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Source: https://www.sermonindex.net/speakers/larry-steers/a-reed-in-the-lords-hand/
We'll read in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 27. The Gospel of Matthew chapter 27, and we'll read verse 26. Matthew chapter 27 and verse 26. Then released Heber Rabbis unto them, and when he had scourged Jesus, they delivered him to be crucified.
Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the common hall, and gathered unto him the whole band of soldiers, and they stripped him, and put on him a scarlet robe. And when they had planted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and a reed in his right hand, and they bowed the knee before him, and mocked him, saying, Hail king of the Jews.
And they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. Notice just two little statements of what we have read. Notice in verse 29, when they had planted a crown of thorns, they put it upon his head, and just a little expression in the middle of the verse, a reed in his right hand.
And then notice that we have read when you come down to verse 31, and after that they had mocked him. They took the reed, or took the robe from him, and put it on his raiment, and led him away to crucify him.
But in verse 30, and they spit upon him, and took the reed, and smote him on the head. You've been hearing about the stones cast. Notice the reed. There might be far more to that reed than what you might just ordinarily give a thought to.
A reed in his right hand. I'm not going over all the details of the supernatural events that took place at Calvary. We mentioned that a little at the Conference at Blue River. But you'll remember that there was a darkness over all the earth.
That is, the sun was shut off. The sun refused to shine. And then there is the veil of the temple that was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. And then those events are recorded by the Synoptic Gospel, the Synoptic Writers.
John doesn't record any of the supernatural events at the cross. Then we notice that the rocks rent, the earthquake, graves were open, and so on. But here's something else. It's not particularly a supernatural event, but it's something that would stamp itself upon the mind as you consider the Lord Jesus standing silently with a reed in his right hand.
So you might ask yourself the question, why the reed? Why is it so emphasized here, just only by Matthew, not recorded in any of the other Gospel writers? But Matthew takes particular note of the reed.
And why is it mentioned significantly that that reed was held in the right hand of the Lord Jesus Christ? And so a reed in his right hand. They had scourged him, all of the details of the happenings that the soldiers inflicted upon the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm certain that in the next hour or so before us, we will be reminded of the scourging. That scourging was a violent weapon that many a man died under the Roman scourge. I think I indicated maybe more than once that I would be persuaded there were more than two, more than one soldier.
There were two soldiers with the scourge. The Bible tells us that the plowers, plural, made long their furrows upon my back. And then again, we are reminded not only the plowers, but I gave my back to the smiters.
That's in the plural. And so I would gather that there were at least two Roman soldiers with that scourge. They knew nothing about the 40 stripes save one. They administered that scourge as long as they had the strength in their arms to administer it.
Tore the flesh, terrible weapon, that Roman scourge. And then they put the scarlet robe on him in verse 28 here, crowned him with a crown of thorns, the result of the curse. And now the Lord Jesus Christ will bear that.
And they bowed the knee before him, the whole band of soldiers in verse 27, 200 Roman soldiers, at least that was a compliment of a Roman band. And the Savior stood in the midst of those men to be abused and to be tormented by them.
Now they placed the reed in his right hand. And so why the reed in his right hand? And so the Savior accepted that reed. And not only did he accept it, but he held it in his right hand. Not only did he hold it in his right hand, but in the midst of the scene that was revolving around him and all of the indignities that were inflicted on him, he chose the hand.
When the Roman soldier came with the reed, they never expected that he would accept it. They anticipated that he would drop the reed. But the Savior held out his right hand. And he accepted that reed.
And he stood for a period of time. We don't know how long he stood holding that reed. And they were angry. They never anticipated that he would hold it. They thought he would drop it. Sometimes we hear that they used the reed to beat the crown of thorns into his brow.
That may have happened, that no doubt did. But I would suggest that wasn't the reason. They were angry. The Savior really was saying to them when he accepted the reed, remember, Pilate felt that he had power to deliver the Lord Jesus Christ.
The soldiers were convinced that he was in their power. They could do all of these things to him that they did to him. But now the Savior stood with that reed. And I would suggest that that was a message to those soldiers, I'm here.
