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Numbers 15:17-16:40; Mark 15:1-47; Psalm 54:1-7; Proverbs 11:5-6
“And the chief priests began to accuse Him of many things. Then Pilate questioned Him again, ‘Are You not answering anything? Look how many things they are accusing You of? But Jesus still did not answer anything, so Pilate was amazed.” (Mark 15:3-5)
“Then the soldiers led Him away into the courtyard (that is, headquarters) and called the whole company together. They dressed Him in a purple robe, twisted together a crown of thorns, and put it on Him. And they began to salute Him, ‘Hail, King of the Jews!’ They kept hitting Him on the head with a reed and spitting on Him. Getting down on their knees, they were paying Him homage. When they had mocked Him, they stripped Him of the purple robe, put His clothes on Him, and led Him out to crucify Him.” (Mark 15:16-20)
Making fun of the King of Glory. We are all guilty in one form or another. We mock Him with our lives when we give Him lip service but no real fruit. I am ashamed sometimes when I think of all that Jesus endured for us and yet here I am struggling sometimes just to move beyond my selfishness. How can I be so self-centered when He gave His all, never even defending Himself. Speaking of which, when my character is attacked my first instinct is to defend myself. “But that’s not the way it was…” Not Jesus, He trusted His father to be His defense. He knew His work would one day speak for Him. And it has.
Yep, Jesus gave His life for us. And not just at the cross, He gave His “good years” to resisting temptation and pursuing His call. He asks us to do the same. To trust Him that we aren’t giving up anything that won’t be given back to us with good measure. To love people more than ourselves. That’s what it takes you know, to love God and to love people. Not just any people either, unlovable people that spit on you, mock you, deny you, betray you and sometimes physically hurt you.
Living for God isn’t always easy, but it is the most rewarding. Hey, guess what? This should help us, even with all of our current shortcomings and even though it was our sins that mocked Him and nailed Him to the cross, He still loves us. He did it all for us. We are His prize. No matter where you come from or what you’ve done, you are somebody in His eyes. Surrender to Jesus, relax and let Him live through you, let yourself be all that you can be for Him!
PRAYER:
Lord, help me to know You. Some may feel You were a fool to do what You did, and some may feel unworthy of You, but I know in my heart that Your love and hope for us brought You to that cross. And I know there is nothing “worthy” within me, yet I believe in Your love so strongly that it gives me worth. I give this life back to You and ask that You would make something positive and productive for Your glory. In the name of Jesus, I pray. Amen. |
