Matthew 27:40 Meaning and Explanation
“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.”
King James Version (KJV)
Read this verse in context with translation switching:
Read Full Chapter →This taunt asks what power looks like when suffering is in view. The crowd assumes that rescue from pain would prove Jesus to be the Son of God. Matthew lets their words stand beside the crucifixion so that we may see the bitter irony: they use a true claim about Jesus as material for scorn, while its fuller meaning is soon to be revealed.
Passersby mock Jesus by twisting his words about the temple and demanding that he prove his sonship by leaving the cross. Their challenge reveals how deeply they misunderstand both his mission and the sign that will follow.
The Context of Matthew 27:40
Jesus has been condemned, scourged, crucified at Golgotha, and placed between two thieves. Soldiers have divided his garments, and the written accusation above him calls him the King of the Jews. Verses 39-40 describe people passing by and reviling him with gestures and words. Their mockery is followed by the chief priests, scribes, elders, and the thieves joining in. Darkness then covers the land, Jesus cries to God, dies, and the temple veil is torn. The chapter later records his burial and the effort to secure his tomb because his opponents remember his promise of rising after three days.
What Does Matthew 27:40 Mean?
The speakers address Jesus as the one who would destroy the temple and build it in three days. In this setting they treat that saying as a boast he has failed to fulfill. Their next words, "save thyself," make escape from crucifixion the test they demand. They also repeat the question raised earlier in the chapter, whether Jesus is truly the Son of God. The language carries contempt, yet it unwittingly keeps before the reader matters Jesus himself had raised: the temple, three days, his sonship, and his death. The crowd sees a condemned man on a cross. Matthew's narrative invites us to attend to the meaning of his obedience there.
The saying about the temple had appeared during Jesus' trial through witnesses whose testimony did not agree. Matthew now shows the accusation becoming public mockery at the cross. The chapter's movement gives the words a solemn setting. Jesus has remained largely silent before Pilate, submitted to scourging, and been led away to crucifixion. His refusal to leave the cross belongs to the course that brings his death, burial, and resurrection. Near the end of the chapter, the chief priests and Pharisees recall that he said he would rise after three days. Their fear leads them to seal the tomb and set a watch, placing their own memory of his words beside the coming event.
John records Jesus saying that the temple of his body would be raised in three days, and explains this after his resurrection. That later explanation gives a clear canonical light for the taunt in Matthew. Jesus' body is truly given up to death, and his resurrection is no escape from the reality of the cross. Matthew also records the temple veil being torn when Jesus dies, a striking event within the same chapter. The mocking reference to the temple therefore stands near signs that God is opening a new reality through the crucified and risen Christ. His sonship is shown in faithful trust and in the work the Father brings to completion.
Bible Verses Related to Matthew 27:40
“And said, This fellow said, I am able to destroy the temple of God, and to build it in three days.”
- Matthew 26:61
“Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
- John 2:19
“But he spake of the temple of his body.”
- John 2:21
“Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again.”
- Matthew 27:63
Where Matthew 27:40 Echoes in Scripture
John 2:19-21 gives the strongest echo. Jesus speaks there of destroying the temple and raising it in three days, and the Evangelist later explains that he spoke of the temple of his body. Matthew 27:40 preserves the hostile version of that saying at the cross. The echo helps us read the mockers' words with care: they recall a real claim, while failing to grasp its meaning in Jesus' death and resurrection.
How to Apply Matthew 27:40 Today
When pain or apparent weakness confronts us, we can be tempted to measure faithfulness by immediate deliverance. This verse calls us to a steadier way of seeing. We may bring our desire for help openly to God while also honoring the costly forms obedience can take. It also teaches care with the words of Scripture and with the words of others. The passersby repeat a saying of Jesus without receiving its meaning. In conversation, worship, and study, we can slow down, attend to context, and ask what God is actually revealing rather than using holy words to strengthen a conclusion we already prefer.
Reflection & Prayer
Where do we most readily assume that visible success is the measure of God's presence or favor? We may also ask whether we have heard Jesus' words only at the surface level. Suggested prayer: Father, give us reverence for the suffering Christ, patience to receive his words truly, and faith to trust your work when its fullness is still hidden from our sight.