Hail, King of the Jews!

 

 Pilate answered and said to them 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.

 

- Mark 15:12-21 

 

Yesterday we read that, immediately, in the morning following the illegal night trial in which Jesus was condemned for blasphemy, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.  Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."  And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.  Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  See how many things they testify against You!"  But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.  Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.  And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.  Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.  But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"  For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.  

 

Pilate answered and said to them 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.  Perhaps partially because of his wife's admonition (see Matthew 27:19) Pilate knows that Jesus is innocent (see yesterday's reading, in which we're told that Pilate knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy), and so makes an effort to save Him by repeatedly questioning the crowds regarding Jesus. But eventually he seeks to gratify the crowd.   Here my study Bible comments that Pilate's sin was less than that of the Jewish leaders who delivered Christ to him (John 19;11), for the Jews had the Law and the prophets to instruct them, and Pilate did not.  Pilate was not without sin in that, because of his desire to gratify the crowd, he knowingly sent an innocent Man to death. 

 

  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.  My study Bible notes here that every king is proclaimed by his soldiers.  Although the intention here is to mock and ridicule, it remains prophetic that Jesus is crowned and hailed as King by soldiers of the governor.  For a similar example of unwitting prophecy, see John 11:49-51, where Caiaphas prophecies, despite his intention, of Christ's redemptive work.  The mockery here in today's reading portrays Jesus as despised and rejected by human beings, who bears the iniquity of all of us (see Isaiah 53:3-9).  Christ is clothed in a royal purple; the Greek word for this color is πορφύρα/porphyra, a color which appeared as a deep maroon red.  My study Bible comments that it represents both Christ's royalty and the sins of humanity which He has taken upon Himself.  

 

 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.  My study Bible notes the mention of Simon as the father of Alexander and Rufus, and comments that St. Mark likely asserts this here as they were still living and possibly known to contemporary hearers of the time.  It comments that there is a spiritual message here, in that we, like Simon (whose name means "obedience"), are not simply called to carry the cross which Christ sets upon us, but seeing Christ in others, we are also called to bear one another's burdens as well (Galatians 6:2). 

 

In recent readings, we have commented on the "upside down" nature of many of the events surrounding Christ's Crucifixion -- particularly in the efforts to have Him put to death and be rid of Him and His ministry.  Today's reading is no exception that series of observations.  Christ will be put to death quite literally and officially by the Romans and by sentence of Pilate, and yet it is Pilate who knows He is innocent, and even seeks to save Him.  Jesus is here called "the King of the Jews" and yet it is the Jewish religious leaders who seek to be rid of Him, to put Him to death and thus vanquish Him from among their midst.  Even Pilate asks specifically, "Why, what evil has He done?" when the people shout, "Crucify Him!"   But they don't answer, goaded on ("stirred up") by the high priests.  They simply demand, "Crucify Him!" crying out all the more.  Of course, the irony and "upside-down" nature of the treatment of Jesus by the soldiers cries out itself with great obviousness to us.  He is draped in the royal purple of the time, crowned with an improvised crown of thorns to spike and harm Him the more -- mimicking for ridicule the treatment of a worldly king.  He is struck with a reed; a reed is a weak image of a king's scepter, meant for use as a symbol of power, and here reduced to weakness in order to further humiliate Christ.  They even bowed the knee and worshiped Him.  This is again in mocking imitation of the courtly attire and treatment of a worldly king, but little do they know that it is only God who should be worshiped -- and that it is God who stands before them, and whom they treat with such contempt and debased behavior, even spitting on Him to degrade Him as much as possible.  The One who deserves our worship is the One who is silently receiving the hatred of people who don't know Him, and perhaps more importantly, whom He will forgive from the Cross, if they but accept the salvation only He can offer to the world.  What looks to worldly eyes like destruction and vanquishing is in fact the victory of Christ, and will be turned into the deepest victory possible via the power of God from the Cross, in which even death and evil will be defeated.  Human beings can mock and defeat their enemies all they want to, but spiritual reality has its own power and authority, and it will be upheld by God after all things are said and done.  Christ, we mustn't forget, is also the ultimate and first Witness -- the Faithful and True Witness, as it says in Revelation 3:14, and so ultimately is both Witness and Judge.  When we think we see a great defeat and humiliation in the world, we should remember this scene, and know that we may watch lies unfold before us, manipulated by those who hate truth, and seek to destroy the work of God for their own purposes.  We must remember that the "worldly" outlook is capable of great deception, telling us that what is priceless is actually worthless -- and upholding worthless behavior as somehow just and deserved by its victims.  Let us remember this scene and Christ as Witness, for nothing we do is missed by God, nothing is exempt from the awareness of Christ who now has experience as incarnate human being of all that we do and live through, even the effects of evil and lying in our lives, the abuses of power, the cruelty that is useless except to cause harm without meaning.  Christ is witness to it all, and He is truly King above it all, and it is to that truth we must cling, no matter what we think we see, for we also must witness in His name as well. 

