| Whips & Thorns Apr. 12, 2006 |
Matt. 27:27-31 NKJV 27 Then the soldiers of the governor took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole garrison around Him. 28 And they stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him. 29 When they had twisted a crown of thorns, they put it on His head, and a reed in His right hand. And they bowed the knee before Him and mocked Him, saying, “Hail, King of the Jews!” 30 Then they spat on Him, and took the reed and struck Him on the head. 31 And when they had mocked Him, they took the robe off Him, put His own clothes on Him, and led Him away to be crucified. Thorns pressing into his flesh. Blood flowing from his fresh open wounds. People chanting and mocking all around him. Nails pierced through his skin. His arms throbbing from the pull of his body weight placed upon them. His mother and closest friends are watching. Soldiers gambling for his clothes. He is placed between two thieves as if he belonged there and left to die. But as excruciating as all this was, it is not what hurt the most. What hurt our Saviour the most was the separation that occurred between Him and His Father. Even while on earth, Jesus had never before experienced being truly separated from God. But Jesus had to endure it in order to save us from our sins. He allowed all the sins of the world to be placed upon Him. That means, all of the ugliest and dirtiest sins that one can imagine were placed upon him at that time. And by doing this, He allowed Himself to temporarily embody everything that God hates. Jesus had to experience His own Father, turning away from Him because He was so unworthy. The one who had no sin was now looked upon as a sinner. Why?! Why, would He do this? For you. You are worth every thorn that was pressed into his flesh. You are worth every stripe made across his back. You are even worth the darkness and the emptiness that He felt when His Father could no longer look at Him. Christ died for you, because He loves you. I hope you enjoyed reading the word of God in a new light. Have a Happy Wednesday! God Bless, Min. Tommy & Sis. Shatika Gray |