Matthew 27:26-54

“They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and after twisting some thorns into a crown, they put it on his head. They put a reed in his right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’” vss. 28-29 

While Matthew portrays Pilate as being reluctant to go forward with the crucifixion of Jesus, the soldiers of the governor seem to have relished the task. This was what they did, and they knew how to humiliate prisoners and inflict as much pain as possible. They thought it amusing to treat this bleeding beaten man as the king of the Jews and, having stripped him, they gave him a royal robe, a crown, and a scepter. For them the whole ordeal was a joke!

In the end, of course, the joke was on them! Their cruel charade was meant to be demeaning, but they had unwittingly participated in Jesus’ coronation. Little did they know that the cross, their instrument of torture, would be transformed into his throne of glory. That cross has become for believers all over the world the perfect symbol of God’s compassionate and unrelenting love.

And what a surprise it must have been for them, at least according to Luke’s gospel, to hear from the cross these words, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing!” They had intended their work to be an act of unspeakable cruelty, but the King responded with words of love and grace! What a beautiful surprise for them and for us!

Thought for the Day: What makes me want to hurt “bad” people?