Hail, King of the Jews!

 When Pilate saw that He could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.  You see to it."  And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.

 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they put the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. 

- Matthew 27:24-31

On Saturday, we read of Jesus standing before the Roman governor, Pontius Pilate.  And the governor asked Him, saying, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Jesus said to him, "It is as you say."  And while He was being accused by the chief priests and elders, He answered nothing.  Then Pilate said to Him, "Do You not hear how many things they testify against You?"  But He answered not one word, so that the governor marveled greatly.  Now at the feast the governor was accustomed to releasing to the multitude one prisoner whom they wished.  And at that time they had a notorious prisoner called Barabbas.  Therefore, when they had gathered together, Pilate said to the, "Whom do you want me to release to you?  Barabbas, or Jesus who is called Christ?"  For he knew that they had handed Him over because of envy.  While he was sitting on the judgment seat, his wife sent to him, saying, "Have nothing to do with that just Man, for I have suffered many things today in a dream because of Him."  But the chief priests and elders persuaded the multitudes that they should ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus.  The governor answered and said to them, "Which of the two do you want me to release to you?"  They said, "Barabbas!"  Pilate said to them, "What then shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?"  They all said to him, "Let Him be crucified!"  Then the governor said, "Why, what evil has He done?"  But they cried out all the more, saying, "Let Him be crucified!"

 When Pilate saw that He could not prevail at all, but rather that a tumult was rising, he took water and washed his hands before the multitude, saying, "I am innocent of the blood of this just Person.  You see to it."  And all the people answered and said, "His blood be on us and on our children."  Then he released Barabbas to them; and when he had scourged Jesus, he delivered Him to be crucified.  My study bible points out that this verse, in which the people answer and state His blood be on us and on our children, has been used by certain groups to try to justify persecuting Jews -- which is a "grave and terrible sin."  It says, "What was seen by many as a curse is in fact a blessing invoked unwittingly, for the Lord's blood is the source of their redemption.  Furthermore, these words are spoken implicitly by anyone who sins.  St. John Chrysostom teaches that even though these particular Jews 'acted with such madness, so far from confirming a sentence on them or their children, Christ instead received those who repented and counted them worthy of good things beyond number.'  He then notes the thousands who were converted in Jerusalem on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:41) as evidence of Christ's mercy."

  Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him.  And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him.  When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand.  And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head.  And when they had mocked Him, they put the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified.  My study bible notes, "Every king is proclaimed by his soldiers.  Even though the intention was mockery, it is prophetic that Jesus should be crowned and hailed as King by soldiers of the governor (see also John 11:49-51, where Caiaphas unwittingly prophesies of Christ's redemptive work).  This mockery shows Jesus as the One despised and rejected by men who bears the iniquity of us all (see Isaiah 53:3-9).  Jesus is clothed in scarlet, representing both His royalty and the sins of humanity which He has taken upon Himself." 

As we noted on Saturday, this is the territory of a world turned upside down, or inside out, whatever way we want to think of it.  In today's reading, Jesus is sentenced, scourged, mocked.  The crowd calls out "His blood be on us" as Pilate states, ceremonially washing his hands, "I am innocent of the blood of this just man."  Jesus is clothed in red, as He will be depicted in icons through the centuries, to denote His divinity - a color of royalty ("royal purple" or porphyra in the Greek -- which was really a type of deep reddish purple - see image here).  This purple does indeed resemble a color of blood.  But it seems to me that this is a peculiar picture of people who both declare themselves innocent (Pilate), and also declare a kind of guilt that extends to their descendants (the stirred-up crowd).  It is in Ezekiel that a false proverb is rebuked, which declares that children suffer guilt for their parents' sins (see Ezekiel 18:1-4).  This belief is rebuked in several places in the Old Testament, and again the proverb is mentioned negatively by Jeremiah.  In either case, God remains judge of all of us.  We don't judge of ourselves, we can't judge ourselves.  This is the sin also of Judas, in his suicide.  It is the One mocked and scourged, clothed in the royal scarlet, the One held by a whole garrison of soldiers, with crown of thorns on His head -- the One who is sentenced to a horrible death of crucifixion:  He is the One who will judge, who is the true Judge of hearts.  Whatever we think we see in this scene, it is His blood that saves us, which He gives voluntarily, which we take in the Eucharist so that He is part of us and we are part of Him, His Body in this world.  Let us consider what this means:  in some sense, we are up there with Him, and in another sense, we are in those crowds that need Him, what He is offering even in His sacrifice.  A patient God, One who extends mercy even in this situation, who asks for repentance so that we may join Him -- this is the picture we see. His royal robe clothes all of us, just as He gave us the image of His wish to be like a hen who protects all her children under her wings, as He gazed over Jerusalem before entering (Matthew 23:37).  Instead, He gave us all what we need to be bathed in this royal red-purple, the blood of His sacrifice -- the blood of His Passion and His love:  that's what we're really seeing here, symbolically, to be poured out for all of us.