 

 

 

Hail, King of the Jews!

 

 Pilate answered and said to them 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.

 

- Mark 15:12–21 

 

Yesterday we read that immediately, in the morning, after Christ's night trial at the home of the high priest, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.  Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."  And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.  Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  See how many things they testify against You!"  But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.  Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.  And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.  Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.  But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"  For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them.

 

  Pilate answered and said to them 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.   Three times Pilate has asked the crowd whether they want Jesus to be released and three times they demanded to release Barabbas and to crucify Jesus.  My study Bible comments that Pilate's sin was less than that of the Jewish leaders who delivered Christ to him (John 19:11), as the Jews had the Law and the prophets to instruct them, and Pilate did not.  Pilate wasn't without sin, however, as he knowingly sent an innocent Man to death, out of his desire to gratify the crowd.   That he scourged Him means that Jesus was treated as a condemned prisoner, and punished with a whip or lash which inflicts great pain.

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.  My study Bible comments that every king is proclaimed by his soldiers.  Although the intention here is mockery, it's prophetic that Jesus is clothed with purple, and has a crown put on His head, and the soldiers of the governor salute and hail Him as King.  Moreover, bowing the knee, they worshiped Him.  See a similar example in John 11:49-51, where Caiaphas unwittingly prophesies Christ's redemptive work.  My study Bible says that this mockery shows Jesus as the One despised and rejected by human beings who bears the iniquity of us all (see Isaiah 53:3-9). 

 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.  My study Bible comments that Mark mentions that Simon was the father of Alexander and Rufus as they were likely still living when this Gospel was written, and possibly even known to Mark's hearers.  The spiritual message, it says, is that we, like Simon (whose name means "obedience"), are not only called to carry the cross set on us by Christ, but seeing Christ in others, we are called to bear each other's burdens as well (Galatians 6:2).

