Brutal Hearts
"Do you want me to release to you the king of the Jews?" asked Pilate, knowing it was out of envy that the chief priests had handed Jesus over to him. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd to have Pilate release Barabbas instead. "What shall I do, then, with the one you call the king of the Jews?" Pilate asked them. "Crucify him!" they shouted. "Why? What crime has he committed?" asked Pilate.
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
It was God’s sovereign plan that Jesus would die for the sins of people. What strikes me this morning is the cruelty and sin and the selfish motivations of the people who played a part in Jesus’ crucifixion.Crucifixion itself is the most painful and humiliating form of capital punishment that humanity has ever invented. Add to that the brutality of the human heart toward Jesus – the Son of Glory – and you have an almost unbearable story. It’s as if God orchestrated a demonstration in the death of His Son the sinful heart condition for which Jesus died.Dear God – save us. Save us from ourselves. Save us from the sinfulness and brutality of our own hearts. Thank you that salvation is found through this horrible and wonderful cross. I embrace the story with tears again today.
p.s. Mark 16 was also in our Bible reading today! The cross is not the end of the story… read these words!
But they shouted all the louder, "Crucify him!" Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them. He had Jesus flogged, and handed him over to be crucified.The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" Again and again they struck him on the head with a staff and spit on him. Falling on their knees, they paid homage to him. And when they had mocked him, they took off the purple robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him out to crucify him.And they crucified him. Dividing up his clothes, they cast lots to see what each would get. It was the third hour when they crucified him. The written notice of the charge against him read: THE KING OF THE JEWS. They crucified two robbers with him, one on his right and one on his left. Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads and saying, "So! You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, come down from the cross and save yourself!" In the same way the chief priests and the teachers of the law mocked him among themselves. "He saved others," they said, "but he can't save himself! Let this Christ, this King of Israel, come down now from the cross, that we may see and believe." Those crucified with him also heaped insults on him.
Mark 15:9-20, 24-32
It was God’s sovereign plan that Jesus would die for the sins of people. What strikes me this morning is the cruelty and sin and the selfish motivations of the people who played a part in Jesus’ crucifixion.Crucifixion itself is the most painful and humiliating form of capital punishment that humanity has ever invented. Add to that the brutality of the human heart toward Jesus – the Son of Glory – and you have an almost unbearable story. It’s as if God orchestrated a demonstration in the death of His Son the sinful heart condition for which Jesus died.Dear God – save us. Save us from ourselves. Save us from the sinfulness and brutality of our own hearts. Thank you that salvation is found through this horrible and wonderful cross. I embrace the story with tears again today.
p.s. Mark 16 was also in our Bible reading today! The cross is not the end of the story… read these words!
"Don't be alarmed," he said. "You are looking for Jesus the Nazarene, who was crucified. He has risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter, 'He is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him, just as he told you.'"
Mark 16:6-7
