Matthew 27 43

Matthew 27:43 kjv

He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God.

Matthew 27:43 nkjv

He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.' "

Matthew 27:43 niv

He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, 'I am the Son of God.'?"

Matthew 27:43 esv

He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

Matthew 27:43 nlt

He trusted God, so let God rescue him now if he wants him! For he said, 'I am the Son of God.'"

Matthew 27 verses

Matthew 27 43 Meaning

This verse captures the sarcastic challenge of the chief priests, scribes, and elders as they mocked Jesus during His crucifixion. They twist Jesus' profound trust in God and His claim of being the Son of God into a demand for immediate, miraculous deliverance. Their taunt implies that if God truly favored Jesus and if Jesus was genuinely God's Son, then God would certainly rescue Him from the cross. It is a cynical dare, attempting to expose Jesus as a fraud and negate His divine identity in the face of His apparent helplessness.

Matthew 27 43 Context

Matthew 27:43 is situated within the narrative of Jesus' crucifixion, specifically during the period of intense mockery and humiliation while He was on the cross. Verses 39-44 describe various groups reviling Jesus: passersby, the chief priests with the scribes and elders, and even the criminals crucified alongside Him. This specific verse reveals the religious leaders' direct attack on Jesus' claim to divine Sonship and His reliance on God. This mockery stemmed from their hardened unbelief, their inability to reconcile a suffering Messiah with their expectations of a conquering one, and their legalistic rejection of Jesus as a blasphemer who made Himself equal with God (Jn 19:7). The historical context highlights the profound spiritual blindness and animosity of those who, steeped in religious knowledge, utterly failed to recognize the true Son of God suffering for humanity's salvation.

Matthew 27 43 Word analysis

• He trusted (πεποιθὼς, pepoithōs): A perfect participle of peithō, meaning "to have been persuaded, to be confident, to have firm trust." It conveys a settled, unwavering conviction and reliance. The leaders acknowledge Jesus' claim of trust, yet mock its apparent futility in His current state.
• in God (ἐπὶ τὸν Θεόν, epi ton Theon): Literally "upon God." This emphasizes God as the ultimate object and ground of Jesus' trust. The preposition "epi" implies reliance or dependence upon a foundation.
• let Him deliver Him (ῥυσάσθω, rhysasthō): An imperative verb, "let Him rescue" or "let Him set free." This is not a humble request but a challenging command or a sarcastic dare, forcing God to act immediately based on their conditions. Rhyomai implies powerful rescue from danger.
• now (νῦν, nyn): This adverb adds urgency and impatience to their demand. It suggests that if God is going to deliver, it must be instant and visible, contrasting with God's perfect timing and deeper purposes.
• if He desires Him (εἰ θέλει αὐτόν, ei thelei auton): This conditional clause is crucial. They impose a condition on God's will, suggesting God's love or favor for Jesus is contingent on immediate, self-serving intervention. This reflects their misunderstanding of God's will, which precisely entailed Jesus' suffering for redemptive purposes (Isa 53:10). The verb thelei (from thelō) means "to will, wish, desire."
• for He said (εἶπεν γάρ, eipen gar): "For He said" acts as their justification for the challenge, implying that Jesus' own words provided the basis for testing God's power and willingness to intervene.
• 'I am the Son of God' (Υἱὸς Θεοῦ εἰμι, Huios Theou eimi): Their quote (or summary of Jesus' claim) of Jesus' most significant self-declaration and identity. This claim was considered blasphemy by the Jewish leaders (Jn 19:7) and formed the core charge against Him. They believed if this claim were true, God would prevent His suffering.

Words-group by words-group analysis:

• "He trusted in God": This phrase directly references Jesus' character and relationship with the Father throughout His ministry (e.g., His prayer in Gethsemane). The mocking leaders, however, turn this spiritual truth into a weakness in their eyes, demanding a visible proof that would negate the very purpose of the cross.
• "let Him deliver Him now if He desires Him": This is the core of their taunt, deeply rooted in the Messianic Psalm 22:8. It reveals their distorted expectation of the Messiah—a deliverer who would save himself from any form of suffering, particularly by Roman hands. It's a blasphemous test of God's will and power, implicitly challenging Jesus' authority and their own messianic concepts.
• "for He said, 'I am the Son of God'": This phrase links Jesus' core identity to their demand for immediate deliverance. They infer that true Sonship must imply exemption from suffering, or instant supernatural rescue. This mirrors Satan's temptations of Jesus in the wilderness ("If you are the Son of God...") by setting a false condition for validating divine Sonship through power displays rather than faithful obedience and sacrifice.

Matthew 27 43 Bonus section

• The irony of this taunt is profound: the very claim of Jesus' Sonship, which they mocked, was precisely what made His sacrifice unique and potent. His suffering, far from disproving His divine nature, demonstrated His unparalleled obedience and love.
• The challenge to "deliver Him now if He desires Him" contrasts sharply with God the Father's genuine affirmation of Jesus earlier in Matthew (3:17, 17:5), proving that the Father did desire and was well-pleased with His Son.
• This scene highlights the pervasive human temptation to demand signs or proofs that fit our own preconceived notions of how God should act, rather than accepting God's sovereign plan as revealed.
• The "Son of God" title was central to Jesus' identity and was often used in the context of His unique relationship with the Father, His authority, and His divine mission. The leaders' scorn reveals their deep-seated rejection of who Jesus truly claimed to be.

Matthew 27 43 Commentary

Matthew 27:43 stands as a chilling testament to humanity's rejection of a suffering Messiah and their inability to grasp divine love expressed through apparent weakness. The religious leaders, by quoting Jesus' claim to Sonship and challenging God to deliver Him, unwittingly fulfilled Old Testament prophecy (Psalm 22:8). Their demand for a spectacle of power demonstrated their spiritual blindness; they missed that God's desire for His Son was not to rescue Him from the cross, but to uphold the greater redemptive purpose through the cross itself. Jesus' trust in God was not based on immediate rescue from earthly pain, but on His Father's perfect will and the eternal plan of salvation. The taunt exposes the depth of their unbelief, failing to see that the ultimate proof of Jesus' Sonship was precisely His obedient surrender to the Father's will, even unto death, enabling humanity's deliverance.