四月七日

你們將我的尊榮變為羞辱要到幾時呢？（詩4:2）

有一位著作家曾把瞎眼的以色列人所給他們久已期待著的君王的尊榮，臚列出來。（一）他們給他儀仗的尊榮。其中包括羅馬兵丁，猶太祭司，男男女女都跟在後面，他自己便在前面背著十字架。他來打敗了世人的兇惡仇敵，但他們卻這樣為他祝捷。他所得的歡呼是高聲的嘲笑，他所受的讚美是惡毒的咒駡。（二）他們給他稱觴的尊榮。並非金爵美酒，而是罪犯臨刑前所飲的麻醉劑，但他拒絕了，為的是盡嘗死味。後來他喊道：“我渴了！”你設身處地地想想，他整夜未眠，流血流汗，更番受審、受辱、受刑，已經困頓不堪，又背著十字架走了那末一段路程，被釘又被掛，未進粒米滴水。又環觀周圍的黑暗，猙獰的面孔，悲哀失恃的親友、門徒，真是萬感交集，怎不乾渴。但他們卻以苦膽調和的醋用海絨蘸了塞到他的嘴裡。唉，可惡、可憎的人競粗暴地這樣對付王的兒子。（三）他有護衛的尊榮。他們用賭博的方法把他的衣服估價分贓，作為掠物。這就是天上當受崇拜之君的衛兵，都是些分贓的賭徒。（四）濺滿了血的十架是他寶座的尊榮。背叛的人類還能把什麼安舒的地方給他們的大君王呢？十字架完全表示了世人對他的態度如何，他們在那裡似乎是說：“你這神的兒子，若我們夠得著神，他也該當受這樣的處治。”（五）他們也給他稱號的尊榮：“猶太人的王”。實際上這些瞎眼的百姓乃是棄絕他，他們乃是稱他為“賊王”，他們情願要巴拿巴，使耶穌在兩賊之間受最大的羞辱。他的榮耀都被人變成了羞辱，但它卻使諸聖徒和眾天使的眼透出歡樂的光芒，永世無盡。

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.