John 18:22-23 And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying… I. THE INCIDENT OF OUR TEXT: "One of the officers struck Jesus," Observe — 1. The circumstances. 2. All its aggravations. (1) The prisoner at the bar was struck — while yet only on trial, when no evidence had been found against him. (2) By one of the officers who were there to see that justice was done, an officer of the high priest, the highest minister of God. (3) In open court, in presence of the judge. (4) Without one word of rebuke from the high priest. (5) Merely because He refused to reply to ensnaring questions, and because with dignity and unanswerable argument He had appealed to the law which demanded that no man should be condemned except "at the mouth of two or three witnesses." 3. What followed. Trivial as the blow may have been, leaving no mark, — lightly as we might esteem it when compared with the agony of the garden or of the Cross, it was the only incident in His life of suffering that drew forth from Jesus one resentful word (ver. 23). He denied not that "He was made under the law," nor refused to be tried by the law. But He was not made under the priest nor the officer apart from the law, and would not be questioned by the one nor struck by the other contrary to the law. He could well have borne it; but, foreseeing that many of His people would afterwards be subjected to wrongs like this, He resented and rebuked it that they might know what His feelings were, and how they should act amid wanton outrage and gross injustice. II. THE LEADING LESSONS WHICH IT TEACHES. 1. By a very touching example it teaches us that the human sympathy of Jesus is true and tender. We have not an High Priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities, &c. It is not enough to say that He was tried, He was "touched;" He felt under trials as we do. He then can enter into our feelings and sympathise with us. In this one indignant saying, we see the bosom of Jesus throbbing with feelings that are all our own. III. HIS STRANGE FORBEARANCE TOWARDS THE TRANSGRESSOR. Twice in Scripture we find examples of insult and injury like this (Jeremiah 20:1-4; Acts 23:1-4). In both these cases, as in our text, these men of God resented the wanton outrage done to them. But while they resented the wrong, they denounced vengeance against the wrong-doers. But here, though the outrage was as great, and the dignity of the outraged far greater, He denounced no woe against the offender, He spared him if perchance he might repent and be converted. Perhaps that officer a few weeks later heard Peter on the day of Pentecost. How great was the forbearance of Christ! How assured is the hope of welcome still to each returning sinner! 1. The sin and shame of the man who strikes Jesus. Terrible was the sin of this man. But you say, "We have not been — we cannot be — guilty of sin like this." Yes we may be — most of us have been. How so? (1) At every blow we have struck at any of His disciples the Lord has said, "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me?"(2) Every wilful sin is an injury done to Him. Our sins put Him to open shame and make His wounds to bleed afresh. (W. Grant.) Parallel Verses KJV: And when he had thus spoken, one of the officers which stood by struck Jesus with the palm of his hand, saying, Answerest thou the high priest so? |
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