Intangible reason for actions

Then he [the governor, AD 30, Jerusalem] released for them Bar-abbas, and having scourged Jesus, gave him away to be crucified. Then, the soldiers of the governor having taken Jesus inside the Roman headquarters, they brought together the whole cohort upon him. Having stripped him, they put around him a scarlet robe. Having twisted together a crown out of thorns, they placed it over his head and a reed in his right hand. Having knelt down in front of him, they mocked him, stating, “Greetings, King of the Jews!” And having spat on him, they took the reed and were striking him over the head. While they mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put him into his own clothes and gave him away to be crucified. Coming outside, they found a man from Cyrene [in Libya], Simon by name, and they conscripted him so that he might carry his cross. And having come to a place called Golgotha (which is called Place of a Skull), they gave him wine to drink, mixed with bile. Having tasted it, he would not drink. Having crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by gambling. Then, having sat down, they kept watch over him there, and over his head they put the charge against him, written, “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews.” Matthew 27: 26-35

Take a look with me at Matthew’s eye-witness record (bold above) of the Roman governor of Jerusalem in AD 30 and of the soldiers to whom he gave over Jesus to be crucified. Matthew describes their actions not only by using several different verbs (‘to scourge’; ‘to give away’) but also by alternating between verbs as participles (“having scourged”; “having stripped”) and verbs in indicative form (“they placed”; “they mocked”). Often in both Greek and Hebrew (the Bible’s main languages), participles are used to indicate the intangible reason for actions which then follow using indicatives. Let’s try that for size….
With regard to the governor, Matthew used the Greek word hegemonos for “governor”. This particular hegemonos “having scourged Jesus, gave him away to be crucified.” What might have been the governor’s intangible reason to give Jesus away to be crucified? What might have been the reason behind the (participle) “having scourged”? Did the hegenomos consider that his hegemony over Jesus needed to be confirmed – to himself and to others?	‘The greater the power the more dangerous the abuse.’ (Edmund Burke, Irish statesman, 1729-1797)
With regard to the soldiers, Matthew used the word stratiotai derived from a base word meaning “hard” or “rigid”. “Having taken Jesus inside” army HQ the stratiotai “brought together the whole cohort”. What might have been the soldiers’ intangible reason to bring together the whole cohort? What might have been the reason behind the (participle) “having taken Jesus inside”? Did the stratiotai consider that what they were planning was best not seen by outsiders?
.	‘The root of all evil in human nature is the corruption of the will.’ (A W Tozer, American pastor, 1897-1963)
And so it went on – participles indicating intangible reason for actions: • Having stripped him, they put around him a scarlet robe (Did they consider him as nothing?) • Having twisted together a crown out of thorns, they placed it over his head (Did they consider him as ruling over his own suffering?) • Having knelt down in front of him, they mocked him (Did they consider him totally unworthy of any respect?) • Having spat on him, they took the reed and were striking him over the head (Did they consider him worthy only of total disrespect?) • While they mocked him, they stripped him of the robe and put him into his own clothes and gave him away to be crucified (Did they consider him laughable – a joke – when they in their turn gave him away to crucifixion?) • Coming outside, they found a man … and conscripted him so that he might carry his cross (Did they consider it would show them in a good light if, when in the public eye, they helped him?) • Having come to … Place of a Skull, they gave him wine to drink, mixed with bile (Did they consider that they too were going to die one day?) • Having crucified him, they divided his clothes among themselves by gambling (Did they consider that he could never ever harm them now?) • Having sat down, they kept watch over him there, and over his head they put … “This is Jesus, the King of the Jews” (Did they consider that this whole thing needed careful thought in the light of all that was known about this man and about those who opposed him?)

Sinner Syvret

Email this newsletter to a friend
*All mandatory fields must be filled in
Friend`s name
Friend`s email address *
Your name
Your email address *
Message

Send comment
*All mandatory fields must be filled in
Your name *
Your email address *
Your comment *