四月七日
你们将我的尊荣变为羞辱要到几时呢？（诗4:2）
有一位著作家曾把瞎眼的以色列人所给他们久已期待着的君王的尊荣，胪列出来。（一）他们给他仪仗的尊荣。其中包括罗马兵丁，犹太祭司，男男女女都跟在后面，他自己便在前面背着十字架。他来打败了世人的凶恶仇敌，但他们却这样为他祝捷。他所得的欢呼是高声的嘲笑，他所受的赞美是恶毒的咒駡。（二）他们给他称觞的尊荣。并非金爵美酒，而是罪犯临刑前所饮的麻醉剂，但他拒绝了，为的是尽尝死味。后来他喊道：“我渴了！”你设身处地地想想，他整夜未眠，流血流汗，更番受审、受辱、受刑，已经困顿不堪，又背着十字架走了那末一段路程，被钉又被挂，未进粒米滴水。又环观周围的黑暗，狰狞的面孔，悲哀失恃的亲友、门徒，真是万感交集，怎不干渴。但他们却以苦胆调和的醋用海绒蘸了塞到他的嘴里。唉，可恶、可憎的人竞粗暴地这样对付王的儿子。（三）他有护卫的尊荣。他们用赌博的方法把他的衣服估价分赃，作为掠物。这就是天上当受崇拜之君的卫兵，都是些分赃的赌徒。（四）溅满了血的十架是他宝座的尊荣。背叛的人类还能把什么安舒的地方给他们的大君王呢？十字架完全表示了世人对他的态度如何，他们在那里似乎是说：“你这神的儿子，若我们够得着神，他也该当受这样的处治。”（五）他们也给他称号的尊荣：“犹太人的王”。实际上这些瞎眼的百姓乃是弃绝他，他们乃是称他为“贼王”，他们情愿要巴拿巴，使耶稣在两贼之间受最大的羞辱。他的荣耀都被人变成了羞辱，但它却使诸圣徒和众天使的眼透出欢乐的光芒，永世无尽。
April 7
“O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?”
–Psalm 4:2
An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honours which the
blinded people of Israel awarded to their long-expected King. （1.） They gave Him a
procession of honour, in which Roman legionaries, Jewish priests, men and
women, took a part, He Himself bearing His cross. This is the triumph which the
world awards to Him who comes to overthrow man’s direst foes. Derisive shouts
are His only acclamations, and cruel taunts His only paeans of praise. （2.） They presented
Him with the wine of honour. Instead of a golden cup of generous wine they
offered Him the criminal’s stupefying death-draught, which He refused because
He would preserve an uninjured taste wherewith to taste of death; and
afterwards when He cried, “I thirst,” they gave Him vinegar mixed
with gall, thrust to His mouth upon a sponge. Oh! wretched, detestable
inhospitality to the King’s Son. （3.） He was provided with a guard of honour, who showed
their esteem of Him by gambling over His garments, which they had seized as
their booty. Such was the body-guard of the adored of heaven; a quaternion of
brutal gamblers. （4.） A throne of honour was found for Him upon the
bloody tree; no easier place of rest would rebel men yield to their liege Lord.
The cross was, in fact, the full expression of the world’s feeling towards Him;
“There,” they seemed to say, “Thou Son of God, this is the
manner in which God Himself should be treated, could we reach Him.” （5.） The title of honour
was nominally “King of the Jews,” but that the blinded nation
distinctly repudiated, and really called Him “King of thieves,” by
preferring Barabbas, and by placing Jesus in the place of highest shame between
two thieves. His glory was thus in all things turned into shame by the sons of
men, but it shall yet gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world without end.
