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 

 

Yesterday we read that, as the crowds, being stirred up by the chief priests, demanded Jesus' crucifixion and asked instead for Barabbas to be freed, 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.  It seems somehow strangely disjointed from the time to consider that at the Crucifixion of the Man who fulfilled so many prophesies, these soldiers would, in fact, cast lots for His garments, essentially gambling for them.  These are the garments which healed those who simply touched them in faith (see Mark 5:25-34; 6:56).   

 

 Now it was the third hour, and they crucified Him.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above:  THE KING OF THE JEWS.  The third hour corresponds to 9:00 in the morning.  Regarding the inscription, THE KING OF THE JEWS, my study Bible comments that this title, intended as an accusation and mockery, becomes instead a triumphant symbol.  Again, this is an unwitting act of prophecy connected with Christ's Crucifixion, this time on the part of Pilate.  According to my study Bible, it shows that the nation has risen against their own King, and that the cross was the means by which Christ 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, 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.  My study Bible claims that Christ being crucified between two robbers not only fulfills the Scripture, as noted in this passage (see also Isaiah 53:12), but shows that He is completely identifying with sinful humanity.  

 

Once again, we experience the "upside down" quality of this time in which Jesus is led to the Crucifixion.  My study Bible explains the title on the insignia of the Cross, meant to humiliate, and yet it was unwittingly a prophesy, and inadvertently proclaimed the truth about Jesus Christ.   Even so, at the same time, it fulfilled the prophesy, "And He was numbered with the transgressors" (Isaiah 53:12).  Again, the "upside down" quality is present in that Christ is the singular Innocent, free of sin as no one else is, and yet, He's numbered with the transgressors.  In this sense, He bears the sins of the world, although He comes in order to forgive and to redeem.  Notice also how the text tells us that Jesus is blasphemed, by those who wag their heads and tell Him,  "Aha!  You who  destroy the temple and build it in three days, save Yourself, and come down from the cross!"  This is the Man who performed many healing miracles, and yet here He's mocked for seemingly failing to save Himself.  The chief priests most notably jeer at Him regarding His incapacity to "save," once again demanding a sign from Him, "that we may see and believe."  It's like they've never heard Him before when He's told them He will not produce a sign on demand (Mark 8:11-12).  Moreover, there is a greater irony here, in that we know the truth -- that Jesus has purposefully gone to the Cross of His own volition and for His own purposes, which they cannot imagine nor understand.  The text also tells us that even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.  But we know that at least one of these men with Him will be saved, and possibly both (see Luke 23:39-43).  But Christ goes so that we will follow.  In His death on the Cross, He will defeat death through His Resurrection and Ascension, human nature taken up into Paradise with Him, and transfiguring human suffering such as is witnessed through such a cruel death.  Those who revile Him cannot see what is happening in front of them, and to the defeat of their purposes in putting Christ to death.  In Galatians 3, St. Paul tells us, "Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, 'Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree'), that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith" (Galatians 3:13-14).  Those who were to uphold the Law inverted both its purpose and letter in putting Christ to death; yet through the use of the law, Christ removes its curse once and for all, and for all humankind.  One really couldn't imagine a more "upside down" vision than the one His detractors have of Him and what He does on the Cross, in His suffering, humiliation, and death.  All of this brutality, injustice, and ugliness is transfigured in Christ, so that He may in turn transfigure us and out suffering and sin -- even the curse of evil -- in our own lives.  All of it is done through faith, and that is where we must start, with Him, and where we must end also with Him.  

 

 

 

And He was numbered with the transgressors

 

 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 of 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 

 

 Yesterday we read that, as the crowd demanded the prisoner Barabbas be released 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. 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.  And the inscription of His accusation was written above:  THE KING OF THE JEWS.  My study Bible comments here on the inscription of His accusation that what was intended as an accusation and a mockery became instead a triumphant symbol.  Pilate's act is, in fact, prophetic, showing that those who rejected Him had risen against their own King, and the cross was the means by which Christ established His Kingdom.  The third hour is about 9:00 in the morning.

 

 With Him they also crucified two robbers, one of 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.  My study Bible notes that Christ being crucified between two robbers is not only a fulfillment of the Scripture (verse 28; Isaiah 53:12), but it shows also that He is completely identifying with sinful humanity.

