The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1888-05-26

friends.
8. The inscription" THIS IS JESUS THE
KING OF THE JEws,'-was placed above the
head of JESUS on the cross. This was the
charge uron which the Jewish rulers asked
his condemnation by PLATE. 1t was charge
of constructive treason. PLATE would have
taken no notice of the charge of blasphemy
upon which they had condemned him. JESUS
had confessed himself to be the Messiah,
claiming divine powers. This to his accus-
ers was deemed blasphemy. The Messiah
was conceived of as a temporal king, and
hence the charge. But the spectacle was hu-
initiating to the Jews,-their king shamefully
executed as a criminal and the chief-priests
sought to have it changed to read. HE said,
am King of the jews" But PLATE, no doubt
delighted to see them Inundated, refused to
change the writing which truly described the
condemned according to the accusation(J ohm
xix. 2D. The superscription was written In
three languages, one of which would be ia
miliar to all who observed it: the Hebrew,
the language of Judea; the Greek, the Ian
guage of the dispersed Jews who had come
to the Passover; and the Roman or Latin, the
language of the government officials. This
may account for the different forms IN which
the Evangelists recorded the inscription"
John, who was present and saw 1t, appears
to have given the exact form, probably OF the
Greek, in which he wrote; Matthew, who Is
supposed to have written in Hebrew, may
have given the form of the Hebrew in
scription; one of the others, presumably
Mark, may have preserved the Latin form,
or both may have abridged their statements.
Geikie transposes this order in the case OF
Matthew and John. He supposes that John
gave the Hebrew form, for reasons that may
be apparent. The matter may not row be
determined and is unimportant. Each may
have given an independent statement with
out attempting to give the exact form. All
make the same declaration in different IAN
guage.
4. JESUS was crucified between two rob-
bers. This may have occurred because OF
the circumstance that the Jews chose the
robber chief, Barabbas, for the accustomed
Passover pardon, instead of JESUS, whom
PLATE desired to release (15 23). The two
robbers may have belonged to Barabbas'
DSS@
receive the executive pardon, JESUS may have
been delivered to take his place in the prep
aration for their crucifxion. LET him be
crucified in the place of Barabbas," may be
the force of the answer to Pilates question,
ssWhat shall do to JEsUs2" (22) This would
be a striking fulfillment of what JESUS had
said to the disciples the night before, "Thls
that is written must be fulfilled in me, And
he was reckoned among the transgressors'
luke xii. 81 Isaiah lii. 12).
MOCKINGS.-At every stage OF these WICK
ed proceedings JESUS was subjected to all
manner of ridicule and coarse jesting. In
the high priests house (xxvi. CD, at the gov
ernor's palace (28-30), and now on the cross
the innocent victim patiently endured the
jeering insults of the brutal and the mall
cious. The place of crucifxion appears to
have been in full view of the highway. Some
of those passing in and out of the thronged
city, manifested their cruel delight with rail-
ings and ridicule. They contemptuously
asked him to show that he possessed divine
powers by coming down from the CROSS and
saving himself from the death to which he
had been condemned. The religious teach
ers and rulers sneeringly remarked, " He
who saved others cannot save himself" and
declared that if he would come oown from
the cross they would believe on him. They
were continually seeking for signs that would
not besgiven, and failed to see the true signs
of Divine personality and power that were
constantly given by JESUS in his blessed min
n - -. oil
and spectacular, and they were unable to
perceive that the invisible spiritual power in
or through which JESUS proclaimed and pro-
noted his kingdom, was the true sign of the
Messiah, and that he truly saved himself by
saving others, even though he died for the
saving truth which he taught, preserving the
eternal life of Divine faith and obedience
which he proclaimed and exempliied. They
could not comprehend the all-important fact
that the Divine power in which JESUS trusted
might sustain his soul even while his body
was permitted to perish, that he might save
his spiritual life by losing the physical. We
are told that the cruci6ed robbers joined in
the general ridicule. Luke, however, relates
that one reviled him and the other reproved
the reviler (xxiii. 39-43). Matthew, in max
ing brief summary of the revilings, may
rave merely included the robbers in the
Glasses of revilers without Distinguishing be-
tween the two; or both may have ridiculed,
one afterward changing his tone and man
ner,-the common view of the matter.
THE DARKNEsS.-The Jews reckoned the
hours of the day beginning at sunrise, which
at the time of the crucifxion would be at six
O'Clock. 1t was the third hour, or A. M,
when JESUS was crucifed MARK XIV. 25). At
the sixth hour, or midday, darkness oc-
Cured, obscuring the son, which continued
till P. M. natural eclipse of the sun could
not have occurred at this time when the
moon was full, though such darkness, spo-
ken of as an eclipse, occurring at about this
time, is described by ancient historians
quoted by the early Christian Fathers. We
do not know the cause of it. Periods of
darkness in modern times have occurred
the natural causes of which we're unknown
and remain unexplained. The darkness at,
the time of the crucifxion may not have been
supernatural, though occurring under Divine
superintendent and by special appointment
in the order of Divine providence. 1t may
have been the kind of darkness which is
known to sometimes precede great earth