2. The meekness and gentleness of Christ —
[We are told in the foregoing verses, that " Jesus held his peace" amidst all the accusations of his enemies. The same conduct he observed under the aggravated trials that he now endured. Not an angry or vindictive word escaped his lips. How justly might he have vindicated his Divine cha- racter, by striking dead upon the spot the persons who so wan- tonly abused him ! He might at least have dwelt more largely on the hint which he had suggested, when adjured by the high-priest to declare his real character^; and might have told them how he would resent and punish their impieties when they should stand before his tribunal. It might indeed be supposed that he uttered many things which are not recorded in this brief history ; but, whatever he might say or do on other occasions, we are sure that, during the whole scene of his last sufferings, " when he was reviled, he reviled not again ; when he suffered, he threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously."]
But these indignities are to be considered in another view, namely,
II. As bearing testimony to him —
The general agreement between our Lord's character and the prophecies concerning him, is a convincing evidence of his Messiahship —
[The circumstances which were foretold respecting him were so numerous, so minute, so improbable, and so contradic- tory, (if we may so speak,) that no one could have ventured to predict such things respecting an impostor; nor could they have been fulfilled in him by chance. None but God, who ordereth all things according to the counsel of his own will, could have foreseen them, or have secured their accomplishment: and therefore the things, so foreseen, and so accomplished, infallibly testify, that the person in whom they were accom- plished was indeed the Christ ]
In these sufferings more especially we see a con- firmation of all his pretensions and professions —
[His trials, and his behaviour under them, were both subjects of prophecy. Let Micah tell us how the Messiah was to be treated : " They shall smite the Judge of Israel with a rod upon the cheeks" Let Isaiah describe his conduct under that and various other indignities : " He gave his back to the smiters, and his cheeks to them that plucked off the hair ; he
a ver. 64. ^ Mic. v. 1.