We look at this scene of Christ crucified, and we cannot bear to see Him suffer.  We want to turn away from the mocking and the derision, from the taunts of those who pass by and blaspheme, and from even the chief priests and scribes.  They continue to demand proofs, even as Christ is on the Cross:  "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."  So low has Christ been made, the text tells us, that even those who were crucified with Him reviled Him.  Christ is now taunted even by the others who are crucified with Him.  This is in a certain sense the great scandal.  For how can God be brought this low in human terms?  How can God be so humiliated, driven in pain and torture on the Cross, and reviled by all, even challenged by those who yet taunt Him by demanding proofs about Him?  At the same time, this scandal is the uniqueness of the Christian faith, for by observing His suffering, on all these levels of pain and humiliation, we also observe what my study Bible notes, that He has completely identified with sinful humanity.  Whatever we go through, He experiences here.  He has done nothing worthy of such treatment, but He experiences all of it, and with us.  For that is, ultimately, our God.  If we suffer in this world from effects of evil, so God also suffers with us, and has chosen to do so voluntarily.  So, we're left with the question, how can God suffer like us?  Or perhaps, why would God suffer like us, and with us?  Aside from these questions, we are given a conundrum:  why would God tolerate evil and suffering to exist at all?  In John's Gospel, we are given one clear answer written in Scripture for us, given as the word of Jesus Himself:  "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up,  that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved" (John 3:14-17).  If we neither know nor understand anything else, we are to understand God's love, that through Christ's suffering God calls us into communion with God, for an "everlasting" life with God.  This everlasting description is meant to describe a quality of life, not a quantity or a time-period.  It teaches us about the life that remains after all else has passed, of a substance that outweighs all else, like Christ's words that will remain even though heaven and earth may pass away.  God calls us to a communion of life that is unsurpassed by anything else, because in suffering with us, so He also calls us to live fully in Him, to participate in Christ's life, even as He is also risen.  In His suffering, death, and eternal life, Christ is truly the Alpha and the Omega of all things, and there He calls us to be with Him as well.  In Revelation 22:13, Christ says, "I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last."  For as He suffers with us, He also calls us to live with Him.  If the story of our first ancestors tell us that, without proper preparation, they eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and so suffer -- then the story of Christ is the call toward the fullness of this knowledge in Him and shared with us in that sense of the eternal, that which surpasses all things, a kind of final proper destiny which Christ, our Door, opens to us.  For He is the King of all who would be saved, the One who shares life with us even to the Cross, and offers us everything in return.  For He is, above all, the God who is love.

Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise

 

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots. 

 

And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  

 

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

 Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

- Luke 23:32-43 

 

Yesterday we read that as they led Jesus away, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!'  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"  

 

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.   The English word Calvary comes from the Latin for "skull."  In the Greek of the text this word is Κρανίον/Kranion, meaning "the skull."    My study Bible comments that being crucified between the two criminals shows Christ's complete identity with fallen humanity, and it fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.  

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."   And they divided His garments and cast lots.  My study Bible says that this intercession is not only for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus, but for all of humanity -- a people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  Jesus speaks these words not as a request, but with divine authority.  My study Bible adds that their great sin would still have been forgiven them had they repented.  Indeed, we know that one of the soldiers did indeed repent (Luke 23:47), and is considered to be a saint of the Church.  

And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."   The taunt to "save Yourself" is, according to my study Bible, the continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission (see Luke 4:9-13).  

 

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  In this inscription, my study Bible says, what was intended as an accusation and a mockery became instead a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible explains that the first of the criminals wanted to use Jesus to avoid responsibility for his actions, while the other accepts his sentence and asks simply to be remembered.  This latter way is the path to Paradise.  Jesus tells him that "today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible comments on Jesus' use of "today" that to be reconciled to Christ is to be in paradise immediately.  Moreover, it adds, the souls of the departed are in the presence of God and experience a foretaste of God's glory before the final resurrection.  

