Would You Be Willing?

If you had made this world and the universe, would you be willing to allow yourself to be arrested by those whom you had created? Having done nothing but righteousness (never a wrong), would you then allow others to spit in your face. Would you allow them to blindfold you, beat you, and then mock you by saying, “Prophesy to us... Who is the one who struck you?”

If you had the ability to call thousands of angels down and stop these proceedings, would you yet be willing to let human judges condemn you with their hypocritical rulings? Would you permit them to whip you with instruments that would leave your body a bloody mass of near unrecognizable tissue? Would you allow them to further mock you by putting a crown of thorns on your head and a reed in your right hand and by saying, “Hail, king of the Jews”?

Would you permit them to ‘force’ you outside the city to a hill, where they would strip you naked? Would you tolerate the nailing of your hands and feet to some wooden beams? And as they lifted you up on this cross, and as they further mocked you and in jest challenged you to come down from your tortured state, would you remain silent?

Would you endure all this, knowing that the whole lot of them didn’t deserve what you were doing? Friend, this is what Jesus, the Son of God, did for all mankind. And He did so when all had left Him. He did not die for righteous people, but for an entire race of sinners. No one stood up for Him. Even His closest disciples fled when He was arrested, some even denying that they knew Him.

“For scarcely for a righteous man will one die; yet perhaps for a good man someone would even dare to die. But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:7-8).

Permit two points.

First, let us all recognize the great love Jesus has for us, that He would suffer so much that we might have eternal life. Daily let us meditate on and cherish His love for us.

Second, let us allow the example of Jesus in all this to affect our person (1 Peter 2:19-25). Mercifully we have not been called upon to experience what He endured. Surely, then, we can allow others to do (what are relatively) minor injustices to us without responding in kind -- can’t we? Shouldn’t we be able to tolerate what may seem to be a harsh remark sent our way? Shouldn’t we be able to forget the angry words of a brother, words which he now wishes he could “take back.“? Shouldn’t we be willing to forgive a wrong suffered in the past? 

“For to this you were called, because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that you should follow His steps.”