The mockery of the crucifixion

16 The soldiers led Jesus away into the palace … 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. Mark 15: 16 – 19 

The extreme cruelty and barbarity of being flogged and crucified is a well testified fact. Flogging, 39 lashes with a leather thong embedded with stone or metal chips to flay the skin to the bone is unbelievably cruel, but so too is crucifixion. None of the Gospel writers dwell on the details but it is known that it involved driving long nails into a man’s wrists and ankles onto a wooden cross, lifting the cross into a vertical position and waiting till the condemned died from asphyxiation, dehydration or exhaustion. 

In Jesus’s case it was much more than physical, it was also the humiliation and mockery that he had to endure. Crucifixion was only inflicted on the basest criminals and was considered incredibly shameful and disgraceful. 

First the whole company of the Roman soldiers mocked him. Everything was a parody and insult of Jesus’s royalty. A purple robe and a crown of thorns. The scornful, false homage ‘Hail King of the Jews’, the chant given to Caesar. Jesus was beaten with a staff signifying a royal sceptre. The soldiers fell to their knees in false reverence and spat on him instead of giving him the kiss of homage used when greeting royalty and they mocked him with their words (Psalm 22: 7). The psalmists frequently agonised over the torture of verbal abuse. 

The mockery continued all through those long six hours of crucifixion from the passers-by and even one of the thieves hanging next to him. They called on him to save himself, believing him incapable, not realising his mission was to save the world, not himself. 

And of course, the chief priests and religious leaders joined in the derision. “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” Matthew 27: 42 – 43. Jesus, despite the agony, the humiliation, the shame, the insults remained focussed on his mission. 

After three hours, darkness settled over the land. The greatest crime in eternity had to be done in darkness, the devil believing he could kill the Son of God. You could not put the Prince of Light to death in anything but darkness.  About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”). The agony of being separated from the love and presence of God as the sins of the world were placed on him and he took the cup of the wrath of God. What happened next in the spiritual realm is a mystery. All we do know is that when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit Matthew 27: 50. No matter what scientific or medical reason you give for the actual cause of death, the one thing that is certain is you do not give what I believe was a faith-filled victory shout, ‘it is finished’ (John 19: 30). It was so unusual, indeed unique, that the Roman centurion responsible for the crucifixion was convinced ‘Surely he was the Son of God.’ 

We read too that Jesus did not die from natural causes, he gave up his spirit. He decided when he would die. What a terrible, glorious day that first Good Friday was. The disciples and the women must have been devastated, the Roman soldiers terrified and the religious leaders unmoved. Our wonderful Saviour died in the most humiliating, shameful way mocked by all except his few disciples to save the very people who had committed this tragic act. 

Freedom, freedom, freedom

It is for freedom that Christ has set us free. Stand firm, then, and do not let yourselves be burdened again by a yoke of slavery. Galatians 5: 1

I have always been a bit of a sucker for YouTube clips of animals being rescued, whether it’s bears from cages or horses that have fallen into muddy holes, or baby elephants who can’t get out of a waterhole. I love them all and they make me cry. It’s so wonderful to see animals experiencing freedom, sometimes after years of being in a cage or exhausted from struggling to free themselves from a place they’ve trapped themselves in. 

How much more wonderful is it when we realise Jesus has set us free from cages of sin, guilt and despair or muddy holes of bad habits that have imprisoned us for years. This Easter how wonderful to meditate on the wonder of what Jesus did when he died on the cross setting us free to be who God made us to be.

I love seeing bears that have been released from cages lolloping across the grass, jumping into a pool (bears love to swim) or have a good scratch against a tree. It brings tears to my eyes.  I am blown away that Jesus chose me, a not-at-all nice person, lost and drowning in sin to be his child. 

I also am deeply moved when I see those formerly bound by addiction to alcohol, nicotine or gambling free from these bondages. Sin is a terrible taskmaster, binding us into despair and hopelessness but once free, it is so amazing to walk in that freedom to choose life, to choose love.

That’s the most marvellous thing of all - Jesus did this for love, For the joy set before us, he endured the cross, scorning its shame and sitting down at the right hand of God (Hebrews 12: 2).  Jesus doesn’t call us into a life of slavish devotion where we have to constantly appease a vengeful God. No God’s vengeance on sin was fully atoned for by Jesus. God’s wrath was on him. Now we are drawn into a relationship of love – God’s powerful, unconditional love for us and in return we give our feeble adoration that deeply touches God’s heart.  It was love and love alone that took Jesus to the cross and love that kept him there. 

How can we not fall to our knees in overwhelming thankfulness for all God has done? Let’s turn our minds away from virus and lockdown and rejoice in the wonder of our salvation and the freedom we now live in. 

Crowds are remarkably fickle

Crowds are remarkably fickle. They are easily influenced. Crowds followed Jesus wherever he went enjoying the miracles, hoping to be fed and generally in it for themselves. 

When Jesus entered Jerusalem just a week before his crucifixion, the crowd, inspired I think by the Holy Spirit, welcomed him with great enthusiasm shouting ‘Hosanna. Blessed is he that comes in the Name of the Lord.’ They laid branches and clothes on the road and gave Jesus the right royal welcome that he deserved. 

There would have been crowds in Jerusalem all week, there for the Passover but when Jesus was arrested, tried and sentenced to death this same crowd who had been following him for years, had welcomed him into Jerusalem, turned on him and egged on by the religious leaders bayed for his blood. Jesus was deserted by not just the disciples, but also the crowd. 