Evil can often be said to be a time upside down, in which truth is perverted, and everything that makes sense is distorted into a false logic which is the opposite of the truth.  In this scene of false trial before the crowd, we have several elements which bear witness to this.  First of all, it was a crowd that welcome Christ into Jerusalem as Messiah a week before this event.  Are there members of that crowd here?  Are they simply stirred by whatever is passing, or whatever others are doing?  And what of the crowd which heard Him with delight as He debated with the religious leaders in the temple?  It is Mark who tells us that "the common people heard Him gladly" (Mark 12:37).  This particular crowd, representing those same people who are in Jerusalem for the Passover, seems quite different from those who were eager to hear Jesus in the temple and who welcomed Him into Jerusalem, for these are somewhat easily stirred by the religious leaders.  Perhaps there are many who simply "follow the crowd" -- but we know that in Jerusalem there are also faithful.  The second strangely inverse parallel is the name of Barabbas.  It means "son of the father" and yet we know that Christ is the true Son of the Father.  The religious leaders use their influence to rig the game, so to speak, in favor of the other "son of the father," who seems to be, according to the Gospels, a nationalist brigand and insurrectionist who has also committed murder.  What we see is a kind of exchange, in which the true Son and fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets is crucified in place of one who uses violence in the name of nationalist insurrection.  One embodies mercy, the other embodies political expediency for power, a fitting representation of these particular leaders who stir the crowd against Christ whom they know to be innocent.  And then there is Pilate, who clearly understands the envy of the religious leaders (see Mark 15:10 in yesterday's reading, above), and has found for Himself that Christ is innocent of the charges brought against Him.  He clearly knows how guilty people act, and Christ doesn't even defend Himself.  But although he is the Roman governor, he also seeks to appease the crowds.  We can understand that his job is to keep the peace as he also has to answer to Caesar.  But the Romans were also known for their law and codes, and this "order" is simply used to treat an innocent Man in the cruelest and harshest way possible.  Scourging and crucifixion were reserved for the worst criminals because of the amount of suffering they inflicted.  So the evil time -- and, we could say, the devil -- has its way in that the compassionate, loving, and merciful Lord receives the worst punishment of a system of law designed to keep a certain kind of peace.  My study Bible explicitly remarks upon the mocking acts of the soldiers hailing Christ as King, and even worshiping Him bowing their knees (see Romans 14:11, Philippians 2:10), which become inadvertent prophesy.  These examples of truth turned inside out and upside down are frequently characteristic hallmarks of evil.  This is found in the parable of the Wheat and the Weeds (or Tares), in which the indigestible weeds, which aren't nutritious for human beings, resemble the good wheat (see Matthew 13:24-30), also understood as a characteristic of heresy.   Evil sets up a pattern that seemingly is fully aware of the good, as it so often seeks to pattern itself in the image of the good, only suited to its own purposes through lies.  In a recent historical example, there are well-known forms of propaganda used by the Nazis which twisted seemingly good and truthful maxims into masks of order which conceal hideous truths, such as the phrase "Work makes freedom," found on concentration camp gates.  (It was originally a phrase used to describe the therapeutic value of work for rehabilitation of criminals.)  We can think of other examples of modern propaganda designed to cover up terrible abuses of power and acts of extreme destructive cruelty and violence, especially by tyrannical or totalitarian movements.  They all bear this similar stamp of perversions of truth, patterning themselves after the good in horrific imitation.  This mimicry of truths seems to indicate an awareness of the good, a deliberate choice to subvert what is understood as good and true.  And so, we can look at the nature of evil which presents itself in a pattern.  But what of our Lord, who takes on all of this voluntarily?  In the second letter to the Corinthians, St. Paul writes of our reconciliation in Christ, and that "He made Him who knew no sin to be sin for us, that we might become the righteousness of God in Him" (see 2 Corinthians 5:18-21).  What this means, according to my study Bible, is that Christ voluntarily assumed the consequences of the sin of human beings, corruption and death, without sinning Himself.  He submitted to this unjust suffering we read in the Gospels because of the sinful passions of human beings and angels.  What it means is that salvation is much more than forgiveness of sins; it is rather new life -- we are reconciled to God and become new creatures.  Moreover, He is that faithful and true Witness who is ultimately the Judge of all.  Through His suffering and death, He needs no other testimony to condemn the ruler of this world who is the ultimate tyrant and cause of evil, the one ultimately responsible for the perversion of truth and misleading and suffering of human beings.  Christ once and for all takes away the justification of expediency and injustice, for in His own innocence He remains the perfect witness against the evil of the world.  The early Christians understood themselves as those who witness, following Him even to death.  The word "martyr" literally means witness in Greek.  We walk in His way, and our own innocence also contributes in metaphysical terms to this struggle which is ultimately "against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places" (Ephesians 6:12).  Let us consider the great significance of remembering what we are about when others follow the crowd, when we are stirred to violence by those who seek power for themselves.  For as faithful we enter into His struggle and follow Him, and all of this has meaning and value and substance far beyond what we see in the moment.

 

Hail, King of the Jews!

 Pilate answered and said to them 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.

- Mark 15:12-21

Yesterday we read that, immediately following Jesus' night trial (and Peter's denial of Christ), in the morning, the chief priests held a consultation with the elders and scribes and the whole council; and they bound Jesus, led Him away, and delivered Him to Pilate.  Then Pilate asked Him, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  He answered and said to him, "It is as you say."  And the chief priests accused Him of many things, but He answered nothing.  Then Pilate asked Him again, saying, "Do You answer nothing?  See how many things they testify against You!"  But Jesus still answered nothing, so that Pilate marveled.  Now at the feast he was accustomed to releasing one prisoner to them, whomever they requested.  And there was one named Barabbas, who was chained with his fellow rebels; they had committed murder in the rebellion.  Then the multitude, crying aloud, began to ask him to do just as he had always done for them.  But Pilate answered them, saying, "Do you want me to release to you the King of the Jews?"  For he knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.  But the chief priests stirred up the crowd, so that he should rather release Barabbas to them. 

