It was quite humbling talking about the physical abuse that Jesus took while He was on trial. We tend to linger on the cross which, of course, was nothing short of horrendous. But the beating He took even before His murder. Slapped in the face. Hit in the face while blindfolded. Spit on. Beaten by professional hit men. A crown of long, sharp thorns on his head and hit on the head over and over. It's no wonder He collapsed before even reaching Calvary.
Years ago Max Lucado pointed out a word in one of Peter's letters. It says, "they hurled their insults at Him." I think I paraphrased that correctly. They didn't just insult Him. They hurled them at Him as if they were throwing rocks. I wonder which hurt worse. Was it the physical beatings He took that injured His physical body. Or did the insults, the expletives, the innuendo, the name calling, the utter and total rejection of the Son of God....was that more disappointing?
We can ask one day. But until then, we just have to respect the fact that He did not retaliate. He didn't respond in kind. He didn't abuse them or call down angels to defend His honor. Instead, He trusted His Father. There's a good lesson there for all of us. When the naysayers and the critics come around and we feel as if we are being persecuted, then we need to remember what He went through. And when He went through it, He trusted His Father. Let's trust Father.
No comments:
Post a Comment