I am intrigued and drawn to Christ's final words here, addressed to the penitent thief:  "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  How many of us would love to hear those words?  Is this not an invitation devoutly to be wished?  Even if we were not close to death in this world, would we not wish to be with Christ in Paradise?  The word for Paradise (Παραδείσος/Paradisos) comes from an ancient Persian (or perhaps Armenian) word, which, according to Strong's definitions, means an enclosure or garden or park.  Ancient Paradise (the one in which Adam and Eve were first dwelling), some say, was a garden upon a mountain (see Ezekiel 28:13-14, "You were on the holy mountain of God").  As such, it was closer to heaven; in this sense of Paradise, somewhere between the earth we know and heaven.  So why would we not wish to be in this beautiful place, and with Jesus, and surrounded by God's love and beauty?  And yet, we live in a world of exile from that place, and tainted by the things that are against love, against the presence and truths of God.  And so, we need to think about this a little bit, because that promise, "You will be with Me in Paradise," is one that is, in a sense, given to all of us.  There can be no doubt that Christ would like to be able to say this to each of us.  Those of us with loved ones no longer in this world no doubt would love to be in that same Paradise where the cares and sins of the world are away from us, and we could live in harmony with those whom we love, perhaps even with those with whom we've had bad experiences.  For this kind of peace must fill a Paradise where Christ is.  But we have to think to ourselves that if Christ came to this world, and took on the nature and life of human beings, even condescending to be numbered among the transgressors, crucified as a criminal between two thieves, on a hill that is the opposite of the holy mountain of Paradise, then these words have to mean something more to us than one promise to one man who has repented.  These words are meant for each of us to whom they are a beautiful promise, for Christ gives us His kingdom, too, and His presence and the Spirit, and His angels, while we are yet still in this world, in exile from Paradise.  Christ asks us to take up His Cross -- the one through which He has defeated death -- and make for ourselves the paradise that we can where we live.  He asks us to live and dwell within His paradise on earth:  the Kingdom we can carry within and amongst ourselves through faith and following His word and His teachings.  We are to love one another, to reflect beauty and His truth.  We are to create by allowing the energies of grace to work through us and cooperating with them, through our own ongoing repentance and transformation in that grace, and by growing in the virtues that God's love and mercy would teach and grow in us (Galatians 5:22-23).  We have walked through Jesus' ministry as we've gone through the Gospel of Luke, and witnessed the struggle for this world, which continues.  But we are those who may yet live with Him through His presence with us, through the grace and mercy we receive and may therefore share with one another, through the beauty we may create through the understanding of God's love.  We might not be on that holy mountain, or in the Paradise Christ opens to the thief, but it seems that our job in this world is to live that paradise here through the gifts we are given, even as we live amidst a world filled with problems and spiritual struggle.  In the 23rd Psalm we may pray with the ancient author that although we "walk through the valley of the shadow of death" our Shepherd walks with us, comforts us, guides us, and provides for us.  For He rules among His enemies here (Psalm 110), even the "shadow of death" that remains.  And yet, we look to the promise of our places in His Paradise (John 14:2-3), even as we are meant to dwell in the holiness He gives us here.  Today we read of an inscription meant to mock, but Christ remains our King, here and in the Paradise He promises.  But it is here we're meant to build and dwell in His Kingdom.

 

 

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS

 

Byzantine Christogram:  Jesus Christ Conquers.  Graffito; Athens, Greece.  Spray-painted over black star.  © Author's collection

 There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.  Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:

THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."

 

- Luke 23:32–43 

 

Yesterday, we read that as they led Christ away to the place of crucifixion, they laid hold of a certain man, Simon a Cyrenian, who was coming from the country, and on him they laid the cross that he might bear it after Jesus.  And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him.  But Jesus, turning to them, said, "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children.  For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, 'Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!"  Then they will begin 'to say to the mountains, "Fall on us!" and to the hills, "Cover us!"'  For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"

 

  There were also two others, criminals, led with Him to be put to death.  And when they had come to the place called Calvary, there they crucified Him, and the criminals, one on the right hand and the other on the left.   Calvary literally means "the skull."  To be crucified between two criminals shows the complete identification of Christ with fallen humanity, my study Bible says; it also fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah 53:9-12.

Then Jesus said, "Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."  And they divided His garments and cast lots.  My study Bible calls this an intercession not only for those who sentenced and crucified Jesus, but for all of humanity.  That is, for people who have no insight into the profound mystery of God's salvation.  Jesus speaks these words not as a request, but rather with divine authority.  My study Bible adds that their great sin would still have been forgiven if they repented.  One of the soldiers did repent (verse 47), and he is considered to be a saint of the Church.  The soldiers divided His garments and cast lots:  see Psalm 22:18.

And the people stood looking on.  But even the rulers with them sneered, saying, "He saved others; let Him save Himself if He is the Christ, the chosen of God."  The soldiers also mocked Him, coming and offering Him sour wine, and saying, "If You are the King of the Jews, save Yourself."  My study Bible points out that the taunt, "Save Yourself" is a continuing temptation of Satan to deter Jesus from completing His mission (see Luke 4:9-13).  

And an inscription also was written over Him in letters of Greek, Latin, and Hebrew:  THIS IS THE KING OF THE JEWS.  This inscription is an indicator of the upside-down nature of the time, in which an Innocent is crucified while a murderer (Barabbas, whose name means "son of the father") is freed.  The inscription on the Cross is meant as an accusation and a mockery.  Instead it became a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King. 

Then one of the criminals who were hanged blasphemed Him, saying, "If You are the Christ, save Yourself and us."  But the other, answering, rebuked him, saying, "Do you not even fear God, seeing you are under the same condemnation?  And we indeed justly, for we receive the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong."  Then he said to Jesus, "Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom."  And Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise."  My study Bible says that the first of the criminals wanted to use Jesus to avoid responsibility for his actions, but the other accepts his sentence, and simply asks to be remembered.  It is the latter way that is the path to Paradise.  Jesus says that today this second thief will be with Him in Paradise:  My study Bible reflects that to be reconciled to Christ is to be in paradise immediately.  Moreover, it says, the souls of the departed are in the presence of God and they experience a foretaste of His glory before the final resurrection.