 Pilate answered and said to them 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.  It's clear from his statements that while Pilate really does not know the circumstances nor the nature of Christ's ministry,  he does see Jesus quite clearly as innocent of the charges brought against Him.  He gets no answer to his question, "Why, what evil has He done?"   My study bible comments that Pilate's sin was less than that of the Jewish leaders who delivered Christ to him (John 19:11), because the Jewish religious leaders had the Law and the prophets to instruct them -- while Pilate did not.  So there is in addition to his lack of knowledge about Jesus, there is Pilate's lack of knowledge of Jewish spiritual history and faith.  But Pilate's sin is that, in his desire to gratify the crowd, he will knowingly send an innocent 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.   My study bible comments here that every king is proclaimed by his soldiers.  Although the intention here is to mock, it is a prophetic act that Jesus should be crowned and hailed as King by soldiers of the governor (see also John 11:49-51, in which Caiaphas unwittingly makes a prophecy regarding Christ's salvific work).  My study bible adds that this mockery shows that Jesus is the One who is despised and rejected by all, and who bears the iniquity of all (see Isaiah 53:3-9).  Here in Mark we read that they clothed Him in purple; Matthew's Gospel says red or scarlet.  But the word for purple is porphyra/πορφύρα, a royal color of reddish-purple.  (It's also known as Tyrian purple or Tyrian red, made with a rare and extraordinarily expensive dye; see this image).   My study bible comments that this deep reddish-purple colored robe represents both Christ's royalty and also the sins of humanity, which He has taken upon Himself.

 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.  My study bible says that Mark mentions Alexander and Rufus as they were likely still living, and possibly even known to those who would first hear Mark's Gospel.  It notes that the spiritual message here is that we, like Simon (whose name means "obedience") are called not simply to carry the cross which Christ has set upon us, but also seeing Christ in others, we are called to bear one another's burdens as well (Galatians 6:2). 

We receive many images in today's reading, which form something like icons for our understanding of our faith.  Christ's mocking -- dressed in the red/purple robe, with a crown of sorts, and even soldiers bowing their knees to worship -- forms a prophecy despite its intent.  If we see through the strangeness of the time and its malice and evil, we also see its irony, that it is telling something -- despite all intent to the contrary -- which is nevertheless true.  In Romans 14:11, St. Paul quotes from Isaiah 45:23:  " For it is written:  'As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, and every tongue shall confess to God.' "   St. Paul also writes, ". . . that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of those in heaven, and of those on earth, and of those under the earth . . ." (Philippians 2:10).  The soldiers, in effect, are unconsciously mimicking what they don't understand, even in calling Christ a King.  And there is another spiritual image or "icon" we're inadvertently given, also at the direction of the Roman soldiers, that of Simon called to carry Christ's cross.  There is a depth of meaning there that not only calls us to bear one another's crosses in times of suffering, as my study bible notes, but moreover that our lives are lived in the very participation of Christ's Cross as well.  That is, each of us will have our own crosses to bear, and we look to Christ's crucifixion to teach us about doing so with grace and forbearance.  If we could but remember that it is also our work to help one another to do so as well, we would go a long ways to coming to terms with an idea of what Christ's Church should look like, what it should mean that we are one Body, and brothers and sisters in Christ.  We are called to live in a particular way, with particular meanings and values that transcend everything, so that even in this scene of evil -- the innocent condemned to suffer and die -- we find words and actions of prophesy, that tell the truth to us instead of the lie.  This is the way that Christ's life and truth shapes the reality of who we are, regardless of circumstances.  These are images that tell us that even in the worst of things, we can find the place where Christ's life bears fruit in us, a way that we follow Him, a way that His truth will come to bear upon each and every one of our circumstances.  Let us remember that He is at work, even through all things, with faith as our guidance.