15 September | EVERYONE
“Then some began to spit on Him, and to blindfold Him, and to beat Him, and to say to Him, ‘Prophesy!’ And the officers struck Him with the palms of their hands.” Mark 14: 65
The sad scene of Christ's suffering was not unexpected. It had to happen. Human beings may not know it, but this brutal crime was part of the plan to rescue the sin-oppressed human species. Humanity deserved death because they had deliberately rejected the way of life. But paradoxically, they were afraid of dying. Then the Father sent His Son to take the place of the condemned.
What crime had Jesus committed to deserve such a disgrace? He only had loved with an infinite and misunderstood love! That is it. But the devil understands nothing about love. Neither do his followers. In his heart, there is only room for selfishness and resentment. And they unleashed their fury, coming without mercy, with whips, rods, and ropes. They looked like furious dogs: They mercilessly tore off His clothes, tied His hands, and scourged His body.
Jesus trembled and writhed in pain. His groans sank into the depths of the sea of screams from the hallucinated people. The soldiers came and went, as in a macabre scene, hurling insults and aggression. The blood of Jesus soaked the ground; and in the background, there was a chorus of insults and expletives.
It was a humiliating picture. The first executioners got tired of beating Him, and then others came carrying sticks. Those weapons tore His flesh, and blood gushed out and splattered the arms of His killers. Time passed, a mute witness to human atrocities, and the innocent, bloodied victim slowly extinguished like a candle until He fell almost unconscious.
Those executioners were you and me. It was we who, as we felt, deserved to die. But He took our place. We will never have enough words to thank for His mercy and love! All that remains is for us to open our hearts to Him and accept Him as our Savior and Lord.
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If Jesus was willing to do that and more because He loved you, what would He not be willing to do for you? By thinking about it, your love will surely only increase.