四月十四日

凡看見我的都嗤笑我，他們撇嘴搖頭……（詩22:7）

嘲笑也是使我們的主悲痛的一大原因。猶大在園中侮慢他；大祭司和文士嗤笑他；希律輕視他；僕人和兵丁捉弄他，殘忍地淩辱他；彼拉多和他的同僚以君王的尊稱來諷刺他；在十字架上各樣駭人聽聞的笑柄和醜惡的辱駡都集中投向他。譏誚是很難忍受的，當我們在極端苦痛時，笑駡實在太殘忍、太慘酷了，簡直能刺透人心。救主釘在十字架上所受的痛楚是超乎人類所能想像、所能猜測的，再看那些包括各階層的烏合之眾，都撇嘴搖頭，極其輕蔑那位正在受苦的無辜者！那位被釘者一定有什麼了不起的地方，而是他們所看不見的，不然他們是不會這樣一致輕視他的。邪惡似乎大得勝利，但至終他們不過是嘲笑那在十字架上得勝為王的善良之主罷了！“被輕視，被人厭棄”的主耶穌啊！你怎能為惡待你的人而死呢?這就是奇妙的愛，神聖的愛，也是不能測量的至愛。我們在未重生時也曾輕視過你，就是當我們得了新生命之後，我們還是把世界放在我們心中的高位上，但你流血為的是使我們得醫治，你釘死為的是使我們得生命。我們怎樣才能把你放在人心的最高的寶座上呢！我們要在陸地上海洋中大聲讚美你，直到使那厭棄你的人一同來崇拜你。

至善之主啊！你所造的惡待你，你得不到他們的愛戴，因為他們不瞭解你；

忘恩負義、追求邪惡的虛妄的人們並不看你的慈面，多麼使我憂心如焚！

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.