Jesus Did These Things For You and Me: 33 & 34

33. Jesus stood accused before Pilate. Matthew 27:11

Early in the morning, or more aptly, late into that moon lit  night, after fervent prayer in the “olive grove called Gethsemane”, Jesus was taken to stand before Pilate, the Roman governor. No fault was found, yet the Jewish elite persisted with their accusations that:

~ He perverted Israel, they claimed, insisting that Jesus had agitated the people, “causing riots by his teaching wherever he goes – all over Judea, from Galilee to Jerusalem!” (Luke 23:5)

~ He forbade tribute to Caesar, they argued. Yet, in Matthew 22:21 Christ had instructed, “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and give to God what belongs to God.”

~ He claimed to be the promised Messiah, a blasphemous act, was their rebuttal. Of this they were correct, He claimed that He was the son of God, but He never tried to destroy the King of the Roman Empire, their kingdoms were not the same.  Instead, He replied when asked, “Are you the Messiah, the Son of the Blessed One?”, “I AM. And you will see the Son of Man seated in the place of power at God’s right hand and coming on the clouds of heaven.”

Pilate sought fairness amongst a frenzied murmuring mob. His wife, Claudia Procula, had sent word for him to “have nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him.” Even to the extent that he washed his hands of the incident and sent Jesus to appear before Herod, the outcome was inevitable.

Wearing a royal robe of mockery, Jesus was lead back to the throne of Pilate. There,  the leading priests and other religious leaders were questioned. “You brought this man to me, accusing him of leading a revolt,” an exhausted and befuddled Pilate spoke, “I have examined him thoroughly on this point in your presence and find him innocent.”

The haughty haze of contemptuous breath, sneered from the establishment, consumed poor Pilate. Flogging would not satisfy the evil and jealous hearts of these pompous, powerful, and prestigious.

Still, Jesus stood. He waited. Silent and submissive, His shoulders bore the weight of the accusations. With all the condemnation of the civil Roman government teamed with the religious political elite of Jerusalem, the one man who never failed to follow their laws, was sent to be scourged and crucified for the very laws He came to fulfill.

and yes, He did all of that

for you and for me.

34. Jesus accepted a flogging with a lead-tipped whip. Matthew 27:26b

Twelve leather strips, laced with jagged bone and lead nuggets, dredged through the back thirty nine times, achieving a  total of four hundred sixty-eight places of pulpy impact.

The first blows brought rivers of life-giving blood surging to the surface. Subsequent ones ripped and tore the tender skin sprinkling all in its path with  precious Passover power. Once the blood had begun to flow, all other blasts on His body dug deeper, dismembering the flesh from  body.

For Jesus, the flogging could not quench His life. Still conscious, the soldiers pressed the piercing thorns of the make-shift crown into His forehead and wrapped Him with the cloak of crimson, jeering as they forced a rustic reed stick scepter  into His right hand. “Hail! King of the Jews!” was their callus chaotic cry.

Growing weary of their loathsome labor, scripture simply says, “They led him away to be crucified.”

Let us never forget, as we follow His steps on this dreary, dark, morning, that Jesus willingly did this

for you and for me.