Thank You Jesus!

 

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL ACCORDING TO MARK

THANK YOU JESUS!

Mark 15:16-20

16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace (that is, the Praetorium) and called together the whole company of soldiers. 17 They put a purple robe on him, then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on him. 18 And they began to call out to him, "Hail, king of the Jews!" 19 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. 20 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.

NIV

This is not the best part of the gospel in one sense, in fact, in reality it is rather gruesome in the way the Roman soldiers treated Jesus. However, in another sense, this beating of Jesus was to fulfill that which was written about him.

Isa 53:5

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed.

NIV

Surely, this was not an easy thing for Jesus to go through and the pain and suffering he experienced at the hands of man, were in fact for man. We do not like to think of how Jesus was tortured, both emotionally and physically by those men, but at the same time by what he went through, we have been healed. We have peace with God, because of the punishment Jesus took upon himself. All the open wounds, all the blood that was spilled in this beating was a healing balm for us. Often it is thought that the spear which pierced his side, is the blood that he spilled, but maybe all this blood that was a result of his beating, his flogging, was what brought us peace and healing. Sometimes it is thought how awful the scene was on that cross, Jesus nailed through his wrists and feet, being mocked by many, but also loved by those who were in agony watching him on that cross. Yet the scene here that Mark mentions briefly, without much of the details, had to be unimaginably horrific. This seems like the same way in which the church usually deals with holy week, with black Friday being the most solemn occasion and only on Easter Sunday do we celebrate as, He has risen, He has risen indeed. Yet his resurrection did not bring us salvation or the forgiveness of sin, His death on the cross did that. In the same way, we usually feel sorrow and grief over this beating, this flogging and mocking of Jesus, but by it, He brought us peace and healing. Through the violence of flogging, we have peace. Through the blood of His wounds, we have healing. Yes, it is not easy to think of his pain and suffering, and painful to watch that movie produced by Mel Gibson, yet on the other hand, perhaps it should be a time of celebration of what Jesus did for us. We know that sounds a little weird, but everything that Jesus did, all his life and death was for our benefit. Everything He said and did was to show us the way, to bring us back into full relationship with the Father, and have eternal life. Jesus came for us. We are the reason He did everything, including his terribly violent experience. Thank you, Jesus!