Spurgeon Meditations

 

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame?

Psa 4 2

An instructive writer has made a mournful list of the honours which the blinded people of Israel awarded to their long-expected King. (1.) They gave Him a procession of honour in which Roman legionaries Jewish priests men and women took a part He Himself bearing His cross. This is the triumph which the world awards to Him who comes to overthrow man's direst foes. Derisive shouts are His only acclamations and cruel taunts His only paeans of praise. (2.) They presented Him with the wine of honour. Instead of a golden cup of generous wine they offered Him the criminal's stupefying death-draught which He refused because He would preserve an uninjured taste wherewith to taste of death; and afterwards when He cried I thirst, they gave Him vinegar mixed with gall thrust to His mouth upon a sponge. Oh! wretched detestable inhospitality to the King's Son. (3.) He was provided with a guard of honour who showed their esteem of Him by gambling over His garments which they had seized as their booty. Such was the body-guard of the adored of heaven; a quaternion of brutal gamblers. (4.) A throne of honour was found for Him upon the bloody tree; no easier place of rest would rebel men yield to their liege Lord. The cross was in fact the full expression of the world's feeling towards Him; "There theyseemed to say, Thou Son of God this is the manner in which God Himself should be treated could we reach Him." (5.) The title of honour was nominally "King of the Jews but that theblinded nation distinctly repudiated, and really called Him King of thieves by preferring Barabbas, and by placing Jesusin the place of highest shame between two thieves. His glory wasthus in all things turned into shame by the sons of men, but itshall yet gladden the eyes of saints and angels, world withoutend.% 04/08/AM If they do these things in a green tree what shall be done in the dry?" --Luke 23:31 Among other interpretations of this suggestive question the following is full of teaching: "If the innocent substitute for sinners suffer thus what will be done when the sinner himself --the dry tree--shall fall into the hands of an angry God?" When God saw Jesus in the sinner's place He did not spare Him; and when He finds the unregenerate without Christ He will not spare them. O sinner Jesus was led away by His enemies: so shall you be dragged away by fiends to the place appointed for you. Jesus was deserted of God; and if He who was only imputedly a sinner was deserted how much more shall you be? "Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani?" what an awful shriek! But what shall be your cry when you shall say O God! O God! why hast Thou forsaken me? and the answer shall come back Because ye have set at noughtall My counsel, and would none of My reproof: I also will laughat your calamity; I will mock when your fear cometh. If God spared not His own Son how much less will He spare you! What whips of burning wire will be yours when conscience shall smite you with all its terrors. Ye richest ye merriest ye most self-righteous sinners--who would stand in your place when God shall say Awake, O sword, against the man that rejected Me;smite him, and let him feel the smart for ever ? Jesus was spit upon: sinner what shame will be yours! We cannot sum up in one word all the mass of sorrows which met upon the head of Jesus who died for us therefore it is impossible for us to tell you what streams what oceans of grief must roll over your spirit if you die as you now are. You may die so you may die now. By the agonies of Christ by His wounds and by His blood do not bring upon yourselves the wrath to come! Trust in the Son of God and you shall never die.


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