They put a reed in his
right hand and knelt before him and mocked him, saying, "Hail, King of the
Jews!"
The memory has faded with the years, but remnants of the humiliation
and the mocking words remain a part of who I am.
I was about 10 years old and attending Vacation Bible School. The other
kids in my class teased me and picked on me, but that day was the worst. On the steps of
the chancel, in front of the altar, those kids attacked me. They got me down on the steps
and hit and punched me repeatedly. I don’t remember the words they said, but know
their words were hateful and mocking.
Humiliation. The Roman soldiers stripped Jesus, put a scarlet robe on
him, placed a crown of thorns on his head and a staff in his right hand. Their very
actions were mocking. They were making fun of Jesus, this Jewish teacher, who was hated by
some of his own people. They were making fun of the claim that Jesus was king of the Jews.
Then they spoke their jeering, hateful words, "Hail, King of the Jews."
I had done nothing to deserve the cruelty and hatefulness, except to be
different and not one of them. But at 10 I didn’t understand that. In my humiliation
I didn’t hit back and told no one what had happened.
Jesus, knowing he was God’s Son, the long-awaited Messiah, stood
silent in the face of their mocking words. He knew the truth in the words. He knew that he
was the king of the Jews, even though his kingdom was not the kind those soldiers or even
his own disciples expected.
Hail, King of the Jews! We can say those words with great awe and joy.
Jesus is our king; the one to whom we bow down. It is Jesus who helped me forgive those
kids so long ago and he who has called me and you into his kingdom.
Prayer: Dear God, thank you that even when we mock you and make fun of
you and your children, that we still have Jesus as our Lord and King, offering us love and
forgiveness. Amen.
