Scripture Readings for today are: Psalms 119:145-176; 128, 129, 130; Jer. 25:30-38, Rom 10:14-21 and John 10:1-18
Today we stand at the Sixth Station: Jesus is Scourged and Crowned with Thorns
Scripture Reading: "Then Pilate took Jesus and had him scourged. And the soldiers wove a crown out of thorns and placed it on his head, and clothed him in a purple cloak, and they came to him and said,"Hail, King of the Jews!" And they struck him repeatedly."
John 19: 1-3
Probably nothing is more sobering than to meditate on the scourging of Jesus and the crown of thorns on his head. The humiliation of being mocked, beaten, and the cruelty of the physical pain is not easy to sit and meditate on.
One person described the scourging like this:
"Pilate hoped that by having Jesus' scourged the Jews who brought him to trial might be satisfied with this punishment and stop asking for his death. Scourging was the usual kind of punishment given for disturbing the peace and a warning to cease from upsetting authority and civil order. It was also used to weaken a criminal who was about to be executed. The latter was considered a form of mercy since a crucified man could last for days on a cross before expiring. Roman scourging, nonetheless, was brutal, painful, and dehumanizing.When a prisoner was scourged he was stripped, bound and bent so his back was exposed. Long leather whips tied with pieces of sharp iron and bones were used for ripping apart the back. As skin was torn from the body in shreds blood gushed from the numerous wounds. Some died from the whipping alone, some were made unconscious, and some went mad."
It is for my/our sins that Jesus endured this pain. The "punishment of our sins was upon him", Isaiah proclaims. Isaiah further adds, "Surely our griefs He Himself bore, And our sorrows He carried; Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted."
If we are honest, we don't understand the "why?". Theologians describe it in different ways, and I'll not go into all the theories that surround the "why?" of this pain. Suffice to say, and by faith to hang on to, that Jesus is beginning the journey of the cross that will lead to his death -- but our redemption! There is only one way to respond to this: "Thank You Lord".
A Prayer:
"Lord Jesus, for my sins you suffered and I cannot begin to express all that I need to say in the way of 'thanks'. The gift of your pain and suffering has rippled down through the aeons of time and continued to give the gift of salvation to me, to your church, and to all who continue to put their faith and trust in you. I am grateful in ways that I cannot express...except from the depth of my being with worship, praise, and adoration. Thank You Lord. Amen."
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