession of the new covenant: "Truly this was God's Son!" The power of the cross shatters his pagan worldview. While the religious insiders are blind, this outsider sees. The gospel begins its conquest of the nations right here, at the foot of the cross.
The Faithful Remnant (vv. 55-56)
Finally, Matthew draws our attention to a group of women watching from a distance. While the male disciples, save John, have scattered in fear, these women remain. They have followed Him, ministered to Him, and they do not abandon Him in His final hour. Their quiet, courageous faithfulness stands in stark contrast to the cowardice of the men. It is no accident that it will be these same women who are the first witnesses to the resurrection. They are the faithful remnant, the seed of the new creation, who stay to the bitter end and are therefore privileged to see the glorious beginning.
Conclusion: The Throne of the World
The cross is not a symbol of defeat. It is the throne from which Christ rules the nations. It is the place where God's love and God's wrath meet, satisfying justice and extending mercy. It is where our sin was judged, where Satan was disarmed, and where our salvation was purchased in full. The world looks at the cross and sees a pathetic, failed Messiah. The Christian looks at the cross and sees the King of the universe, conquering His enemies and reconciling all things to Himself.
The veil is torn. The way to God is open. The tombs are opened. The promise of our own resurrection is secured. The confession has been made by a Gentile soldier, the firstfruits of a harvest that will encompass the globe. Everything has changed. The question for us is the same one the centurion faced. As we look at this scene, as we see the darkness and the earthquake and the torn veil, what is our verdict? Do we join the mockers, demanding a god who performs according to our specifications? Or do we fall on our faces and confess with that soldier, "Truly, this was the Son of God"? That is the only sane response to the enthronement at Golgotha.