THE KING OF THE JEWS

 And they brought Him to Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above:

THE KING OF THE JEWS.

With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, come down from the cross!"  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

- Mark 15:22-32

Yesterday we read that Pilate answered and said to crowds again, "What then do you want me to do with Him whom you call the King of the Jews?"  So they cried out again, "Crucify Him!"  Then Pilate said to them, "Why, what evil has He done?"  But they cried out all the more, "Crucify Him!"  So Pilate, wanting to gratify the crowd, released Barabbas to them; and he delivered Jesus, after he had scourged Him, to be crucified.  Then the soldiers led Him away into the hall called Praetorium, and they called together the whole garrison.  And they clothed Him with purple; and they twisted a crown of thorns, put it on His head, and began to salute Him, "Hail, King of the Jews!"  Then they struck Him on the head with a reed and spat on Him; and bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.  And when they had mocked Him, they took the purple off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him. Then they compelled a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, the father of Alexander and Rufus, as he was coming out of the country and passing by, to bear His cross.

And they brought Him to Golgotha, which is translated, Place of a Skull.  Then they gave Him wine mingled with myrrh to drink, but He did not take it.  And when they crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting lots for them to determine what every man should take.  Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above: THE KING OF THE JEWS.  Once again, we find truth peeking out from what was intended to be an accusation and mockery.  My study bible calls this inscription a triumphant symbol.  John's Gospel teaches us that Pilate acted to place this title on the Cross (John 19:19-22).  My study bible says that Pilate's act is prophetic, showing that the Jews had risen against their own King, and that the cross was the means by which Christ has established His Kingdom.

With Him they also crucified two robbers, one on His right and the other on His left.  So the Scripture was fulfilled which says, "And He was numbered with the transgressors."  And those who passed by blasphemed Him, wagging their heads and saying, "Aha!  You who destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, come down from the cross!"  Likewise the chief priests also, mocking among themselves with the scribes, said, "He saved others; Himself He cannot save.  Let the Christ, the King of Israel, descend now from the cross, that we may see and believe."  Even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.  My study bible comments here that Christ being crucified between two robbers not only fulfills the Scripture (v. 28; Isaiah 53:12), but also shows that He is completely identifying with sinful humanity.  Moreover the mocking continues by members of the leadership, and yet another demand for proof that He is the Christ.  The Gospel, in its details, wishes us to understand how lowly is His worldly state:  even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.

In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preaches, "Blessed are you when they revile and persecute you, and say all kinds of evil against you falsely for My sake" (Matthew 5:11).  Here in today's reading, Jesus is living that teaching, first of all, before the rest of us.  He is the Master, and as He has taught also, "A disciple is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master. It is enough for a disciple that he be like his teacher, and a servant like his master. If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more will they call those of his household!" (Matthew 10:24-25).  Are we really prepared to follow in His footsteps?  The real question here is a deepening understanding of what exactly all of this means.  We understand that Christ goes to the Cross not simply "because it is written" (although true prophesy does teach us about things which will come to manifest; it does not cause those things to occur).  We understand that in all things, Christ is living faith.  That is, it is precisely as He prayed in the garden:  "Abba, Father, all things are possible for You.  Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will" (see this reading).  There is a depth of reliance upon the Father and the Father's will that makes this death on the Cross bearable and possible.  In this sense, this is no ordinary crucifixion.  None of the others crucified on this or any other day transfigure the instrument of suffering to turn it into one of salvation and redemption.  There is only one Cross, and it is so precisely because of the way that Jesus lived His life and goes to His death:  His complete reliance and trust in the Father, and the subservience of His human will to God.  Fr. Stephen Freeman writes in a comment on his blog regarding our own acceptance of death and the Christian faith:  "It is not death that we desire, but union with Christ, including with His death. I think it is useful to make this distinction. Most of what the world encounters in death is precisely the enemy (death is the last enemy). It is ugly, brutal, frequently laced with meaninglessness, etc."  What we come to terms with in the death of Christ is how the Church will come to understand the death of its martyrs.  Death is transfigured through the Cross -- and most importantly, death as the final enemy, death as evil, is defeated.  This death on the Cross leads not only to Christ's Resurrection, but in that Resurrection so we are also lifted up with Him, and we may participate in this "cycle" in our own lives, wherever and whenever there is a kind of death, or encounter with evil.  When all things are given to God, even those which are nominally evil that we encounter in our lives, they are transfigured and given meaning.  We are to face them and live them through in faith and trust in God, as does Jesus.  Life is a journey.  Jesus tells us, "I am the way, the truth, and the life" (John 14:6),  and that word for way also means "road" in Greek.  Our road might pass through all kinds of things, but if it is the road we're given through our faith, it is the road that leads us somewhere, gives all things meaning as we pass through it, and brings us only that much closer to Him.   Even in this lowliest of states Jesus enters in today's reading, all things are given meaning, and in turn that meaning is offered to us through Christ.  Let us remember such a life is also one of witnessing, for an ultimate judgment.  In the end it means the defeat of that which seeks to harm and destroy, and it is for the life of the world.  Let us also understand that our own identity is not determined by our circumstances in the world, but rather through the faith which gives all things their meaning and value.