It is the sin of gluttony which is the least obvious in the Way of the Cross.  There are no doubt plenty of gluttons there, but that is not what we are trying to find; we are trying to see how each sin contributed to this final act in the drama of our Lord’s life, how each sin contributed to put men in opposition to our Lord.  It is not the actual sin of gluttony that we shall find in operation here but certain inevitable effects of it, What is the effect of gluttony on the soul of man?  Absorption in the pursuit of the pleasures that spring from material things; the indulgence of the appetite, and the natural result of such indulgence which is to render the soul insensitive to the spiritual.  The man whose motto is, “Let us eat and drink, for to-morrow we die,” puts himself out of touch with the spiritual realities of life.  He is materialistic, whatever may be his philosophy.  He wants immediate results from life.  When he is confronted with our Lord, when he is told that our Lord makes demands upon life for self-restraint and self-discipline, that He demands that the appetites be curbed rather than indulged, he declines allegiance.  One can have no doubt that in our Lord’s time as to-day indifference to His teaching and failure even to take in what the Gospel means or how it can be a possible rule of life is largely due to the dull spiritual state, outcome of the indulgence of the appetite for meat and drink.  Men whose brains are clogged by over eating, and whose faculties are in a deadened state through the use of alcohol, cannot well understand the Gospel of God.

There is abundant evidence of anger all along the Way of the Cross.  The constant thwarting of the purpose of the Jewish authorities by our Lord, His unsparing criticism of them before the people, had stirred them to fury.  If our Lord had seemed to them to threaten their “place and nation” we can understand that they would show toward Him intense hostility.  Their attitude toward the people whose religious interests they were supposed to have in charge was one of utter contempt:  “This people which knoweth not the Law is cursed.”  Our Lord’s attitude was the opposite of all this.  It was not, to be sure, as to-day it is represented to be an appeal to the people.  He was not bidding for popular support, but he showed unbounded sympathy with the people; He cast His teaching in a form that would appeal to them and draw them to him.  He made a popular appeal in that He showed Himself understanding of the popular mind and without social prejudice of any sort.  This setting aside of the arrogant authorities of Israel roused them to implacable wrath.  They felt that our Lord was setting Himself to undermine their authority, and as they felt that their authority was “of God” their indignation translated itself into terms of zeal for God.