四月十四日
凡看见我的都嗤笑我，他们撇嘴摇头……（诗22:7）
嘲笑也是使我们的主悲痛的一大原因。犹大在园中侮慢他；大祭司和文士嗤笑他；希律轻视他；仆人和兵丁捉弄他，残忍地凌辱他；彼拉多和他的同僚以君王的尊称来讽刺他；在十字架上各样骇人听闻的笑柄和丑恶的辱駡都集中投向他。讥诮是很难忍受的，当我们在极端苦痛时，笑駡实在太残忍、太惨酷了，简直能刺透人心。救主钉在十字架上所受的痛楚是超乎人类所能想像、所能猜测的，再看那些包括各阶层的乌合之众，都撇嘴摇头，极其轻蔑那位正在受苦的无辜者！那位被钉者一定有什么了不起的地方，而是他们所看不见的，不然他们是不会这样一致轻视他的。邪恶似乎大得胜利，但至终他们不过是嘲笑那在十字架上得胜为王的善良之主罢了！“被轻视，被人厌弃”的主耶稣啊！你怎能为恶待你的人而死呢?这就是奇妙的爱，神圣的爱，也是不能测量的至爱。我们在未重生时也曾轻视过你，就是当我们得了新生命之后，我们还是把世界放在我们心中的高位上，但你流血为的是使我们得医治，你钉死为的是使我们得生命。我们怎样才能把你放在人心的最高的宝座上呢！我们要在陆地上海洋中大声赞美你，直到使那厌弃你的人一同来崇拜你。
至善之主啊！你所造的恶待你，你得不到他们的爱戴，因为他们不了解你；
忘恩负义、追求邪恶的虚妄的人们并不看你的慈面，多么使我忧心如焚！
April 14
“All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip,
they shake the head.” –Psalm 22:7
Mockery was a great ingredient in our
Lord’s woe. Judas mocked Him in the garden; the chief priests and scribes
laughed Him to scorn; Herod set Him at nought; the servants and the soldiers
jeered at Him, and brutally insulted Him; Pilate and his guards ridiculed His
royalty; and on the tree all sorts of horrid jests and hideous taunts were
hurled at Him. Ridicule is always hard to bear, but when we are in intense pain
it is so heartless, so cruel, that it cuts us to the quick. Imagine the Saviour
crucified, racked with anguish far beyond all mortal guess, and then picture
that motley multitude, all wagging their heads or thrusting out the lip in
bitterest contempt of one poor suffering victim! Surely there must have been
something more in the crucified One than they could see, or else such a great
and mingled crowd would not unanimously have honoured Him with such contempt.
Was it not evil confessing, in the very moment of its greatest apparent
triumph, that after all it could do no more than mock at that victorious
goodness which was then reigning on the cross? O Jesus, “despised and
rejected of men,” how couldst Thou die for men who treated Thee so ill?
Herein is love amazing, love divine, yea, love beyond degree. We, too, have
despised Thee in the days of our unregeneracy, and even since our new birth we
have set the world on high in our hearts, and yet Thou bleedest to heal our
wounds, and diest to give us life. O that we could set Thee on a glorious high
throne in all men’s hearts! We would ring out Thy praises over land and sea
till men should as universally adore as once they did unanimously reject.
Thy creatures wrong Thee, O Thou sovereign Good! Thou art not loved,
because not understood: This grieves me most, that vain pursuits beguile
Ungrateful men, regardless of Thy smile.
