He Refused

They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it.

When I read this passage I wondered why Jesus refused to drink when offered wine mixed with gall, but later asked for a drink.

I researched a bit and read that this particular drink would have numbed or dulled Jesus’ senses a bit, and Jesus was not finished “actively obeying” his father’s plan.  He still had a thief to forgive (the one hanging by him) and he still had to intercede for you and me, and he still had to willingly give up his life and say aloud, “It is finished.”

The fact that Jesus was still actively obeying in his dying hours is amazing and pulls at my heart.

How often do we obey God, but passively?  Circumstances dictate that we learn to obey, and so we do, but it’s because we are made to do so.

Remember, Jesus could have called angels to take him away at any time.  He chose to stay the course and obey his Father, down to the last minutes before his death, and he didn’t want any drink to desensitize him at all.

What an awesome Savior we have.

Do you know him?

Stripped

Stripped, thorns on his head, mocked, spit up on, and struck. 

Those are the actions we read about in Matthew 27, as Jesus stood before the crowd awaiting his crucifixion.

Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said.  They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

Observe the clothing here that Jesus wore. 

First, he was stripped and then clothed in a scarlet robe, symbolizing royalty.  However, this was just to mock him because he said he was a king.

After the mocking, they took off the robe and again put his own clothes back on him.

I can’t think of anything worse than to be humiliated in public by having my clothes stripped from me.  And then to have the same people who stripped me place on me their own covering with which to make fun of me is another humiliation of the worst kind. 

Not only was Jesus stripped, but these awful people stuck Jesus in the head with thorns, twisted in the shape of a crown.  And again blood ran down his flesh that was torn.

Have you ever wondered why Jesus couldn’t just be taken away, speared in the side and killed, without so much public humiliation and drama?  Wouldn’t his quick death been enough for our sin, without having to suffer so much beforehand?

There is NOTHING we can experience in life that Jesus didn’t experience before he died. 

NOTHING.  Even the worst stories in history of innocents being sent to gas chambers, separated from their families, and labeled as outcasts – Jesus can identify with it all.

We have a Savior who loves us that much. 

If you feel you haven’t got a friend in the world who understands your particular situation – He does.  He died.  And he lives.

So that you too can live.

The Flogging

Matthew 27 continues the story of the events leading up to Jesus’ death…

“Which of the two do you want me to release to you?” asked the governor. “Barabbas,” they answered. “What shall I do, then, with Jesus who is called the Messiah?” Pilate asked. They all answered, “Crucify him!”… Then he released Barabbas to them. But he had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.

To be flogged is to be beaten with a whip or stick in order to torture.

Pilate asked the crowd who they wanted released to them, and although Jesus had been guilty of no sin, they wanted him crucified.  He was accused of blasphemy because he agreed that he was the son of God.

It would seem from this story that Jesus fell into the hands of an evil crowd, and they were allowed to hurt Jesus over and over again.   We’ve seen movies that depict this scene of Jesus being beaten, whipped, and scourged until his flesh is torn and blood runs down his back.  It’s a horrible scene to watch.

I know there are many children who grow up to be adults, with memories of being beaten and whipped by abusers.  Or perhaps they were beaten down with words of accusation and shame, which left them with the lowest of the low in self-esteem. And all of that suffering many have experienced was for no good reason at all, except they were young and vulnerable and a target for evil.

Jesus knows our pain, even the worst kind of pain imaginable.  He knows what it’s like to be accused, beaten, thrown to those who wanted to kill him…and he experienced it all…so you and I can live.

Jesus came to bring us out of evil into the light.  His intent was never for you to be beaten or abused.  That happened because of sin. 

You want someone to understand your pain?  Jesus does.

 

Pray to him and ask him…and he will comfort and heal.

Response

Matthew 27 starts with one of the saddest stories in the bible.

 When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and the elders. “I have sinned,” he said, “for I have betrayed innocent blood.” “What is that to us?” they replied. “That’s your responsibility.” So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself.

