Morning By Morning #98

How long, O men, will you turn my glory into shame?

Psalm 4:2

From the pen of Charles Spurgeon:

One inspired author once wrote a mournful list of the “honors” the blinded people of Israel awarded their long-awaited King. Here is his list:

1. They threw Him “a parade of honor” in which Roman soldiers, Jewish priests, and men and women took part, while He Himself carried His cross. This is the kind of triumphant award the world gave Him who came to overthrow their worst enemies. Derisive shouts were His only acclamations and cruel taunts were His only songs of praise.

2. They presented Him with “the wine of honor.” But instead of it being a golden cup overflowing with wine, they offered Him the numbing death drink of a criminal, which He refused, choosing rather to fully experience the taste of death. Later, when He cried out, “I am thirsty,” they gave Jesus “wine vinegar” (John 19:28 – 29) to drink, “mixed with gall” (Matt. 27:34), thrusting it to His mouth on a sponge. Oh, what wretched, detestable inhospitality to the King’s Son!

3. He was provided with “an honor guard” who showed their great esteem for Him by gambling over His garments, which they stole from Him as their plunder. Such were the bodyguards of the Adored of heaven, men who were simply a gang of brutal gamblers.

4. “A throne of honor” was provided for Him—a blood-stained tree. These rebellious men would allow no better place of rest to their faithful Lord than a cross. In fact, the cross was the total expression of the world’s feelings toward Him. It was as though the world was saying, “There, You Son of God, this is exactly how God Himself should be treated if we could get our hands on Him.”

5. They gave Him “a title of honor” as “KING OF THE JEWS” (John 19:19). Yet this was given in name only, for the blinded nation’s “chief priests…protested to Pilate” (v. 21), quickly rejecting the title. And by desiring the release of Barabbas, and then placing Jesus between two thieves in such a shameful place, they showed they preferred the title “King of thieves.”

In each of these humiliations, mankind turned Jesus’ “glory into shame.” Yet ultimately, through each of them, the eyes of all the saints and angels will be gladdened “for ever and ever! Amen” (Eph. 3:21).

From the pen of Jim Reimann:

Jesus’ death was beautifully veiled with great symbolism and dramatic fulfillments of Scripture. For example, even the wood used to lift the sponge to Jesus was an amazing fulfillment of Passover. Notice what John 19:29 tells us: “A jar of wine vinegar was there, so they soaked a sponge in it, put the sponge on a stalk of the hyssop plant, and lifted it to Jesus’ lips.” Next notice God’s instructions for the first Passover in Egypt: “Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe” (Ex. 12:22). Thus, not only does hyssop tie the two events together but also the painting of blood on the door is tied to Jesus’s being the Door of salvation through His shed blood on the cross. He said, “I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved” (John 10:9 KJV).

Our loving Father gives us one beautiful picture after beautiful picture—one symbol and fulfillment after another—as if to say, “My child, don’t miss this!”