Church Fathers Commentary Matthew 27:27-30

"Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium, and gathered unto him the whole band. And they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And they platted a crown of thorns and put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand; and they kneeled down before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And they spat upon him, and took the reed and smote him on the head." — Matthew 27:27-30 (ASV)

St. Augustine of Hippo: After the Lord's trial comes His Passion, which begins this way: "Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall," etc. ¹

St. Jerome: He had been called King of the Jews, and the Scribes and Priests had brought this charge against Him: that He claimed sovereignty over the Jewish nation. Hence the soldiers' mockery: taking away His own garments, they put a scarlet cloak on Him to represent the purple fringe that kings of old used to wear. Instead of a diadem, they put a crown of thorns on Him, and instead of a royal scepter, they gave Him a reed and worshiped Him as if He were a king.

St. Augustine of Hippo: From this, we understand what Mark means by "clothed him with purple" (Mark 15:17). Instead of the royal purple, this scarlet cloak was used in mockery, and there is a shade of purple that is very similar to scarlet. Or it may be that Mark was speaking of the purple the cloak contained, though its color was scarlet.

St. John Chrysostom: Why should we care from now on if anyone insults us, after Christ has suffered in this way? The worst that cruel outrage could do was inflicted on Christ. Not just one part, but His whole body suffered injuries: His head from the crown, the reed, and the beatings; His face, which was spit upon; His cheeks, which they struck with the palms of their hands; His whole body from the scourging, the stripping to put on the cloak, and the mock worship; His hands from the reed they put into them to mimic a scepter—as if they were afraid of omitting any indignity. ²

St. Augustine of Hippo: But Matthew seems to introduce this here as something recalled from an earlier point, not that it was done at the moment Pilate handed Him over for crucifixion. For John places it before He is handed over by Pilate.

St. Jerome: We can understand all these things mystically. For just as Caiaphas said that "it is expedient that one man should die for the people" (John 11:50), not knowing what he said, so these soldiers, in all they did, furnished sacraments for us who believe, though they acted with a different intention. In the scarlet robe, He bears the bloody works of the Gentiles; by the crown of thorns, He takes away the ancient curse; with the reed, He destroys poisonous animals; or He held the reed in His hand with which to write down the sacrilege of the Jews.

St. Hilary of Poitiers: Or, in another sense, the Lord, having taken upon Himself all the infirmities of our body, is then covered with the scarlet-colored blood of all the martyrs, to whom the kingdom with Him is due. He is crowned with thorns—that is, with the sins of the Gentiles who once pierced Him, for the prick of the thorns weaves the crown of victory for Christ. In the reed, He takes into His hand and supports the weakness and frailty of the Gentiles, and His head is struck with it so that the weakness of the Gentiles, sustained by Christ's hand, may rest on God the Father, who is His head.

Origen of Alexandria: Or, the reed was a mystery signifying that before we believed, we trusted in that reed of Egypt, or Babylon, or some other kingdom opposed to God, which He took so that He might triumph over it with the wood of the cross. With this reed they strike the head of Christ, because this kingdom constantly beats against God the Father, who is the head of the Savior.

Remigius of Auxerre: Alternatively, the scarlet robe denotes the Lord's flesh, which is described as red because of the shedding of His blood. By the crown of thorns, He takes upon Himself our sins, because He appeared "in the likeness of sinful flesh" (Romans 8:3).

Rabanus Maurus: Those who speak against His divinity and endeavor to maintain their error by the authority of Holy Scripture, which is written with a reed, strike the head of Christ with a reed. Those who reject the presence of His grace with abominable words and deny that Jesus has come in the flesh spit upon His face. And those who believe in Him but despise Him with perverse works mock Him with their worship.

St. Augustine of Hippo: The fact that they took His own garment off the Lord during His passion and put a colored robe on Him denotes those heretics who claimed that He had a shadowy, and not a real, body. ³

1. de Cons. Ev., iii, 9
2. Hom. lxxxvii
3. Quaest. Ev., ii, in fin