THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come o a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Hm sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:

"They divided My garments among them,
And for My clothing they cast lots."

Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:

THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS

Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.  And those who  passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 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."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.

- Matthew 27:32-44

Yesterday, we read that 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.

 Now as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name.  Him they compelled to bear His cross.  And when they had come o a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Hm sour wine mingled with gall to drink.  But when He had tasted it, He would not drink.  Then they crucified Him, and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet:  "They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots."  This quotation is from Psalm 22, verse 18.  The entirety of Psalm 22 is reflective of Jesus' Crucifixion.  Tomorrow's reading will give us yet another verse, this time from Jesus.

 Sitting down, they kept watch over Him there.  And they put up over His head the accusation written against Him:  THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Then two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.  And those who  passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads 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."  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking with the scribes and elders, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  If He is the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him.  He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now if He will have Him; for He said, 'I am the Son of God.'"  Even the robbers who were crucified with Him reviled Him with the same thing.  Of today's entire passage, my study bible notes that "Jesus accepts mockery and endures the weakness of our body in His own to take upon Himself our sufferings.  This He accomplishes by uniting His divine nature to our human nature.  His humanity is indeed our humanity.  Although He has no sin, He was made to be sin for us, that through His flesh He might condemn sin itself (Romans 8:3; 2 Corinthians 5:21; Hebrews 2:9)."  Of the two robbers, one would later repent (Luke 23:39-43), but at first they both mock Jesus.

Jesus' humiliation is complete.  He's surrounded by those who mock Him, those who "pass by" blaspheme Him, they ridicule Him according to their own twisting of His words.  This includes men among the leadership:  chief priests, scribes and elders.   Another text also mentions the Pharisees.  Origen comments (among others) that it is those who "pass by" who blaspheme Jesus, shaking their heads -- but none of these stand before Him or approach Him directly.  Origen finds in this act the primary symbolism of the Cross -- and how it is either approached or turned away from, or passed by.  St. John Chrysostom comments on the fullness of the humiliation of Jesus: "Consider his words. Consider his actions. Remember that he is Lord and you are his servant. Remember that he is suffering for you, and for you individually. You may be suffering only on your own behalf. He is suffering on behalf of all by whom he had been crucified. You may be suffering in the presence of a few. He suffers in the sight of the whole city and of the whole people of the covenant, both of strangers and those of the holy land, to all of whom he spoke merciful words.  Even his disciples forsook him. This was most distressing to him. Those who previously paid him mind suddenly deserted him. Meanwhile his enemies and foes, having captured him and put him on a cross, insulted him, reviled him, mocked him, derided him and scoffed at him. See the Jews and soldiers rejecting him from below. See how he was set between two thieves on either side, and even the thieves insulted him and upbraided him."  Chrysostom adds:  "By what he said and what he did he offended all our expectations to the utmost. He was forever correcting beforehand our assumptions about him. Even when all these ignominies were said and done, they could not prevail, even at that time. The thief who had lived depraved in such great wickedness, who had spent his whole life in murders and house breakings, when these things had been said, only then confessed him. When he made mention of his kingdom, the people bewailed him. These things that were done seemed to testify the contrary in the eyes of many who knew nothing of the mystery of God’s dispensations. Jesus was weak and of no ostensible power; nevertheless truth prevailed even by the contrary evidences."  (All quotations from Gospel of Matthew Commentary, Homily 87.2.)  Let us remember that the only "help" given to Jesus is from an outsider, a foreigner, Simon of Cyrene.   Yet Jesus keeps His silence.  There is power in His word, but He is the Word.  Everything He does is for the Gospel, even when He does not speak.  And the Cross conquers everything.  St. Chrysostom, in the same homily, also warns us about our own anger and outrage.  He who is on the Cross - the true Judge - completely humiliated, teaches us everything about forbearance.  Let us remember always to look to Him, silent, and the most powerful One of all.  It is He to whom we turn in our most aching times of trouble, our humiliation, weakness in the face of worldly injustice.  We endure, at His word.  Let us remember, it is Jesus who also gave us the story of the persistent widow and the Judge.  Endurance, persistence, doesn't mean we just "give up" to injustice when there are appropriate actions to take.    But silence and patience are also a part of those valuable options open to us in any situation, and God may call upon us also to develop these capabilities, even in the face of injustice.  We turn in prayer to Him, for discernment.  Jesus' actions are all in the service of justice, on a cosmic scale, and for each of us.