They divided My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots

 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 to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him 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

In our current readings, it is Holy Week and Jesus is in Jerusalem.  He has been sentenced by the Council,  and delivered to Pilate.  We read also of Peter's denial of Christ, and also Judas' suicide.  With Christ brought before him, Pilate asked, "Are You the King of the Jews?"  Knowing Christ was innocent, he brought Him before the crowds, as it was the custom to free a prisoner at the Feast, and offered to let Him go, but the crowds called for Barabbas.  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 took 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 to a place called Golgotha, that is to say, Place of a Skull, they gave Him 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.   My study bible says of today's passage that Jesus accepts mockery and endures the weakness of our body in His own in order to take upon Himself our sufferings.  His divine nature is truly united to His human nature -- and His humanity, as we read here, is our humanity.   It says, "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)."  There are other personalities mentioned in today's reading.  Simon of Cyrene was most likely a pilgrim come for the Passover Feast from a coastal city in what is now Libya.  His two sons, Rufus and Alexander, would become missionaries known to the Church (see Mark 15:21).  This passage tells us that both robbers on either side of Christ "revile" Him with the same words used by the chief priests, scribes and elders.   One of them would repent (Luke 23:39-43).  The Scripture quotation is from Psalm 22, which is a description of the Crucifixion.

Today's reading describes our Savior brought low -- to the place where even the criminals being crucified mock and revile Him, as do the rest of the people here who represent the whole of the society.  There is no doubt of the abject misery of this moment.  Christ is in agonizing pain and absolute weakness, a state of helpless suffering and on His way to death.  Since we know this death is entered into voluntarily, what we're seeing here is the condescension of our Lord to the most humiliating treatment and position in His society as a Jew.  He has become truly looked down upon by everyone.  As a human being, He refuses nothing of the ills which could befall us.  Refusing the sour wine mingled with gall seems to be yet another indication of voluntarily suffering and experiencing the pain of such a state, as gall has been interpreted also to mean myrrh (see Mark 15:23), something perhaps to create stupor just before crucifixion.  Why this suffering?  Why this emptying of all the things human beings desire for themselves?  This is what life looks like at our most courageous, when everything else fails us and we continue in faith anyway.  It's His Passion that teaches us that emptying to God gives us divine or God-like qualities.  Here is Christ crucified, the One who became man for our sake, who dies for love even of all those who harm and torment Him.  One thing we can say that we are really seeing here is love, a love that surpasses everything else -- all desires and choices a human being can make.  The world here in this picture is truly upside down; it's a picture of victory although no one knows it.  It's the thing that evil could desire, the manifestation of the worst of the worst.  But love will conquer everything.  It is the love of God that is on display and that will triumph.  St. Athanasius said, "The Son of God became man so that we might become God."  Jesus shows us the way through His humanity, to be "like God" in our faith.  The answer is love, which starts with love of God, and thereby must also serve the world.  Everything depends on the state of our hearts, where our faith is, why we do what we do.  Don't let the picture fool you.  The greatest love of all is here, for us, and nothing will prevail against it.

The King of the Jews

 And they brought Him to the place 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, and 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

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was presented before the crowds, who demanded -- as was customary -- to have one prisoner freed.  Pilate offered to release Jesus, but the crowds, stirred up by the chief priests, demanded Barabbas.  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.

 And they brought Him to the place 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.  My study bible tells us that to divide up Jesus' garments was a right of the squad of executioners.  It's also a fulfillment of prophecy from Psalm 22:18.  It continues, "Crucifixion was a horrifying means of Roman execution reserved for rebellious slaves, violent criminals, and those charged with high treason.  Roman citizens were spared crucifixion.  The third hour is 9:00 A.M. or thereabouts.  The Evangelist John reports a time closer to noon (John 19:14).

And the inscription of His accusation was written above:  THE KING OF THE JEWS.  My study bible notes that "the inscription on the Cross was in accordance with a Roman custom of indicating the official charge against the prisoner.  Whereas the Jewish authorities condemn Jesus for blasphemy, in Roman eyes Jesus dies as a potential political agitator.  St. Paul writes, 'None of the rulers of this age knew; for had they known, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory' (1 Cor. 2:8)."

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."  My study bible says that the ancient Jewish historian Josephus defines robbers here (Greek lestes) as insurrectionists, that is, militant nationalist Jews who fought against Romans and Jewish collaborators.  This type of "robber" (the meaning of the Greek word lestes) would be one who uses violence, and lives through pillage and plunder.

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, and 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.  A note here says, "This is the hour of greatest scandal, a seeming triumph for the chief priests and the scribes, but one short-lived."

What does it mean that our Lord is crucified, and humiliated and mocked on the Cross?  It means, first of all, that He is there with us through anything and all that we may go through in this life, in this world -- no matter how unjust and how gruesome.  Secondly, it gives us an indication of what evil does:  it crucifies the truth.  Ultimately, it is the truth of His Person, His real identity, that is being crucified here, that these people want to put to death and to mock.  The humiliation of a Person of great dignity, of honor and humility, is an attempt by those who would set themselves up in the place of good over all other beings.  Here, in some profound sense, it is an attempt to place themselves above God.  Not only is God in Christ, as Son, but His ministry was a testimony to God and to God's grace.  Mark's gospel tells us that Pilate understood that the Council had delivered up Jesus to be crucified out of envy.  This archetypal sin gives us a great hint about what is really going on here.  The accusers are those who wish to take His place, who cannot bear that He has the real goods, the power and grace of God, the truth that He teaches, and the immense dignity and authority of His Person.  These are the things they want for themselves, and they think they can get it through violence.  Ultimately, we see the entire irony of this "hour of darkness" in which nothing is what it seems, all places are reversed, and appearances are meant to convey an image that is full of lies.  Manipulation, violence, hypocrisy, and the essence of a lie:  all of these are elements or characteristics of evil in an archetypal sense.  The presence of envy, as a motive, seals it.  That Jesus is crucified between two robbers who use violent means to get what they want (one dictionary translates this Greek word for robber as referring to those who are marauders, openly using any and all violence to get what they want) tells us even more about this upside-down event:  that the Good is counted as transgressor, and that those who mock among the leadership do so merely as victors in a violent political struggle -- as my study bible points out, a short-lived one -- having no concern at all for the real spiritual truth of what they are doing.  The absolute injustice here is apparent.  But we can't forget about what we see played out in this scene when we see elements of it in our world.  It is an archetypal scene of evil:  where truth is the first casualty, where violence is all that matters, where truth is, in fact, the enemy.  Envy is a murderer, it wants to take by violence, by force and manipulation, what it can't have by other means.   Let us remember Jesus' scathing words about hypocrisy, those who wish to use an appearance to convey what is not true.  The hidden violence behind envy is played out and exposed in this scene to teach us the truth of what evil is and does.  Let us remember this sacrifice of our Lord who has laid His life down for His friends.