Matthew 27:40 (WEB)
and saying, “You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!”
Catechism · 1
“But this prophecy would be distorted in its telling by false witnesses during his interrogation at the high priest's house, and would be thrown back at him as an insult when he was nailed to the cross.” — Catechism footnote: Cf Mk 14:57-58; Mt 27 39-40.
Fathers and councils · 42
Augustine of Hippo
“He came not down, who could; His Potency He showed not, but patience taught.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 39, 40.
Read the whole comment“Just as the Jews saw Christ hanging on the Cross and despised Him, saying, “If this Man were the Son of God, He would come down from the Cross:” not seeing what death is.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40, 42.
Read the whole comment“So then He walked hidden among the Jews, among His enemies, doing marvels, suffering ills, until He was hanged on the tree, and the Jews seeing Him hanging both despised Him the more, and before the Cross wagging their heads they said, “If He be the Son of God, let Him come down from the Cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 39, 40.
Read the whole comment“They say, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“The wood of the Cross deserving of insults hath seemed to enemies, and before the wood itself standing they were wagging the head, and saying, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“Doubtless weak is He that hangeth, Doubtless before Him that people did wag the head, Doubtless they said, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“Thou didst bear on the Cross men reviling and saying, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross.”…This thing they, that would have had Him come down from the Cross, perceived not: but when He rose again, and being glorified ascended into Heaven, they perceived the works of God.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“…of His enemies:” not only of those who mocked and crucified Him, and wagged their heads, and said, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross;” but also of all men lifting up themselves against His doctrine, and deriding His death as though it were of a man.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“Did not most mighty men and fat bulls before Him, as though a man of no strength, made captive and oppressed, shake the head and say, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross”?” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 39, 40, etc.
Read the whole comment“So evidently “the unwise people provoked Thy name,” when it was said, “If Son of God He is let Him come down from the Cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“Appear Thou then before one made fruitful, before a son of the right hand: appear Thou before one forgetful, in order that he may be no longer forgetful, but Thou mayest come into his mind that hast delivered him.…For weak Thou wast when it was being said, “If Son of God He is, let Him come down from the Cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“Matthew goes on in the following strain: “And they that passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, and saying, 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.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 39, 40.
Read the whole comment“Then He hung on the cross itself at the sixth hour, and yielded up His spirit at the ninth hour.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 23–50
Read the whole comment“He saved others, Himself He cannot save.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40, 42.
Read the whole comment“Hadst Thou then lost Thy power, or rather wast Thou showing forth Thy Patience? and yet they mocked Thee, and yet they derided Thee, yet, when Thou wast slain, they went away as if victorious.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment““If He be the Son of God, let Him come down from the cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“That crucified One at whom insults were cast, and while He hung on the cross His persecutors wagging the head, and saying, “If he be the Son of God, let him come down from the cross,”—He, and no other, is our complete Physician.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 39, 40.
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Athanasius of Alexandria
“And would that they would no longer join the Jews who passed by of old in reproaching Him that hung upon the Tree: ‘If thou be the Son of God save Thyself.’” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40; Luke xxviii. 37.
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John Chrysostom
“This is “the reproach of Christ,” to be ill-treated to the end, and to the last breath: as He Himself was reproached and heard, “If Thou be the Son of God” ( Matt. xxvii. 40 ), from those for whom He was crucified, from those who were of the same race.” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment“Coming, it says, to the very cross they worshiped Him; and they struck Him and buffeted Him, and said, “Tell us who it is that smote Thee” ( Matt. xxvi. 68 ); and they brought vinegar to Him, and said, “If Thou be the Son of God, come down from the Cross.” ( Matt. xxvii. 40.)” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment“…nor reproach Him with such reproaches as they did, “He saved others, himself he cannot save”; and, “If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross” ( Matt. xxvii. 42, 40 ); yet the very reason of His not coming down was, that He was the Son of God.” — the author cites it
Read the whole comment“Therefore they say these things publicly, and crucified thieves with Him, and wishing to prove Him a deceiver, they say, “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days come down from the cross.”” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
Read the whole comment“And whereas those men said, “Thou that destroyest this temple, and buildest it in three days,” He shows that it shall be made forever desolate.” — editor's note: Matt. xxvii. 40.
