Not because Jesus' enemies had found in Him something that could properly and justly be reviled and evil spoken of; nor because His enemies were so nearly perfect that He could find nothing in them to revile and speak evil of; but because He was so full of submission to the Divine will that He was enabled to take the scoffs and railings of the people, and to bear these humbly and patiently, and to remember that even hereunto He was called, did Jesus endure patiently and learn the lessons, and prove Himself faithful, and develop and demonstrate His true character, and feel and manifest His pity for the people, in their blindness and ignorance, and His love for them.
To revile means unjustly and needlessly to say and do uncomplimentary things to others. Jesus was more especially reviled after His sentence, by the soldiers in Caiaphas' and Pilate's palaces, and by the people and soldiers on His way to, and at, Calvary. But while He was not, and they were, deserving of reviling, He returned it not to them. Doubtless Satan sought to keep their vile words and deeds upon His mind, to stir up in Him the spirit, words and deeds of reviling. In this he failed, because our dear Redeemer, "despising the shame," looked upon it as of little consequence, and fixed His will upon pleasing the Father amid and despite their reviling. In this as well as every other respect, our blessed Lord is an example to us. Whatever reviling falls to our lot, whatever temptation comes to us to return reviling for reviling, let us, like Him, "despising the shame," fix our wills upon pleasing the Lord, amid and despite the reviling that is our portion.
Matt. 26:65; 27:13, 27-30, 39-44, 49; Psa. 22:6, 7, 16, 17; 31:11-13; 35:20, 21; 71:10, 11; 109:25; Isa. 50:6; 53:7; Heb. 12:3.
