ACC ~ Matthew 27 v27 - 31
THEY MOCKED HIM
HILARY OF POITIERS: The beaten Lord is dressed in a scarlet robe, a purple cloak and a crown of thorns, and a reed is placed on his right hand. Bending their knees before him, they mock him. Having taken upon himself all the infirmities of our bodies, he is covered with the scarlet blood of all the martyrs destined to reign with him, and he is cloaked with the high honor of the prophets and patriarchs in purple cloth. He is also crowned with thorns, that is, with the former sins of the remorseful Gentiles, so that glory might derive from the destructive and useless things, plaited on his divine head, which they contrive. The sharp points of the thorns aptly pertain to the sins from which a crown of victory is woven for Christ. The reed symbolizes the emptiness and weakness of all those Gentiles, which is held firm in his grasp. His head, moreover, is struck. As I believe, not much harm was done to his head from being struck with the reed; however, the typical explanation for this is that the bodily weakness of the Gentiles that was previously held in Christ’s hand finds comfort now in God the Father, for he is the head. [1] But amid all this, while Christ is mocked, he is being adored. ON MATTHEW 33.3. [2]
[1] 1 Cor 11:3.
[2] SC 258:250-52.
STRIPPED OF THE ROBE
APOLLINARIS: It was not as though those men had the power [to do these deeds]. Rather, it seemed good to God that these events occur for the redemption of humanity. The “Lord of glory” was treated shamefully for us because of the dishonor due to us. He is now glorified while the day of the righteous is always mocked by the ignorant. Since the cloak was tinged with the color of blood, those murdering him dressed him with it, though they did not realize the significance of what they were doing. Instead, they clothed Jesus … in scarlet cloth and bound his hand with the symbol of one of the sons of Tamar and Judah. [1] The cloak itself [represents] the blood shed by the world and by the people in it. The Savior was put to death for the salvation of all. But they who are choked by “worries, wealth and pleasure” have received the word of God but have not borne fruit. [2] They weave thorns together and crown Jesus with them, dishonoring him. … Those who deemed his kingdom to be of little value placed a reed in his right hand. FRAGMENT 139. [3]
[1] Gen 38:1-30. The reference is to the scarlet rope of Rahab (Josh 2:18) and Tamar (Gen 38:27), both traditionally considered symbolic prefigurements of the Passion of Christ. The two examples also appear in the comment to follow (Origen “The Scarlet Robe”).
[2] Lk 8:14.
[3] MKGK 49.
THE SCARLET ROBE
ORIGEN: That scarlet robe was prefigured by the scarlet sign mentioned in Joshua the son of Nun, which Rahab used for her safety, [1] and mentioned in Genesis, [2] which was placed on the hand of one of Tamar’s newborn sons in token of the future Passion of Christ. So now, in taking up the “scarlet robe,” he took upon himself the blood of the world, and in that thorny “crown” plaited on his head he took upon himself the thorns of our sins. As to the robe, it is written that “they stripped him of the scarlet robe.” [3] But as to the crown of thorns, the Evangelists mention nothing further. Apparently they wanted us to determine what happened to that crown of thorns placed on his head and never removed. My belief is that the crown of thorns disappeared from the head of Jesus, so that our former thorns no longer exist now that Jesus has removed them from us once and for all on his own distinguished head. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 125. [4]
[1] Josh 2:18.
[2] Gen 38:28.
[3] Cf. Mk 15:20.
[4] GCS 38.2:261-62.
THE REED
ORIGEN: What can be said about the reed they placed “in his right hand”? Here is my explanation: The reed embodied the hollow and fragile scepter that we all were leaning on before we saw it was a bad scepter, for we were trusting in the reed-shaped rod of Egypt or Babylon or some other kingdom opposed to God’s kingdom. [1] Then he took that reed and rod of the fragile kingdom from our hands, to subdue it and break it to pieces on the cross. In place of that reed we once were leaning on, he gave us the scepter of the heavenly kingdom and the rod mentioned in Scripture: “The rod of justice, the rod of your kingdom.” [2] In other words, the rod that chastens those who need to be chastened, as the apostle notes: “What do you want, that I come to you with a rod?” [3] He also gave us a staff that we might celebrate the paschal feast (as Scripture says, “Let your staff be in your hand”), [4] laying down that reed-shaped rod we once had before we celebrated the Lord’s paschal feast.
Then they took this fragile, hollow reed and struck the honorable head of Jesus with it, for that ever-adverse kingdom reviles and scourges God the Father, the head of the Lord and Savior. And amid all this, the only-begotten goodness itself was unharmed, nor did he suffer anything, “being made a curse for us,” [5] since by nature he is a blessing. But since he is a blessing, he destroyed and took away and dispelled all human malediction. COMMENTARY ON MATTHEW 125. [6]
[1] See Is 36:6.
[2] Ps 45:6 (44:7 LXX).
[3] 1 Cor 4:21.
[4] Ex 12:11.
[5] Gal 3:13.
[6] GCS 38.2:262.
THE MYSTERY OF HIS KINGSHIP
CHROMATIUS: These things were done to mock Jesus. But now we know these things happened through a heavenly mystery. Wickedness was at work among the former; among the latter, the mystery of faith and the light of truth. In the purple tunic Christ is dressed as king; and in the scarlet robe, as prince of martyrs, he is resplendent as precious scarlet in his sacred blood. He receives the crown as conqueror, for crowns are usually bestowed upon conquerors. He is adored as God by people on bended knees. Therefore he is vested in purple as king, in scarlet as prince of martyrs; he is crowned as conqueror, is hailed as Lord and is adored as God.
We can recognize in the purple cloak also the church, married to Christ the king and resplendent with regal glory. Hence it is called by John in the Revelation a “royal nation.” [1] As to this purple cloth, we read in the Song of Solomon: “His whole bed is purple.” [2] For Christ rests on that bed where he is able to find purple cloth, that is, royal faith and a beautiful spirit… .
The crown of thorns which the Lord received on his head stands for our community, which came to faith from the Gentiles. At one time we were thorns—that is to say, sinners. Believing now in Christ, we have become a crown of righteousness, for we no longer cause pain or harm to the Savior. Rather, we surround his head with our profession of faith while we praise the Father in the Son, because the head of Christ is God, as the apostle says. [3] This is the crown foretold by David in a psalm: “You placed a crown of precious stones on his head.” [4] We were thorns at one time, but after we were included in the crown of Christ, we became precious stones. For he, who raised up children of Abraham from stones, made precious stones out of thorns. [5]
This scriptural passage did not consider of trivial importance the fact that a reed was placed in the Lord’s right hand. Note what David says about Christ in the psalm: “My tongue is the pen of a ready writer.” [6] As he was about to suffer, therefore, he took up the reed in his right hand, so that with a heavenly notation he might pardon us our misdeeds or inscribe his law in our hearts with divine letters. As he says through the prophet: “I will put my law within them.” [7] … We may also infer other things about the reed, for it has many spiritual meanings. A reed that is hollow and without pith connotes the Gentile people, who were once without the pith of God’s law, empty of faith and devoid of grace. Therefore this type of reed, that is, the Gentile people, is put in the Lord’s right hand, for his left hand already contained the Jewish people who were persecuting him. TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 19.1-4. [8]
[1] Rev 1:6; cf. 1 Pet 2:9.
[2] Song 3:10.
[3] 1 Cor 11:3.
[4] Ps 21:3 (20:4 LXX).
[5] Mt 3:9.
[6] Ps 45:1 (44:2 LXX).
[7] Jer 31:33.
[8] CCL 9a:89-91.
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