Matthew 27:27-44
27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the governor's headquarters, and they gathered the whole battalion before him. 28 And they stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and twisting together a crown of thorns, they put it on his head and put a reed in his right hand. And kneeling before him, they mocked him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 And they spit on him and took the reed and struck him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put his own clothes on him and led him away to crucify him.
32 As they went out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name. They compelled this man to carry his cross. 33 And when they came to a place called Golgotha (which means Place of a Skull), 34 they offered him wine to drink, mixed with gall, but when he tasted it, he would not drink it. 35 And when they had crucified him, they divided his garments among them by casting lots. 36 Then they sat down and kept watch over him there. 37 And over his head they put the charge against him, which read, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” 38 Then two robbers were crucified with him, one on the right and one on the left. 39 And those who passed by derided him, wagging their heads 40 and saying, “You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself! If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross.” 41 So also the chief priests, with the scribes and elders, mocked him, saying, 42 “He saved others; he cannot save himself. He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God; let God deliver him now, if he desires him. For he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way.
Reflection
A battalion of Roman soldiers mocked the royalty of Jesus, utterly humiliating him in his death. He was clothed with a scarlet robe, crowned with thorns, and given a staff. The Roman soldiers bowed before him and sarcastically praised him as the “King of the Jews.” They spit on him and took his staff away to strike him on the head (Matt. 27:27–31). They took his clothes (v. 35) and crucified him naked, hanging a sign above his body telling the world that, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (v. 37). His enemies ridiculed him: “He is the King of Israel; let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him” (v. 42).
The irony in this scene is that those who mock the royalty of Jesus are blind to the gloriousness of the King who endures their hatred. From his birth in a Bethlehem stable to his death at Calvary, the world treated King Jesus like a nobody who never amounted to anything. But those who have been graciously healed of their spiritual blindness cry out with the angels of heaven, saying, “worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and glory and blessing” (Rev. 5:12)!
1 Corinthians 11:17-34
17 But in the following instructions I do not commend you, because when you come together it is not for the better but for the worse. 18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized. 20 When you come together, it is not the Lord's supper that you eat. 21 For in eating, each one goes ahead with his own meal. One goes hungry, another gets drunk. 22 What! Do you not have houses to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God and humiliate those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I commend you in this? No, I will not.
23 For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, “This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.
27 Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. 29 For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself. 30 That is why many of you are weak and ill, and some have died. 31 But if we judged ourselves truly, we would not be judged. 32 But when we are judged by the Lord, we are disciplined so that we may not be condemned along with the world.
33 So then, my brothers, when you come together to eat, wait for one another— 34 if anyone is hungry, let him eat at home—so that when you come together it will not be for judgment. About the other things I will give directions when I come.
Reflection
Because of the selfish indulgence of some within the church, the poor were being humiliated during the Lord’s Supper (1 Cor. 11:22). Such sins are so serious that they call forth the Lord’s judgment and discipline (vv. 29–34).
Yet we also see that the good news about Jesus (the gospel) has power to pardon sin and transform hardened hearts. Jesus has secured our forgiveness by giving his body and blood for us (vv. 24–25; cf. Luke 22:17–20). When we “remember” him through the Lord’s Supper, we remember his great act of love — and we proclaim that we need the power of the Lord’s death to strengthen us “until he comes” (1 Cor. 11:26), just as we need food (“the bread”) and drink (“the cup”) to sustain our bodies. Only through his power are we able to honor the least privileged (“those who have nothing”; v. 22) and prioritize the good of others before our own (“wait for one another”; v. 33).
Psalm 2:10-12
10 Now therefore, O kings, be wise; be warned, O rulers of the earth. 11 Serve the Lord with fear, and rejoice with trembling. 12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.
The royalty of Jesus was not evident to those who humiliated him, but someday it will be perfectly clear to all. Pray for those in your life who are blind to the glory of Jesus, asking God to awaken them from their ignorance before it is too late.