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Hilary of Poitiers
“If to His body, are they ignorant that the Holy One should not see corruption, that within three days He was to revive the temple of His body?” — editor's note: St. John ii. 19; St. Matt. xxvi. 16, xxvii. 40; St. Mark xiv. 58.
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Catena Aurea on Matthew
- John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
Having stripped and crucified Christ, they go yet further, and seeing Him on the cross revile Him.
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
“They revile him” because they passed by that way, and would not walk in the true way of the Scriptures. “They wagged their heads,” because they had just before shifted their feet, and stood not upon a rock. The…
Read the whole comment - Remigius of AuxerreCatena Aurea on Matthew
“Aha!” is an interjection of taunt and mockery.
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
What forgiveness then for them, when by the resurrection of His body they shall see the temple of God rebuilt within three days?
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
And as beginning to extenuate His former miracles, they add, “Save thyself; if thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.”
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
He, on the contrary, does not come down from the cross, because He is the Son of God; for He therefore came that He might be crucified for us.
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
Even the Scribes and Pharisees reluctantly confess that “He saved others.” Your own judgment then condemns you, for in that He saved others, He could if He would have saved Himself.
Read the whole comment - Pseudo-ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
[ed. note, d: Hom. de Cruce et Latr. in the Latin Chrys. (ed. Paris. 1588.) vol. iii. p. 750] But attend to this speech of these children of the Devil, how they imitate their father’s speech. The Devil said, “If thou…
Read the whole comment - Leo the GreatCatena Aurea on Matthew
From what source of error, O Jews, have ye sucked in the poison of such blasphemies? What teacher delivered it to you? What learning moved you to think that the true King of Israel, that the veritable Son of God,…
Read the whole comment - Rabanus MaurusCatena Aurea on Matthew
Had He then been prevailed on by their taunts to leave the cross, He would not have proved to us the power of endurance; but He waited enduring their mockery; and He who would not come down from the cross, rose again…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
But unworthy of credit is that promise, “And we will believe him.” For which is greater, to come down while yet alive from the cross, or to rise from the tomb when dead? Yet this He did, and ye believed not;…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
“He trusted in God, let him now deliver him, if he will.” O most foul! Were they therefore not Prophets or righteous men, because God did not deliver them out of their perils? But if He would not oppose their glory,…
Read the whole comment - Augustine of HippoCatena Aurea on Matthew
It may seem that Luke contradicts this, when be describes one of the robbers as reviling Him, and as therefore rebuked by the other. But we may suppose that Matthew, shortly alluding to the circumstance, has used the…
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
Or it may be said that at first both reviled Him; but when the sun had withdrawn, the earth was shaken, the rocks were rent, and the darkness increased, one believed on Jesus, and repaired his former denial by a…
Read the whole comment - John ChrysostomCatena Aurea on Matthew
At first both reviled Him, but afterwards not so. For that you should not suppose that the thing was arranged by any collusion, and that the thief was not a thief, he shews you by his wanton reproaches, that even…
Read the whole comment - Hilary of PoitiersCatena Aurea on Matthew
That both the thieves cast in His teeth the manner of His Passion, shews that the cross should be an offence to all mankind, even to the faithful.
Read the whole comment - JeromeCatena Aurea on Matthew
Or, in the two thieves both nations, Jews and Gentiles, at first blasphemed the Lord; afterwards the latter terrified by the multitude of signs did penitence, and thus rebukes the Jews, who blaspheme to this day.
Read the whole comment - OrigenCatena Aurea on Matthew
The thief who was saved may be a sign of those who after many sins have believed on Christ.
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Cross-references · 21
Parallel passages
Matthew 27:40 and Mark 15:29 share the same wording (11 words).
Matthew 27:40 and Mark 15:30 share the same wording (5 words).
Cited together with
Cited together in Catechism §585.
Cited together in Catechism §585.
Cited together in Homilies on Matthew Homily 83.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Catechism §585.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Harmony of the Gospels III.16.
Cited together in Homilies on Matthew Homily 83.
Cited together in Homilies on Matthew Homily 83.
Cited together in Homilies on Matthew Homily 83.
Cited together in Homilies on Matthew Homily 83.
Cited together in Homilies on Matthew Homily 83.
Cited together in Catechism §585.
Cited together in Catechism §585.
Cited together in Catechism §585.