 

 Jesus' crucifixion fills us with a terrible sadness, a crushing horror that makes us weep.  How can this happen to the Savior of the world?  Why would such a terrible fate await the purely good, our Lord who is truly beautiful?  Some might answer that the Crucifixion presents to us an image of ourselves, an ungrateful and sinful humanity rejecting and even crucifying our Lord.  But my study Bible once again -- as the Gospel passages over the past week did as well -- points out that there is one culprit upon whom the ultimate blame lies for this scene, and that is Satan who continues to work through human beings as they sneer and mock.  This isn't to remove culpability from human beings for the choice to sin or to commit evil acts.  But the teaching of spiritual evil is not simple mythology used to naively explain away bad behavior, nor is it without tremendous theological foundation supported by the most brilliant thinkers and saints of history.  It is an unseen reality we'd be better off acknowledging if we want to understand ourselves, and our world, and how spiritual evil works off of our temptations, weaknesses, and passions.  Above, in the discussion of the inscription written on the Cross in Greek, Latin, and Hebrew, my study Bible remarked that, although it was meant as an accusation and a mockery, it instead became a triumphant symbol that all nations would come under the reign of Jesus the King.   As we also noted, this is an indication of what we might call an "upside-down time."   It seems this quality of being upside down is an indicator of evil influence, a time in which rules and logic, an understanding of good values which include respect for one's fellow beings, are shoved aside for a rule of selfishness and criminality, where brutality becomes an acceptable means to an end.  If we look at recent historical examples, such as the time of the Cultural Revolution in China, or the early decades of the Soviet Union, the period of Nazi rise and rule in Germany, and a great many other examples in the world, we see what can be called "upside-down" periods of time, when traditional values are deliberately overthrown in favor of extremely ruthless means of assimilating and building power.  Concentration camps that tortured and exterminated whole groups of people on the basis of propaganda claiming to be scientific were merely a means of consolidating power in Nazi Germany, as earlier genocides such as of the Christians of the Ottoman Empire did the same.  The ruthlessness of the KGB in revolutionary Russia was made in the name of progress and human liberation, but equaled every bit the hideous practices of the Nazis.  The Cultural Revolution in China claimed also to liberate, while it decimated education, relations within all communities, and destroyed those who represented in the most tangential way the lengthy historical culture of the country.  At the same time, what was called "The Great Leap Forward" needlessly resulted in tens of millions of deaths due to starvation, just as collectivization had done in the Soviet Union.  Pol Pot called his country Democratic Kampuchea, while in reality instituting one-party rule and murdering millions of his own citizens.  These are examples of huge periods of historical chaos, but an upside-down time can occur on a large scale or a small, even to intimate and fleeting times of our lives, when suddenly nothing seems comprehensible, save for an extreme idea, or a slogan that grips the mind in response to fear or other passions.  The culture of the mob often produces upside-down results, unthinkable under historical systems of law or justice.  And in this period of the crucifixion of Christ, we see so many signs of a world turned topsy-turvy, as we look back at His ministry of love, care, and healing, the great teachings in fulfillment of the Law and Prophets, and the many good things Christ did within the immediate years preceding His death.  All know He is being crucified on the basis of lies and manipulation, and all know Barabbas to be a murderer whom the crowd has demanded to be set free.  Let us note, secondarily, that whether or not we correctly perceive this upside-down time really depends upon which side of the fence we're on at the time.  Those who only seek their own benefit perceive it the other way around -- and so, we might say their perception is also upside down!  If we look at the response of the women and others who weep for Christ, at the uncomprehending disciples, even at members of the ruling Council who have faith in Christ (such as Nicodemus, in his response in John 7:51), we see the stunned and bewildered effect a world turned upside down has on the ones who seek the truth they need.  This confusion only emphasizes the evil of the time, in which "whoever kills you will think that he offers God service" (John 16:4), and "you will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death," and "you will be hated by all for My name’s sake" (Luke 21:16-17).  But in such times, Christ calls on us for endurance, and moreover suggests they may be opportunity for testimony and the work of the Holy Spirit in us (Luke 21:13-15), and by our patience we will possess our souls (Luke 21:19).  In these times, we turn to our spiritual weapons of prayer and worship, we seek to cultivate virtue and spiritual fruit, we remain alert and awake and rely on God.  We watch and pray, as will the women who remain faithful to Him, and the disciples.   For these are our examples in a time when even our Savior is numbered with the transgressors, and a King is nailed to the Cross.