HOMILETICS. Vera. 17, 18.-The Oruciflzion. The end bas come a.t last. I. JESUS CARRYING ms ORoss. "And he, bearing bis cross, went forth to the place of the skull, which is m~lled in the Hebrew, Golgotha." 1. The condemned, accordin11 to Roman law, had to carry thB instrument of their own punishment. 2. Je:ms bore his cross part of the way, till he sank with ezhaustion. Accordingly, Simon of Cyrene was required to do the office. The exhaustion of Jesus was caused (1) by his long watching cmd his deep mental anguish in Gethsemane ; (2) perhaps, also, by the pain or smart which the cross would inflict upon bis scourged and galled shoulders. II. THE BOENE OF THE CBUOIF'IXION. 1. It was outside the gate of the city, accorli,,g to ancient Jewish law. (Lev. xxiv. 14.) 2. The exhortation, "Let us go faith to hiw without the camp, bearing bis reproach" (Heh. xiii. 12, 13), is founded upon this ancient custom. 3. The actual sput is called Golgotha, or Oalvary; but it bas not been identi- fied in modem times. III. THE CRUCIFIXION. "Where they crucified him, and two others with him, on either side one, and Jesus in the midst." 1. Who were they who did this deed i (1) Not some savage people belonging to an uncivilized land, who had never heard of Jesus. (2) Not some prowling banditti, who had got the upper band in Jerusalem, and rioted in murder. (3) It was the Jews, acting throngh the Roman soldiers. (a) God's ancient people; (b) the witnesses of his marvellous works; (c) in the land where Jesus was best known; (d) and in the capital of its solemnities. 2. What did they do i "They crucified him." (1) This was the death of slaves and malefactors. (2) It was, in Cicero's words, "the most cruel and the most terrible punishment." (a) The victim was nailed by his hands and his feet to the cross, while it still lay on the ground. (b) 'l'hese nails, by their position, added to the victim's torture. ( c) It was a lingering death, for the victim sometimes survived till the third day. 3. Whom did they crucify 1 (1) The Lord of glory, the Prince of life, the Son of David, their own Messiah. (2) Mark the indignity of his position a.t Golgotha. (a) He is crucified with two robbers, as if he were the fit colleague of malefactors. (b) He is crucified between them, as if to add to his disgrace. He is the Prince of malefactors. He was indeed "numbered with the transgressors" (Isa. liii. 12). (c) His central place in that death-scene-"Jesus in the midst"-is, after all, in keepin~ with his central place in heaven and in earth, and in the hopes of dyin~ men. (a) He is central in heaven; for "the Lamb is in the midst of the throne." (fJ) He is central on earth, (i.) as the Lord who, at the heart of the universe, upholds all things by the Word of bis power ; (ii.) as the Centre of the invisible Church, for he is its only Head; (iii.) as the Centre of the visible Church, for all Christendom crystallizes around the Person of Christ; (iv.) as the infrangible Centre of man's dying hopes. Vera. 19-22.-21'e inscription on the cross. "And Pilate wrote a title, and put it on the cross. And the writing was, Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews." I. PILATE TOOK ADVANTAGE OF A ROMAN CUSTOM TO INSULT THE JEWS BY REPllE- BENTING THIS MALEFAOTOB AS THEIR KING. It was an a.et of revenge for all the humiliation the Jews had inflicted upon him. !I. IT WAS WRITTEN IN THE LANGUAGES OF THE THREE PRINCIPAL PEOPLES OF TIIE WORLD. "Hebrew, and Greek, and Latin." 1. Hebrew was the national language of the Jews. 2. Greek was the language of common life. 3. Latin was the language of their Roman masters. III. How DO WE RECONCILE TIIE VARIOUS FORMS OF THE INSCRIPTION' WITH THE DOCTRINE OF VERBAL INSPIRATION? 1. It is extremely probable that Pilate employed representatives of each language to draw up the title, which would therefore be variously framed accordin.., to a. threefold idiom. 2 The title in John's Gospel, " Jesus the Nazarene the King of the Jews," would be the Greek form. The title in Mru-k, "'l'he King of the Jews," would be given with Roman brevit!~ "Rex: JudlBO~um." The title in Luke "'!'his is the Kin_~ of the Jews," does not chfler from that rn Mark, for the introdu;tory pronoun is Luko's own. The title iu Matthew, "This is Jesus the King of the Jews," would be the Hebrew form. 438 THE C'-rOSrEL ACOORDtNG TO ST. JORN. [on:. xtx. 1-4"2
IY. THE DIB!lATIBFACTION OF THE JEWS AT THE FORM OF THE INB0'RIPTION, "Then RRirl t.he chief prie~te of tho Jews to Pilate, Write not, 'l'he Kin?: of the Jews• but thnt Le ~aid, I Rm King of the Jews." 1. The title here given to the re1nonstran'ts suggests fl1at they wei·e the guardians of the theocratic honour of the Jews. 2. They wM1ed to di~ron,r,ert tht ,r,a~ qf Jesl/,/Jfrom all their idea.s of MesMhsh,:p, and represent him as a tLc'<ll-rper. 3. Or, perhaps, they were anxious to adhere to the fatal admission, "We have D0 king but Omsar." V. Tmi INFLEXDIILITY OF rn.ATE. "What I have written I hav<1 written." 1. He is very nsoluk i,i, his purpo.~e now that all danger is past. Philo calls him " an inflexible man." Well had it been for him if his firmneNs of purpose had been mo.ni- fested in the earlier hours of the day. 2. He tDaS, after all, by liis inscription, only representing the true fact unconsciously. Pilate is the herald to proclaim the Kingship ~J~UL , •
Yem. 23, 24.-The pa,rting of the 'l'alment. The soldiers regard Jesus as already dead, and therefore dispose of his raiment according to the usage of Romnn law. J. IT WAS A. GREAT RUMTI.IATION TO THE VICTIM TO BEE HIS GARMENTS PARTED. 1, It implied that nothing remained for him henceforth but to die. Ho had done with earth. 2 It is implied that his body was exposed naked on the cross. II. TnE soLDIEBB WERE ONLY FULFIT.LING THE OLD TESTAMENT PBOPHEOY. . . That the Scripture might be fulfilled, They parred my raiment among them, and for my vesture did they cast lots." Little did the rude soldiers think that they were unconsciously fulfilling tbe letter of ancient prophecy. '•