Matthew 27:39

My Notes

What Does Matthew 27:39 Mean?

Matthew 27:39 captures one of the cruelest details of the crucifixion — and its cruelty is in its casualness. "And they that passed by reviled him, wagging their heads." These aren't the soldiers doing their job. These aren't the religious leaders who orchestrated the execution. These are passersby — hoi paraporeuomenoi — people walking past on their way somewhere else. The crucifixion is roadside scenery for their commute.

The word eblasphēmoun (reviled, blasphemed) is strong — they spoke abusively, mockingly, with contempt. And they wagged their heads — kinountes tas kephalas autōn — a gesture of scorn described in Psalm 22:7 ("All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head") and Lamentations 2:15 ("all that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss and wag their head"). The head-wagging is an ancient gesture of derision — the condescending shake that says: look at this fool.

Verse 40 gives their words: "Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross." They throw Jesus' own words back at Him — distorted, mocking, weaponized. The irony is excruciating: they're demanding He save Himself, not realizing that by staying on the cross He's saving them. They wag their heads at the only person who could have saved them from the need to wag their heads at anything.

Reflection Questions

• 1.Have you ever been a 'passerby' to something God was doing — too casual, too busy, too dismissive to stop and see?
• 2.What does the casualness of the mockery reveal about how ordinary people can participate in something terrible?
• 3.How does knowing Jesus could have saved Himself at any moment change the weight of their taunt?
• 4.Where might you be wagging your head at something you don't fully understand?

Devotional

They were just walking by. On their way to the market, to a meeting, to wherever people go on a Friday afternoon. And they stopped long enough to mock a dying man. Then they kept walking.

The casualness is what makes this verse cut. These weren't the architects of Jesus' death. They were bystanders. Commuters. People who encountered the crucifixion as an interruption in their day and responded with a head-shake and a sneer. They didn't know they were blaspheming the Son of God. They didn't care enough to find out. The man on the cross was just content — something to react to between errands.

Wagging their heads. The ancient equivalent of an eye-roll. The condescending dismissal of someone you've already decided isn't worth taking seriously. They looked at the Son of God nailed to wood and their response was: what a fool. Save yourself if you're so special.

The irony is unbearable. "Save thyself." He could have. At any moment. A word would have called twelve legions of angels (26:53). He stayed on the cross not because He couldn't come down but because coming down would have meant they stayed lost. The people mocking His weakness were being saved by it. The head-waggers were the reason He didn't move.

You've been a passerby. Maybe not at a crucifixion, but at moments of significance you dismissed with a glance. Moments where God was doing something you were too busy or too casual to recognize. The cross asks you to stop walking. To stop wagging your head. To look — actually look — at what's happening in front of you.

Commentary

Trusted original commentary from respected historical Bible scholars and theologians.

Cross References

Related passages throughout Scripture