Because I chose to be here. As he opened his hand. And he willingly accepted the reed. If you read through the scriptures about the reed, there are a number of details about the reed that could be applicable here.
For example, you would read that the reed is a reed that is shaken by the wind. That is the reed would indicate a very fickle person. The reed would indicate a helpless person. A bruised reed. And you can read a number of other details about the reed shaken in the water.
And so to those soldiers, the reed was in contrast to Caesar's scepter. Caesar's scepter was feared in the known world at that time. Caesar's scepter controlled the legions of the Roman army. Caesar's scepter was bowed to.
Caesar's scepter was feared. And so in contrast to the scepter of Caesar, they have now given the Lord Jesus a reed. And in giving him that reed, they were challenging him, where is thy kingdom? Where's your kingdom?
All of your followers have forsaken you and fled. You have no army to control. You have no kingdom. They had bowed before him and mocked him as a king. Now they give him the reed. And to the soldiers, the reed was a mark of great dishonor.
But they took that reed and began to beat him on the head. They took the reed, the sign of the monarch in mockery, and they beat the crown upon the head. I would just suggest the significance, while it would drive the thorns deeper into his brow, was the reed used to beat the crown.
That was a total mark of of dishonor and hatred when they beat the Lord Jesus Christ with the reed. But notice, you cannot force a person to hold anything in their hand. We know that the Lord Jesus willingly allowed the Roman soldiers to scourge him.
I've already quoted the verse, I gave my back to the spiders. He willingly did that. He stood silently before his four mentors. He said before he went back to heaven that he had all power. He was a creator.
Those soldiers would have had no power over him if he had not have been willing. And to indicate he was in control, he accepted the reed. Now again, come back. You cannot force a man to hold a reed, to hold anything in their hand.
You can force one to the whipping post. You can force the garments upon him, put the crown of thorns upon his head. Again, the Lord was willing, but you could force that. But you can't force me to hold anything in my hand.
If you put something in my hand and I've got it in my hand and I'm not prepared to hold it, I'll drop it. But when the Lord Jesus Christ opened his hand and he received the reed and he stood silently holding that reed, he held the reed in his right hand.
The right hand is the hand of power and the hand of authority, and he held it. And they were angry because they thought he would drop it. Let me say it again. I sense in the reed that the Savior is saying to these men, I am here because I chose to be here.
You could have done nothing to me if I had not been willing. And so he put out his hand. It's a sight that must stir us. The Savior reached out his hand. Again, he chose the hand and he accepted the reed and he stood holding that reed until they snatched it out of his hand and began to beat his head to beat the crown of thorns with the reed as a total mark of dishonor to the Lord Jesus Christ.
I'm going to think of that hand again just for a moment. I'm not going to take the 15 minutes that are left. Just think for a moment of that hand. The hand that held the reed is going to hold the iron scepter.
The reed is a flimsy thing. It bends and twists and their mockery was because of the flimsiness of the reed. Three times in the book of Revelation, we have an iron scepter and he will hold the iron scepter.
The iron scepter will be far superior than any scepter that Caesar had. He's going to come back to this earth. Zechariah tells us that his feet will touch the Mount of Olives. The Mount of Olives will cleave and he's going to make his way into the city of Jerusalem.
He'll deliver his city. We sense that there will be a crown or a thorn or a pardon me, a throne of some sort in Jerusalem because Gabriel said that the Lord God will give unto him the throne of his father David.
There'll be a throne and the king will be upon that throne with a scepter of iron that will not turn, will not bend, that will symbolize his kingdom and every rule of his kingdom will be perfectly carried out.
There will be no prejudice. There'll be no bias and every rule of his kingdom perfectly will be fulfilled. We are told then that he's going to have a scepter of iron in contrast to the flimsy reed that they gave him, that he received.
And it's beyond my comprehension to see the Savior standing there with every mark of dark disorder that men had placed upon him. And he's standing now accepting that reed and holding it. And can I just say again, just think about it for a moment, that he really is saying with that reed, this is where I have chosen to be.
You have done all you have done to me, but I have been willing to allow you to do that. And so he stood with a reed in his right hand.