Judas turned Jesus over to his accusers, just like Jesus knew he would do.  And here we see that Judas was “seized” with remorse, confessed his sin, and realized that he had betrayed Jesus.  He even told the priests and elders his confession.

But their reply is unfeeling and uncaring, as they flippantly told Judas it was none of their concern.  And after that encounter with the religious leaders, Judas hung himself.

Wow.

I can’t imagine any greater sin than that of betraying the son of God to be taken and crucified.  And yet, God sees sin as sin, none greater or less than the other. We are all born sinners, capable of betrayal, accusation, and all types of wrongdoing.

What if Jesus’ response to us, when we feel remorse for our sin, and we confess it out loud, was to turn to away from us and tell us to deal with it on our own because it meant nothing to him?  Our response might be just like Judas, to hang ourselves, because guilt is a noose around the neck that just tightens over time, sucking our life away.

Jesus doesn’t treat us like these religious leaders did. He turns towards us, forgives us, and forgets whatever it is we have done.

If you’re choking out of guilt, all you have to do is see Jesus, confess your sin, and you’re set free to breathe…and live.

It’s that simple.

Denial

The last part of Matthew 26 relays the story of Peter’s denial of Jesus.  I’ve seen this scene many times in a movie where Peter is approached three times:

“You also were with Jesus…”

“This fellow was with Jesus…”

“Surely you are one of them…”

Peter was scared to be associated with the man who was about to be crucified.  He wanted no part of what was about to go down, so he even cursed and replied,

“I don’t know the man!”

It was then that the rooster crowed and Peter remembered Jesus had told him this entire scene before it happened.  Peter then went out and “wept bitterly.”

I’ve been in crowds, had opportunities to share, experienced the presence of the Lord, and known his ways.  And yet, fear overtakes me and I’m remain silent or fail to answer those who are questioning me.

I’m not sure why the bible singles out Peter’s denial more than the other disciples, but it’s a story that once we’ve heard it – we never forget it.

It was obvious to those around Peter that he had been with Jesus.  

Do we want it to be obvious that we’ve been with Christ?  If so, then we must be ready to answer “Yes, I was with him.”

Do you know Him? What will your answer be...

Spit, Struck & Slapped

After the betrayal of Jesus’ friends as we read in Matthew 26, we then read this:

“They spit in his face and struck him with their fists.  Others slapped him….”

Jesus was the Messiah, the son of the living God, and he knew it.  These people didn’t know it.  They didn’t get it.  And they were looking for a reason to crucify him. 

Being spit upon, getting hit, and then experiencing  hard slap…what would you do?

I would either cower, run, or spit back. 

How did Jesus stay in the middle of betrayal after betrayal, hurt after hurt, and desertion after desertion?

The answer is found in the knowing of who he was, and whose he was.

I’m convinced that if in our lifetime here on earth we realize who God really is, and that we really belong to him and are loved by him, we can make it through all that life brings us.

Been slapped? Is your face damp from others spitting on you?  Or are you doing the hitting?

We are created in his image, his likeness, to embody his glory.  God loves us.  We belong to him.

Think on this today, and lay down your sword, and wipe off your face.  

They Fled

After the horrendous scene we wrote about yesterday (Judas’ betrayal and the arrest of Jesus), verse 56 in Matthew 36 says,

“Then all the disciples deserted him and fled.”

I don’t know about you, but I’ve never experienced every single friend I have deserting me.  Even the person in the drive-thru greets me with a smile every time I show up for food.

However, the men Jesus led to follow him, those who were chosen to learn from him, fled – perhaps out of fear – when the situation looked scary.

Maybe these men were afraid they too would be arrested, so they disappeared. I’m sure they thought if they were arrested with Jesus, for following Jesus, they too would die on a cross right next to him.  So they ran.

There is nothing on this earth worse than losing everything and standing alone, about to die, with no one around.  I can’t imagine the grief or the pain.  I can’t imagine that Jesus didn’t run away with his friends, or call those angels from heaven to come down…

But he didn’t.

He was arrested and led to slaughter…because he loves you and me.