Several weeks later the crowd were back in Jerusalem for the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost and drawn by the sound of rushing wind, they gathered and Peter preached his famous sermon and the fickle crowd who had deserted Jesus in their droves now turned to him to receive salvation. What a glorious day!

In these uncertain days of coronavirus, how essential it is that we are disciples of Jesus and not just part of the crowd. Crowds are notorious for yelling for what they want and not necessarily what’s good for everyone. We only have to see how crowds gather in complete defiance of government rules for our safety to do what they want. 

We are called to be people who follow Jesus and are influenced by what he is doing in these days. There are plenty of prophets of doom but not nearly enough prophets who bring the good news of Jesus and his salvation. The crowd is baying for lockdown or no lockdown and especially for their right to celebrate Christmas as they want to. They want a ‘normal’ Christmas but it is almost certain that is the one thing we won’t be having.

This must be the year when the Church gets out of their buildings and proclaims that Christmas is not about family, children, parties, presents or anything else, but about the birth of Jesus Christ. As Christians let’s focus on that – celebrating that in whatever way we can, bringing the good news of Jesus wherever we can and telling of his great love whenever and however we can.  

The amazing news in the midst of all this gloom is that God became Man and dwelt amongst us. As Christians we must tell of how we have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only, full of grace and truth. Everyone can experience this.

I am hoping and praying that the Church will get out onto the streets this Christmas and be a different crowd – an army of Godly followers not following the crowd but bringing the crowd to Jesus. 

Love never fails

Recently, I watched the film Quartet again. It is a funny and moving story surrounding an old people’s home for retired musicians. What a lovely idea. Every year they hold a concert to raise funds for the home and every musician who is still able takes part.

Into this scenario comes a retired diva to live in the home, once married to one of the other residents. The air crackles with tension which is gently resolved. The finale is four of the finest operatic voices from their day singing the Quartet from Rigoletto.

 

I love the film which is extremely witty and filled with uplifting music. However I knew nothing about the opera Rigoletto or its storyline. I was shocked therefore to discover it is all about the debauched court of an Italian duke. It is bawdy and frankly vulgar as well as being a story of betrayal, revenge and murder. It is a true tragedy.

 

How can such a terrible tale have such wonderful music? Everything evil wrapped around by everything enriching and beautiful. How can it be?

 

I immediately thought of the Garden of Eden – God’s paradise on Earth. Totally beautiful, perfect and everything that is good into which comes evil incarnate. Why did God permit the devil to enter his perfect world?

 

The answer is love.

 

William Shakespeare wrote ‘Love is not love that alters when alteration finds.’

 

God is love and he does not change even when evil comes into his perfect world.  True love is not fickle, it doesn’t give up. As we read 1 Corinthians 13: 4 - 8, we see what true love is really like.

⁴ Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵ It does not dishonour others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶ Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷ It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.⁸ Love never fails.

The reality is that love has to be freely given and freely received.  Love permits terrible choices to be made - to choose evil over good even though the consequences are terrible.

 

God allowed the devil to deceive Eve even though the outworking would be tragic. If he had stopped her or not let the devil into the Garden, it would be a form of manipulation and control, not love. Eve’s decision, freely made, led to the destruction of so much of God’s incredible creation and cost the life of his Son.  

 

But love always wins. Romans 12: 21 says, Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good. Love overcomes even terrible wickedness. In the end God will have his way – he will restore his beautiful creation, planet Earth to the perfection he always intended. This time evil will be completely destroyed and Man, the highest of God’s creation, his redeemed ones who have freely chosen him, will inhabit this restored world for all eternity.

 

It never fails to move me deeply. The perfect Son of God killed in the most barbaric manner in order to save his wayward, sinful and uncaring creation, Man. That is true love.

Thank you for the cross

But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities;
the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed. Isaiah 53: 5

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. II Corinthians 5: 21

On Good Friday, as we consider again Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross, I am overwhelmed by a sense of wonder of what Jesus did for us.  I have been reading J John’s Holy Week devotional and yesterday he wrote, ‘Jesus went to a place of separation so that we might never need to be separated from God. He cried out these words of abandonment (My God, My God why have you forsaken me) precisely to ensure that his followers should never have to say them.’ Today he wrote, ‘Christ became cursed that we might be blessed, became empty so that we might become filled and became nothing that we might become something. That’s what the cross is all about’.

 Everything Jesus went through was for us. We know this but it has hit me afresh this Easter. The perfect Son of God suffered unimaginable torture, humiliation, abandonment, betrayal and crucifixion for people like you and me. That just blows my mind away.  I know what I am like. I am not sure I would have done that for me so how can perfection do that for people so imperfect, so broken, so impure?  The answer of course is love; a love so pure, so perfect, so holy that he will do anything to make sure that the object of his affection can be saved from their self imposed sin and wickedness.

We should not shy away from the horrors of the cross but look them full in the face, as far as we are able, even though it breaks our heart, and be thankful for what Jesus did.  He has prepared a wonderful place in heaven for each one of us to enjoy with him forever.  However he also has a wonderful life for each one of us to live here and it is wonderful because no matter what we go through, we will never be abandoned, forsaken or alone. The God of love is always with us.  Jesus took it all on the cross. The divine exchange is complete and all that we should have suffered for our sin has been paid for and all the perfection of Jesus and the fullness of his life is ours for eternity. 

 What can we say but thank you from the bottom of our hearts?