Day 11: Wednesday, April 1

Matthew 27:27-37. Then the soldiers of the governor, taking Jesus into the Praetorium, gathered against Him the whole band of soldiers. And stripping Him, they put around Him a scarlet mantle. And braiding a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand; and kneeling before Him, mocked Him, saying, Hail, King of the Jews! And spitting upon Him, they took the reed, and struck Him on His head. And when they had mocked Him, they took the mantle off Him, and put His own garments on Him, and led Him away to crucify Him.

And as they came out, they found a man of Cyrene, Simon by name; him they compelled to take His cross. And when they were come to a place called Golgotha, which is called place of a Skull, they gave Him vinegar to drink, mingled with gall, and when He had tasted, He was not willing to drink.

And when they had crucified Him, they divided His garments, casting a lot, that it might be fulfilled which was declared by the prophet, They divided My garments among them, and upon My vesture they cast a lot. And sitting down they kept watch over Him there; and set over His head His charge written, This is Jesus the King of the Jews.

Doctrine of the Lord 12. The Lord came into the world to subjugate the hells and to glorify His Human and the passion of the cross was the final combat, whereby He fully conquered the hells, and fully glorified His Human. It is known in the church that the Lord conquered death, by which is meant hell, and that He afterwards ascended in glory into heaven; but as yet it has not been known that it was by means of combats which are temptations that the Lord conquered death or hell, and at the same time by means of them glorified His Human; and that the passion of the cross was the final combat or temptation by means of which He effected this conquest and this glorification. Of these temptations many things are said in the Prophets and in David; but not so many in the Evangelists. In these, the temptations which He endured from childhood are summarily described by His temptations in the wilderness, followed by those from the devil and the last of them by the things He suffered at Gethsemane and on the cross. (Concerning His temptations in the wilderness, and by the devil, see Matt. 4:1-11; Mark 1:12, 13; and Luke 4:1-13.) By these temptations, however, are meant all His temptations even to the last of them. He revealed no more to His disciples concerning them; for it is said in Isaiah:

He was oppressed, yet He opened not His mouth: as a lamb that is brought to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so He opened not His mouth (Isa. 53:7).

(Concerning His temptations at Gethsemane, see Matt. 26:36-44; Mark 14:32-42; and Luke 22:39-46. And concerning the temptations on the cross, see Matt. 27:33-50; Mark 15:22-37; Luke 23:33-49; and John 19:17-34.) Temptations are nothing else than combats against the hells.

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