#WALKWITHJESUS 8
Pilate let Barabbas go free. But he had Jesus whipped. Then he handed him over to be nailed to a cross. They took off his clothes and put a purple robe on him. Then they twisted thorns together to make a crown. They placed it on his head. They put a stick in his right hand.
Matthew 27:26, 28-29 NIRV
Reading: Matthew 27:26-31, Mark 15:15-20, Luke 23:36-37, John 19:1-3
In the movie ‘The Passion’ by Mel Gibson there is the scene that precedes Jesus’ crucifixion. In this scene Jesus is relentlessly flogged (beaten with a whip of several strands). The emotional effect of seeing this was very traumatic for me and I’m sure for everyone who watched the movie. This was of course the intention of the director. Even though I knew it was ‘just’ a movie, I found myself asking, “When are they going to stop!?”
Perhaps it affected us as profoundly as it did because we know that this scene was based on facts. Isaiah prophesied that this would happen to the Messiah and he also told us why it was necessary.
Let’s read this together in Isaiah 53:
“He was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.”
Peter confirmed this in 1 Peter 2:24:
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness..by his wounds you have been healed.”
What healing did this brutal flogging earn for us? Healing for all the evil effects of sin – physical healing, emotional trauma, disappointment, wrong choices.
Are you going to ignore the stripes that Jesus took gladly for your sake? Or will you receive, by faith, whatever healing you need today?
Prayer
Dear LORD Jesus, thank you for taking my punishment. Thank you for giving me the opportunity of being healed in my mind, body and soul.
Something extra
This is the scene from the movie <WARNING> it is not for sensitive viewers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jTzW8gm1yhY
For the family
Continue doing this 15-day devotional study about Easter that is suitable for children.